BT Plans To Revolutionise TV With Personal Channels
Watching TV will never be the same again if telecoms giant BT has its way, with the company developing new technology to allow customers build to their own television channels, filled with content such as home movies, photo collections and community-based content.
The new venture, originally developed by French telecoms manufacturer Alcatel, is dubbed My Own TV and allows users to generate their own, and access others collections of media through their remote control.
The new service, planned as part of BT’s Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) product, will also enable small interest groups, such as local football teams or small communities, to build their own channels subsidised by sponsorship or other commercial partnerships.
Another service, called Amigo TV and also developed by Alcatel, allows viewers to invite those in different locations to share a programme with them, enhancing the group experience of viewing. This, along with My Own TV is being assessed for inclusion in BT’s IPTV rollout.
Amongst the hardware options on BT’s list of possibilities are handsets with keypads for two way text messaging with other viewers, and a remote with a built in microphone to enable live conversations to be held over the top of a TV programme.
Details of BT’s designs for an IPTV service were first rumoured last year, with the company believed to be developing a Freeview set-top box with broadband capabilities (see BT In Talks To Offer Advanced Freeview). The service, which was confirmed by the telecoms firm at the beginning of the year (see BT Boards On-Demand Bandwagon With Broadband Services), will provide viewers with conventional television via Freeview, but offer supplementary content and on-demand programmes via a broadband connection (see BT To Supplement Freeview With On-Demand Content).
The shift towards on-demand viewing and tailored television content is being embraced by virtually every broadcaster in Britain, from cable and internet operators such as HomeChoice, Telewest and NTL (see Cable Giants Launch On-Demand TV And Movie Services), to satellite superpower Sky, which announced its first web TV service earlier this year (see Sky To Provide Content Via Internet Downloads).
The BBC has also jumped aboard the on-demand bandwagon, unveiling its latest offering – MyBBCPlayer, which will allow internet users to catch up on TV and radio content up to seven days after its original broadcaster. Users will also be able to tune into live feeds of BBC One and Two using the software, provided they are connected to the internet within the UK (see Thompson Announces On Demand Programming From BBC).
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