Next-gen Freeview boxes will be iPlayer-ready (with ethernet port)

[satzzz]

Full story here

[liveseytowers]

Next-gen Freeview boxes will be iPlayer-ready

A new generation of Freeview set-top boxes will be compatible with video-on-demand services like the BBC's iPlayer.

The Digital TV Group is helping Freeview to develop a standard for boxes with an Ethernet port, like the one found on recently-launched Freesat receivers.

The new standard will be an add-on to the basic Freeview specification, like the Freeview Playback standard for digital TV recorders, and won't be compulsory.

Simon Gauntlett, technology director at the DTG, told Wotsat: "I wouldn’t want to put a name on it, but it would be a Freeview IP or Freeview+, or something like that. All the Freesat products will have an Ethernet connection, and there are developments happening on the Freeview platform in a similar way.

"But the legacy Freeview boxes don’t have Ethernet connections; it will be for new set-top boxes, not existing ones.

"It would then be an option for combining different hardware for getting extra services, but still using the Freeview platform. That has been discussed, the specifications have been discussed with DTG groups for a while now, and they’re close to being completed.

"There are obviously a lot of similarities with the Freesat spec, because there’s a lot of people being involved in developing the specs, and because Freesat and Freeview both use MHEG for their interactive services, there are a lot of commonalities in how that works and how that interacts with the return path and so on."

As yet, there has been no launch date or official announcement from Freeview, but the BBC plans to have iPlayer on Freesat before the end of 2008.

Edit to say thats a good idea. Would be nice to see 4OD on there as well and the ITV stuff.

[Thrush]

Good stuff!

I think it's a great idea that they will offer on demand services, I'll have one!

[B B Leo]

just another gimick to buy new stuff. so where do i sign up

[Nibb]

Just ensure they are HD compatible or you will have to buy another one again later!

[rIKmAN]

Yeah as long as its HD as well I`ll have one.

[N3R0]

Will BBC/iPlayer be able to offer HD content via ethernet given the bandwidth limitation of most peoples connections?

[is0-mick]

we could add that to the BT Vision box, just need a C# guru still!

Mick