Yep, it'll be through ethernet, it'll download to the hard drive. It's expected to work in a similar way to DirecTV on Demand (although it remains to be seen whether Sky will also use the idea of seperate VOD "channels" in the thousands, with for example 4OD on channel 1104, or if there'll be a single EPG interface). For example, if you wanted to download a long HD movie, you might want to queue it in the morning before you go to work or use remote record to set it up, and it'll be waiting for you to get back. Meanwhile, if you want to watch a 25-minute sitcom in SD and you have a decent enough broadband connection, you'll probably be able to start watching a few seconds after starting the download.
The email registration form has been there for a few months but the first email to people who registered was sent out to earlier this week:
Quote:
Thanks for recently registering your interest in Sky Anytime+, the new and exciting video on demand service coming from Sky later this year.
We've received a fantastic response over the last couple of months, and we look forward to keeping you up to date with more news and developments - including a glimpse at how Sky Anytime+ will look.
Yep, it's only available for Sky Broadband customers. As far as I understand it downloadable programmes will only be offered in SD for the time being, simply because of space constraints. It all works off the EPG, similar to how it appears in the shot above. The Anytime section has been prettied up with graphics rather than just a list of titles. You can queue up as many programmes as you like and it will automatically move through the list one after the other. Future functionality is lined up for you to set download times, e.g. overnight or while you're at work, and also to offer similar features to Remote Record, but I don't think this is being released just yet.
Are you sure that this will only be available to people who subscribe to the Sky Broadband service - and not other broadband providers? I guess if it is "added value" - and people aren't charged in a PPV way - then that makes sense to Sky. If it is a PPV-type service, then presumably they'd want as many of their customers to spend money as possible - irrespective of their broadband providers?
Given that the SkyPlayer is independent of Sky Broadband - and the Sky Windows Media Center and Xbox services are - I'm surprised that their VOD services might be... (Though the picture quality on them is far from SD broadcast quality)
Are you sure that this will only be available to people who subscribe to the Sky Broadband service - and not other broadband providers? I guess if it is "added value" - and people aren't charged in a PPV way - then that makes sense to Sky. If it is a PPV-type service, then presumably they'd want as many of their customers to spend money as possible - irrespective of their broadband providers?
Given that the SkyPlayer is independent of Sky Broadband - and the Sky Windows Media Center and Xbox services are - I'm surprised that their VOD services might be... (Though the picture quality on them is far from SD broadcast quality)
Well certainly according to the intro I had it was Sky Broadband-only customers, at least for launch - bear in mind this project is heavily phased. There's the usual sort of mix of Box Office-style PPV content and non-PPV content, and the cynic would suggest that as customers download more and more data, the higher-end broadband packages are more attractive. I understand changes are in the pipeline for how broadband is sold which would lend themselves well, but can't really say much about that.
Sky Broadband is an LLU provider is it not? Therefore could they not be restricting it so they'd have the content running down their own network rather than over the internet itself therefore saving considerably on bandwidth costs?
