The internet, mobile apps
place-shifting boxes are changing how and where we watch TV. Wot Sat enjoys TV
‘on the go’
Maybe it’s a ‘generational thing’, but the
traditional idea of the family gathering together in the living room at the
same time to share in the experience of watching TV, seems to be fading in many
households as computers, smartphones and the internet prove ever-more
compelling distractions.
Recognizing this shift in how we choose to
consume TV and indeed, when and where, broadcasters and service providers are
increasingly making programmers and channels available for streaming or
downloading on-demand. Increasingly, we’re also seeing the development of
software applications and a few set top boxes (or often a combination of the
two), which enable remote viewing on computers and mobile devices around the
home via a local area network and/or in many cases, via the internet too.
Some such solutions only require a web
browser to operate, but for mobile users, apps can usually be obtained from
online stores/marketplaces and are often free. Invariably supporting touch and
in some cases gesture-based control methods, typically these cater to Apple’s
ubiquitous handhelds foremost the iPad but also the iPhone or iPod Touch,
though the majority are at their most effective when viewed on the iPad’s
larger screen. Support is also growing for devices that use Google’s
increasingly popular Android operating system, though very few currently
support emerging Windows Mobile-equipped handhelds.
Sky
Go offers TV and films on demand for mobiles
The UK’s four main broadcasters have TV’s
‘players’ which are accessible via the web or come as free-to-download mobile
apps, though usage is restricted to the UK only. The BBC iPlayer app is
available for Apple, Android and Blackberry mobiles, ITV Player and Channel 4’s
4oD for Apple and Android, while Channel 5’s Demand 5 currently only supports
Apple handhelds. BBC iPlayer is presently the only service which allows shows
to be downloaded on to mobile devices (again limited to Apple handhelds only)
and watched while offline.
With the exception of Channel 4’s Film4,
all provide access to catch-up TV from all channels from the previous month
which is displayed with relevant programmer information and search and sorting
functionality including by channel and A-Z.
Live streaming
As expected from commercial broadcasters,
streamed content from ITV Player, Demand 5 and 4oD Player is accompanied by
advertising. Both the web and app versions of iPlayer can be used to stream
live TV and radio channels and include a fully browse-able 7-dau EPG. Channels
can be watched live via the browser versions of 4oD and ITV Player, but only
ITV offers a similar service to the BBC for mobile users, enabling ITV1 and
ITV2 to be streamed. Shows which fall outside of the 30-day catch-up TV
‘window’ can be streamed on demand using 4oD though the mobile app offers a
limited amount of content compared to its browser counterpart. ITV Player’s
browser version also has a rental service where ad-free episodes can be rented
at a typical 49p each or a series for around $4.55.
For both BBC iPlayer and ITV Player,
downloaded programmers can be kept for a maximum of 30 days (or 90 days for
series rentals from ITV) and played as often as you like for up to 7 days after
first play. Channel 4 recently announced its intention to update its 4oD player
later in the year to enable live streaming of E4, More4, 4Music and Film4 for
mobiles. It also plans to introduce an offline download service for mobiles and
a pause and play feature giving users the ability to pause a programmer on one
device and resume watching on another/
Eurosport and ESPN may not enjoy the same
audience figures, but both channels also offer online players and mobile apps.
They both require a subscription, which extends across both the web and app
versions. Eurosport Player includes an EPG and delivers line streams of its
British Eurosport and British Eurosport 2 channels plus selected sporting
highlights. Free apps are available for Apple and Android handhelds. A monthly
subscription crowd pass costs $7.55 or you can sign up for a minimum 12 month
annual pass and pay $4.55/month ($2.99/ month for the first year).
Sling
Media’s Slingbox was the first ‘place-shifter’
ESPN Player includes US sporting events for
streaming live or on-demand. Payment options vary depending on the event – a
subscription to the channel’s college sporting events coverage for example
costs $149.99 annually, $26.99/ month or $13.55 per day, while access to live
and on-demand coverage of the recent American Le Mans events coverage could be
streamed for a one-off $4.55 payment per weekend, or $8.99 for the whole
season. The channel has recently launched its first app, initially for the iPad
only. You can view what’s coming up in the week ahead and also use the app to
post about what you watch on Facebook and Twitter.
TV collectors
For those that like to have everything ‘in
one place’ TVCatchup is a popular (and free) ‘third party’ streaming TV PC
application. Available via the web or in app form for Apple and Android
devices, it’s essentially an ‘aggregator’ for free online catch-up TV players
though it comes with its own EPG and claims to optimize streaming quality for
handhelds (streaming via WiFi or 3G is supported).
Service providers such as Sky and Virgin
Media, meanwhile, have also been busy making the most of the potentially
lucrative TV content at their disposal by producing web and app-based services
which provide added value for connected subscribers such as the ability to
stream live TV channels and watch/rent shows on demand (see Sky vs Virgin
Media).
Free services providers Freesat and YouView
are also readying ‘second screen’ mobile apps, though the latter stops short of
letting you steam TV channels in favor of being able to browse the EPG and
remotely schedule recordings. Freesat’s forthcoming Free Time app looks likely
to follow suit.
On the hardware side of things, a number of
manufacturers (see ‘Thinking outside the box’) have produced hardware which
provides a means of distributing a TV signal or recorded program to PCs and
mobile via a home network and/or the internet. Some come with built-in
satellite or terrestrial TV tuners, while many are able to distribute video and
audio form an external source such as a TV receiver or DVD player.
VLC
Media Player is a popular TV streamer
Not to be outdone, Samsung has produced a
mobile app that enables remote streaming of what’s being received on a Samsung
TV tuner wirelessly to a mobile device over a home network. ‘Smart View’ is a
free download for Apple and Android handhelds and compatible with most recently
produced Samsung TVs which support networking functionality.
Finally, for those Wot Sat readers that
like things a little more ‘DIY’, a number of Linux-based satellite receivers
can be modified to enable remote TV streaming. One example is the ‘VLC’ plug-in
for the Dreambox range of receivers which, when used with the VideoLan PC
application, allows what’s being received on the box to be streamed and even
recorded remotely on a networked computer.
Virgin’s
TV Anywhere app includes touch/ gesture-based controls
Whatever your requirements and wherever you
are, network/internet access permitting, it seems there’s no excuse for missing
out of your favorite TV show these days. But as more and more programming is
made available on demand, we wonder whether the days of the linear TV channels
are becoming numbered?
