Blog Archive - October 2010

Friday, October 30th 2009

The season of financial results is upon us and fibre optic broadband provider Virgin Media is one of the latest firms to release an update on its performance during the third quarter of 2009.

According to chief executive officer Neil Berkett, the update has shown the firm is "progressing significantly" with its subscribers numbers for both its broadband and digital TV services rising.

It enjoyed broadband net additions of 39,000 over the period, while it has also boosted the number of customers receiving connection speeds of around 20Mbps.

TV customer net additions of 37,000 were also recorded, while the period also saw the highest ever average video-on-demand views per month.

Wednesday, October 28th 2009

There was a time when games consoles were for just that: gaming. However, the market's big leaders Sony and Microsoft have worked hard to make their respective systems more like all-round entertainment devices.

Evidence of this can be seen through the announcement that digital TV provider Sky's online programming service is available through the Xbox 360.

In order to access the content, those with both a subscription to Sky and a Gold membership to Xbox Live can play content from through the Sky Player – which is already set to launch on IP Vision's Fetch TV soon - for free.

Monday, October 26th 2009

When it announced plans to launch Europe's first 3D channel next year, digital TV provider Sky claimed it would be "a genuinely 'seeing is believing' experience".

However, while it seems pretty excited over the proposed new service, not everyone appears to be quite so enthusiastic.

According to Guy Bissom, head of television at analyst body Screen Digest, the new technology will not be "massive" with viewers, adding that it is "a bit of a gimmick at this stage".

He added: "3D, personally I don't even think it's that good, and I'm not sure it will work as a consumer proposition. But as a marketing tool for Sky it will be great, because of the publicity.

Friday, October 23rd 2009

When Spotify announced it had agreed a deal with Swedish broadband provider Telia to offer premium access to its services via the latter's web contracts, it seemed inevitable that similar deals would be struck elsewhere.

Now, it seems that such a plan is already emerging in the UK broadband market, after the company confirmed it is working with 3 to offer its music streaming platform to customers who sign up to a contract for the HTC Hero mobile handset.

In addition to this, 3 revealed that the businesses are also looking to collaborate on a plan that will give its broadband customers the same benefit.

Thursday, October 22nd 2009

Many people will not be surprised to hear that digital TV and broadband providers Virgin Media and Sky have clashed again. Such reports have become such a regular occurrence that people almost expect them on a daily basis.

This time the pair have come to blows over the issue of advertising, with Virgin Media lodging a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) over claims its rival has made in its marketing campaigns.

Sky stated that Virgin Media and BT customers could cut their phone and internet bills by around 50 per cent by switching to its services, which the complainant stated was an exaggeration.

Tuesday, October 20th 2009

Not content with dominating the digital TV and broadband market, Sky has recently taken part in its own crying game to discover why elements in films are most likely to move us to tears.

The company collaborated with Professor Kim A Bard of the University of Portsmouth on the study, which revealed there are four triggers that are most likely to have even the hardest of hearts reaching for the tissues.

It found that the amount of times characters wept, the overall sadness of the film and an underlying positive message can have a significant impact, alongside the degrees of happiness seen in the film.

Monday, October 19th 2009

A report which emerged this morning revealed that the Conservatives are pretty adamant over plans to scrap the proposed tax on fixed telephone lines.

The 50 pence per month rate - which could be introduced by the current government to fund the creation of fibre optic broadband services across the UK - seems not to have found much favour with the opposition, who want to abolish it if they get into power.

While this may seem like a noble move which may save many households from an extra burden over the next few years, it does raise a small question over the future of next generation network technology in the UK.

Friday, October 16th 2009

While so many of us in the UK now take broadband access for granted, a voice has emerged which suggests we should maybe stop and think how lucky we are.

According to Steve Robertson, the chief executive of BT Openreach, "very few technologies" have taken off as quickly or as impressively as the internet services, as around a decade ago no one had access to it.

In a column published by the Daily Telegraph, he added however that there is "a great need" for web services to be improved, particularly in the use of technology such as fibre optic broadband.

But how is it possible for such high-speed services to be established? The expert stated that there is only one answer: collaboration.

Thursday, October 15th 2009

Virgin Media is a company seemingly obsessed with speed.

Not content with rolling out fibre optic broadband networks offering speeds of up to 50Mbps, the company has now signed none other than current Formula One championship leader for its latest display all things fast.

Across the next few days at Bluewater retail centre, the company is holding its SpeedWeek50 event, where shoppers will be given the chance to trial the latest speedy gadgets and gizmos – including a new super-fast Scalextric track and the Colin McRae: DiRT 2.

Tuesday, October 13th 2009

While many would put forward the likes of going out with friends as a good way to de-stress, fibre optic broadband provider Virgin Media has suggested that many people are more likely to prefer a mouse in their hand than a glass.

A study commissioned by the internet service provider, which is provides its fibre optic network to over 12 million homes, found that two-thirds of population have claimed they are only happy and calm when they have around-the-clock access to the internet.

Such internet addicts have been described in the research, which was carried out by the Future Laboratory, as SOSOs – people who need to switch on to switch off.

Monday, October 12th 2009

While they are no strangers to competing against each other in the broadband world, Virgin Media and Sky will soon also be battling in the world of music.

The internet service providers are both set to launch new download and streaming services in the near future, with Sky making the first move and announcing that its platform will be live from October 19th.

Available through two contracts or a pay-per-track and album basis, Sky Songs will be open to all broadband users – although the provider's web customers are to receive a free album download when they access it for the first time.

Friday, October 9th 2009

Virgin Media's decision to trial the use of copper lines for delivering its digital TV and high-speed broadband is a relative departure for the company.

However, while the move will see the firm expand its services away from its own cable network, such pilots could be increasingly common as we move towards a Digital Britain.

According to The Register, the trial in collaboration with Vtesse Networks could be an example of the regional initiatives that will receive funding from the government's new fixed line tax.

Wednesday, October 7th 2009

The great debate over how to tackle illegal filesharing has raged on now for what seems like an eternity. However, could O2's new traffic management become one way for providers to stop people from using such services?

Under new plans, the company is to limit the bandwidth available to traffic moving between P2P systems such BitTorrent in an effort to ensure all of its fixed broadband customers receive a good service.

While the restriction is only currently in place for three hours – or more precisely, between 20:00 and 23:00 BST – it will improve the speeds available to those who just want to check emails or browse websites rather than download films or music.

Monday, October 5th 2009

The collapse of digital TV provider Setanta earlier this year left a lot of issues up in the air, most notably the rights to England's away World Cup qualifiers.

However, despite a successful campaign which has seen the national side win all eight of its games so far, no terrestrial or satellite TV provider have been keen to take on the rights for the upcoming game against Ukraine.

In fact, the issue means that a deal has been struck which will see the game broadcast exclusively online for a small payment, the BBC has revealed.

While this news – along with Virgin Media's plans to launch a new online-only TV channel – highlights the potential future for broadcasting, it does raise one small issue.

Friday, October 2nd 2009

Virgin Media's efforts to introduce high-speed fibre optic broadband networks in the UK have marked the company out as a bit of a trailblazer. However, recent weeks have shown that the firm is also making waves in the TV world.

The company is set to launch Liv channel, an online spin-off of its Living brand which will feature content on four themes including celebrity gossip and show previews, via the web on October 23rd.

Expected to launch initially on the Living website, the channel will also be available through an online application hosted on portals including Facebook – which highlights a brand new way for people to not only watch but share content.