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YouView - Freeview: the Next Generation - launches

A couple of years later than expected, the YouView service was announced today. When you plug a YouView box into your TV set, it will combine a Freeview+HD receiver and recorder with BBC iPlayer, ITV player, 4OD and Demand Five.

A couple of years later than expected, the YouView service was
Published on by on UK Free TV

Lord Sugar, who once stood on the platform at the announcement of Sky Television back in the 1989, is once again pronouncing the future direction of television. This time he is at the London Film Museum with the BBC, ITV Channel 4, Channel 5, BT, Arqiva, and Talktalk to show the internet-connected Freeview boxes off. Sky will also be adding their Sky Now service shortly, and STV programmes will be added soon.

"It’s with great pleasure that we announce that YouView will be available from major retailers later this month. Our intention with this simple–to-use box is to provide extraordinary TV for everyone, with on-demand services combined with TV channels with an opportunity to search back an entire week to catch what they’ve missed. It’s a whole new way of experiencing TV." said Sugar.

Stefan Rousseau/PA Archive/Press Association Images

The boxes will start at £300. This is quite a lot more than other similar boxes, such as those from Apple (Apple TV, £99) and Google (Google TV, £199). It will also be possible to get a subsidized YouView box as part of a BT or TalkTalk broadband deal.

However, YouView will, uniquely, show the traditional EPG grid, but with the ability to set future programmes to record, and past programmes to stream.

Richard Halton, the chief executive of YouView adds, "In many ways we’ve only just begun, YouView is set to evolve quickly and we look forward to working with new content partners and developing more functionality as boxes roll out into UK homes.”

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Phil
Wednesday 4 July 2012 8:03PM Scarborough
I read elsewhere that the first box being offered is a Humax PVR for £299. Apparently the box doesn't even have built in wifi. Seems like madness to me to offer a box for an internet connected service such as Youview and then make it difficult to connect the box to the internet?

Until we start seeing boxes with built in wifi it seems like a bit of a non-starter to me.
Si
Saturday 7 July 2012 10:13AM
Will this service still require a TV aerial for the Freeview channels?
Briantist
Saturday 7 July 2012 11:26AM
Si: yes.
brewerdave
Saturday 7 July 2012 12:55PM
Too much money for a device which hasn't even got a unified front end for catch up TV AND no wireless adaptor. Few people have their TV close enuf to their router to use ethernet, so it means spending more money for Homeplugs.
Mark Agius
Saturday 7 July 2012 7:20PM Haywards Heath
Will viewers in Freeview Light areas be able to get all the Freeview channels?
EG ITV 3, ITV 4, Film 4 etc.
Mark Fletcher
Saturday 7 July 2012 8:25PM Halifax
Mark Agius:No,only PSB multiplexes !
No ITV3,ITV4,Film4,4Seven,ITV2+1,etc,as they're all on COM multiplexes not available on freeview lite relay masts !
Mark Agius
Saturday 7 July 2012 8:51PM Haywards Heath
Mark Fletcher:
As the repeated programs are sent down the phone line and not thru the Freeview Light relay,
hoped that YouView would also send some of the non Freeview Light channels down the broadband phone line.
It would help to sell YouView to people in flats where they can't use satellite and only have Freeview Light.
timonthenet
Sunday 8 July 2012 8:58AM
Hi

Will there be any way to record from the new Box, for programmes streamed, ie services such as iPlayer, which output is somewhat difficult to archive (the DRM protection limits the time the recordings on a computer can be watched)?

If you cannot actually record to the Humax HDD, then would it be at least possible to record via the (assumed) HDMI output, or even SCART/Composite output?
Daniel
Wednesday 11 July 2012 10:32AM
I have read about this, as it will soon be on offer from current ISP, TalkTalk. In response to some of your comments here, it requires both a standard TV ariel AND a phoneline connection. Perhaps ISPs will offer the box free or cheaper to their customers when it comes out?
Dave
Sunday 15 July 2012 1:29AM Brighton
I am sure that in the future something like tvcatchup will be available on youview, give it time the box is not even on the market yet
Geoff. Dixon
Friday 10 August 2012 5:48PM
To : Brian Butterworth
Have you done an article on setting up a Broadband Ring-main? With the advent of "You View", this may be the only way to get the signal within a short distance of their DTV sets !
Dave Lindsay
Friday 10 August 2012 6:10PM
Geoff. Dixon: Mains cables aren't designed for carrying signals as they are not screened:

www.ban-plt.co.uk link icon Welcome to Ban Power Line Technology

If people require a broadband connection where there isn't one, then they should use WiFi or a Cat5 cable.
ed
Friday 7 September 2012 11:19PM
Who can I petition to upgrade my freeview lite reception?? Why should I be disadvantaged because I can only receive signals from a lite relay station, and I'm in Dundee, where half to the city can only receive freeview lite!!!??
Dave Lindsay
Friday 7 September 2012 11:48PM
ed: It is a bit late for that.

It comes down to the fact that when the that the licencees weren't mandated to provide as full a coverage as the Public Service Broadcasters.

Terrestrial television covers around 98.5% of the population. The cost of transmission for the last 8.5% is about the same as that for transmitting to the 90% who do get the full service.

The Commercial broadcasters (those that don't transmit from "Lite" stations) decided to stick with the 81 biggest transmitters (biggest by viewer population). They operate purely for profit by showing advertising that they sell to as many viewers as possible which they wish to aquire at lowest possible cost. Thus doubling their cost of transmission whilst increasing their potential viewerbases by about 10% doesn't make any sense. This is the basic law of capitalism: if it isn't likely to produce a return, it doesn't get done.

The Commercial broadcasters operate for the benefit of their shareholders in just the same way as any company.
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