iPlayer on the TVonics DVRs, IPTV on Freeview

I’ve been meaning to blog about this for a while, since the PR people for TVonics kindly send me one of their DTR-HD500 units to play with (I’ve previously looked at the Z500HD for RegHardware.)

Both units have essentially the same software and UI; the difference with the HD500 is that it’s in a rather more stylish case, which you’ll either appreciate or think “That’s just bonkers!”

TVonics DTR-HD500 - unconventional styling

Both models include a two port HDMI switch, so you can connect a games console and DVD player, for example, as well as the DVR, even if you only have the one HDMI port on your TV; unlikely as it may seem to the more techy amongst us, there are still a lot of people out there who will have a shortage of HDMI ports on older TVs.

I won’t go over the main points of the TVonics kit in too much detail – read my review on RegHardware for that – but it’s a fairly straightforward interface that perhaps verges on the bland, but certainly won’t frighten people who are not used to digital TV.

The latest updates to the products add support for IPTV services, including the BBC iPlayer, thanks to support for the latest D-Book version, including the MHEG Interaction Channel.

That means that, essentially, when you’re watching a BBC channel on Freeview, you can press the red button on the remote, and you’ll get iPlayer as one of the options on the menu.

iPlayer on Freeview HD - just press Red

As you can see, it’s much the same implementation as you’ll get on a Freesat box; easy enough to find your way around with the remote control, but lacking some of the fancier touches found on the dedicated apps used by some manufactuers, like the one on Panasonic’s VieraCast, which I talked about recently over on RegHardware. However, this is what the BBC provides, not TVonics themselves, so it’ll be common across a lot of Freeview HD boxes over the coming months.

That’s not all that’s added by the latest software update, however. If you’ve browsed the upper reaches of the Freeview HD programme guide recently, you’ll have seen that, past the porn section, starting at channel 110, there are several new channels listed.

These are IPTV channels, which work using the MHEG-IC functionality on Freeview HD boxes. You can tune in to them on any box, but you’ll see a screen something like this if you do:

If your receiver doesn't support the IPTV channels, you'll probably see a message a little like this

On the TVonics – assuming it’s connected to the network, which is pretty much plug-and-play using an ethernet cable (a wireless adaptor is also available, but I’ve not had one to play with) – then you’ll see the station logo (‘Sports Tonight’ on channel 112, for instance) followed by message ‘Attempting to start video’ and then the picture will appear.

Sports Tonight, on Freeview channel 112

If I had to describe the picture quality, I’d say “VHS”; it’s hard to know if it could be better or not – certainly my broadband connection is more than fast enough, so the limitations are to do with the channel itself, and how much bandwidth it wants to pay for. Also, in the screenshot above, the programme was doing an interview via Skype, so it’s not exactly a fair example of what’s possible.

Some may, no doubt, be wondering why Freeview bandwidth is being taken up by minority channels, but the good news is that these channels really aren’t having much impact. All that has to be arranged is a slot in the EPG, and a very small amount of data, which essentially just provides the loading screen and the logo. The channel then points to the IPTV stream, if your box understands it, and all the programme content is delivered over the internet.

It’s obviously a lot cheaper for channels to get on air like this, and as more TVs come with Freeview HD and D-Book 6.2.1 support, we can expect to see more of this sort of content, including paid events and subscription services, helping Freeview fight its corner against other TV services.

For those who are curious, there’s a reasonable amount of buffering, it seems – it took five seconds from unplugging the network cable in the back of the TVonics before the channel was affected.

BBC iPlayer arrives on VieraConnect for 2011 sets

Panasonic has announced that the BBC iPlayer is now available on their 2011 TV sets, via the company’s VieraConnect platform. VieraConnect is the new beefed up version of VieraCast, which first appeared on the 2009 model sets. At the Convention earlier this year, they hinted that it was coming, but today’s press release is the official confirmation.

If you have a 2011 set, you should find iPlayer on VieraConnect now, apparently

Unfortunately for those who have older sets, Panasonic tells me that they won’t be getting iPlayer, as the VieraCast platform can’t support it. So if you have an existing Panasonic set and want iPlayer you’ll need to access it either via Freesat, if you have a dish connected, or via a separate set top box.

And, of course, owners of the first 2008 generation of Panasonic Freesat sets are still waiting for the update that will give them iPlayer.

Coming to your TV in 2011

Last week, I wrote about whether or not you should buy Freeview HD this Christmas, and I mentioned that there will be some interesting new stuff coming in 2011, which some people may prefer to wait for.

Predicting things is always risky – perhaps that’s why it’s so hard to resist. You know that a little way down the line, you can look back and say “why did I ever think that would happen?” But still, there are certain things that you can be fairly certain about, and most of the things mentioned here certainly fall into that category.

I hope this may help some readers decide whether or not it’s worth buying new gadgets now, or waiting a bit longer.

Freeview and Freeview HD rollout

This is going to continue, as per the timetable, so if you can’t receive Freeview at the moment, you may well get it next year – some pretty large chunks of the country will be switching over. If you’re in a marginal area at the moment, remember that with the switchover comes a stronger signal. So, if you can put up with poor or no reception now, don’t spend money on a replacement aerial when it might not be necessary in a few months. Check your coverage details on the Freeview website to find out when switchover happens in your area.

Freesat and the ITV player

ITV has been talking about adding their catch-up TV service to Freesat for a very long time, and many expected it this summer. It’s likely that it will arrive shortly after the BBC finally removes the ‘beta’ tag from iPlayer on Freesat – and that seems to be down to when Panasonic finally updates some of their older sets. Essentially, the BBC is proving the technology, and when that’s done, it will be much more straightforward for other broadcasters like ITV to add their own catch-up to Freesat. I think we can pretty confidently expect this to appear during 2011, and hopefully sooner rather than later.

Freeview HD and surround sound

At the moment, not all Freeview HD equipment is capable of creating a surround sound signal that will work with older (or indeed most) home cinema equipment, which expects to receive a Dolby Digital surround signal. From April 2011, the test requirements for FreeviewHD will make ‘transcoding’ mandatory. That means that products launched after April 2011 for FreeviewHD will have to provide a signal that will give you surround – but whether they’ll be clearly labelled so that you know when they were launched is a different matter.

In fact, since many of the big manufacturers unveil their ranges for the year quite early, I’d expect that most of the products that we see in their showcases over the next few months will support surround properly.

For people who want surround sound, you can be much more certain that FreeviewHD kit launched next year will provide it than you can right now.

Streaming media goes mainstream

This year saw a few products – like Panasonic’s DMR-XW380 – that can record FreeviewHD or Freesat and then allow it to be played back over a home network on other devices, like TVs that have media players built in.

Humax is planning to introduce the same functionality on some of their products, including the FreeviewHD HDR-Fox T2 . It’s likely that this will start to become a more widespread feature next year, from a range of manufacturers. So, potentially there’s no need to run aerial cables to other rooms, as long as you have a connection to the home network (perhaps via power line networking). You’ll be able to watch stuff recorded in the living room anywhere else at home.

One fly in the ointment is that you may find it only works when all the equipment is from the same brand, for now, especially where HD content is concerned. That should improve over time – I’ll write more on that later – but for now, stick with one brand, or check compatibility very carefully.

No more HD channels

If you’re hoping for more channels on Freeview HD next year, there’s bad news. It’s not going to happen. There won’t be capacity for another HD channel until 2012. There may be auctions of space, and some of that might be bought up by broadcasters, but you certainly want get anything launching on Freeview next year – so it’s going to be BBC One HD, BBC HD, ITV 1HD and Channel 4 HD for now.

Freesat is a different matter, perhaps – but it’s always hard to know. It’s possible that some of the channels not currently on Freesat in HD will appear, like Channel 4 or Channel 5, but I’m not going to hold my breath. And, much as people may like it, I suspect that new HD channels from other broadcasters remain unlikely, unless we suddenly bound out of recession. I don’t think that’s going to happen, and so I don’t think anyone’s going to take the risk of launching a brand new HD channel on Freesat.

Internet TV

You’ll hear a lot about ‘Over the top’ services in 2011, I think. It’s an industry term that, essentially, means extra stuff delivered via the internet, on boxes that are primarily used for terrestrial or satellite TV.

I would expect that more and more TVs and set top boxes will include internet functionality, and that the existing ones will be improved – so we may see a better range of content from people like LoveFilm, and the service appearing on more TVs and other devices.

Dedicated media players like the Apple TV and Boxee will provide more internet content – as long as our creaking broadband can cope with it – so for an increasing number of people, watching internet video via their living room TV will become commonplace.

The new FreeviewHD requirements from April next year will include some related to the Ethernet port on all the boxes, so we may even see iPlayer come to FreeviewHD in the same was it’s available on Freesat.

YouView

And that leads us to the big event for 2011 in TV terms – the launch of YouView, formerly known as Project Canvas. This is a service from the main broadcasters while will initially be launched in a product that combines a twin tuner Freeview recorder with the YouView service. Expect it to be around the top of the price range for FreeviewHD kit at the moment.

YouView will provide access to all the free TV services, and also to the catch-up services of the broadcasters, via a programme guide that goes back in time as well as forwards. It will also provide access to other internet content, including services like film rental and other pay per view. Freesat versions of YouView boxes may come, but not until later.

Some of the companies behind YouView are internet providers TalkTalk and BT, who will probably be providing subsidised YouView boxes with some internet packages; other people will be able to just buy a box in the shops.

Why is this a big event? Partly because it’s got plenty of big names behind it and partly because it’s hoping to provide a common standard – at the moment, if someone like LoveFilm wants their rental service on different TVs, it has to be written for each brand specially, a bit like doing an iPhone, and Android and a Symbian version of a phone app. With YouView, there will be a single way of doing that, no matter who is making the boxes (or, eventually, TVs). So companies like LoveFilm, or other new firms, will be able to get their services on lots of screens with less effort.

Worth the wait?

Should you wait until next year, and buy kit that includes some or all of these new features? Only you can answer that question, but you might find some help in the previous article. And, of course, I’ll be trying my best to keep people up to date and informed about new products and technology both here and in my work for Register Hardware.

Panasonic rolls out iPlayer update for 2009 Freesat TVs

Update: adds Twitter too

Panasonic has just rolled out the long-awaited update to 2009 Freesat TVs, to enable users to access BBC iPlayer via the red button service.

However, it’s not immediately obvious to users – if you go to the Setup menu and tell the set to look for new software, it won’t find any, as it doesn’t appear to be broadcast “over the air”, that is via the satellite signal.

Instead, you need to start the VieraCast function by pressing the dedicated button on the remote control, and you’ll then see a screen telling you there’s new software available. Click OK, then select Yes, and the software will download via your internet connection. So, you’ll obviously need the TV connected to the net to download the update, but you have to do that for iPlayer anyway (and see this article for my recommendations on how to connect up a set).

I’ve tried this on my set, which is one of the V10 models. I’d love to hear from other people with 2009 models, so we can establish whether or not the update is available across all the VieraCast models from that year.

When you’ve updated, your set’s software version will be 2.303.

Now you can tweet from your TV! Panasonic's Twitter client, shown here running on a 2009 V10 series Freesat TV

This update also adds a Twitter client to the set, which is a surprise – I thought that it would only feature on 2010 models, which have USB ports and keyboard support. But you’ll find Twitter in there too, and you can compose messages, if somewhat laboriously, using the numeric keypad on the remote control.

Thanks to GreenBars on the Digital Spy forums for the heads up on iPlayer.

iPlayer updates for Panasonic Freesat kit

A lot of people around various forums have been asking about when Panasonic – the first manufacturer to produce Freesat-compatible TV sets – will be updating their sets to provide access to the iPlayer.

While other manufacturers have rolled out updates, they’ve been somewhat noticeable by their absence for the Panasonic TVs, and some early adopters have been questioning Panasonic’s commitment to their older equipment.

I’ve now managed to get some rough dates from Panasonic, which will hopefully please at least some people. I have a V10 LCD myself, and iPlayer in the summer will be most welcome.

• 2010 model year sets should have iPlayer at launch
• 2009 year sets (which includes the V10, G10, G15) are anticipated to have it ‘middle of the year’, so around June/July
• 2008 year sets ‘by the end of the year’

More news as and when I have it.