Viewers can look forward to variety of channels

A look at the basic service offered by digital television companies in the UK gives an indication of what consumers here can expect. While the technology can offer up to 200 channels, most subscribers choose a basic service of a dozen or so channels.

Ondigital's basic package costs £6.95 sterling a month and includes BBC 1 and 2, ITV, Channels 4 and 5, BBC Choice, Parliament, News24, ITV 2, Shop, First on digital and one primary channel such as Sky 1 or Eurosport.

Add RTE 1 and Network 2, a new educational channel from RTE, replace the 24 hour news service with RTE's new equivalent and Parliament with the Oireachtas channel and you've some idea of the basic package likely to be offered to Irish consumers.

IMC is trialing its service in 500 homes in Cork, Limerick, Clare, Louth and Meath, starting in late September and the package includes e-mail and nearly-video-on-demand. This works by staggering the start time of a movie over several different channels so that if viewers misses the start of a film at, say 8 p.m., they can flick to another channel for another start time of say 8.15 p.m..

All digital companies will be offering pretty much the same choice of channels but the real hook is interactivity. So during a news bulletin the viewer will be able to click on an icon and find out more about a particular news item; and if you fancy that mixing bowl that a celebrity chef is using, you'll be able to click on the relevant shopping website and it will be delivered to your door.

Already interactive television advertisements have been tested in the UK - viewers clicked for free money off coupons and recipes - and the arrival of the set top box into most homes in Ireland will revolutionise the targeting of advertising. For example, Toyota will be able to broadcast an ad for its family friendly people carrier into suburban family homes and keep the ads for its nippy sportscar for broadcast only to high spending young apartment dwellers.

If the number of channels sounds daunting it will all be managed by each person's EPG - electronic programme guide - which, once it knows a viewers interests, will alert the viewer when a relevant programme is on and will even record it for you if you're going to be out.