Survey by IBurbia of NTL Video on Demand!

APS · 28-05-2004, 20:01

Anyone else had an email from iBurbia, working via a website run by http://www.sowhatdoyouthink.co.uk/ that forms a questionare on a proposed video on demand service from NTL.

I ran through the survey along with a multimedia demo and it looked quite impressive. Included films on demand, TV programs on demand and playback of recent programs.

Not sure of the techology they were using - more likely a TIVO style box as it said you could wind back and forward in what you were watching.

The quesitonare asked how much you would pay for various services plus the normal customer profilling. Looked quite professional too.

Any else get this or am I priviledged.

APS

**Paul** · 28-05-2004, 21:16

Nothing here yet.

Bottesford · 30-05-2004, 13:11

Yeah I got that too- looks like an interesting service. Ability to choose from over 500 new & old films, play them when you like, pause them and so on. You get a 24 hour 'rental' of some films so is exactly like going down the video shop. It said they'd be introducing a free service allowing you to play back a variety of popular TV shows from the previous week.
Wonder when it'll happen!!

Nutty · 30-05-2004, 13:49

Quote:

It said they'd be introducing a free service allowing you to play back a variety of popular TV shows from the previous week.

That sounds great, its what I'd hope would happen. Finally an answer to Sky's sky+ system. And if its free too all the more better.

eoin.miskell · 30-05-2004, 17:14

This is the video they show you:
Click here for the video.

ntlrocks · 30-05-2004, 17:56

whats the bets thats the MR2 update for bromley....langley will follow few months later.....however the date is thurs 27th...thats the same date used for the screens of langley from the Guide you got

30-05-2004, 17:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by eoin.miskell

This is the video they show you:
Click here for the video.

That looks good. Fairly mind boggling though, I've been trying to get my 'head round' thousands of subscribers, all pausing, rewinding & suspending hundreds of different films. I'd be interested if anyone has any information on how that will be achieved.

bigitup_j · 30-05-2004, 18:05

that service is gonna be amazing!! i cannot wait until it is available

the hell with sky+

Quote:

Originally Posted by ntlrocks

whats the bets thats the MR2 update for bromley....langley will follow few months later.....however the date is thurs 27th...thats the same date used for the screens of langley from the Guide you got

i hope it is with mr2. it's a way to say sorry for all the crappy bugs!

Shaun · 30-05-2004, 18:06

I'm wondering the same as you Gaz, their systems are creaking with the current systems running off it. How will it cope with the extra speed they are offering customers as well as the additional bandwidth this service take up, whats the bit-rate on a standard digital channel? 3Mbps??

bigitup_j · 30-05-2004, 18:09

unless, the service will mean the end of Near-video on demand! so that's 55 spare channel streams - should be plenty of space for the vod service.

Shaun · 30-05-2004, 18:14

But surely that means only 55 people on the platform will be able to use the service at once!!

Stuart · 30-05-2004, 18:40

I think it should be an interesting service. The only limitiation I can think of would be a lack of content if you don't want what could be called mainstream television and movies (for instance, how much of BBC four is likely to be available). As for it being "free", I got the impression they were charging "a small monthly charge" for it.

ntlrocks · 30-05-2004, 19:02

so obviously they dont have bandwidth problems?

Derek · 30-05-2004, 19:09

I'm sure there was a very in-depth conversation about the bandwidth going to be used for the Vod service either here or on digitalspy a few months back.

I'll see if I can dig out the link. There was a pretty good explanation of how the service works for different people watching different streams.

EDIT: The Digitalspy forum search is unavailable right now so I can't get the link.

magpie · 30-05-2004, 19:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by dellwear

But surely that means only 55 people on the platform will be able to use the service at once!!

As dezzo said, there's a really detailed thread on this on DS.

It won't just be 55 people able to watch, 'cause cable can do something called narrowcasting, where signals are only sent to a small number of homes. I guess the closer the broadcast equipment is to your house (in terms of network architecture, not geography), the fewer "other people's" films you'll recieve, increasing the chance that there is spare capacity for you.

The company producing this (On Demand Group?) must have gone over the numbers and concluded that there is enough capacity in each narrowcasted area to serve the amount of people they expect to use it.

One last thing - the original poster said this is likely to be TIVO like technology, which it isn't at all. TIVO (and other PVR/DVRs like Sky+) cache the programmes on the client side (that is, in your house). Video on Demand caches the programmes server side (at ntl datacentres). ntl's systems have far more capacity than a TIVO box, which is why choice from 500+ movies is possible.

I can't wait for this! It looks to be the biggest improvement in cable TV since digital was introduced!