cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

NOW TV to launch most advanced box yet

 

NOW TV to launch most advanced box yet

 

 

"Online TV streaming service, NOW TV, is to launch its most advanced TV box later this year. The brand new NOW TV Smart Box will bring together NOW TV’s wide range of pay TV content and over 60 live free-to-air channels.

Additionally customers with a NOW TV Box will see new a brand new interface (UI) roll out to their TVs from February. The new-look UI will include a number of great new features including a content-rich homepage offering editorial recommendations of what to watch across catch up TV apps and pay TV content from NOW TV. A new ‘Best of Catch Up’ section, curated by content partners, will also arrive showcasing all the best shows our customers may have missed in one place.

Gidon Katz, Director of NOW TV said: “The launch of our new homepage on the NOW TV Box will make it easier than ever for our customers to quickly find and watch their favourite shows. And when the new NOW TV Smart Box arrives later this year, it will be the perfect one-stop box to get a contract-free, flexible way of watching the best of pay TV and free-to-air content all in one place.”

 

NOW TV worked with Silicon Valley based Roku Inc. to develop the new NOW TV Smart Box which will sit alongside the existing NOW TV Box, with pricing details and further information to be made available later in the year."

340 REPLIES 340
BicBasher
Elite

While I use the dejudder option on my tv when watching through a NOW TV Box, the picture is still nowhere as good as using a device using a 50Hz source, such as a Chromecast or the LG TV app.

 

If this new premium Now TV Box has 50Hz, it'll ensure that it'll be the best on the market for PQ as well as the variety of apps.

 

 

Networking Spec - ISP: TalkTalk VDSL2 @ 76mbps | Amazon Fire TV Cube 2nd Gen, Chromecast 3rd Gen WiFi, Motorola Moto G9 (Android 11), Dell PC with Windows 10 Home Edition using Now TV Player.
tothbros
Scholar 2

the strange thing is that I have an HTPC connected through HDMI to a plasma and when i watch now tv in internet explorer, at 50 Hz, i experience worse judder than at 60 Hz, which does not make sense, since the content is 25fps (i would imagine).

but the same goes for all the uk tv channels online (bbc, itv, etc...) - worse judder at 50 Hz than at 60 Hz.

at least this is my experience on my setup.

ukbobboy
Legend

@SeeMoreDigital

 

You know SMD, Way back when DVDs were the only flexible video source available I deliberately bought a multi-regional DVD player so that I was not limited to UK manufactured DVDs only. So I was able to play any regions DVD (in practice region 1 - 4) and with any TV's picture system, which is either PAL or NTSC (never got hold of a SECAM DVD).

 

Now, in practice when playing most UK region 2 DVDs they would play at 50Hz, PAL and US region 1 DVDs played at 60Hz, NTSC and ran fractions of seconds faster than their region 2 equivalent.  However, when watching DVDs, whether 50 or 60Hz, PAL or NTSC and the slight time variations in film lengths, I could never (ever) tell the difference in picture or sound quality, simply because something that is manufactured to an approved standard will produce quality output.

 

Now that we have more video sources than ever before, and providing the hardware, software and firmware are working in harmony, I still cannot see or hear the difference in quality you say exist.  Again, something made to an approved standard or made within certain tolerances will produce quality output.

 

I think my point is that our domestic audio video equipment is becoming more flexible, can tolerate information from various sources and has a wide range of connectivity options. And as such, 50Hz, 60Hz, FPS, 720 or 1080p or any other minuscule technical bump in the road to perfect audio visual display is just that, i.e. a minuscule technical bump.

 

OK, that said and to end on a practical note, when buying equipment that's going to be connect to each other make sure "due diligent" research is performed before purchase.

 

 

UK Bob

 

PS. That my soapbox rant over for the day

Anonymous User
Not applicable

@artesea 

 

Fantastic app 🙂 I've got Freeview TV again thanks to you 🙂

 

Much appreciated!

mark_suff
Expert

Just curious if this new box will a fully streaming box or will it also need a aerial for the live stuff?, i'm assuming the former as live Sky channels currently stream. Be interesting to see more specs and price point. 

Mark.

Given that Sky (and 21st century Fox) have invested several million dollars into Roku, I would think it's highly likely that the new box will be based on the Roku 4 (given the similarity seen in the pics released so far). But I would also expect the NOW TV version of it to be heavily restricted/locked down in terms of functionality, compared to the standard consumer version.

Anonymous User
Not applicable

And a price rise to all passes to help pay for it I bet.
Anonymous User
Not applicable

@Anonymous User wrote:

Roku Advances OTT Offerings  for  Operators;    Announces  Development  of  Hybrid  Set-‐Top  Box  and  Enhanced  Home  Screen    for  Roku  Powered  Partners

Saratoga,  CA  -‐  Jan.  29,  2016  –  Roku  Inc.  today  announced  that  it  is  developing  a  hybrid  set-‐top  box  that  will  be  available  for  production  by  Roku  Powered  partners  later  this  year.  The  new  Roku  Powered  hybrid  set-‐top  box  will  enable  operators  to  offer  linear  and  streaming  services  through  a  single  device  to  consumers.  Sky  will  be  the  first  Roku  Powered  operator  to  deploy  the  new  hybrid  set-‐top  box  later  this  year  as  part  of  its  popular  NOW  TV  service  in  the  UK.

Additionally  Roku  introduced  new  customization  features,  giving  Roku  Powered  partners  the  ability  to  have  more  control  over  the  home  screen  experience,  enabling  them  to  surface  content  directly  on  the  home  screen  or  give  recommendations  to  their  customers.

“With  the  new  Roku  Powered  hybrid  set  top  box  we  are  enabling  operators  to  bridge  the  gap  between  linear  broadcast  and  streaming  TV  services,”  said  Andrew  Ferrone,  vice  president  pay  TV  at  Roku.  “Many  consumers  have  a  hybrid  viewing  pattern  and  leverage  both  traditional  broadcast  and  on  demand  or  catch-‐up  services.”

The  Roku  Powered  licensing  program  is  an  end-to-end  solution  designed  to  help  operators  grow  their  addressable  market  and  reduce  customer  churn.  The  program  was  introduced  in  2014  after  Roku  successfully  pioneered  the  approach  with  Sky  in  the  UK  to  deploy  the  NOW  TV  box.  Today,  the  Roku  Powered  program  enables  operators  OTT  offerings  in  the  UK,  Germany,  Austria,  Italy  and  Australia.

Under  the  Roku  Powered  program,  operators  around  the  globe  can  leverage  the  Roku  streaming  platform  including  Roku’s  low-‐cost  streaming  players  to  deliver  live  TV  and  on  demand  services  to  their  customers.  In  partnership  with  Roku,  operators  develop  and  customize  the  offering  for  their  audiences.  Roku  provides  the  ongoing  software  updates,  platform  maintenance,  and  application  development  support  and  certification  services.

Operators  can  learn  more  about  the  Roku  Powered  licensing  program  by  visiting:  https://www.roku.com/roku-‐powered


 

ukbobboy
Legend

@Anonymous User

 

I managed to decipher two things from that "Roku/Advertisers Speak" type blurb.

 

1) With  the  new  Roku  Powered  hybrid  set  top  box  we  are  enabling  operators  to  bridge  the  gap  between  linear  broadcast  and  streaming  TV  services”.

 

I think this means that the new box, not sure if it's the one coming out in February, will offer live TV broadcasting as well as Internet streaming.

 

2)  "Additionally  Roku  introduced  new  customization  features,  giving  Roku  Powered  partners  the  ability  to  have  more  control  over  the  home  screen  experience,  enabling  them  to  surface  content  directly  on  the  home  screen  or  give  recommendations  to  their  customers".

 

This is just a long winded way of saying Sky will be able to interrupt your viewing, whenever they want, with adverts.

 

The rest of the blurb, as far as I am concerned, is just noise.

 

May be someone else can get more from it.

 

 

UK Bob

Anonymous User
Not applicable

@ukbobboy wrote:

 

I think this means that the new box, not sure if it's the one coming out in February, will offer live TV broadcasting as well as Internet streaming.


@ukbobboy there is no new box in February. Some of the press have read new interface on current boxes to be launched next month and attached that to new box to launch later this year.