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 4oD homepage |
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| Original author(s) | Channel Four Television Corporation |
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| Developer(s) | Channel Four Television Corporation |
| Initial release | November 2006 |
| Operating system | Windows (XP, Vista, 7) Mac OS X Linux |
| Platform | Channel4.com (30 days + archive) Virgin Media (7 days + archive) TalkTalk TV (7 days) BT Vision (7 days) PlayStation 3 (14 days) iOS (30 days) Xbox 360 (30 days + archive) |
| Available in | English |
| Type | Television catch-up |
| Website | http://www.channel4.com/programmes/4od |
4oD is a video on demand service from Channel Four Television Corporation.[1] Shorthand for 4 on Demand, the service launched in November 2006.[2] The service offers a variety of programmes recently shown on Channel 4, E4, More4 or from their archives.[3] However some programmes and movies are not available due to rights issues.
The cable and IPTV versions are operated through an appropriate set-top box whilst the internet variant can be accessed via websites such as Channel4.com. 4oD generated around 215 million long-form video views on all platforms where it is available in the first half of 2011, making Channel 4 the biggest UK broadcaster in the video on-demand market during the period.[4]
Contents |
Web platforms [edit]
Channel4.com [edit]
4oD is the main source of on demand programmes from Channel 4, E4 and More4, the catch up service currently lasts 30 days and the archive has thousands of hours of programming.[3]
As of April 2009, the internet version is fully available to Windows, Mac and Linux users with Adobe Flash Player installed.[5]
The "catch-up" service offers content free of charge a programme for thirty days after its broadcast on Channel 4. At this time,[when?] not all content is available to Irish users, due to licensing restrictions, however the majority of the programming is available.[6]
Channel 4 relaunched 4oD on 31 August 2011.[7] At the heart of the changes is 'My 4oD', allowing registered users to build playlists, schedule shows, maintain a record of what they have watched, save their favourites in a single place and receive in-page reminders from Channel 4 whenever a new episode is available for them to watch.[8] Other features include better full-page viewing and optimised site navigation during viewing.
Blinkbox [edit]
Blinkbox has acquired licenses for a number of programmes to be access on its website, although 4oD itself is not available. Some TV series are available for free such as Shameless, Skins, Embarrassing Bodies and Balls of Steel while others, for example The Big Bang Theory, Shameless US and ER have to be bought to be able to watch.
LoveFilm [edit]
LoveFilm has a content deal with Channel 4, giving its members streaming access to 4oD's archive in a specially-branded 4oD collection.[9]
SeeSaw [edit]
4oD on SeeSaw had access to 4oD archive of shows such as the The IT Crowd, Skins, The Inbetweeners, Bo' Selecta! and many more.[10] In August 2011, all 4oD content was removed from SeeSaw, following SeeSaw's failure to renegotiate its deal with Channel 4.[11]
YouTube [edit]
4oD is also partly available on YouTube, launching in the United Kingdom in late 2009 with seven genre dedicated channels for 4oD, additional to separate channels Channel 4 and E4.
Television platforms [edit]
BT Vision [edit]
4oD is available on BT Vision, offering programmes for 7 days after broadcast without access to the 4oD archive.[12]
Freesat [edit]
4oD was due to launch on Freesat before Christmas 2012 as part of Freesat's second generation Free Time guide,[13] however it has been delayed until June 2013.[14]
Televisions and Blu-ray players [edit]
A 4oD app for the Samsung Smart TV service was released on 22 March 2013.[15]
Sky [edit]
4oD was added to Sky's On Demand service on 18 March 2013.[16]
TalkTalk TV [edit]
4oD is available on TalkTalk TV, which offers programmes up to 7 days after broadcast. TalkTalk TV does not offer the back catalogue of programmes.
Virgin Media [edit]
4oD is available on Virgin Media's cable television service. This platform offers programmes for 7 days after broadcast and Virgin has exclusive use of most of Channel 4 archive which is free on XL package. In 2007, Virgin Media announced plans to offer high definition programming through 4oD but as of 2012[update] no further information has been released.[17]
YouView [edit]
4oD was one of four service available at the launch of YouView in July 2012. At launch the 4oD app contained options to resume watching recent programmes and browse by most popular, categories, collections and A-to-Z, but lacked a search function and contained non-skippable adverts.[18]
Game consoles [edit]
PlayStation 3 [edit]
4oD was released on 14 December 2010 on PlayStation 3 via the PlayStation Network.[19] 4oD on PS3 is free and ad-funded with pre-, mid- and post- roll video ads being sold and served by Channel 4. This service is a 14 day catch-up version of 4oD it is accessible through ps3.channel4.com.[20]
Xbox 360 [edit]
On 5 October 2011, it was announced that 4oD would be made available Xbox Live Gold members.[21][22][23] The service also integrates with the Xbox 360’s Kinect controller. 4oD was added to the Xbox Live on 21 December 2011.[24] All content on Xbox Live contains ad's which cannot be skipped.
Mobile platforms [edit]
Android devices [edit]
A 4oD app for the Android operating system was released on 5 February 2013. However the app is missing a number of previously promised features such as the ability to watch TV live channels or view content offline,[25] in addition it's limited to Wi-Fi connections and doesn't support rooted devices.[26][27]
iOS devices [edit]
A 4oD iPad app launched on 3 May 2011, the app offers a 30-day catch-up service.[28] The current requirements to run this app is a compatible with iPad with iOS 3.2 or later.[29]
A 4oD app for the iPhone and iPod Touch allowing a 30-day catch-up was released on 2 September 2011, along with an update to the iPad app.[30] Both apps now feature improved search functionality to enable users to more easily navigate the catch-up and archive content. They can both be browsed in 3G, but video playback is still only available with a Wi-Fi signal to "ensure the quality of the viewing experience isn't affected". The apps also feature a link to Channel 4's content on iTunes, offering the chance to purchase shows.
Computer platforms [edit]
The service was originally available as a Windows-only desktop program for downloading shows similar to BBC iPlayer Desktop.[2] Following the launch of the web version of 4oD in April 2009, the desktop client continued to allow content from outside the catch-up window to be downloaded.[31] The Kontiki based program which offered Windows Media Video downloads was closed in July 2009.[32][33]
The desktop client offered programming from other broadcasters such as FX[34] and National Geographic[35] as well as movies from 20th Century Fox.[36] A Download To Own (DTO) or "Buy" feature was also available on selected content, allowing users to purchase a programme and keep it for as long as they wish.
On 17 December 2012, Channel 4 and Microsoft release a dedicated 4oD application for Windows 8.[37] The move saw Channel 4 become the first major UK broadcaster to support the operating system with a native app.[37]
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ "4 On Demand". Channel 4. Archived from the original on 1 July 2011. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
- ^ a b "Channel 4 Launches 4oD Video-On-Demand Service". Channel 4. 16 November 2006. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
- ^ a b "What content can I find on 4oD?". Channel 4. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
- ^ "Channel 4 to launch revamped 4oD on web". Digital Spy. 25 August 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
- ^ "Can I use 4oD using Mac and Linux?". Channel 4. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
- ^ "Can I watch 4oD in another country?". Channel 4. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
- ^ "Channel 4 gets personal with 4oD relaunch". TechRadar. 25 August 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
- ^ "Channel 4 is set to relaunch 4oD, its video-on-demand service". TNW UK. 25 August 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
- ^ "Amazon's LOVEFiLM and 4oD announce new content deal". Channel 4. 21 January 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
- ^ "Seesaw - iPlayer's backcatalogue with adverts plus 4OD and Demand Five". UKFree. 31 January 2010. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
- ^ "SeeSaw loses Channel 4 shows in funding hitch". The Guardian. 1 September 2011. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
- ^ "Your Questioned Answered". BT Group. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
- ^ "Freesat launches new TV guide called <free time>". Join Freesat. 4 September 2012.
- ^ "Freesat says 4oD coming to Free Time in June, contradicts Channel 4". Recombu. 3 May 2013.
- ^ Chambers, Jo (5 February 2013). "4oD Review". Eye on Demand. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
- ^ "Sky adds Channel 4’s 4oD to create the UK’s most complete catch-up TV service". BSkyB. 15 March 2013.
- ^ "Virgin to show Channel 4 content in HD". Digital Spy. 8 October 2007. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ^ "Humax YouView DTR-T1000 review". Expert Reviews. 24 July 2012.
- ^ "What is 4oD". PlayStation. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
- ^ "4oD to Launch on PlayStation 3". Channel 4. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
- ^ "Xbox 360 Teams Up With Entertainment Leaders to Transform TV". Microsoft. 5 October 2011. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
- ^ "Xbox 360 to launch new TV and film services". The Daily Telegraph. 7 October 2011. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
- ^ "Why do I need Xbox Gold Membership to watch 4oD?". Channel 4. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- ^ "Xbox LIVE gets 4oD, Demand 5 in new update". TechRadar. 21 December 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
- ^ "Major New Digital Innovations announced at Channel 4 Upfront". Channel 4. 8 November 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
- ^ "Channel 4 releases 4oD app for Android, pair no longer 'Undateable'". TechRadar. 5 February 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
- ^ "4oD app lands on Android: Mobile Utopia". Pocket-lint. 5 February 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
- ^ "4oD Catch up Launches on iPad". Channel 4. 28 April 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
- ^ "4oD Catch Up By Channel 4". Apple.com. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
- ^ "Channel 4 bringing 4oD to iPhone next month". Digital Spy. 2 September 2011. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
- ^ "4oD catch up on the web goes live". Digital Spy. 2 April 2009. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ^ "All 4oD content moves to web". Digital Spy. 8 June 2009. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ^ "No more WMV downloads from 4oD". Digital Spy. 22 June 2009. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ^ "4oD agrees rights deal with FX". Digital Spy. 26 October 2007. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ^ "Channel 4 signs VoD deal with Nat Geo". Digital Spy. 8 June 2007. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ^ "4oD to carry 20th Century Fox films". Digital Spy. 7 November 2007. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ^ a b Langshaw, Mark (17 December 2012). "Windows 8 gets 4oD application". Digital Spy. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
External links [edit]
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