Tveter: DVR, VOD give people "freedom"

"It's not about offering people more TV, but giving them the freedom to watch exactly what they want, when they want."

That's how Telewest president and chief operating officer Eric Tveter described the cable operator's new digital video recorder and video on demand services on Friday.

With the launch of a DVR, Telewest was largely playing catch-up to Sky's already-established Sky+ box. For that reason, it was essential that the cable operator offer something more impressive than Sky's offering - and that they have achieved, by rolling out a box with three tuners, two decoders, and capabilities to display high definition content as it becomes available.

"Telewest Broadband's unique combination of personal video recorder and television-on-demand services will mean our customers have the best of both worlds - freedom from the TV schedule with PVR [personal video recorder] control, and on-demand access to a wider selection of movies and TV content," said Tveter.

High resolution images featuring Telewest's DVR are available on Digital Spy, courtesy of Telewest:

- Image 1 - 2560x1920, 372KB, JPEG
- Image 2 - 3425x1660, 1.4MB, JPEG

With VOD and DVR rollouts taking place on both NTL's and Telewest's systems this year, along with rampant speculation that the two may finally merge, 2005 is shaping up to be an interesting year for cable in the UK - meaning, in turn, an interesting year for the entire broadcasting marketplace. Stay with Digital Spy for all the latest, and join in the conversation on our forums.