Great players:what every TV viewer wants these days

Mobile devices are revolutionising where and when we consume TV and film, writes CIARA O'BRIEN

UPC is keeping any future plans close to its chest. Rival Sky offers customers the chance to watch live TV through Sky Go, something UPC has yet to offer

THE DAYS of being chained to your living room TV, restricted by TV schedules, are done. With mobile devices becoming increasingly popular, there are more than enough streaming video and TV services available to keep you entertained regardless of where – or when – you want to watch.

RTÉ

RTÉ’s Player service allows you to watch programmes it broadcasts for up to three weeks after they were broadcast on the channel. Available online, through an app and smart TV platforms, the service offers different capabilities to different platforms.

Through the website, viewers can access a live stream of what is broadcasting on RTÉ One and Two, in addition to a 21-day catch-up service.

The basic requirements are an internet connected browser (obviously) that is able to run Flash. A high-speed connection will make watching that little bit easier.

Then you have the app, which is available for iOS devices such as the iPhone and iPad. Again, the time limit is 21 days to watch programmes before they disappear. You can also share your favourites with friends via email, Facebook and Twitter. Live broadcasts are available through the app too. The iOS app supports Airplay, so you can stream to your large screen TV directly from your mobile device using an Apple TV.

As with most streaming video though, high-speed wifi is a must.

If you aren’t an iPad user, and crouching in front of a laptop isn’t for you, you don’t have to miss out.

Samsung has done a deal with RTÉ to bring the Player to its smart TV platform, and it is also available through the PlayStation 3 console. UPC has also brought it to its on demand platform.

Not all programmes make it on the RTÉ Player for copyright reasons, but RTÉ pledges to make more than 200 hours of programming available.

Programmes typically appear the day after they are broadcast, although not all programmes are available to international viewers.

TV3

TV3’s player still carries a Beta tag, so you don’t expect too much. Still, the TV station offers its programmes through its 3Player online service shortly after they air, which is reasonably quick.

There is no facility to download programmes from the site to watch offline, so you’ll always need an internet connection.

Moving on to apps, TV3 offers a limited version for iOS and Android users. A selection of programmes are available through the mobile version.

While you can get everything from news- based programmes, such as Tonight with Vincent Browne through to popular soaps such as Emmerdale on the desktop version, the mobile app has a more “home-grown” focus, with Ireland AM, FYI and Battle of the Bridesmaids featuring. And, of course, Vincent Browne.

TV3 has also made its catch-up service available to other platforms; it appears on the Sony Bravia internet connected TVs, for example, and it is also available through UPC’s on-demand service.

TG4

The Irish language channel has a diverse online offering. Where else could you go to watch greyhound racing or learn about traditional folk music? Mixed in with that is news (as Gaeilge, of course) and entertainment shows such as Paisean Faisean. (The ads that accompany each video are in English – the ones we saw at least.)

You can tune in live too, although there are no apps just yet to bring it to your iPad.

Some of the content is available to a worldwide audience, which T4 makes clear on its schedule of programmes.

TG4 is expected to be added to UPC’s on-demand service later this year.

CHANNEL 4

While Channel 4’s programming is available to Irish customers on the TV, the online offering is more limited. Some videos are geoblocked due to rights issues. That said, it is more than other UK channels allow Irish viewers to access.

You can mostly access programming created specifically for Channel 4 – so plenty of Super Nanny and Supersize vs Superskinny. There’s an iPad and iPhone app too.

BBC

Available for the iPad and iPhone, the global BBC iPlayer app offers a subscription-based service for customers outside the UK. While it offers its licence-fee paying viewers a seven- day catch-up service, the global iPlayer app is a different proposition. More of an archive of BBC and other broadcaster’s content, the app also allows you to download content to your device to watch offline – as long as your subscription remains active, of course.

The content varies from classics in the BBC’s archive (Fawlty Towers, early episodes of Doctor Who and more nature programmes than you know what to do with) to children’s content. The service is only available in a limited number of countries, including France, Austria, Canada, Spain, Portugal, among others.

If you subscribe to the service, you can stream content in these countries, but it may differ slightly depending on what local agreements the BBC already has in place.

UPC

UPC’s on-demand service has two different types. The first level, which is available to all subscribers, offers a seven-day catch-up service for RTÉ and TV3 through the customer’s set-top box. That means no eating in to your broadband data allowance and you can watch in comfort. You can also rent both new and library movie titles for a fee.

The second tier is available to customers of UPC’s middle and top subscription packages free of charge. Not only do you get the catch- up services but you can also view box sets from US channels and programming chosen from channels such as Discovery.

The service has proved popular, said Mark Coan, UPC’s sales and marketing director, with more than a million views since it became available less than a month ago. A big part of that is the TV catch-up services, but box sets are also performing well.

The TV company is more than happy with the response, especially considering that it has not yet rolled out to all its customers. UPC is aiming to have the service available across the country by the end of the summer.

UPC is keeping any future plans close to its chest. Rival Sky offers customers the chance to watch live TV through Sky Go, something UPC has yet to offer. However, it is doubtful that the current on-demand service is all we’ll see from UPC.

NETFLIX

A relatively new entrant to the Irish market, Netflix offers streaming video to customers for a monthly fee. The problem, for some users, is that the content isn’t always the most up to date. But Netflix doesn’t pretend to have the latest releases. Like other services, it is concentrating on those who want to watch box sets or older films, all from the comfort of their own home.

Netflix works across a variety of mediums – mobile devices, games consoles, even Apple TV and a dedicated Netflix box from Philips.

SKY

Sky has a pretty decent offering for its customers. The Anytime video on demand services includes up to 200 hours of programming every month, 40 hours of which is saved to your Sky+ box automatically.

That means news, documentaries, sports, films – when you feel like it. Live TV can be accessed through Sky Go, which has both a mobile app, on 3G and wifi, and a PC version. It is no extra cost if you are already a Sky customer, but you can only register two devices at a time.

It is only available in Britain and Ireland too, so if you have dreams of watching football matches on your Sky subscription while you’re in the US, forget it.