The catchup service from the BBC - iPlayer - has ’soft launched’ on Virgin TV. The service can be accessed by pressing the red button on any BBC TV channel. BBC iPlayer on Virgin TV works in a similar way to the online service at bbc.co.uk, but streams programmes off servers - like Catch Up TV and TV Choice On Demand - instead of downloading it to the box via a broadband connection.
The existing BBC section of Catch Up TV (in the On Demand menus of Virgin TV) remain in place at the moment, as this is just a ’soft launch’ of the iPlayer, to make sure everything works as it should before it’s fully unleashed into the Virgin TV On Demand menus some time this summer. There’s a useful ‘Search’ function available on the iPlayer service, which makes finding programmes much easier.
At the moment, only TV programmes are available on the new iPlayer service on Virgin TV, but this should expand to radio programmes and high definition programmes in due course.
Click here to read more about the service.
(Pictures are from www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet)
Five Life has now been rebranded as Fiver on the Freeview and Virgin Media EPGs. Freeview viewers will need to rescan their box if it doesn’t pick up the new channel name automatically. Virgin Media customers may need to restart their set top box for the channel name to change.
Teachers TV programming can now be ’subscribed’ to on Top Up TV Anytime. The short amount of time the channel broadcasts on Freeview will be automatically recorded to your Anytime box if you choose to do so. Teachers TV remains free, and still broadcasts on its normal channel.
BBC News 24 has dropped the ‘24′ from its channel name as part of the overhaul of BBC News services. Freeview viewers will need to rescan their boxes to pick up the new channel name. Virgin Media customers should automatically see the new channel name on their boxes, but a set top box reboot may be required.
By the 1st June, Virgin Media will be increasing the price of some of their services. The XL TV package will cost an extra £1.50 a month, TV Choice On Demand content will go up by £2 a month (it stays free for XL TV subscribers) and calls will increase to 4p a minute to other UK landlines. Read more on Cable Forum.
A new interactive dating service from Teletext will launch on Freeview in May. The channel will replace Teletext Cars, which is currently used as a pointer to direct people to the Teletext website. The dating service will be called ‘Rabbit’.
FX is currently free-to-view on Virgin Media at the moment until the 14th April, and all the Setanta Sports channels will be free on the 2nd May until the 5th May. Also, Sky Movies Sci-Fi & Horror will be extended its broadcast hours from the 1st May - it will now air 8am to 5am every day (an extra 3 hours a day).
BBC iPlayer will now be launching in May according to an official page on the Virgin Media website. It says “from May you can tune to any BBC TV channel and press the red button on your Virgin Media remote to watch the best BBC programmes from the last 7 days” and we’ll be able to “choose from over 250 hours of BBC TV, selected and saved from the last 7 days”. To begin with, it says the service will be available via the red button from any BBC channel, and it will be added to Catch Up TV On Demand “soon after it launches through the red button”. There will be a lot more content available - Virgin Media say “there’s about 50 hours of BBC shows in Catch Up TV on demand right now. When iPlayer launches in Catch Up TV on demand the BBC folder will be renamed BBC iPlayer and instead of having 50 hours of BBC shows to watch there will be over 250 hours”. Read more on the official Virgin Media website.
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