Charlie Ponsonby, CEO of Ofcom accredited TV
comparison service Simplifydigital.com commented:
"For the last couple of years high definition (HD) has been
the big battle ground for the major TV players like Sky, Virgin
Media and BT - but now the battle is shifting to on-demand content,
with the result that all now offer ever growing on-demand libraries
for their customers".
On-demand viewing is essentially the ability to select from a
library of stored content whenever is convenient. It is
therefore completely controlled by the viewer and is not in any way
dictated by the TV programme schedule for example.
If you want to view on-demand content on your main TV set, how
best to choose the right package for you?
On-demand viewing (via streaming or downloading) is clearly a
major part of most people's web behaviour - whether legal viewing
from BBC iPlayer for example, or illegal viewing from peer-to-peer
file shares.
The great majority of this web content is free and sites like
123webTV.com provide a good guide to what's
legally available where.
But on-demand viewing on the main TV set is a new and growing
phenomenon. It requires that your TV is connected to the
internet either via Wi-Fi or directly via an Ethernet connection.
This may be via a SmartTV (which connects directly to the internet)
or via a web-enabled set top box (as is the case with Sky, Virgin
Media and BT)
Virgin Media for example is seeing on-demand viewing growing at
about 20% per year and are likely to hit one billion on demand
views in 2011 with 258 million hours watched on demand in H1 2011
(60% of the 2010 total).
Charlie Ponsonby continued:
"On-demand viewing is a natural part of a web-experience, so
it is not surprising that it is so rapidly becoming a natural part
of TV viewing on the main set."
In addition, the arrival of SmartTV's (which are web enabled)
and the impending launch of YouView next year, means that you don't
necessarily have to take a subscription TV service to enjoy
on-demand viewing (but the quality and range of viewing is likely
to be less satisfactory).
What is key therefore, is the speed of your broadband connection
and the method of delivery of content over the internet. Both
may compromise the quality of the picture you receive.
Simplifydigital's pick of the on-demand services
available this Christmas
(Virgin Media, which benefits from fibre-optic connectivity
offers the largest on-demand library of all the providers)
|
| Source of on-demand content |
On-demand content available |
Price (£) |
| Virgin Media (all TV packages) |
Largest range of on-demand content available: Catch up TV from:
BBC iPlayer ITV Player; 4OD and demandFive all free with your
package Sky Anytime (included with TV XL only) includes Sky's
on-demand library Music and Movies on demand: wide range of SD and
HD movies from 99p and music videos from 20p (free with TV XL) TV
Choice library offers series from Channel 4, BBC, ITV, HBO, Warner
Bros, Living, Virgin 1 and MTV, much in high definition. (Free with
TV (XL), some content included with TV (L)) |
Virgin Media TV Size: M+ (with TiVo 500GB Box) • 65 Channels, 6
HD channels • TiVo box recommends TV shows based on your favourites
• £15.50 per month + £49.95 install charge • 1st year cost is
£235.95 |
| BT Vision (all TV packages) |
Catch up TV Last seven days programming from BBC, ITV, Channel
4 and Channel 5, plus BBC iPlayer On-demand TV BT's own library of
over 5,500 programmes, music videos, sport and movies (does not
include Sky Sports and Sky Movies content) |
TV Essential + Broadband and Evening & Weekend Calls • 70
Freeview channels • Up to 20 Mb download speeds, 10 GB download
allowance • Free evening and weekend calls to UK landlines • £4 for
4 months, £17 thereafter (plus £10 line rental)* + £30 activation
fee • 1st year cost is £182 (£302 incl line rental)* |
| Sky (Sky Anytime+ service for customers who take a Sky+HD box
with Sky Broadband Unlimited) |
No catch up services available Sky on demand library mirrors
your subscription - e.g. you need to subscribe to Sky Sports in
order to get of Sky Sports on demand. The same is true for Sky
Movies. In addition there is a large general entertainment library
including box-sets also available. |
Sky+ HD Entertainment Pack & Broadband Unlimited &
SkyTalk Freetime • Over 240 channels, 23 HD channels • Up to 20 Mb
download speeds, unlimited download allowance • Free evening and
weekend calls to UK landlines • £27.50 per month (plus £9.95 line
rental)** + £30 installation fee • 1st year cost is £360 (£479.40
incl line rental)** |
| SmartTV (requires a broadband subscription) |
Varies by manufacturer, but fast growing "apps" - e.g. Youtube,
Lovefilm and access to the internet |
SmartTV's start from about £329 Most content is free, some will
require a subscription |
| Freesat (Freesat+) |
BBC iPlayer ITVplayer |
Freesat+ boxes from about £209.99. Installation £60-£100 e.g.
SAMSUNG SMT-S7800 500GB Freesat+ HD Digital Recorder No
subscription |
*Customers must take BT Line Rental Saver, £120 to be paid
in advance.
**Customers must take Sky Upfront Line Rental, £119.40 to be paid
in advance.
Charlie Ponsonby, concluded:
"If you are serious about choosing the best on-demand library for
your household, we strongly recommend talking to an independent
expert before taking the plunge. We advise thousands of
customers each month to help make sure that they get exactly what
they want at the best price available"
About Simplifydigital
Simplifydigital offers a unique "Switching Support" service,
with friendly experts on-hand seven days a week to provide answer
all your questions in plain English; find the best deal available
at your address (from all the top UK providers); and be there to
help make sure that the installation and set-up goes
smoothly.
It is the only retailer of digital TV, broadband and home
phone services in the UK to have been accredited by Ofcom as
impartial and transparent and on average saves customers £445 pa by
finding them better deals.
Customers call their London-based experts free on 0800 1 388
388 or use their online service at
www.simplifydigital.com.
