Left the house and realised you forget to set your PVR to record that crucial episode of MasterChef? Optus’ new TV Now service lets you schedule “recordings” from your PC or mobile phone, and play them back afterwards from the cloud on your PC or handset.
The service covers the 15 main free-to-air channels, so fans of Neighbours don’t need to panic. You can also schedule series links to record entire runs of shows. You can view the programs on your mobile or PC, and streaming via 3G will not count against your data allowance. (That said, Wi-Fi would undoubtedly work better.)
Unsurprisingly, you need to be an Optus mobile customer to access the service. Optus is offering 45 minutes of free recording per month to postpaid subscribers. For $6.99 a month, you get five hours of storage; $9.99 provides 20 hours. The service only covers the Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth areas; regional users are out of luck.
Pay TV customers can already set up this kind of remote recording, of course, but that comes with the higher pay TV bill. It’s an interesting twist in the still relatively underdeveloped local IPTV market. Would you be tempted to use it?
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