BT puts on the style for video

BT has given details of how it will offer video-on-demand in competition with established entertainment providers such as BSkyB, Home Choice and cable giant NTL/Telewest.

The BT Vision service, which starts in autumn, is part of a revamped package of offerings called BT Total Broadband, which was launched yesterday round a stylish new home hub.

BT Vision will offer a choice of 1000 movie titles at any one time and, crucially, you will be able to receive them on a per-title basis - though there will be a subscription option. Cable already offers pay-per-view, but the choice of titles is more limited.

Neville Manuel, commercial director of BT TV services, said the company was targeting ‘subscription averse’ customers who had not already signed on with a provider.

Curiously, he said the number of movies available was limited to 1000 not for technical or licensing reason but because the company ‘wanted to offer enough for a good commercial mix but not so many as to confuse people.’

To get BT Vision you will need a BT broadband connection and a combined Freeview receiver and a 160Gbyte personal-video-recorder. This will cost around £80, which is effectively a start-up cost; but it is also a fraction of the price of an equivalent device in the shops.

The video stream uses about 1.4Mbits/sec of BT Broadband’s maximum 8Mbit/sec; real data rates are lower with poor lines or distance from the exchange but Manuel said 2Mbit/sec was available in 95 percent of the country.

The new BT Total Broadband package has three payment options ranging from £17.99 to £26.99 a month, with discounts on initial payments; usage caps range from 2Gbyte to 40Gbyte per month.

The new home hub costs £30 on the cheapest monthly deal, but is free with the other options; one model has a built-in VoIP phone. It supports 11g Wifi but appears to have only two wire Ethernet ports, which would leave one if you take the BT Vision box.

Also shown off by BT yesterday were two new video phones and a security system call Homesafe, which will contact you by phone, SMS or email if it senses an intruder.