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Panasonic to adopt Freeview Play

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    JamesB

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    Digital UK – the body supports the UK’s terrestrial TV service and its viewers – and DTT platform Freeview have announced that Panasonic will be the first manufacturer to launch TVs featuring the Freeview Play connected TV service. The news follows the recent announcement of Freeview Play as the brand for the service as part of a major Freeview rebrand in preparation for the launch of the new TV offer.

    Panasonic will make Freeview Play available in its new 2015 line-up of VIERA TVs. Channel 5’s Demand 5 service will also join the platform – completing the launch line-up of catch-up players alongside BBC iPlayer, ITV Player and 4oD.

    [..]

    Panasonic plans to offer Freeview Play recorders at a later date. Multi-brand manufacturer Vestel will follow with a range of Freeview Play products.

    Howling has refuted suggestions that Freeview Play risks losing market advantage to on-demand platform YouView, with which it shares common investors, such as the BBC and ITV, with Sony announcing a summer 2015 launch of YouView on its range of 2015 BRAVIA TVs.

    http://advanced-television.com/2015/02/23/freeview-play-manufacturers-revealed/

    No mention of Freetime.

    | Tue 24 Feb 2015 14:54:03 #1 |
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    catinaz

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    Am I right to think that Freeview Play is to Freeview as Freetime is to Freesat?

    | Tue 24 Feb 2015 23:12:38 #2 |
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    JamesB

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    More or less, although the specs for Freeview Play haven't yet been published so it's not certain exactly what it's going to include. The core specification is due to be published this spring.

    http://www.dtg.org.uk/news/news.php?id=5347

    | Wed 25 Feb 2015 8:53:34 #3 |
  4. Biggles

    Biggles

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    Any idea how this is going to affect Freetime on Freeview?

    | Wed 25 Feb 2015 9:21:23 #4 |
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    JamesB

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    I can't see Arqiva agreeing to share the Freeview tuners in Viera sets with Freetime. Freetime may stay for the satellite tuners. Or not.

    I'm not optimistic, personally.

    | Wed 25 Feb 2015 10:07:27 #5 |
  6. Biggles

    Biggles

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    Great, I've just bought two Panasonic tellies with Freetime built in. How many more changes are we going to have to suffer.

    Edit: I don't know the politics of all this but as Freetime is delivered via the internet hopefully it will continue to work.

    | Wed 25 Feb 2015 10:22:09 #6 |
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    JamesB

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    Quite a few, I'd say. Freesat sacked accepted the resignation of Emma Scott, who had ideas and ambition for the platform, and replaced her with a beancounter. Not a good sign.

    Edit: I don't think there's any danger of existing Freetime units ceasing to function. I'm only speculating about future implementations.

    | Wed 25 Feb 2015 10:41:05 #7 |
  8. Biggles

    Biggles

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    I was reading an interview with Emma Scott yesterday from 2014, she was saying she expected Freetime on Freeview to be around for quite a while, I didn't realise she'd been sacked resigned. Perhaps I won't scrap my CRT telly after all.

    | Wed 25 Feb 2015 10:48:12 #8 |
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    JamesB

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    Biggles - 1 minute ago  » 
    I was reading an interview with Emma Scott yesterday from 2014, she was saying she expected Freetime on Freeview to be around for quite a while, I didn't realise she'd been sacked. Perhaps I won't scrap my CRT telly after all.

    Resigned, I should have said. In her leaving statement she said "Creating a successful new TV platform has been an exhilarating journey but it is now time for me to seek new challenges in the digital media industries.” I believe she's now working for the publishers of the Beano.

    | Wed 25 Feb 2015 10:54:02 #9 |
  10. Biggles

    Biggles

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    What a waste. I hope Freetime continues on Freeview, the second telly hasn't even been delivered yet.

    | Wed 25 Feb 2015 10:59:24 #10 |

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