Freesat has confirmed that it will be trialling the BBC’s iPlayer to offer video on demand on its free HD service by the end of November.
When it launches, Freesat will join Virgin Media in offering the service through TV rather than computer (it’s also available via Nintendo Wii and Sony Playstation 3 games consoles). The BBC currently estimates that a quarter of iPlayer viewing is currently done via Virgin Media.
The trial will initially be limited to the HD service only and therefore only available through HD-compatible Freesat boxes, though it’s expected to be rolled out to all Freesat customers sometime in the new year.
BBC controller of future media TV platforms Ahul Chakkara said on his blog: “MHEG-5 is a standard that has been used for developing and presenting interactive television in the UK for nearly a decade. Recently, the Digital Television Group supported by BBC R&D has extended the standard to use the interaction channel for handling internet video. “This is a fast changing and evolving industry, many of our assumptions will be challenged with time. We will keep coming back to the products and update them where appropriate.”