On 09/11/2007, Frank Wales <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Brian Butterworth wrote: > > On 09/11/2007, *Dave Crossland* <[EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL > > PROTECTED]>> > wrote: > > On 09/11/2007, Brian Butterworth <[EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto: > [EMAIL PROTECTED]>> wrote: > > > - an alternative electronic programme guide > > > > By "alternative," do you mean "user-generated," so when there's some > > low quality programming people can , ahem, express their opinions? > > > > I guess that would depend upon if the system has a return path - like an > > ethernet connection! > > Actually, I wondered whether you were suggesting, say, a satellite/ > Interweb mash-up of some kind, where the Freesat box's MHEG engine > could incorporate data from somewhere other than the satellite, and > had the programmability to be able to embed, or otherwise render, the > secondary data into the display.
I was thinking that there is a great scope for a mash-up here. Firstly, there is the fact that many of the set-top boxes will have hard drives, which could add a lot of functionality; Secondly, there is the scope to use the 'opportunistic data' on the satellite transponders. At any point where the data output from the MPEG-2 encoding process drops (as it does) then this data could be used for background data delivery. For example, we could slowly stream all the BBC's podcasts "in the background" this way, or the RSS feeds etc. Thirdly, having a linkage from the Freesat EPG would be great as it would allow linkages; Fourth, if the boxes also have broadband connections, there is the scope for a personalized experience, perhaps even including remote access to the EPG content! So yes... So, for example, in the EPG, you could ask to have rottentomato.com votes for upcoming movies incorporated, which would require the box to be able to: a) grab those ratings, and b) correlate them with the EPG entries without c) the EPG interface becoming ludicrous. Even usefuller would be the ability to grab personalized gubbins from sites based on your very own ID, so that your have your mates' insane opinions show up, with hilarious consequences. -- Frank Wales [EMAIL PROTECTED] - Sent via the backstage.bbc.co.uk discussion group. To unsubscribe, please visit http://backstage.bbc.co.uk/archives/2005/01/mailing_list.html. Unofficial list archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/backstage@lists.bbc.co.uk/ -- Please email me back if you need any more help. Brian Butterworth www.ukfree.tv
