The technology exists in trials but would you like to see it go main stream?

For those who are unsure what it is, you are able to watch what you want, when you want.

I dont think that would be possible for me to watch what I want when I want, as often as I want.

Unless someone starts making day-long programmes featuring Icelandic Offroading, Tractorpulling, documentaries on the car chase from Bullitt and naked female mud wrestilng, all presented by Sophie Ellis Bextor, i'm never going to get what I want on TV.

ooh interesting John had his finger on the pulse... does he still post?
*** oops John you posted today. Sorry!

I'm posting as i'm just using the four on demand to download some programmes and i'm amazed at what is on offer...sorry I'm a bit late but me broadbands been broken since they've been advertising the extra programmes... if you are not aware it's loads of whole series of channel 4 programmes, some films etc, all last week's telly, all for free. how can we ever possibly be bored again?

Queer as Folk here we come. :love:

i'd be more impressed if we could search tv listings by programme name - 9000 channels it's a right pain looking for Time Team.

It's pretty much there with Virgin cable. You can watch thousands of shows when you want. Generally only UK-made programmes and usually available to watch 24 hours after first airing, but it's a great service. I watched the whole series of Yes Prime Minister the other day.
Broadcasters have had their day and if they don't work out that their role in the next few years is going to change to "content provider" they'll be in trouble.

ooh interesting John had his finger on the pulse... does he still post?
*** oops John you posted today. Sorry!

I'm posting as i'm just using the four on demand to download some programmes and i'm amazed at what is on offer...sorry I'm a bit late but me broadbands been broken since they've been advertising the extra programmes... if you are not aware it's loads of whole series of channel 4 programmes, some films etc, all last week's telly, all for free. how can we ever possibly be bored again?

Queer as Folk here we come. :love:

I still post but don't start many threads like I used to.

I started this thread because someone at a party was arguing with me about this technology, pointing out why it was bad when I asked what he thought of it after I explained what it was. I didn't slip this information in my original post because I wanted to see what other people thoughts are.

Anyway, his argument was that people didn't know what they wanted to watch and that too many options actually mean less. It seems illogical but his reasoning was that if you only had 4 channels and you thought all 4 programmes were crap and you had nothing else to do then you would force yourself to watch what you thought was the best of those 4.

Now, what if that "crap programme" turned out to be interesting after all such as a documentary about bugs living on a wall? Something that you would have never dream of watching in the first place.

You may never discover this little gem with video on demand because you'll watch what you want and not what being forced upon on you. Hence, you don't know what you want to watch.

His argument against this technology seems reasonable until I pointed out that video on demand (VOD) is just a technology replacement of video recorders and so its nothing really new.

On top of this, with today’s life style, people are on the go and when they are at home, chances are they missed that nature program anyway since it is likely to be only available at a fixed time so the success of getting people to watch that program is less than it could be.

With a VOD system, it could be listed under “Director choice of the day/week:” which would maximize the exposure of that particular programme no end.