BT Broadband has never been the cheapest on offer, but with the UK's largest (and richest) telecoms company behind your Internet connection, you can generally be assured that they'll launch new services to keep a competitive edge.
They've recently been boasting about a ramp up in speed to 8Mb in selected areas, and they're going to need that speed to launch BT Vision in all its glory.
Their website claims that it will provide:
- Entertainment on demand: a huge library of movies, comedy, music and kids shows that you can order and watch at the touch of a button. And remember there is no compulsory subscription so you can decide how you pay.
- Catch-up TV: watch a selection of last week's shows you may have missed.
- Digital PVR: Sounds similar to the Telewest TVDrive affair - record up to 80 hours of programmes.
- Communications services coming soon: use IM, chat, and video telephony through the TV, plus control the BT Vision service itself from any Internet connection - presumably you'll be able to start recording a show when you're stuck working late at the office.
Additionally, BT have just won the right to show 'near-live' on-demand Premiership football, from the 2007-8 season. Matches will be available "on demand" via broadband from 10pm on match days, with a window of up to 50 hours to watch the match. Given bandwidth constraints, it probably won't be in high-definition, though.
I don't have details of pricing or availability. Experience of BT products tells me that it probably won't be the cheapest service around, but will be of good quality. We'll have to wait and see.
You can sign up to find out more information here.
Via Techdigest
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