Bell TV Launching "On Demand" Service on Sept 16th

[hugh]

Effective September 16th 2010, Bell TV will be launching "On Demand" or Video on Demand service. Bell TV customers will be presented with a selection of newly released HD movie titles. Within this dedicated selection, the customer can choose any HD movie title for immediate playback.

Upon selecting a video title, the customer is charged a specific fee and gets unlimited access to the title for a pre-defined window of time (typically 24-48 hours).

The "On Demand" service will be available in English and French.

Please note:

• Only 10 newly released HD movies will be available with the "On Demand" service at a time
  
• Only Bell TV customers with HD PVR MPEG-4 receiver models (9241 and 9242) will have access to the service (Nimiq 2 installation is required)

The cost the "On Demand" service will initially be introduced at $6.99 for each HD movie ordered

[hugh]

FWIW, I do not know how this is going to work. Here is a previous thread from a few years ago on ExpressVu on Demand which may be of interest to folks wanting some background.

[JoeLouie]

There will be a software update to all 9241 and 9242 receivers today.

New versions:
9241 – V237
9242 – V187

This new software will also enable support for 2TB external hard drives and resolves the previous issue where some customers could not access interactive television applications.

The receiver will need to be connected to an active phone line or internet (directly to the modem/router or through a Home Connect Kit (Homeplug adapter) for the On Demand to work.

[julie_rose_]

will it work with all pvr receiver? Will it be only movies? Or we are going to get something like, tmn on demand, mpix on demand?

if i have a white modem(wireless) from sympatico, can i plug it my receiver with a phone line wire?

[ruserious]

from what I understand, access to On Demand events has nothing to do with the ethernet connection. Phone line might be necessary just like regular ppv purchases but again the absence of a phone line won't prevent these On demand events from appearing in your program guide

[hugh]

Bell has not released any specifics so I think we will have to wait until tomorrow (and after the firmware updates) before we can answer all the questions.

[julie_rose_]

i alreay have the new version V237. i check this morning.

[JoeLouie]

Originally Posted by julie_rose_

will it work with all pvr receiver? Will it be only movies? Or we are going to get something like, tmn on demand, mpix on demand?

if i have a white modem(wireless) from sympatico, can i plug it my receiver with a phone line wire?

It will only work with 9241 and 9242.

At the moment there will be 10 movies available at a time. No idea if there is anything planned for TMN or MPIX on Demand.

[JoeLouie]

Originally Posted by ruserious

from what I understand, access to On Demand events has nothing to do with the ethernet connection. Phone line might be necessary just like regular ppv purchases but again the absence of a phone line won't prevent these On demand events from appearing in your program guide

Ordering a Movie On Demand works pretty much the same at ordering a PPV. If your receiver isn't hooked up to a phone line you can still order by phone through an Automated Service Representative, or a CSR.

[scrooloose]

I hope we can still record the on demand content as we do currently with PPV. I wonder if the HD movies will be 1080P as well (using MPEG4), which was rumored here recently.

-Mike

[dm_4u]

Makes sense...as the only 1080p content both DISH and DirecTV broadcast is their "on-demand" programming.

[markb]

How would ordering work if the modem connection dor=esn't work? My 9242 detects the hook up when it is there but won't let me order PPV through the modem, or has Bell eliminated that option?

[travisc]

scrooloose, while I'm speculating here, I'm pretty sure that these 10 movies will be resident on your hard drive already. You likely won't be allowed to "record" them, as On Demand content providers tend to not allow this.

[JoeLouie]

Originally Posted by travisc

scrooloose, while I'm speculating here, I'm pretty sure that these 10 movies will be resident on your hard drive already. You likely won't be allowed to "record" them, as On Demand content providers tend to not allow this.

That is correct. Your receiver downloads the movies when it's in standby, so when you do want to watch one you don't have to wait for it to download/buffer before you can start.

Also, they will be in 1080P. I'm sure that not every single movie will be in 1080P, but hopefully the majority of them are.

[ScaryBob]

That is most likely correct. Dish announced this technology several years ago. The movies are downloaded when the receiver is idle and stored on the hard drive. $6.95 seems a little steep, especially for an introductory price. They are probably counting on impulse buying for sales. I currently rent BD movies for about $3 each so Bell's pricing is way out of line.