Project Canvas IPTV boxes will be arriving in UK living rooms by Christmas 2010, according to the BBC's IPTV programme director Richard Halton.
Halton, speaking at a meeting on the still-controversial Project Canvas project being fronted by the BBC, made the bold declaration that we would only have around a year to wait to see the first Canvas boxes.
"[They] will be on sale by Christmas 2010," reports MediaWeek.
Blank Canvas
Canvas is still being discussed by the BBC Trust before it is given the go-ahead, but the industry appears to be coming round to the idea of the BBC and partners ITV and BT, setting the standards for the IPTV platform in this country.
The Trust will publish its findings in the coming months, and is widely expected to rubber stamp the project.
The BBC proposal involves them setting the look and feel of the electronic programme guide (EPG) and the early user interface – something that has drawn criticism not only from the likes of Sky – who are angry the BBC is getting involved in platforms instead of sticking to programmes, but also manufacturers who would like to set their own look and feel.
But, with the IPTV world still waiting for a usable set of standards to unite manufacturers and consumers behind a common product, the potential is there for the Project Canvas standards to set the bar worldwide.
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mattdoc30
September 25th 2009
1. "Sky – who are angry the BBC is getting involved in platforms instead of sticking to programmes"
Bit pot and kettle that statement! I think this is a great idea and I cannot wait for it to come to fruition. Sky can complain all they like but ultimately the BBC are probably best place to pull the different content providers together as while the BBC is still a competitor its motives *should* be for the greater good of viewers as opposed to it's own shareholders, which in my opinion makes it that little more neutral and more likely content providers and hardware providers will fall in line. They seem to have done a good job with Freeview/sat and if this platform can be sold or pushed around the world then perhaps we might see a reduction in the TV license (i went too far didn't I?)
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