{"id":68905,"date":"2014-09-18T14:54:44","date_gmt":"2014-09-18T12:54:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=68905"},"modified":"2014-09-18T14:56:34","modified_gmt":"2014-09-18T12:56:34","slug":"altech-launches-video-on-demand-services","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/media\/68905\/altech-launches-video-on-demand-services\/","title":{"rendered":"Altech launches video-on-demand services"},"content":{"rendered":"

Altech Node, a subscription \u201cpush\u201d video-on-demand (VOD) service and home automation system will be launching at an event in Johannesburg on Thursday, 18 September 2014.<\/p>\n

Its launch follows that of Vidi, an online VOD service from Times Media Group which has a similar entertainment offering to what Node will provide.<\/p>\n

Like Vidi, Node offers a subscription service (albeit at a higher price of R299) which gives users access to TV shows and older movies, while newer movies can be rented for R15 or R25.<\/p>\n

Pricing on movie rentals is dependent on how recent a release the film is. Once rented, subscribers can watch a movie as many times as they want in a 48-hour period.
\nSatellite-based<\/p>\n

Unlike services such as Netflix and Vidi, Node\u2019s VOD offering does not require a broadband connection to stream the content over.<\/p>\n

Instead it uses the same satellite as DStv to push content to a decoder-like set-top box (or \u201cNode\u201d), which is then stored on a 3 Terabyte hard drive.<\/p>\n

New content is pushed down to the Node on a regular basis, with old shows and movies cycled out as the hard drive fills up.<\/p>\n

\"Altech<\/a>

Altech Node press shot<\/p><\/div>\n

The Node box itself costs R3,499 and includes a free dish and installation. It can be connected to any HDMI-capable screen.<\/p>\n

While subscribers watch content from the Node\u2019s hard drive rather than streaming it via the Internet, the Node does still require Internet access to unlock movies or episodes from a series.<\/p>\n

This does not appear to require a large amount of data, and the Node does include a built-in 3G modem for those who do not have an Internet connection at home.
\nWeb services<\/p>\n

The data costs incurred by the Node still remains the user\u2019s problem, so it\u2019s important to mention that the Node does also offer web services.<\/p>\n

It includes a web browser and YouTube app, which, if you\u2019re not careful, can eat through your 3G data pretty quickly (assuming you don\u2019t just connect it to your home Wi-Fi network or LAN).
\nHome automation<\/p>\n

\"Altech<\/a>

Altech Node remote control<\/p><\/div>\n

In addition to entertainment services, Altech has also geared the Node be a home automation hub.<\/p>\n

Accessories include internal and external surveillance cameras, motion sensors, smart plugs, antennas, Wi-Fi boosters, and VoIP phones – which Altech said would all be available at the retailers that stock Node.<\/p>\n

The Node’s remote control features a QWERTY keyboard on the back, and there is also an app available in the Google Play store with which you can control the device over a Wi-Fi network.<\/p>\n

The Node will be\u00a0available from the following stores from Friday 19 September 2014: Altech Autopage Cellular, Cell C, Dion Wired, Game, HiFi Corporation, Hirsch\u2019s, Incredible Connection, JetMart, Makro, Pick \u2018n Pay Hyper, and other retailers.<\/p>\n

This article was first published on MyBroadband<\/a>.<\/p>\n

More on Video on Demand<\/h3>\n

More SA video-on-demand services on the way<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Vidi promises local streaming content<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

R149 a month video streaming service launched in SA<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

MTN a step closer to streaming\u00a0video<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Altech has unveiled a satellite-based subscription video-on-demand service and home automation system for R299 per month<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":68911,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5554],"tags":[8849,26,6988],"class_list":["post-68905","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-media","tag-altech-node","tag-headline","tag-vod"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68905","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68905"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68905\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68915,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68905\/revisions\/68915"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68905"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68905"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68905"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}