Freeview to introduce Top-up TV?

net1

Freeview viewers could soon be offered a pay-TV upgrade, under plans to launch a new subscription service. Former Sky executives David Chance and Ian West are putting the finishing touches to Top-up TV, which will apparently offer a clutch of channels including Sky One and E4.

Chance and West were one of the applicants who tendered a bid to run the DTT service after the demise of ITV Digital in 2002 but lost out to the joint BBC/Sky/Crown Castle consortium, Freeview.

Top-Up TV, which will cost around £8-£10 per month, will be offered initially to Freeview viewers who use an old ITV Digital box.

rolfw

I wonder what encryption they will use.

I can see people desperately hunting around for old and previously unwanted boxes.

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PaulR

Presumably as it will be targeted at the old style boxes it will be Seca, probably in its Seca II incarnation if the boxes can be upgraded.

I can't see any reason for this targeting if they are going to use any other system and need a different CAM. This might make all those people who bought ultra-cheap Freeview boxes that can't be expanded a bit sick though.

PaulR

F1Mike

Are there still a few recievers on the market with card slots? It would seem sensible to continue to release new models. My ex-ITV Digital Philips is bloody awful. It was never the same again after all the interactive stuff appeared. If the new service was not secure I don't think I'd pay to watch it, as I have Sky already, and already pay for the channels in question. No way would I pay for them twice

rolfw

Can't see it taking off too well in the short term, most people who want subscription TV already have it by Sky or Cable, the reason that Freeview is taking off is because it carries no ongoing charges.

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net1

An arcane piece of European legislation which required that all IDTVs include something called a common interface (CI) is likely to have a pay-off after all. While some manufacturers have been complaining that it is unfair (and expensive) to require these slots to be included in IDTVs but not in set-top boxes, the projected launch of a clutch of paid-for channels on the UK's digital terrestrial television (DTT) platform should now have them singing a different tune. For the CI slot, in essence, makes all IDTVs upgradeable to pay-TV - because something called a conditional access module or CAM can be plugged into them.

The old ITV Digital boxes, of which there are estimated to be somewhere between 400,000 and 800,000 still active, were designed to unscramble pay-TV channels, and have the required technology built into them. But the vast majority of Freeview boxes don't, because they don't incorporate the necessary CI slot. The exceptions are the Nokia Mediamaster 221T and the Netgem i-Player. Some early Pace boxes - such as the DTVA - are also in principle upgradeable to pay-TV because they have a smartcard slot embedded in the base, but Pace would need to invest some money in a software upgrade for that to work.

Which leaves the estimated 500,000 IDTVs out there sitting pretty. By the end of this year, if manufacturers' predictions are accurate, there should be 1 million of them in UK TV homes - and all of them represent potential pay-TV customers for Top-Up TV, the new pay-TV offer designed to be launched alongside the free-to-air Freeview channels sometime later this year. Since most IDTVs also incorporate the right connectors to attach modems to, they are beginning to emerge as one of the few future-proof DTT receivers around, since they will be able also to offer true, two-way interactivity, unlike most Freeview set-top boxes. Let's hope IDTV manufacturers make the most of that selling-point during the course of 2004.

jimbo

Matthew Seaman has quit as head of Freeview and it's rumoured he is planning to join Top Up TV.

Jimbo

rolfw

I think that he may have jumped to the sinking ship.

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j.m.

Serves the cheapskate "Ner-Do-Wells" right I say

BGonaSTICK

I bought a Nokia Mediamaster 221T a while back, and when I got it home and set it up, I was disgusted to find a CI slot in the base 'just in case...' the manual said.

I was so disgusted that my 'Free'view box would obviously become a 'Pay'view box, I jammed a piece of toast in it. Very hard. With Superglue on it.

I'm beginning to question the fact that I buttered it now, as it does smell a bit rancid for the first five minutes of use.

kenrea

I've got a Nokia 221t, and after reading the news about Top Up Tv I slid my Aston 1.05 cam in to the Nokia's ci slot and up came a message on screen to enter card. So I am assuming I am ready to go.
When I rang the company the lady seemed a little bit puzzled about ci cams and could not help or refer me to anyone technical.

j.m.

I bet they love you......... Look Its £10 on line £20 on phone setup.......£8 a month, we'll giv ya a card to post in the ON/ITV box slot fing..................

I'll give you cams sonny..... I'll have you know I was in the war you know.......... You & your conditional access ........Gawd Dang Prevert............. W00t you wanna talk to a Mayn ......... Dang Homo Prevert Don't you go sliding your aston near me I'll call 911

j.m.

Well I can see the funny side of it

Channel Hopper

The official site states that the original Ondigital boxes will require an 'over the air' upgrade.

I cant believe that after all these years, TopUpTv has gained the rights to upgrades on some if not all the models, and actually ensure that a suitable upgrade can be sent over the air . Additionally there are a large number of IDTVs out there where the backup vanished as soon as ITV digital went to the wall.

Its going to be an interesting month

There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness"

j.m.

Dunno if this is still Current but, In New Zealand SKY Ran/Run the Terrestrially transmitted option & it worked a treat.... Dunno if it was digital or not either way it is very similar to here. Ya buy a box & package, plug it in ..... Swear a lot cos your antenna isn't up to the job..... Get a new one fitted

Anyways my point is it works fine, I dunno how many channels it is capable of providing, but its great


I suppose we should promote competition but its a bit weired ........ I suppose I'll wait till Top up TV boxes come out I do like plenty of electronics to play with

( http://www.sky.co.nz TV Geek Link )

ianmroberts

I ahve just purchased the excellent Sony set top box, far better than the Nokia Media Master that hub daily & was very slow on interactive. Surely this is not already redundant ? Will it not be possible to produce a device that could be added to non slot boxes ?

Bluemax

Top Up TV only just come out but someone at digitalspy forum already hacked top up tv card!
Admin promptly deleted the details he gave out.

deshg

well anyone who has any info on how to hack it, or even pointers in the right direction, it would be most appreciated. assuming we've got a card programmer.

deshg

sorry, mistake. forgot to request reply notification! hope you guys crack it!

toiletduck

Nothings been deleted its still there to read:

http://forum.digitalspy.co.uk/board/...d.php?t=121019

Sounds like a load of rubbish though.

toiletduck

Ah I see what you mean now.

Read the replies and you can work out what he said, it wasnt exactly detailed. Something like he cut out the chip from a gold card "had it reprogrammed" with some software he bought for £20 then sellotaped it back in! and stuck it in the set top box of which he couldnt remmeber which way round or what make it was.