I had a chance to fool around with an new broadcast TV service being offered by TELUS called OPTIK TV. I have been watching IPTV down in the U.S. for quite some time and wondered when or if it was ever going to make its way into Canada and now it has with TELUS.
Not available everywhere, OPTIK TV is delivered over a high speed fiber optic infrastructure and is capable of pushing some significant bandwidth traffic. Similar to Shaw, Bell, and Rogers Optik TV is a PVR system and will allow you to record your favourite TV Shows and Movies. OPTIK TV uses the Microsoft Media Room operating system to operate the PVR and has some impressive functionality.
First, the look and feel itself is very slick. The menu system and guide are intuitive, and setting up recordings and reminders is straight forward. One feature that I thought was really impressive was the ability to record to one PVR from any TV in the house. The set top boxes are essentially networked so if you record one show downstairs you can watch half of it and then go upstairs to be and watch the rest.
The thing that I liked the best was the ability to logon to my TELUS account from work (or even a mobile device) and set up my recordings. If I get stuck at the office and can’t make it home in time to watch Glee, then I can set up my recording from my computer. Awesome.
All and all I am extremely impressed with TELUS OPTIK TV, but I have to wonder how long the concept of broadcast TV is going to be around. With Google, Apple and Microsoft all looking at getting into the Movie and TV Show rental business you have to wonder if paying $100 bucks a month really makes sense for traditional TV.