SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE: In an event tagged “How the best TV will get better’ held at Johannesburg’s Urban Tree on 31 July, pay-TV operator MultiChoice launched the Explora, the new HD PVR for its DStv satellite platform.
Said MultiChoice CEO Collins Khumalo: “Tonight we are launching not only the latest DStv gadget but also our most important one – the next generation HD PVR decoder. The DStv Explora is set to revolutionise the way viewers consume and control content.’
With Explora subscribers can record up to 220 hours of HD television, which equates to approximately 100 movies or 150 TV series episodes. In addition, the 2 terabyte hard drive of the new DStv Explora enables DStv to offer a larger content selection on its Catch Up service, bringing the total amount of HD content up to approximately 200 hours, all of which can be accessed on demand.
Head of DStv Online, John Kotsaftis explained that in addition to expanding the number of series available on DStv Catch Up, series stacking had been introduced, where two episodes of selected series will be available on demand. This will later be upped to four episodes. There are now also 30 movies available on demand.
He continued: “DStv’s video on demand (VOD) service, BoxOffice, is selling 400,000 rentals a month. To coincide with the launch of the Explora, the movie selection available on BoxOffice has now been expanded to 20 of the latest new release blockbusters.’
Kotsaftis revealed that a new remote control device had been specially designed to complement the Explora. “We have what we call a “magic button’ in the middle of the remote which takes you straight to the DStv Central page and reveals the menu. And, there is no buffering problem with the Explora.’
Gerdus van Eeden, chief technology officer of MultiChoice added that with the Explora, the first screen accessed via the remote remains the first screen and will reflect the latest content, all of which is in HD.
“It’s also the central place from which you can navigate your way around the menu. All the apps are concentrated in a space on DStv Central. The apps load much faster than before and are freshly updated.
“All the much-loved features of our previous PVR are still in the Explora, but we have added a “true viewing memory’ capability. And, we’ve removed the shift keys from the remote and replaced them with direct access buttons to make the interface more user-friendly,’ said Van Eeden.
He revealed that the Explora platform is a total deviation from the previous DStv HD PVR. “We have an entirely new software stack for the Explora and the specially designed applications allow us to be nimble and innovative. There are so-called “folders’ on the DStv Central page, where you click on a poster and it will expose all the episodes available and open the Internet connectivity.
“The Explora has powerful search features to help customers find programmes quicker and easier as it searches across the eight-day TV Guide. This decoder is fully compliant with DStv XtraView, which gives subscribers the option to link two decoders in their homes from a single subscription,’ he explained
As from 15 August the Explora will hit retails stores.
Report by Joanna Sterkowicz
