[Vinny]

When DIRECTV launches its high-speed video-on-demand service sometime next year, subscribers will be able to access a large library of TV shows and movies anytime they want. But if said subscribers are looking for high-definition programming at their fingertips, they're going to have to wait until the company comes around.


DIRECTV's VOD service was expected by many to already be in customer households, but now the watch-what-you-want-when-you-want-it technology will make its way across the country sometime next spring. The new service will enable subs to use a high-speed internet connection to download on-demand programming from the internet to watch on their TVs - at least the non-HD sets, at first.
According to reports, high definition programming via the company's VOD service will not be available at launch but the system is capable and will most likely include it late 2007.

An effort to help the company compete with its cable competition, DIRECTV's video on demand service is rumored to begin with nearly 2,000 movies and TV shows.

Source: www.skyreport.com

 

[noneroy]

Has there been any mention of cost? Will one have to pay for access like PPV? Would access to something like this actually reduce the need for many PPV channels (more room for more channels)?

I would hope that it would partially work like cable does it, a lot of free TV shows and access to ondemand with HBO/Showtime/etc when you pay for the channel.

Honestly, HDTV on demand would be nice, but those files are not small. A well compressed SDTV show can be 400-800megs which is starting to be a trivial size (Insight just upgraded to 10mb/sec cable connections here). Considering HD is, like, 8gb an hour (or more?), this seems to make sense...it sucks, but I understand it.

 

[Earl Bonovich]

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=71277

 

[newcs]

Has there been any mention of cost? Will one have to pay for access like PPV? Would access to something like this actually reduce the need for many PPV channels (more room for more channels)?

I would hope that it would partially work like cable does it, a lot of free TV shows and access to ondemand with HBO/Showtime/etc when you pay for the channel.

Honestly, HDTV on demand would be nice, but those files are not small. A well compressed SDTV show can be 400-800megs which is starting to be a trivial size (Insight just upgraded to 10mb/sec cable connections here). Considering HD is, like, 8gb an hour (or more?), this seems to make sense...it sucks, but I understand it.

I would bet it's free to compete with Comcast.