Irish customers of UPC’s digital TV service may soon be able to watch their favourite TV programmes on a computer anywhere in the world if new services being studied by the company’s Irish management are deployed.
It emerged last week that UPC in the Netherlands is trialling Slingbox services from Sling Media, which allows digital TV customers to remotely control their digital media box and watch or record their TV channels and programmes using a broadband internet connection.
A spokesperson for UPC in Ireland told siliconrepublic.com that the new service is an option currently being considered by the company’s Irish management.
“All I can say at this point from an Irish perspective is that the service is under review,” spokesperson Annamaria Barry said.
The Slingbox is a device that transmits digital TV signals to a desktop or laptop computer at home or on the road using any broadband connection. So if a user is travelling they can watch a sports match from a hotel room in Singapore on their laptop or schedule the recording of the latest episode of their favourite soap on a DVR while waiting for a train or flight.
“The Slingbox brings a new digital TV experience to our customers,” explained Diederik Karsten, chief executive of UPC Netherlands. “They can view and record their favourite programmes remotely by using a broadband internet connection.
“We believe the Skingbox will certainly enhance UPC’s leadership position in the digital TV market,” Karsten added.
By John Kennedy
