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Channel 4's online TV ads will call you out by name
Adverts are about to get a lot more personalised -- or creepier, depending on your point of view -- the next time you hop on the All 4 streaming service to catch up on The Island with Bear Grylls. This month, Channel 4 is bringing a new ad format to its on-demand platform that targets the viewer directly, including their name as part of the promo. Channel 4 gets this information from your All 4 account details, of course, and it's not a case of simply stamping that on an outro slide. In eerie, Minority Report style, the ads will actually talk to you (a world first, apparently), calling out your name and telling you to "run" after showing you a trailer for Alien: Covenant, for example.
All 4 is getting a new look with improved recommendations
Channel 4 killed off 4oD and replaced it with the new, All 4 on-demand service early last year. Since then, All 4 has made its way onto several important TV-connected devices and brought live streaming to mobiles and tablets. Next up: A visual upgrade. Not too much will change when the new UI comes to big screens like smart TVs, set-top boxes and consoles within the next few weeks, before hitting iOS, Android and the web in due course. A new dark background and slightly rearranged card-like UI are among the changes, but Channel 4 is making a point of talking up the new home screen, which'll blend data-driven recommendations with hand-picked content from human curators.
Channel 4 adds live TV streaming to the All 4 Android app
Channel 4 retired its aging 4oD platform and replaced it with the new and shiny All 4 streaming service this time last year. All 4 finally put on-demand content, live channel feeds and sundries like web shorts in one place. Well, that was true of the All 4 site and iOS app at least, but Android users have been missing out on one key feature: live TV.
All 4 streaming app arrives on PlayStation 4
If your PlayStation 4 hogs the first or second input on your telly, there's a good chance it doubles as your TV streaming box too. It already has a bundle of apps including iPlayer and Netflix, but today an important service is joining its roster: All 4. The live streaming and on-demand service from Channel 4 (formerly known as 4oD) is now available from the UK PSN store, giving you easy access to programmes like Homeland and Fargo. This particular app only supports catchup viewing though, so you'll need to use another device if you want to tune in live. Given that Demand 5 is already available on the PS4, that means ITV Hub is the only service from the big terrestrial trio now missing on Sony's console.
Channel 4's All 4 will soon support Chromecast streaming
Love Channel 4 shows like Peep Show, Humans and Grand Designs? Own a Chromecast? If your answer to both of those questions is "yes," then we've got some good news for you. From November 24th you'll be able to watch All 4, the broadcaster's live streaming and catchup TV service (and the successor to 4oD) on your TV using Google's tiny dongle. It'll work through the Chrome browser and the All 4 Android app, followed by support in the iOS app around mid-December. If you have a spare TV, the combo could prove particularly useful over the Christmas period. Now, if and when your main TV is occupied, you've got another way to catch up on shows like Homeland and Empire undisturbed.
Channel 4 will replace 4oD with new 'All 4' service on March 30th
Until now, Channel 4's streaming services have been a bit of a muddle. The renowned "4oD" platform handles all of its on-demand content, but the live channel feeds and web-centric shorts are held elsewhere. To make everything a little simpler for viewers, Channel 4 is launching a new, all-encompassing platform called "All 4" on March 30th. It'll be available for PCs, iPhones and iPads at launch, before being extended to other platforms, including Android, later in the year. The new service centers around three sections called On Demand, Now and On Soon. As the names suggest, they'll simplify where streamers can expect to find archived programmes, live broadcasts and trailers for new shows.
4oD iOS app now supports AirPlay and HDMI mirroring
While Channel 4's 4oD streaming catch-up service will soon get a much-needed revamp, the broadcaster isn't shying away from keeping its current apps updated. In its latest round of iOS improvements, Channel 4 has added support for both HDMI output and Apple's AirPlay. That means you can now throw up shows like Gogglebox, Toast of London or The IT Crowd on the big screen, if you have the available hardware and you're running Apple's latest iOS software (for HDMI support) that is. Even if you don't, the 4oD already features cellular streaming and offline viewing, so you'll be able to catch-up on loads of content on the go.
Channel 4 to replace 4oD with new 'All 4' service next year
Channel 4 basically pioneered online catch-up services when it launched 4oD for PCs eight years ago. Since then, 4oD has evolved and improved, most recently adding offline viewing for mobile devices and the ability to stream over 3G and 4G networks. Back in May, however, Channel 4 CEO David Abraham teased a "significant upgrade" to the service -- incidentally, the BBC pushed its iPlayer redesign out around the same time -- and today we're learning more about what that will entail. For starters, 4oD will be renamed "All 4" to reflect its comprehensive nature, with a new logo for good measure. It'll incorporate all the live channel feeds, on-demand content and Channel 4 shorts you can already find on 4oD, but packaged in a brand new user interface.
4oD catch-up apps now support mobile streaming
While Channel 4's catch-up service 4oD has been available on mobile for a number of years, viewers were always limited to streaming their favourite shows over a Wi-Fi connection. That changed at the start of the month when the broadcaster updated its iOS app to deliver streams over 3G and 4G connections. It took a couple of weeks, but it's now equipped its Android app with the same capability. That means you can now stream full Channel 4, E4 and More4 programmes when you're on the move and enjoy "4Shorts," hundreds of clips, extras and trailers from your favourite shows. If you wanted to stream Countdown while on your daily commute, you can now do so on either your iOS or Android device.
4oD catch-up streaming comes to Sky Now TV and Roku boxes
A smart TV box for a tenner is a nice thing, but one that streams Homeland on demand is arguably even nicer. As of today, owners of a Sky Now TV media player should see 4oD among their list of free channels, alongside the existing options like BBC iPlayer and Demand 5. Meanwhile, Channel Four's catch-up service has also landed on Roku boxes this week, which makes sense considering that Sky has a sizable investment in that little hardware platform, too.
Channel 4 brings offline viewing to 4oD for Android and iOS
The UK's Channel 4 is no stranger to on-demand programming, and now it's bringing the convenience of offline viewing to the mobile version of 4oD. In the latest update for Android and iOS, registered users can download shows that aired during the past 30 days, all for free. From there, users have seven days to view the content before it expires. There's a subtle catch, as all programming must be downloaded over WiFi, from within the UK or the Republic of Ireland. Once downloaded, however, shows can be watched offline from anywhere. Offline viewing is currently restricted to the network's commissioned shows, but it's looking to add programming from other studios in the future. Consider this Channel 4's way of keeping up with the Joneses... or in this case, the BBC.
Freesat launches 'Free Time' TV Guide to help you waste yours
Freesat is launching a revamped TV guide to pull together content from your satellite dish and the Internet. Free Time has a unified now and next view that lets you search backwards for shows you've missed that are available on-demand. It currently supports BBC iPlayer and ITV player, with 4OD and Demand 5 due to be added before Christmas -- and while it's still a rumor at this point, we're expecting Netflix to arrive on the platform at some point in the future. The guide will form the centerpiece of the next generation of Freesat hardware, which will be available for £280 when it arrives later this month.
Youview TV platform and set-top box coming to UK stores this month (update: priced at £299)
The BBC's iPlayer has become too successful. It either needs to calm down or be put on a more level playing field with on demand services from the other big UK broadcasters -- and it's going to be the latter. Youview -- which has nothing whatsoever in common with YouTube except its name and the fact that it also does video -- is a PVR set-top box that uses both an aerial and a web connection to allow catch-up viewing, and we've just heard it'll arrive in UK stores towards the end of this month. It'll bring together programs from the BBC (which also contributed £10 million of license fee cash), ITV, Channel 4, Five, and Sky, using infrastructure from BT, TalkTalk and Arqiva, and it'll target millions of British viewers who want a "seamless" mix of live and archived telly without being tied to a subscription -- and who don't yet depend on a Smart TV, games console or other converged device. Update: Youview front man Lord Alan Sugar told us that the box is Humax-built and will cost £299. He also added that there'll be adverts within commercial programs, but not plastered over the EPG or interface itself.
PS3 to start streaming ITV and Channel 4 content in the UK this week
Our British mates aboard the VOD ship may look a little cheerier today as The Guardian reports both ITV and Channel 4 -- two of the nation's foremost commercial channels -- are bringing their video catchup services to the PlayStation 3. The ITV Player and 4OD have been available as web-based services for a while, but they've both now agreed deals with Sony, who projects their overall traffic will improve by around 10 percent as a result. ITV's leaving the door wide open for adding its content to "other consoles," web-connected TVs, and tablets like the iPad, whereas Channel 4 has found Microsoft unforthcoming about Xbox 360 deals and the Wii inhospitable because it doesn't support advertising. For its part, Sony's clearly making a big content push, having recently welcomed Lovefilm into the fold and completed the rollout of its Qriocity on-demand facility across Europe. Does anyone even play games on these things anymore?
BBC, ITV and Channel 4 team up for on-demand service
Don't look now, but it seems that three rivals in the UK have found enough love in their hearts (or promise for profitability) to team up for the good of the consumer. Reportedly, the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 will be joining hands in order to deliver an on-demand service that hopes to "bring together hundreds of hours of television programs in one place" -- a collaborative effort once known as Project Kangaroo. Of course, the grand idea still has to be approved by the BBC Trust and other broadcasters' boards, and an official name for the service still has to be thought up, but at least the wheels are apparently turning, right? We're hearing that content from the trio will be available for "free download, streaming, rental and purchase via the internet, with expansion onto other platforms planned," and just in case you were curious, the iPlayer, ITV's catch-up service and Channel 4oD will indeed coexist with the new aggregator. Hang tight UK, the to-be-named service is set to go live sometime next year should things pan out nicely.[Via Yahoo / Reuters]
BBC launches iPlayer online video service
Nah, it's not quite ready for your iPhone (or OS X at all, to be frank), but the BBC iPlayer has officially launched. The online TV service will go head-to-head with rivals 4OD and ITV, and according to director general Mark Thompson, the launch of iPlayer "is as big a milestone as the arrival of color TV." All exaggeration aside, the service will allow viewers to "download a selection of programs from the last seven days and watch them for up to 30 days afterwards," and of course, all files are not only laced in DRM, but will automatically delete themselves after they are viewed or after 30 days have passed. Currently, a fixed number of people will be able to sign up, with the numbers increasing throughout the year, and while it only operates in Britain on Windows XP systems using IE 6 or later, the BBC's Ashley Highfield has stated that hopes are for the iPlayer to "become a universal service available not just over the internet, but also on cable and other TV platforms, and eventually on mobiles and smart handheld devices."[Via BBC]