Freeview top-up channels.

[lynx]

The channels in the lineup for the new 'Top-Up TV' service have been confirmed.
Launching in March, the package will allow digital terrestrial viewers with an old ITV Digital box to add a number of extra channels to their Freeview lineup for a monthly fee of £7.99.

According to the Independent today, the proposed channel selection includes E4, UK Gold, Discovery Channel, UK Style, Bloomberg, Discovery Home and Leisure, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Network and Boomerang. It is unknown at this time how many of the channels will operate on a time-shared basis.
Former Sky executives David Chance and Ian West, who set up the company after their original bid for the DTT licences failed, said that they hoped Sky One would be able to join the lineup in due course

Perhaps the good old days are coming back.

 

[Gazkicka54]

They already announced they will ota upgrade the box's - they wouldn't be insane as to use S1!

 

[wod]

most likely to use seca2 as theres no cam slot for another encryption module

 

[lynx]

Originally posted by Gazkicka54
They already announced they will ota upgrade the box's

Are the cams going to be easy to upgrade by an over air software transmission ????

It looks as though owners of some integrated digital tv's are going to lose out here - Sony springs to mind as one of the manufacturers who saw fit to design their own software, which may be incompatible.

Testing appears to be on ch26.

 

[lynx]

http://www.topuptv.com

 

[lynx]

Recieved an email from a mate who has been monitoring using TSReader , which appears to be indicating the cam id as a SECA 2 id.

 

[MAW]

Lynx, having emailed topup TV, it seems it's not just integrated TV owners who will lose out, they have categorically stated that the system will not and never will be compatible with newer freeview boxes, regardless of model, and owners of, say a pace twin will have to buy a new compatible box at some point in the unpredicted future. Are they seriously contemplating this as a business model?

 

[MartinImber]

I think they have an extremely shakey business case - who would sign up for this unless you can record programmes to watch when required.

6 months before bust!

 

[MAW]

My point was, who would sign up to it unless they can watch it at all! And who would buy a new, possibly over £100 freeview box for it when they probably already have one. Would you? You have a twin I believe, like me, and about 100 of my customers. What the *** am I going to tell them?

 

[lynx]

Lets see what they kick off with. The end of this month appears to be launch date now. Cards should appear over the next 10 days by the look of things.

 

[MartinImber]

Yes the Twin is an excellent piece of kit, and it would be tempting to subscribe IF the Twin worked IF it was around £3 per month and IF there was no signon fee.

However I do still have an Ondigital CAM and if the Twin gets made compatible I might scour the internet for cards or a card programmer.

But only old dodgy boxes supported and £8 for a very small number of channels - some are rubbish - Titsup will go titsup sooner rather than later!

But then I hardly have time to watch the 14 or so channels I use regularly. Basically it is only Discovery I would miss - and that was not a patch on Discovery Wings which shut down about 6 months before ITVD.

One more point for Titsup.

Why did a poll in AVFORUMS go over 90% behind FV?

Why out of just under 300 emails to ITC were most supporting what became FV?

Pay TV the grass is not greener - in fact it is a bit yellow and rotten!

 

[cosmic023]

"Rant Mode: on "

Well i hope it goes tit's up as well !!

After all why call it FREEVIEW when you have to pay !!

It'll be like the golden days of Sky, and ITV Digital !! Once you start paying, they'll take your money and then up the charge on a regular basis !!

That's why i bought a Freeview box, so it gave me some extra tv channels and radio stations to use, and stay away from paying a regular monthly fee.

I don't agree paying a subscription fee, when after all i use the radio stations on Freeview more than i do watching tv channels, but then it's nice to have an extra selection over the regular 5 tv channels we have in the UK.

Many years ago i did have Sky, but then the cost vs the amount of hours watched it, wasn't worth it.....so i cancelled it.

Seems like were going down this path again now with Freeview !!

"Rant Mode: off "

Cheers

Cosmic023

 

[lynx]

Originally posted by cosmic023


After all why call it FREEVIEW when you have to pay !!

Freeview and Top Up Tv are not the same thing though.

 

[MAW]

No, one of them is doomed to fail!

 

[cosmic023]

yeah but's it's still on the Freeview system !!

But i just can see it happening all over again !!

EDIT:
OK my mistake, but it's bound to fail one way or another !!

 

[MarkE19]

Freeview is not the system, Freeview is a product that runs on the DTT system. TitsupTV will just be another product running on DTT.

Saying that though I still think TUTV will either change/evolve or fail fairly quickly! I cannot see it surviving in its current format.

Mark.

 

[jon smith]

I see TopUp started today... and I would subscribe but I have a Pace Twin.

Like others, I don't see it lasting unless they can get the newer freeview boxes to work with it...

 

[MAW]

So are there any members who have subscribed? Or are we all so 'latest kit' orientated that nobody has got a compatible box?

 

[rudelad]

I suscribed to see whats the service like. A few extra channels as I don't have a land line so I can't get SKY. Received card yesterday only to find my card reader in my pioneer box doesn't work. I had cancel my subscription, they still charged me the connection fee. What waste of time that was. Is it possible to get SKY without a landline?

 

[Starburst]

You only need a phone connection IF you take a subsidised installation. You can buy the dish/lnb and digibox either brand new from a dealer or used from whatever source and then subscribe to SKY at the usual package prices.

There will probably be a few more STB's released over the next months which have been upgraded with CAM support, you will probably be charged the connection fee again though
The guys behind TUTV did work for SKY and no doubt learnt a few things

 

[MarkE19]

I've got an old Philips OnDigital box so could subscribe.
Wil I?

Mark.

 

[ScoobyZ]

me blows dust off me old Elvis