DirecTV Video On Demand

DirecTV will officially launch its high-speed Internet HD DVR Video On Demand service during the second quarter this year.

By: Rob Adams
Mar 14, 2008, 9:03 PM EDT

DirecTV owners will soon be able to use the new Broadband-enabled Video On Demand service in the second quarter. The TV company also said that HD DVR owners can download both standard-def and high-def TV shows and movies.

The new service will require a high-speed Internet connection.

The satellite TV company has been testing the service for months in select areas around the country. For years, Video On Demand has only been available to cable operators because the satellite is a one-way technology, meaning users cannot download as well as upload. However, the Internet now allows DirecTV owners to download their favorite programs.

In addition to the download option, DirecTV will send some shows directly to the subscriber's DVR, which can be ordered at a later time by accessing the DVR's Showcase menu.

DirecTV says 50 percent of its satellite TV customers currently have high-speed Internet connections and is offering a instructional guide online and in the receiver's menu.

The new product will download popular movies to a DirecTV box where they sit on the storage drive until a consumer wants to access them. Other films will be streamed to the box over broadband from DTV servers.

The company already downloads material to DVRs every night, usually trailers, promos or ads that show up in its Showcases area.