Video on Demand – the future is here to stay!

Can technology bring back the days of your childhood or adolescence where you could enjoy your favorite shows again? Well, video on demand can help you do that for sure!

What's the hype about?

Video on Demand or VOD gives you the freedom to watch what you want at a time of your choosing. No longer will you have to wait for your favorite soap or for the re telecast of the match you missed! You can now choose to watch whatever you want at your leisure.

So is this great feature free?

It depends on your service provider as well as the content you desire. Some content is free while some are charged on a per view basis. Most cable companies provide you with a separate set top box that stores the content for you and lets you view it. After the allowed number of views have expired, it overwrites the content with some fresh content that you ask for.

Types of VOD

There are primarily 2 types of VOD services. One where the content is downloaded to your set top box or your computer and you can view it for a fixed number of times after which it's not viewable again. This is often also known as push video on demand. The other is streaming in nature quite like the popular web site YouTube or Metacafe. Here, the content isn't downloaded but rather streamed. Such a type is also known as true video on demand.

What about Internet? Do I need it? What about usage?

For streaming videos, there are standards that allow the streaming of TV content using the regular IP network that you use to access the Internet. This is done by using customer premises equipment or even your set top box that can directly connect to the broadband media. However, this is not a necessity. Most cable provider's use their existing channel to stream or download content to your set top box. The best way to find out whether you need Internet or not is to talk to the cable company covering your area and also to your Internet service provider. Sometimes both have the facility to provide VOD thus giving you an option to choose from based on your needs and budget.

How do I pay?

Whatever mode of VOD you use, almost all providers add up the fee of the content to your monthly bill which you can pay online or drop a cheque for. You get a list detailing each show and its cost to you in your monthly bill. So it' always easy to cross check your usage and even easier to pay online.

The convenience that VOD offers is great and also opens up unlimited possibilities for future. Who knows, we might be able to watch the opening show of the latest movie right at our home using VOD.