BT Vision to get high-performance make-over in 2009, but closes door on Freesat

BT has confirmed that a second generation V-Box PVR/VOD box is on its way, and it’ll not only look different but be more interactive and eco-friendly. So says BT Vision's Consumer CEO Dan Marks.

Manufactured by both Pace (which took over the Philips subsidiary responsible for the original V-Box) and Motorola, the next V-Box will to be launched in 2009.

'The chip that's at the heart of the box will be more capable, supporting much more complex interactive services,' BT Vision's Consumer CEO Dan Marks told HCC in an exclusive interview.

But the BT bigwig denies that possible new service introductions designed to take advantage of the upcoming hardware will cause existing V-Boxes to grind to a halt. 'I've been reliably informed that that won't happen,' he confided.

BT has also ruled out any integration of Freesat within the V-box architecture. 'Why would you want to run to the expense and bother of a dish, when you've got HD available from our service overnight?'

When HCC suggested that downloads are no substitute for viewing 'live' HD programmes, his tone moderated: 'I do actually think that a 'hybrid' model - a combination of signals from over-the-air and broadband on-demand - is compelling.' However, he believes that 'the operational issues associated with DTH (satellite) and DSL (broadband) are greater, and that's going to make it less attractive to many people. Nevertheless, Marks acknowledged that the telecoms giant wouldn't be manufacturing any Freesat hybrid boxes in the immediate future.

BT Vision Xbox marriage
The company's promise of integrating its VOD platform with Microsoft's Xbox Live service is apparently still on, despite lengthy delays. The innovation should allow UK Xbox owners to access BT's VOD content via the Xbox Live marketplace.

The tie-up isn't as surprising as it might first seem, given that Microsoft is also responsible for much of the technology providing the backend of the V-box system. ‘You're going to be able to access, using the Xbox 360, our on-demand content. BT Vision's on-demand EPG is going to be integrated into Xbox 360, so you can switch between on-demand programmes and games.' From your Xbox 360, you'll also be able to access PVR content from a V-Box in another room. Owing to rights-management issues and BT Vision's 'walled-garden' nature, though, the streaming of PC content to V-Boxes is not yet on the cards.