| 4oD - 4 on Demand |
Launched in November 2006, 4oD stands for "4 on Demand", an Internet Television service which allows some internet, Virgin Media, TalkTalk TV and BT Vision users to view programming recently shown on Channel 4, E4 or More4, or from their archives.
4oD also includes a selection of films and content from the National Geographic Channel and FX (UK).
The cable version is operated through an appropriate set top box whilst the Internet variant requires the installation of a free piece of software, which allows users to download the programmes to a computer for viewing.
As of April 2009, the Internet version is fully available to Windows, Mac and Linux users so long as Adobe Flash Player is installed. The "Catch-up" service offers content free of charge for both streaming and downloaded versions of a programme for thirty days after its broadcast on Channel 4.
Some content is available free of charge, whilst most other programmes and films, including archive programming, is charged for on a per-download basis, typically around 99p per standard programme or £1.99 per film.
Video can be viewed multiple times, for up to forty-eight hours after the first time it was played, or for a month until played.
The video on the internet service is advertised as being 'DVD quality' (videos are all H.264 MP4 format), and estimates download time to be around twice the programme length on an average broadband connection, though speeds vary dramatically dependent on ISP, connection speed and other factors, and may be less or more than this. |
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At this time, not all content is available to Irish users, due to licensing restrictions, however the majority of the programming is available.
A Download to Own (DTO) or "Buy" feature was once available on selected content, allowing users to purchase a programme and keep it for as long as they wish. This service has now been suspended alongside the application to power it, in favour of further investment into their online cross platform catchup service powered by Adobe Flash 10. |
| NOTE: UK only IP restrictions apply to all VOD services on 4OD. |
| See the 4OD website. |
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| Minimum recommended computer specification |
The video quality experienced by users on their computers will be depend on many factors, including internet connection speed and quality as well as PC specification and configuration. It is possible that some users with older or lower specification computers may experience some difficulty playing video content.
4oDs minimum recommendation (although it may well be possible for users with lower specification machines to watch video) is:
A 1Mb Internet broadband connection is recommended.
The viewing experience is also likely to be improved on machines with higher specification integrated or dedicated graphics processing units.'
There seem to be some reports that 4oD can be viewed using Linux, apparently you can watch online using Firefox with flash installed, though you can not download the programmes for watching later, as you can with Windows.
There are no specifications listed for Linux at the 4oD website.
Windows recommended Minimum: Pentium 4 2GHZ or equivalent, 1GB RAM, iOS recommended Minimum: Intel Core Duo 1.66GHz or equivalent, 1GB of RAM.
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| Subtitles |
| Subtitles are available for certain 4oD content. If subtitles are available an "S" button will be visible in the video player. Click on the "S" and the subtitles will load and be displayed. Not all of the content will have subtitles. And subtitles may become available at a later date after the programme has been available. |
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| PIN Protected Content |
Channel4.com provides access to content reflecting the broad range of Channel 4's programmes which may be unsuitable for younger viewers.
In order to help you control access to the content on Channel4.com from your computer, they have provided a PIN (Personal Identification Number) system.
This will enable you to set a PIN to prevent anyone viewing the content you choose to restrict access to. You may find this helpful to ensure children and younger viewers in your household can only view content that is appropriate for them. |
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| DRM |
| DRM stands for Digital Rights Management, which is a software system used to administer and protect the licences of video, music and other assets in a digital environment. 4oD uses Adobe's RTMP-E solution to prevent unauthorised access to Channel 4 programmes. |
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| TV Platforms |
| Virgin Media |
| 4OD is available on Virgin Media's set top box. This platform offers programmes for 7 Days after broadcast and Virgin has exclusive use of most of Channel 4 archive which is free on XL package. |
| BT Vision |
| 4OD is available on a BT Vision platform, this platform offers programs for 7 Days after broadcast and does not have access to the 4OD archive. |
| Talk Talk |
| 4OD is available on a TalkTalk TV platform that offers programs up to 7 Days after broadcast. This version of 4OD does not offer the back catalog of programs. Currently (2011) TalkTalk TV is currently no accepting any new customers, They are current developing YouView mentioned below. |
| YouView |
| 4OD will be available on YouView which is a upcoming internet-connected television platform set for release in February 2012. |
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| Game Consoles |
| Playstation 3 |
| 4OD is available via the PlayStation Network. 4OD on PS3 is free and ad-funded with pre-, mid- and post- roll video ads being sold and served by Channel 4. This service is a 14 day catchup version of 4oD it is accessible through ps3.channel4.com. |
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| Mobile Devices |
| iOS |
The 4oD app is free to download and is the only way you can watch 4oD on your iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. It enables you to catch up on a wide selection of programmes recently broadcast on Channel 4, E4 and More4, for up to 30 days after transmission. Once you have downloaded the app, the content is available to watch free of charge with no limits to the amount of content you can play.
Please note that many US shows are not currently available on this app. The app can be browsed using 3G or Wi-Fi connectivity, but video playback is only only available using Wi-Fi, and is only supported on iOS 4. |
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