Freeview IPTV

MattC

Member
Saw this on The Register today..

Dozens of new television channels are coming to Freeview this month, thanks to clever use of the MHEG standard and the connectivity already built into every Freeview HD box.

The channels are already appearing on Freeview boxes – at 110, 111 and 120 in the EPG – but rather than broadcasting video streams those channels contain only MHEG applications. Come the end of September those applications will allow viewers to select from dozens of specialist channels accessed over the internet connection mandated by the Freeview HD standard.

The idea is to bring streaming video to every Freeview HD box in the country, and charge for it too. The system already being deployed allows for subscription channels, and there's the potential (and intention) to provide video-on-demand services in the future.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/09/06/freeview_iptv/

Should be interesting to see if it just works without a firmware release from Humax. The content is likely to be complete rubbish, but it's always interesting to see what this box is capable of.
 
It should do. The Vision channel already downloads a graphic from the web if you are connected.

PS. if you play with the colour buttons on the remote, you will bring up a password box.
 
Just emailed VisionIPTV who run these new channels.
They mailed back to say that these channels will not work on the T2 models at present as Humax have not enabled the streaming extention.

I've emailed Bob at Humax to see if this is going to be enabled with an update.
Feel free to email uksupport@humax-digital.co.uk to increase the pressure.
 
Received the following from Humax:

Dear Customer,

It will NOT work on our T2 products. As we do not support the MHEG Stream required.

It is now a Freeview HD requirement to support this but as the T2 products were launched prior to any specification being available we are not required to update the products to support it.

Sports tonight website states that all Freeview HD products should be compatible, this is not the case.

Humax may in future update to support this type of channel but at the current time we cannot confirm this will be the case.

Apologies you have not yet had a reply to date.


Kind Regards,

Colin
 
Received the following from Humax:
...It is now a Freeview HD requirement to support this...

Interesting - if it is NOW a Freeview HD requirement to support this then surely that must mean either Humax do update the T2 or they'll have to come out with a "T3" in order to protect sales? One of the reasons (although not the main one) I bought the Humax over the 3view was because it was Freeview HD certified - if the spec now states MHEG support or it's not certified they'd have to sort that out or risk a drop in sales? Wouldn't they?
 
At least it gives me an(other) excuse to delay adding a Freeview HD box to my set up. ;)
 
I don't know what MHEG entails, but it is likely that the existing stream types are specifically supported in hardware processing, so it probably isn't a simple firmware update to add support.

It is not reasonable to change the requirements for certification and expect existing certified products to comply to the new certification, in fact the Freeview organisation should not have permitted any specification-creep because of the market confusion it will cause.
 
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