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BT’s Vision product — a cheap Freeview PVR with access to video-on-demand services over the Internet — struck me as an excellent idea when it was launched last year, but I haven’t seen much of it since. The company has just announced some new deals, though, which should jazz up the hitherto anaemic line-up.
New partnerships with Warner Bros and a bunch of very small independents have opened up some low-key children’s titles and big hitters such as the Batman, Harry Potter and Superman films. Hit TV series, such as ER, Nip/Tuck, Without a Trace and hopefully my fave The West Wing (although I’ve got them all on DVD), are promised soon.
This is all very well, but nothing that’s going to shift a shedload of units. The most compelling reason to get BT Vision at the moment is the cheap PVR unit, not the download content. I expect BT to give Vision more of a push when Premiership football arrives in August on a pay-per-view basis over the Internet. Some 242 of the season’s 380 matches will be available, but will be shown after 10pm on each match day. Setanta, which is available on Freeview, also has a small selection of next season’s games (compared to Sky anyway), but it’s a big step in the right direction.
