So, it finally arrived. YouView is, allegedly, here. Only three years or so late - an absolute eon in today's technology world.
Having a standardised UI will help the Freeview TV world, but since its conception the very idea of a set top box has gone down the swanee, with Smart and Connected TVs offering all the functionality built in. The likes of Samsung, Sony and LG are the new gatekeepers.
The cost is far too high - it needed to be priced in the £89 - 99 range and is likely to require a decent and consistent broadband connection - so that counts out around a third of the country.
The boxes will have premium capabilities, so will act as a Trojan horse for the Sky Now service, taking Sky onto screens they currently have no access to, and will help tremendously in paying for their expensively acquired Premiership rights.
But the lack of TV anywhere, app/widget and second screen strategies makes the whole product redolent of those Amstrad products from the 90s. Perhaps it's no coincidence.
Having a standardised UI will help the Freeview TV world, but since its conception the very idea of a set top box has gone down the swanee, with Smart and Connected TVs offering all the functionality built in. The likes of Samsung, Sony and LG are the new gatekeepers.
The cost is far too high - it needed to be priced in the £89 - 99 range and is likely to require a decent and consistent broadband connection - so that counts out around a third of the country.
The boxes will have premium capabilities, so will act as a Trojan horse for the Sky Now service, taking Sky onto screens they currently have no access to, and will help tremendously in paying for their expensively acquired Premiership rights.
But the lack of TV anywhere, app/widget and second screen strategies makes the whole product redolent of those Amstrad products from the 90s. Perhaps it's no coincidence.