Virgin Media takes on Sky

[etccarmageddon]

Originally Posted by andygrif

I know it works...I find it insulting to my inteligence when it happens though.

I bet there would be a tirade of abuse for Sky if they renamed the Sky+ box and called it NEW SKY VOD!

Of course many might see the analogy between that and rebranding a whole and existing company and expeting customers to think that's NEW too!

it would be a good marketing step to rebrand it as 'Sky+VOD'.

[themelon]

I cant see that Sky can call their service VOD unless it is a live stream from the web/server. It should be insisted that they call it something else in the adverts, If Sky sell it as VOD then another complaint should be made to OFCOM.

If it has to download from a server to the box first it IS NOT VOD pure and simple what ever Sky may claim as you would have to wait until it downloads. Sky can olnly offer true VOD over the broadband network and this will require some kind of Satellite/IPTV hybrid box to be developed. Sky will probably need to buy one of the number of IPTV companies that starts up once BT have figured how it works or if it works properly accross their network. Which due to the state of some of the BT network it wont work everywhere.

[etccarmageddon]

Originally Posted by themelon

IIf it has to download from a server to the box first it IS NOT VOD pure and simple what ever Sky may claim as you would have to wait until it downloads.....

that's debateable as it's classed as VOD here:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near_Video_on_Demand

"...VOD systems either "stream" content, allowing viewing while the video is being downloaded, or "download" it in which the program is brought in its entirety to a set-top box before viewing starts..."

---------- Post added at 11:56 ---------- Previous post was at 11:53 ----------

for the customer the technical aspect of whether it's streamed or predownloaded is irrelevant. how it functions when they access the program guide/VOD library is the only concern.