Just in time for the holiday shopping season, Carphone Warehouse’s national chain of retail stores will this month begin offering IP Vision’s £199 ($330) FetchTV SmartBox. It allows users to watch Internet-delivered TV shows and movies, plus web-based videos including content from the BBC iPlayer and soon BSkyB’s SkyPlayer, on any connected TV set – with no monthly subscription charge.
No PC is required, only a broadband connection – it doesn’t have to be Carphone Warehouse’s, either – and a connection to any TV set. The box is said to be plug-and-play. Premium TV shows go for 49p to £3.49, and movies for £1.99 on a pay-per-view basis.
IP Vision says FetchTV is the first Freeview+ IPTV service to offer users access to video-on-demand (VOD) and catch-up content on their TV screens with no subscription. There are about 48 free Freeview channels. The box can also receive about 24 HD radio broadcasts. The service will go directly up against BT Vision.
In addition to BBC Player content, viewers will be able to watch selected video from Channel 4, Sky Sports News, Discovery Channel and CNN. There’s about 1,500 hours of VOD content available including from Paramount Pictures, National Geographic, Disney, Cartoon Network and others.
The box is Freeview+ accredited which means its a DVR, with 160GB of storage and two Freeview DVB-T tuners. Users can pause, rewind and record live TV. Recorded Freeview shows can be copied to a USB stick, USB drive or a network storage device. It comes with Wi-Fi and a wireline Ethernet connector.
A PC can be connected, which allows photos, music and video from the PC to be shown and played on the TV set. A less-expensive SmartBox 7000 client can be connected and installed in another room.
A recent deal that IP Vision made with BSkyB will allow IP Vision in early 2010 to add SkyPlayer content such as Sky Sports channels, Sky Movies and a library of on-demand programs.
IP Vision CEO Eddie Abrams said the FetchTV box is ‘at the cutting edge of entertainment.’ He expects that with the development of services like Canvas, content delivered via broadband will become more commonplace over the next few years. ‘I am proud that we are able to lead the way and be the first to market with this technology,’ he said.
Last July, IP Vision signed a distribution deal with The John Lewis Partnership, which offers the SmartBox in its chain of stores.