Virgin BEAM app

[centraltrains]

Any ideas if there is likely to be a windows app as my tablet is a Windows tablet. Would rather watch something on that instead of my phone which is Android.

They also said they're working on a web based version which would work on most web browsers...

Q. Why can’t I watch on my laptop or other mobile device?
A. At this stage we are only offering BEAM for Apple iOS and Android devices; however we are working on a browser version (e.g. Chrome, Internet Explorer etc.) which will work on all devices.

 

[AlexNL]

I suspect the limits to be related to the agreements Virgin have made with copyright holders. As copyright holders can sometimes come up with the craziest stuff, there could be restrictions on the amount of viewers for a particular title, or maybe even the amount of minutes watched.

Wi-Fi nowadays offers higher bandwidth (thanks to 802.11n and 802.11ac), and adaptive streaming technologies allow the bitrate to be adapted to what the client needs as well as what the network can offer. Lastly, the device can buffer contents so that there's no need for a constant connection between server and client.

Netflix is a prime example of adaptive streaming: if your connection slows down temporarily, Netflix reduces the bitrate to guarantee smooth playback. Once the quality of your connection increases, Netflix ups the bitrate so your movie looks better, without you noticing a thing.

 

[ModernRailways]

Closer to 8 GiB isn't it? I've always gone by the rule that 1 hour is 4 GiB as that seems to be the case for my TV at least and I imagine a film more demanding.

Most movies will come in at 5-5.5GB or less. TV Series will take up more space.

Netflix is a prime example of adaptive streaming: if your connection slows down temporarily, Netflix reduces the bitrate to guarantee smooth playback. Once the quality of your connection increases, Netflix ups the bitrate so your movie looks better, without you noticing a thing.

You can't notice the difference when the quality decreases? Strange. The best example I could give is go to Youtube, watch a video in 1080p then decrease it to 144p or 240p. You can definitely notice though when it happens.

 

[SS4]

Most movies will come in at 5-5.5GB or less. TV Series will take up more space.

I stand corrected!

You can't notice the difference when the quality decreases? Strange. The best example I could give is go to Youtube, watch a video in 1080p then decrease it to 144p or 240p. You can definitely notice though when it happens.

I think he meant a lack of buffering by smooth.

 

[crehld]

I think Eurostar were the first to offer this weren't they? Indeed I was travelling back from Brussels yesterday on a refurbished 373 set (very nice indeed) and I as able to connect to free wifi which took me to a landing page on my web browser where I was able to access several films and tv programmes for free.

 

[AlexNL]

You can't notice the difference when the quality decreases? Strange. The best example I could give is go to Youtube, watch a video in 1080p then decrease it to 144p or 240p. You can definitely notice though when it happens.

You can definitely see the quality degradation, but you won't experience a "buffering..." screen for a couple of seconds. That's what I meant.

 

[westv]

Got an email today to say that Beam will be available on my Friday East Coast service.

 

[Camden]

It's not a bad idea. How I expect it works is just via normal wifi with repeaters throughtout the train linked to an onboard server that stores the content.

When providing an internet connection in a fast moving train passing through open countryside a big issue will be the ability to get and maintain a signal from the train to the internet. People connecting to the router on board the train isn't an issue at all (think of it like when your home internet goes down, your computer is still connected to your router, it just can't get any internet signal).

So couple a router with a media server and you have the potential for a service like this, no net connection needed. They could even potentially pre-cache commonly wanted internet content like BBC news website, and serve that up too.

 

[johntea]

Bit like on Virgin Atlantic with their range of TV/Movies but you can also catch up on the 'latest' news 36,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean

(Always quite amusing when a headline pops up relating to an aircraft accident / emergency too! Luckily I'm not too scared of flying...)

 

[Flying Snail]

Most movies will come in at 5-5.5GB or less. TV Series will take up more space.

It all depends on the standard used.

The latest HEVC/H265 codec halves the bitrate for similar quality over the H264 standard so around 1GB/hour for 1080p is now possible.

 

[crosscity]

I'm waiting for the first " Why can't people look out of the window instead?" post

.... or read a book, magazine or newspaper;
.... or scarier still talk to the stranger sitting in the next seat or opposite;
.... or daydream
.... or all of these.

Who knows you might still be entertained or even learn something new.

 

[humbersidejim]

I think Eurostar were the first to offer this weren't they? Indeed I was travelling back from Brussels yesterday on a refurbished 373 set (very nice indeed) and I as able to connect to free wifi which took me to a landing page on my web browser where I was able to access several films and tv programmes for free.

I think Hull Trains were first - they included this when they upgraded their wifi around a year ago.

These days it's so simple, just a case of plugging a media server into an existing router. Generic 1tb media servers sell for around £80 a go. I've no idea what kind of kit the train companies are using or how much the installation and maintenance contracts cost, but it illustrates the point that there's quite a nice PR return for next to no investment.

Also, by streaming locally, it reduces the load on the train's internet connection, benefitting non streamers too.

 

[mbreckers]

Have they implemented my idea of requiring headphones plugged in before the app will play any content with audio?

 

[Howard70]

I think Hull Trains were first - they included this when they upgraded their wifi around a year ago.

These days it's so simple, just a case of plugging a media server into an existing router. Generic 1tb media servers sell for around £80 a go. I've no idea what kind of kit the train companies are using or how much the installation and maintenance contracts cost, but it illustrates the point that there's quite a nice PR return for next to no investment.

Also, by streaming locally, it reduces the load on the train's internet connection, benefitting non streamers too.

Hull Trains and Eurostar did similar but not quite the same, I believe Hull was limited to ITV content with ads to support and as far as I know E* are still in the process of rolling out beyond their new trains.

In terms of simplicity, you're right in that you could probably do it quickly, cheaply and easily at home but it does become more challenging to scale it up to a fleet of moving trains with hundreds of users potentially connecting to each simultaneously.

The investment is relatively large, particularly the content rights for a service that's not being charged on to the user.

You're right, reducing external bandwidth usage should help non-users with internet access so it should be win-win.

 

[telstarbox]

Have they implemented my idea of requiring headphones plugged in before the app will play any content with audio?

What about Bluetooth headphones though?

 

[All Line Rover]

What about Bluetooth headphones though?

They have been capable of being identified as such on the Android operating system, for at least the past four years.