Seven finally comes to the party with online TV
Seven probably suffers the most at the hands of BitTorrent, but Adam Turner says it's doing the least of all Australia's big commercial networks to offer a legitimate alternative to online piracy.
Lost, 24, Prison Break, Heroes, Desperate Housewives - what do all these shows have in common? A) They're some of the world's most pirated television shows via BitTorrent, and B) they all screen in Australia on the Seven Network.
Seven would be feeling the pinch from illegal file sharing more than any of the other networks, yet it seems to be doing the least to offer a decent online alternative. Here's the current state of play when it comes to what Australia's major networks have to offer online;
ABC has the richest online tv offer
The ABC has by far the richest offering, with its free iView service (www.abc.net.au/iview) allowing users to watch a variety of ABC and BBC programs after they've screened on television.
The resolution is sharp enough to watch full screen on your computer, although it is streamed rather than downloaded so users need an internet connection of at least 1 Mbps.
Ten, great for Catch Up TV, pity about the quality
Ten has also embraced the concept of ''Catch Up TV'' (ten.com.au/tv_videos.html), offering free access to news as well as six locally produced programs; Good News Week, Rove, Mark Loves Sharon, Neighbours, Meet The Press and Saving Kids. Unfortunately it's only YouTube quality and looks terrible full screen.
Nine good for Catch Up, but you need special software for episodes
Nine is also on the "Catch Up TV" bandwagon (video.ninemsn.com.au/catchuptv), offering free access to episodes of the locally produced McLeod's Daughters, Canal Road and Sea Patrol II (after initially charging $1.95 per episode). Unlike the others, Nine wants you to download "the free HIRO video player" before you can watch files.
SBS has short clips, but only episodes of shorts
SBS (www.sbs.com.au) only offers short clips of TV shows, varying in length between one and five minutes. It does however offer full-length episodes of locally produced shorts such as Marx and Venus and Stories from the Golf.
Seven still lagging
Then we get to Seven. Seven (au.tv.yahoo.com/tv) still lags behind the others, only offering "previews" rather than entire episodes.
Wait just a minute, it looks like Seven has finally come to the party with full length episodes of The Outdoor Room and Make Me a Supermodel - not exactly quality television. They're only available as streams and are slightly better quality than Ten's offering, but still very shoddy when full screen.
If that's not enough to keep the punters happy, Seven also offers the pilot episode of Home and Away - which is 20 years old. Forget about popular local dramas such as All Saints, all you'll get are two minute "episode recaps".
It's good to see Seven finally dip its toe in the internet TV water. Even so, as viewers become more tech-savvy and get faster links into their lounge rooms they're going to demand much more - or take their business elsewhere.
What TV shows would you like to see online? Have your say below.
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