Between 1976 and\u00a01978 no ads were broadcasted and after years of using ad breaks to make coffee, we’re back to ad-free viewing with innovations like PVR and more recently\u00a0VOD.<\/p>\n
Video on demand (VOD) perfectly satisfies our demand for instant\u00a0entertainment and series binge-watching. Up to last year the choices for VOD have been slim.<\/p>\n
DSTV’s Box office online, a movie rental service for DSTV subscribers, was the first contender for a VOD audience. Soon others followed suit – Altech with Node<\/em>, MTN with Frontrow<\/em> and Times Media Group’s VIDI<\/em>. When American entertainment provider Netflix announced they would be expanding their service to South Africa by the end of\u00a02016, the race was on.<\/p>\n The biggest game changer occurred this past Wednesday when Naspers announced their entry with Showmax.<\/p>\n SHOWMAX<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n According to sources Showmax promises to be “…the new M-Net but for the internet age.” Two subscriptions are\u00a0available – a premium and free option. The\u00a0premium service will cost R99-00 per month<\/a> and will include a host of popular series, as well as a combination of blockbusters and older movies. \u00a0Old South African series like Egoli, Binnelanders\u00a0and Agter elke man\u00a0are also listed on their menu. Whether this is a move towards a target audience or merely saving money in acquiring local productions, remains to be seen.<\/p>\n All you need to use Showmax is a\u00a0minimum internet speed of 1MB and an internet browser. If you are unsure whether Showmax is for you, a 7 day trial period is available to test the water with first.<\/p>\n [SOURCE: www.mybroadband.co.za,<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0www.iafrica.com]<\/a><\/p>\n Times Media Group launched VIDI in\u00a0September last year and until Wednesday, they’ve been the biggest competition for Netflix locally.<\/p>\n A monthly subscription goes for R149-00 with unlimited viewing including a wide selection of movies and series. (Apparently more than 1000 worth’s viewing) Movies alone can also be rented at R27-00 for new and R15-00 for older releases.<\/p>\n Once again, a line with a minimum internet speed of 1MB is a prerequisite. Just remember that, if you prefer\u00a0watching your sport and movies in HD on a big screen,\u00a02 – 4 MB connections are a necessity.<\/p>\n The biggest advantage of VIDI, and all available VOD services, is the choice to watch movies or series whenever you want to, uninterrupted or not. If you can’t finish a movie, pause, stop or bookmark it and it will be added to your to-watch list.<\/p>\n Content can be watched on multiple platforms, including\u00a0PC, Mac, laptop, Apple and Android tablets and smartphones. VIDI also adapts the quality of files according to your platform and bandwidth, so you should be saved from the frustration of\u00a0buffering images.<\/p>\n [SOURCES: www.htxt.co.za,<\/a> www.bizcommunity.co.za<\/a>, www.sabc.co.za,<\/a>\u00a0www.tvsa.co.za<\/a>\u00a0and www.mybroadband.co.za<\/a>]<\/p>\n FRONTROW<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n MTN initiative, Frontrow, was launched last year in September – a week after VIDI. Marketing has been extremely low-key and the main criticism is\u00a0the limited viewing options. As should be expected from a cell phone provider, they focus on handheld devices. MTN does offer a package which includes mobile data.<\/p>\n But don’t take our word for it, rather read\u00a0mybroadband’s<\/a> review of Frontrow.<\/p>\n Currently\u00a0VOD can’t compete with traditional\u00a0broadcasting channels. DSTV alone accumulated\u00a0up to five\u00a0million subscribers over the past 5 years. Sport still remains the biggest\u00a0drawing card – something which no VOD service caters for so far. However, television as we know it will have to adapt\u00a0to keep up with technology.<\/p>\n I you are considering the VOD route for your home entertainment, read what the experts say about the current internet VOD options, the possible arrival of Netflix in 2016 and how they compare:<\/p>\n ShowMax, Netflix and SA\u2019s disrupted TV future <\/p>\n 5 Januarie 1976 \u00a0– Menige Suid-Afrikaner sit in afwagting voor nuut-aangekoopte televisiestelle vir die\u00a0eerste televisie-uitsending<\/a>. Intussen het heelwat water onder die brug geloop en ook subskripsie-dienste, soos DSTV, is deesdae algemeen.<\/p>\n Tussen 1976 en 1978 is geen advertensies tussen programme uitgesaai nie en advertensiebreuke was `n geleentheid\u00a0om vinnig te gaan koffie maak. Vandag \u00a0is ons terug by advertensielose televisie met PVR en die meer onlangse nuweling VOD.\u00a0<\/p>\n Video per aanvraag (VOD) bevredig die groeiende behoefte vir onmiddellike vermaak en\u00a0ononderbroke reekskykery, maar tot `n jaar gelede was die keuses\u00a0maar skraps.<\/p>\n DSTV het\u00a0eerste toegetree tot die geveg met Boxoffice online, <\/em>`n fliek-verhuringsdiens vir DSTV-intekenare. Kort daarna het ander hul voorbeeld gevolg – Altech met Node<\/em>, MTN met Frontrow<\/em> en\u00a0Times Media<\/em> Groep met VIDI.<\/em> Die laaste hupstoot na meer kompeterende dienste, was Amerikaanse reus Netflix,\u00a0<\/em>se aankondiging dat hulle beplan om teen\u00a0einde 2016\u00a0in Suid-Afrika te wees.<\/p>\n En toe gooi Naspers finaal die jakkals in die hoenderhok Woensdag met Showmax, hulle VOD-diens.\u00a0<\/p>\n SHOWMAX<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Volgens bronne kan Showmax beskou word as nie nuwe M-Net vir die internet-eeu. Twee intekenopsies is beskikbaar – premium en gratis opsie. Premium diens sal jou\u00a0R99-00 per maand<\/a>\u00a0kos met\u00a0`n verskeidenheid gewilde reekse, sowel as nuwe en ouer flieks. Ou Suid-Afrikaanse reekse soos Egoli, Binnelanders en Agter elke man verskyn ook op hul spyskaart. Of dit `n poging is om `n spesifieke demografie te wen of bloot om geld te spaar, is `n ander vraag.<\/p>\n Vir\u00a0Showmax het jy `n lyn met internetspoed van ten minste 1MB en `n webblaaier nodig. `n Onbeperkte internetrekening mag waarskynlik ook handig te pas kom.\u00a0<\/p>\n As jy onseker is of jy di\u00e9 roete wil volg, kan jy gerus wees – jy kan dit eers vir 7 dae toets voor jy besluit.<\/p>\n [BRONNE: www.mybroadband.co.za,<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0www.iafrica.com]<\/a><\/p>\n Times Media-<\/em>Groep het VIDI in September 2014 bekendgestel en tot Woensdag\u00a0was dit die grootste plaaslike kompetisie vir Netflix.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Die maandelikse fooi vir onbeperkte toegang tot reekse en flieks (klaarblyklik meer as `n 1000 uur s’n), is ietwat meer as Showmax teen\u00a0R149-00 kos. Die voordeel is egter dat jy slegs flieks apart kan huur – R27-00 vir nuwe vrystellings en R15-00 vir ouer flieks. Kyk dit wanneer jy wil, maar sodra jy begin het, verval dit na 48 uur.<\/p>\n Soos met Showmax het jy ook `n\u00a0lyn met internetspoed van ten minste 1MB en `n webblaaier nodig. As jy egter van jou sport en flieks in HD en op `n groot skerm hou, is 2 tot 4 MB `n noodsaaklikheid.\u00a0<\/p>\n Een van die grootste voordele van VIDI, en die meeste ander VOD-dienste, is dat jy jou kykgenot kan skeduleer soos jy wil, met, met onderbrekings of nie. As `n fliek te lank raak, kan jy dit stop, by jou lysie voeg en volgende keer kyk jy verder. \u00a0<\/p>\n Inhoud kan op verskeie platforms benut\u00a0word, insluitende PC, MAC, skootrekenaars, Apple en Android tablette en slimfone. VIDI pas ook die kwaliteit van sy le\u00ears aan by die platform waarop jy kyk en jou bandwydte.<\/p>\n [BRONNE: www.htxt.co.za,<\/a> www.bizcommunity.co.za<\/a>, www.sabc.co.za,<\/a>\u00a0www.tvsa.co.za<\/a>\u00a0and www.mybroadband.co.za<\/a>]<\/p>\n FRONTROW<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n MTN-initiatief, Frontrow, is bekendgestel in September 2014 – `n week na VIDI. Bemarking vir die diens was betreklik\u00a0yl\u00a0en die grootste kritiek op Frontrow is die beperkte keuse van materiaal en die ondersteunde platforms. Soos seker te verwagte kan wees van `n selfoonverskaffer, is die fokus op slimfone en tablette, nie op rekenaars of televisie nie.\u00a0<\/p>\n MTN bied wel `n pakket wat mobiele data insluit. Maar moenie ons woord daarvoor vat nie, lees gerus\u00a0mybroadband<\/a>\u00a0se\u00a0resensie van Frontrow.<\/p>\n Tans\u00a0kan VOD nie op dieselfde vlak kompeteer as tradisionele uitsaaikanale nie. DSTV het alleen oor die afgelope 5 jaar 5 miljoen intekenare gewerf. Sport bly sport die grootste trekpleister \u00a0– iets waarvoor VOD-dienste nie voorsiening maak so ver nie.\u00a0<\/p>\n Alles ten spyt sal televisie en ons bestaande kykgewoontes moet verander om by te hou by tegnologie.<\/p>\n As VOD vir jou klink na die ideale vermaakoplossing, lees wat die deskundiges s\u00ea het oor jou opsies, die moontlike koms van Netflix in 2016 en hoe hulle vergelyk:<\/p>\n ShowMax, Netflix and SA\u2019s disrupted TV future<\/a><\/p>\n Netflix could be game-changer in SA <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On 5 January 1976 South Africans\u00a0sat with bated breath in front of newly acquired television sets to bear witness to the\u00a0first ever television broadcast. A lot has changed since then, including the addition of subscription services like DSTV. Between 1976 and\u00a01978 no ads were broadcasted and after years of using ad breaks to make coffee, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":259,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1103,49,2679],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8318","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-communication","category-general","category-internet"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-22 07:35:36","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8318","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/259"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8318"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8318\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9205,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8318\/revisions\/9205"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8318"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8318"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8318"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"vidi\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2015\/08\/vidi.jpg\")
VIDI<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
<\/a>Netflix could be game-changer in SA
<\/a>Netflix vs FrontRow vs Vidi vs Node in South Africa<\/a><\/p>\nVIDI<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
<\/a>Netflix vs FrontRow vs Vidi vs Node in South Africa<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n