Not even free box incentives will drive online ordering to the TV now when the PC has overwhelming advantages. Channel Zero seem to be giving up on their original aim which was an enhanced Digital Text service dually fed from OTA and Net driven material. They might as well give in now. YouView will inevitably grab this tranch quickly. Channel Zero seems to be a product with no application and future really.
Good lord Open... that takes me back, originally Sky didn't own it, they bought it later on.
I think they had a stake in it and then later bought out the rest and it became Sky Active. The need to connect your digibox to a phone line for a year is a a legacy of Open... this was to encourage viewers to use the service.
I had a job interview there many years ago, they had very nice offices next to Holborn Viaduct, must have been a shock for the few who survived the move to Osterley!
I remember we switched to NTL Digital this time ten years ago and the amount of stuff they had on Interactive, with their preview channel promising how it would revoloutionize the way you shop and watch TV, to be fair what they had on there content wise was very impressive, but the software and hardware let it down, plus as someone else said many people find it more convienient going on their PCs and doing the shopping there, rather than having to mess about with a remote.
NTL at that time had a stake in a company called Two Way TV (another company I had an interview at and was almost offered a job at) who ran games services on cable, both stand alone and connected to TV programmes. They never really took off but they are still going albeit tucked away on Virgin Media.
I just don't understand the thought behind it. They want to send you personal messages via the DTT signal on Channel Zero, but you need to connect the set top box to the internet as well? Why not just use the internet connection to send messages (for free) instead of hiring multiplex space (for £8.2million) ??
It reminds me of the colourful services ondigital and ITV digital used to offer, but let's face it, they were all ropey at best. If services like this are to take off, it'll be with Youview.
I just don't understand the thought behind it. They want to send you personal messages via the DTT signal on Channel Zero, but you need to connect the set top box to the internet as well? Why not just use the internet connection to send messages (for free) instead of hiring multiplex space (for £8.2million) ??
It reminds me of the colourful services ondigital and ITV digital used to offer, but let's face it, they were all ropey at best. If services like this are to take off, it'll be with Youview.
Presumably so they can add a flag to programmes featuring ingredients/shopping items?
I agree with what everyone has said though - this harks back to the abysmal failures of Open and (even more so) ONoffer (hands up if you ever used that!).
I actually had an 'Open' keyboard for my Sky box - only because I won it as 'letter of the month' in Sky Magazine! I hardly ever used it though... well why would I when I'm on the internet?
A couple of years ago, I spotted my local Currys had a pile of these in a bargain bin for 69p. I didn't even have Sky at the time, but sort of regret not getting one as some sort of memento. ISTR they were known as keypads, rather than keyboards.
I agree with what everyone has said though - this harks back to the abysmal failures of Open and (even more so) ONoffer (hands up if you ever used that!).
I only got ITV digital a week before it went bust, but I love looking at the pictures of the shonky services they used to offer up!
I actually had an 'Open' keyboard for my Sky box - only because I won it as 'letter of the month' in Sky Magazine! I hardly ever used it though... well why would I when I'm on the internet?
A couple of years ago, I spotted my local Currys had a pile of these in a bargain bin for 69p. I didn't even have Sky at the time, but sort of regret not getting one as some sort of memento. ISTR they were known as keypads, rather than keyboards.
I had two keyboards, there was something under 'Press Red' on the Sky Channels years ago where you could get a free one. Sky were probably trying to get rid of a surplus. The two I had were both Sky branded but I have also I've also seen Open.... branded ones and one with a bank (HSBC?) logo on it. I now use one of those remote controls that flips open to reveal the keyboard underneath. The only time I used any kind of keyboard was when Avago was around and even then it was often quicker to use the number buttons as if writing a text.
Even to this day, Sky boxes can display two different messages. One informs us that the batteries in the remote control are low and the other informs us that the batteries in the keyboard are low. I don't know what benefit this has and why it was included in the original digibox spec
I only got ITV digital a week before it went bust, but I love looking at the pictures of the shonky services they used to offer up!
I got ITV Digital on the day it went bust. I ordered online as soon as I heard and ended up with a free digital terrestrial box which seemed a big deal at the time.
And it was! Digiboxes were £100+ for a good year or so after Freeview launch. In fact, I'm pretty sure Dixons, Comet and the rest were trying to flog the ex-ITV Digital boxes for something like £130 before Freeview had even launched! Just thinking about the ONdigital EPG makes me frustrated.
Even to this day, Sky boxes can display two different messages. One informs us that the batteries in the remote control are low and the other informs us that the batteries in the keyboard are low. I don't know what benefit this has and why it was included in the original digibox spec
I've never understood how the function that reports battery life to the box doesn't just use up more batttery!