{"id":110132,"date":"2014-09-18T14:39:44","date_gmt":"2014-09-18T12:39:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/?p=110132"},"modified":"2014-09-18T20:16:56","modified_gmt":"2014-09-18T18:16:56","slug":"altech-node-video-on-demand-without-broadband-for-r299-per-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/broadcasting\/110132-altech-node-video-on-demand-without-broadband-for-r299-per-month.html","title":{"rendered":"Altech Node: video-on-demand without broadband for R299 per month"},"content":{"rendered":"

Altech Node, a subscription \u201cpush\u201d video-on-demand (VOD) service and home automation system will be launching at an event in Johannesburg on Thursday, 18 September 2014.<\/p>\n

Its launch follows that of Vidi, an online VOD service from Times Media Group which has a similar entertainment offering to what Node will provide.<\/p>\n

Like Vidi, Node offers a subscription service (albeit at a higher price of R299) which gives users access to TV shows and older movies, while newer movies can be rented for R15 or R25.<\/p>\n

Pricing on movie rentals is dependent on how recent a release the film is. Once rented, subscribers can watch a movie as many times as they want in a 48-hour period.<\/p>\n

Satellite-based<\/h3>\n

Unlike services such as Netflix and Vidi, Node\u2019s VOD offering does not require a broadband connection to stream the content over.<\/p>\n

Instead, it uses the same satellite as DStv to push content to a decoder-like set-top box (or \u201cNode\u201d), which is then stored on a 1 Terabyte hard drive.<\/p>\n

New content is pushed down to the Node on a regular basis, with old shows and movies cycled out as the hard drive fills up.<\/p>\n

\"Altech<\/a>

Altech Node press shot \u2014 front<\/p><\/div>\n

The Node box itself costs R3,499, and for the moment includes a free\u00a0dish and installation. It can be connected to any HDMI-capable screen.<\/p>\n

While subscribers watch content from the Node\u2019s hard drive rather than streaming it via the Internet, the Node still requires Internet access to unlock movies or episodes from a series.<\/p>\n

This does not appear to require a large amount of data, and the Node does include a built-in 3G modem for those who do not have an Internet connection at home.<\/p>\n

Web services<\/h3>\n

The data costs incurred by the Node are\u00a0the user\u2019s problem, so it\u2019s important to mention that the Node also offers web services.<\/p>\n

It includes a web browser and YouTube app, which, if you\u2019re not careful, can eat through your 3G data pretty quickly (assuming you don\u2019t just connect it to your home Wi-Fi network or LAN).<\/p>\n

Home automation<\/h3>\n
\"Altech<\/a>

Altech Node remote control<\/p><\/div>\n

In addition to entertainment services, Altech has also geared the Node be a home automation hub.<\/p>\n

Accessories include internal and external surveillance cameras, motion sensors, smart plugs, antennas, Wi-Fi boosters, and VoIP phones – which Altech said would all be available at the retailers that stock Node.<\/p>\n

The Node’s remote control features a QWERTY keyboard on the back, and there is also an app available in the Google Play store with which you can control the device over a Wi-Fi network.<\/p>\n

The Node will be\u00a0available from the following stores from Friday, 19 September 2014: Altech Autopage Cellular, Cell C, Dion Wired, Game, HiFi Corporation, Hirsch\u2019s, Incredible Connection, JetMart, Makro, Pick \u2018n Pay Hyper, and other retailers.<\/p>\n

More on video-on-demand in South Africa<\/h3>\n

DStv vs Vidi: let\u2019s get the facts straight<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Global Axxess shut down<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Vidi hands-on: SA\u2019s R149 per month streaming service<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

DStv, Telkom vs other digital media in SA: show me the money!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Altech Node: entertainment and smart home system coming soon<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Altech has unveiled a satellite-based subscription video-on-demand service and home automation system for R299 per month<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":110134,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sma_x_autopost_status":"idle","_sma_x_autopost_error":"","_sma_x_post_id":"","_sma_facebook_post_id":"","_sma_instagram_post_id":"","_sma_threads_post_id":"","_sma_x_attempts":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[1295,26660,35,19073,20331,26544],"class_list":["post-110132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-broadcasting","tag-altech","tag-altech-node","tag-headline","tag-times-media-group","tag-video-on-demand-vod","tag-vidi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110132"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110132"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110132\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":110142,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110132\/revisions\/110142"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/110134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}