I really, really like <u>
this project</u>.</p>
The BBC, along with semi-stealth firm Promise.tv, are launching a test to see how consumers behave when given free access to the entire last week of television from any terrestrial channel. Yes, this is similar to network DVR -- in which consumers have access to a week or so of recent programming through a VoD service -- but it works over-the-air using a set top box, rather than on-demand through a cable or IPTV platform.</p>
Considering the onward march of DTT, this could be big. Freeview is already in more UK households than NTL and Telewest combined, and is within shouting distance of Sky. DTT is also making huge strides in Italy, France, and elsewhere. That gives an OTA "network DVR" a huge potential market.</p>
This could also be a trojan for OTA HDTV. I spoke to the BBC about this a couple months ago, and they were investigating the idea of tricklecasting HDTV over the air. Because the OTA network DVR box requires so much storage (3.2 terabytes), it could also be an ideal place to store tricklecasts.</p>
Of course, there are obstacles. A 3.2 TB hard drive is still fairly expensive (though that'll change over time) -- certainly at this point, no one's going to pay for an off-the-shelf 3.2 TB Freeview box. And naming it "Promise.tv" wasn't exactly a stroke of marketing wizardry. But this is a powerful and simple idea. If it works it could throw a wrench in the plans of cable and IPTV operators, who see on-demand TV as a key platform advantage (though at Jupiter we disagree). And if it doesn't work, we'll have learned something important about what consumers want.</p>
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The BBC Try Over-the-Air "Network DVR"
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