Freesat has officially unveiled its new YouTube app, at the same time promising an extension to its free time range of boxes.
The free-to-air satellite platform is adding the videoclip service to a catch up portal that also features the BBC iPlayer and ITV Player.
The app takes advantage of HTML5, one of the key technologies used in the free time box. Freesat CTO James Strickland said that MHEG had “come to the end of its natural life” and with Flash being a “heavyweight platform” the use of HTML was a logical decision when seen in line with other industry developments.
The free time EPG was introduced in September 2012 on a new connected set-top box manufactured by Humax. It is built entirely on open standards including HTML5, OIPF and HbbTV and takes advantage of a Broadcom chipset two years fresher than that of the equivalent YouView box.
In a presentation to journalists at its Newman Street offices, Strickland, showed how Version 4 of the YouTube app for the iPhone made it possible to pair the phone with what was being displayed via the free time set-top. A similar application is also available for Android devices.
Strickland promised the introduction of a ‘headless’ version of the free time box capable of being added to a second room and used in a master/slave capacity.
Freesat retiterated plans to introduce mobile ‘remote record’ functionality to free time, but there is no current date as to when this might be rolled out. “The journey that we all start when we want to find something to watch and how optimized that journey is I think even with the latest free time box there are still improvements to be made just because of the power of the nature of these screens,” said Dan Chronnell, director of product development. “If you’ve got 1TB of content on a free time box, it’s going to be easier to find it on a free time box.”
One of the key features of free time is the content showcase, which suggests programmes to the viewer. Chronnell said that this could easily show recommendations from YouTube as part of this.
Chronnell conformed that Channel 4’s 4oD and Demand 5 would be appearing on the platform, having been listed as ‘Coming Soon’ since the launch of the free time platform last autumn. “We’re continuing to walk through some technical hurdles, but they are active, and we’d expect to have an announcement soon.”
He stressed that Freesat would only entertain a limited number of apps on the platform.
