Analysts at Gartner predicting that around 20 million people worldwide will be subscribing to internet-based TV services by the end of the year, up 64 per cent in 12 months. Broadcasters are keen to find ways to deliver their content more broadly via the web, especially to those who either cannot afford the highest speed broadband services, or those unable to subscribe to super-fast internet access because of the location of their home and their distance from a telephone exchange.
But the new technology, known as HDi, is set to revolutionise the broadcasting industry, said Alki David, founder of video-streaming website FilmOn.com, and one of the men who helped develop the software.
?The way we watch film is changing,? Mr David told The Times. ?People used to dress up to go out to the cinema. Then it was a trip to the video store. Now you?re at home with your plasma TV and an internet connection.?
The major selling point of HDi technology is its ability to stream high-definition video to computers and televisions without any of the judder or lag commonly experienced when watching video online over a slow internet connection. This ?buffering? can render even standard-definition or low-resolution videos unwatchable online. But Mr David said HDi eliminates lag in high-definition videos, web content and live programming delivered over slow broadband connections, thanks to a compression technology he created that ?squeezes? the signal so it can be transmitted more quickly.
?We?re trained to watch what?s on the box, but audiences are not fools and it doesn?t take long at all to change,? said Mr David. ?The YouTube generation is a good example. You can seek what you want to watch when you want. We?re the next step. It?s a natural evolution to qualitative distribution.?
At present, the HDi technology is only used to deliver FilmOn?s own products and services, but Mr David and Rich Crosby, a television engineer from Miami, are due to demonstrate the technology to BT in early 2009. Mr David and Mr Crosby are also exploring the possibility of building the technology into set-top boxes that could enable viewers to watch internet-delivered content on their televisions rather than their computers.
Mr David said that HDi was a ?virtual cable television service?, and could be watched on computers, TVs and even mobile phones. It could run over existing copper or wireless networks, claims Mr David, unlike conventional fibre-optic television services, which require ?last mile? roll-out to be ?plumbed? directly into people?s homes.
FilmOn, which launched today, offers more than 7,000 films and documentaries for streaming, more than half of which are free. New releases and popular titles will cost �3.99 to stream and ?rent? for 24 hours, or �5 to download. There is also a YouTube-like area, where users can upload their own video clips and content.
