IP Vision's Hybrid Freeview-OTT Device to Be Available in John Lewis Stores

IP Vision, a company backed by French set-top box manufacturer, Netgem, announced last week that it has signed a retail deal with the John Lewis Partnership that will result in its FetchTV SmartBox being available in John Lewis stores, starting July 23rd. The product, which in many ways foreshadows the kind of device promoted by Project Canvas, the joint over-the-top venture between the BBC, UK commercial broadcaster ITV, and UK incumbent telco BT, is a Freeview+-accredited (note: Freeview+ is a program operated by UK free-to-air digital terrestrial platform, Freeview, and the UK's Digital Television Group to "raise consumer awareness and promote sales" of Freeview DVR devices) hybrid box that allows customers to receive Freeview channels via broadcast and access catch-up programming and other Web-based VOD content through an IP connection.

Free Web video services supported by the new box include services from Channel 4, Sky Sports News, Discovery Channel, CNN, and--most notably--the BBC iPlayer. The box also allows customers to access 1,500 hours of content from such providers as Paramount Pictures, National Geographic, and Cartoon Network on a pay-per-view basis. While the FetchTV service is somewhat similar in concept to BT's BT Vision platform, which also marries Freeview reception to an IP-based service that offers a broad range of pay-per-view content (alongside various subscription-based programming packages), IP Vision touts the fact that the SmartBox can be connected to any operator's broadband service. "We have known for a long time that our service had the capability to deliver content that has been traditionally viewed online to a TV screen," IP Vision CEO, Eddie Abrams, said in a prepared statement. "With the development of services like Canvas we know that content delivered via broadband will become more commonplace over the next few years. I am proud that we are able to lead the way and be the first to market with this technology. Our first retail deal for the box with John Lewis means that it will now be much easier for customers to buy one of our FetchTV boxes. We are in advanced discussions with a number of other parties about distribution and availability across the UK. We're also confident that over the next few months we'll be able to deliver more online content direct to the TV screen." 

IP Vision bills the FetchTV SmartBox, which is priced at £219, as an "over-the-counter, plug-and-play solution with no need for an engineer installation visit." Features include twin Freeview tuners, a 160GB hard drive, and a USB port that allows programs recorded from Freeview channels to be exported onto a USB stick or drive. The company says that it also offers home media center functionality, allowing customers to view their own digital pictures and home movies on the TV.