Sky are updating their Anytime+ service, announcing that they've signed a deal that will see the BBC's iPlayer and the ITV Player VOD platforms be added to their own video-on-demand portal.

Sky have also announced that, for the first time, the Sky Anytime+ platform (which allows Sky subscribers to access a massive catalogue of video content from across Sky's portfoloio of channels copared to the regular, curated Anytime service) will be rolled out to all  Sky+HD subscribers with a broadband internet connection, regardless of the internet service provider they use.

Previously, Sky Anytime+ was only available to Sky Broadband subscribers.

"We want customers to get the best out of their Sky subscription and Anytime+ is a great way to give them more control and choice over how they enjoy TV," said Jeremy Darroch, Sky's Chief Executive.

"We already know how popular Sky+ is and how it puts customers back in charge of their TV viewing.  Anytime+ builds on that control and it's no wonder we've seen such strong demand for it. 
 
"Sky Anytime+ will go from strength to strength in 2012 and we are delighted that the addition of the BBC iPlayer and ITV Player will allow customers to also enjoy the best of terrestrial TV, whenever they want. We're also delighted to be able to widen access to the service so that millions more Sky customers can enjoy the added flexibility it offers."

No word on when the roll-out will begin, but Sky state that the service will soon be available to over 5 million Sky+HD subscribers, building on the 1.2 million Sky Broadband users who already have access to Anytime+.

LOVEFiLM have struck a deal with LG to provide their Smart TV platform with access to their movie streaming platform.

In a move to further bolster LOVEFiLM's position following the launch of rival Netflix in the UK, it's the first movie and TV subscription streaming service to hit LGs web-connected screens.

"We are very excited to add Amazon's LOVEFiLM to the already extensive range of content on LG's Smart TV platform," said Stacey Seltzer, head of LG Smart TV.

"LG's Smart TV provides a powerful new offering in home entertainment and we have invested significantly in this technology. Working with Amazon's LOVEFiLM is further proof of LG's commitment to providing customers with the best possible service."

LOVEFiLM recently announced that they would be dropping the price of their unlimited streaming service, LOVEFiLM Instant, to £4.99 a month, as well as inking new streaming deals with Disney's ABC, ITV and BBC Worldwide.

Launching in April, LG screens compatible with the new LOVEFiLM app include:

. LW980T (47"/55")
. LW650T (42"/47"/55")
. LW550T (42"/47"/55")
. LV550T (32"/37"/42"/47")
. PZ950T (50"/60")
. PZ570T (50"/60")

After a lengthy wait, the Netflix streaming service is now open for business in the UK, offering a robust catalogue of movies and TV shows onto a wide variety of devices, with an intelligent platform and UI that the company claims delivers the best streaming service currently on the market. But does it have what it takes to compete with LOVEFiLM's UK dominance, and is Netflix up to the unique challenges the UK market presents?

LOVEFiLM is already a well-established brand in the UK and, on the face of things, Netflix looks to offer a very similar package. What would you say are the key differentiators between your service and theirs, and what would the reasons be for LOVEFiLM subscribers to join Netflix instead?

I'd say we have a different catalogue of content that is broader and more interesting so they should definitely try that out. We also have a free trial for a month so there's the option to try it out to see how it works too. We have a tremendous range that you can view on practically any screen you put in front of yourself. LOVEFiLM, Apple TV, do not have that reach. We'll continue to expand that platform reach over time. We've been focussed on streaming since 2007 when we started streaming in the US, and we make streaming work really well, both in quality of delivery and the adaptive bitrate technology we use to put the best possible picture onto whatever platform you're viewing from.

Finally, but not least, I'd say the focus we have on streaming, with the single price point at £5.99, with no confusing pricing layers or tiers, no pay per view, no DVD, means your choice is very much simpler. That will translate into a much easier decision making process, and an easier to understand user experience. It's telling that LOVEFiLM is advertising a competitive price point, but it's not so easy to find on their website. Their website has various DVD programmes in it, and that's not where we're competing.

In the UK, one of the big bonuses of your service compared to competitors is that you're pushing 1080p full HD streaming. However, our ISP set-up is quite different from in the States; we get a lot of bandwidth throttling for instance, which harms video streaming, as well as wildly varying download speeds. Do you see this as a potential barrier?

I think we've put in a lot of energy to make it work well in the presence of variable bandwidth. The whole adaptive bitrate streaming system works by starting with a very low quality bitrate, and then quickly escalating the quality of the stream to match your connection capabilities, up to 1080p if you've got it. If the bandwidth is being throttled, you'll lose picture quality, but it'll still work seamlessly in terms of delivery, with no stutter. I certainly hope that there is no anti-competitive behaviour from providers who have their own video service, looking to penalise us as competitors. But the temptations are the same, and the regulatory framework is similar to other territories where we've had no real problems, so we're not expecting any real issues with that.

Much has been made of HBO's recent refusal to allow you access to their catalogue of Blu-rays and DVDs in the States. Is this a sign of things to come, what with Netflix now commissioning their own shows? Do they see you as muscling in on their turf?

Competition is always no-holds barred. I don't think HBO's posture with respect to the wholesale of DVDs and Blu-rays actually has much to say about their position on streaming content. HBO has rights to a portion of Hollywood output, but not all of it, and we've been successful in negotiating lots of other great stuff. We'll always have a content offering that's rich. It may not always have every specific piece of content, but there is plenty to go around.

You're working on bringing a brand new season of Arrested Development to Netflix, a show that, despite critical acclaim, was eventually canned due to low viewer numbers. Word-of-mouth now sees the show more popular than it ever was when it aired first. Is Netflix a good platform for similar slow-burning content?

Perfectly, yes. The key thing about the over-the-top delivery is that the content has a very long life span. We're not trying to find a mass audience to consume it all at once. We can afford to bring it to two people today, five people tomorrow and twenty people the next, as long as we an get enough people to view it over a window of several years.

All of the personalisation stuff that you see is really about learning about the content and the people, and matching that together. For instance, the first few people viewing new content help us understand what's great about it, and other users it might appeal to. Then you can deploy that over a long period of time, so that long-length lifespan for content definitely works to our advantage.

Do you think the rise in mobile streaming will affect the formatting of video in the future? For instance, will mobile data caps result in TV episodes being delivered in 5-minute chunks, or longer movies a "chapter" at a time?

To begin with, our platform already offers great "resume playback" and bookmarking functionality; you can start a show at home, and pick off directly where you left it on your mobile device when out and about. What we've seen with mobile and to some extent tablet usage is that there is plenty of reach, but shorter views. You can view mobile perhaps as a sampling method, helping you pick what you'll watch on the big screen. A lot of the content has been produced with the 40 inch or 40 foot screens in mind, so perhaps the small form factor consumption isn't up to that.

Will we see a shift in the kind of content? Perhaps we will, I'm not sure. I believe we have a platform that potentially allows us to match the content to the form factor. If there are fundamentally different types of content that better suit the mobile format we'll be able to take advantage of that and promote them for the appropriate devices.

It's well noted that you had a large number of subscribers drop off the service when you changed your pricing format last year. What have you learnt from that experience?

A lot of stuff about how to run a business! I first want to challenge the supposition though; we changed the pricing on the DVD services but we didn't change the pricing of streaming. The impact therefore was largely on the DVD space. The reason we did that was in a perhaps over-eager attempt to focus their energies where it really mattered, and that's on the streaming side.

Do you see streaming as the inescapable future of video distribution then?

Totally. Streaming is the future. My entire team is focussed on streaming.

But surely then, if you're experiencing drops in subscriber numbers, your customers are saying that they don't see it the same way, and still want equal importance given to the DVD services and physical formats too?

No, I think it's that we forced the choice for a lot of people. Many of them did choose streaming. The hours of viewing through the streaming business has grown month on month; we've never gone backwards on streaming progress.

The business of the future is streaming, there's no question about that. We deliver many times more hours of streaming every day in the US than we do through physical copies. In the UK, Canada and 43 other territories we only offer streaming. We deliver to the UK market the best possible streaming product. The missteps we had with delivering DVD were through focussing more energy on streaming. Maybe we reacted too hastily, and we were too optimistic about costumers rationality, but that's water under the bridge.

Though you're not the sole cause of its downfall, Netflix has played a substantial part in the demise of the once-mighty Blockbuster. What can be learnt by their failings, and do you ever feel any pangs of guilt for your hand in bringing a massive global brand to its knees?

(Laughs) Pangs of guilt? I don't feel any pangs of guilt for providing a more compelling service to more people, and fundamentally that's what free-market capitalism is all about. If you can provide a better product then you should get the resources to do that better. And that's what this was all about.

Netflix was certainly not the sole contributor. But the lesson to be learnt here is that hanging on to an old business model when a new one presents itself can be bad. Blockbuster waited far too long to find a place in the new subscription model market, at which time it was very difficult for them to compete effectively. We took that lesson, and realised that it'd be a big mistake for us to over-invest in improving and enhancing our subscription DVD service when we needed to get focussed on streaming, which is where the real competition is. Unless we focus all our energy on winning in the streaming space, we might be the next Blockbuster. It's another reason why, looking back at the DVD issues last summer, it was right to focus on a tremendously compelling product in the streaming market.

You've warned investors that the UK venture may take two or so years to turn a profit. At the same time you're slowing international expansion. How much is riding on this current wave of expansion?

We've spent a lot of money licensing content in deals that last many years. It's for the long haul, there's no pulling out. We need to be successful, and we can afford to fight with this for a long time. Our goal is to produce a compelling product at a phenomenal price point. Consumers will see that this really is the future.

Great, Tech Digest will be looking forward to how your UK roll-out pans out over the coming months. Thanks!

Thank you. We hope you enjoy what Netflix offers the UK too.

LOVEFiLM have inked a new deal with Disney that will see shows from ABC, including Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives, Castle, all six seasons of Lost, Ghost Whisperer and Happy Endings, hit the video-streaming platform.

Kicking off later this month, this latest streaming deal follows hot on the heels of recent partnerships with Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures.

"Shows will be launched as full seasons after their first run on UK pay and/or free TV. Previous seasons of some series will even be available to members before the next season airs on UK television," reads the LOVEFiLM release.

"LOVEFiLM members want top class TV shows, as well as movies, to watch instantly as part of their subscription," said Simon Calver, CEO of Amazon's LOVEFiLM.

"Today's deal with Disney brings them access to some of the best American TV content ever produced. LOVEFiLM's unique combination of world class movies and TV shows ensures that LOVEFiLM is the first and only port of call for those who want subscription entertainment on demand."

It's a vital move for LOVEFiLM, who have recently had to stand up to increased competition in the UK with the launch of Netflix.

In another move to bolster their defences against Netflix, LOVEFiLM also recently cut the introductory price of the LOVEFiLM Instant streaming service to £4.99 a month.

Netflix, the film and TV service that has taken the US by storm, is now available to UK viewers. Brining a massive library of on-demand streamed video content to challenge LOVEFiLM's UK streaming dominance, UK movie fans can access the service as of today through web-connected TVs, tablets, smartphones and games consoles like the Xbox 360 and PS3.

"We are starting 2012 in the best possible way: by giving consumers in the UK and Ireland an amazing entertainment experience," said Reed Hastings, co-founder and chief executive officer of Netflix.

"Now, you can enjoy as many great films and TV programmes as you want, when you want, where you want, for one low monthly price with no contracts or commitments."

Potential Netflix users can give the service a trial run for free for 1 month, before opting in to a £5.99 a month subscription (€6.99 in Ireland).

Netflix offers content from the likes of Lionsgate UK, MGM, Miramax, Momentum Pictures, NBCUniversal, Paramount, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox and Viacom International Media Networks, as well as All3Media, the BBC, CBS, Channel 4's 4oD, Disney UK & Ireland and ITV.

That means TV UK shows like Top Gear and the The Inbetweeners sit next to the likes of Breaking Bad and 24 , as well as movies like The Expendables and Paul Blart: Mall Cop.

Fully integrated with Facebook, the service already boasts 20 million streaming members across 47 worldwide territories. However, it faces stiff competition in the UK from LOVEFiLM, which has so far established itself as the UK's number-one streaming and movie rental service.

LOVEFiLM has grabbed the rights to stream ITV and BBC Worldwide content to their subscribers with access to their web-connected video streaming apps.

A timely move with the imminent UK launch of Netflix looming, the deal will bring ITV shows like Inspector Morse and Cold Feet alongside the BBC's Doctor Who and Spooks.

Though LOVEFiLM already had a deal in place with ITV, this expanded offering will give subscribers even more streaming content from the broadcaster's archive.

A spoksperson for LOVEFiLM has assured us that the new content will be touching down on all strands of their platform, be that PS3, Xbox 360, PC of tablet, in the very near future.

LOVEFiLM, the subscription-based DVD, Blu-ray and gaming rental and movie streaming service, have announced that they have signed a multi-year exclusivity contract with Sony Pictures, giving their customers first dibs on a range of streaming content from the studio.

Films like Salt, The Social Network and 2012, alongside kids TV titles like Transformers, Spectacular Spider-Man and The Karate Kid, will be available to stream exclusively to LOVEFiLM customers,at no extra cost as part of their current subscriptions.

The films can be accessed from a range of devices, including PCs, PS3 and Xbox 360 games consoles, Apple's iPad and a growing number of Internet-connected TV sets and Blu-ray players.

"Our latest major content agreement means we'll be able to exclusively offer our members world-class content from Sony Pictures," said Simon Calver, Chief Executive of Amazon's LOVEFiLM.

"The number of recent high profile deals we have secured means we are able to keep expanding the service, offering our members high quality films and TV and the ability to watch as much as they want for one low monthly price."

For more on LOVEFiLM, click here.

UK Xbox 360 owners with LIVE accounts can now access on-demand video content from Channel 4 and Channel 5 through the 4oD and Demand 5 apps, as well as the Daily Motion video-sharing site.

The latest in a string of entertainment portals to be added to Microsoft's console, the pair are part of a drive to make the console a one-stop entertainment device in the living room, having already had LOVEFiLM, Crackle, YouTube and Blinkbox added to the line-up.

Demand 5 brings shows like tech favourite The Gadget Show and soap-opera Neighbours to the console, while 4oD adds the likes of Come Dine With Me, Misfits and This Is England 88.

American Xbox 360 owners also get an update, bringing Vudu and UFC channels to the console.

Tech gifts don't have to be about screen sizes or processing capabilities these days. In fact, they don't have to be physical gifts at all. You can put a smile on a loved one's face just by setting them up with one of the many ace online digital services and subscription packages that are tied into apps, download and streaming sites too.

From music packages like Spotify to productivity programs like Dropbox, there's something here for everyone.

When you're done here, be sure to check out the rest of Tech Digest's 2011 Christmas wishlists too.

Google TV is set to get its own adult movie channel. Porn purveyors Vivid Entertainment have announced that they will be the first TV based app to offer sexually explicit content to the struggling Google TV platform.

"[Google TV] is a central part of our making Vivid available everywhere concept, which gives fans unified access to our content through their personal computers, mobile devices, tablets, television sets and DVD players," said Vivid co-chairman Steven Hirsch.

"We spent more than a year developing a code base for a robust, stand-alone Internet-TV channel with a friendly interface for the consumer that can be used with the current Google TV technology and other Internet protocol presentation methods now in development."

Google, unlike Apple, have no problem with a bit of blue appearing on their platforms. So long as Vivid use suitable parental controls, the search giants are happy to let some raunchy flicks land on the Google TV.

"We will respect the parental controls of devices connected to Google TV," a Google spokesman told the LA Times.

"So if you have controls set up through your set-top box or through a V-Chip, those controls will continue to work for TV content shown through Google TV. Users will also be able to implement Safe Search on the Google TV browser (Chrome), and the Safe Search setting will extend to Internet content shown in Google TV search results. In addition, users will have the ability to lock out access to the browser on Google TV through a 4-digit PIN code for access control."

Can porn save Google TV? Well what do you think? As soon as there is even a whiff of something a little bit naughty on Apple's App Store it sells by the bucketload (before being swiftly pulled). With Apple TV never ever about to show any of the old rumpy pumpy, hows' your father, and Google knowing just how much the real world flocks to it, it could help Google TV errect a nice big niche for itself in a crowded, sweaty connected TV marketplace.

Sorry...

Netflix, the popular movie streaming/borrowing service, is setting sail across the pond, ready for a UK and Ireland launch early in 2012.

Hitting the UK and Ireland in a "streaming-only" form, with no physical movie rentals (at least initially), the news ends a few years worth of rumours on the service's migration.

"Upon launch, Netflix members from the UK and Ireland will be able to instantly watch a wide array of TV shows and films right on their TVs via a range of consumer electronics devices capable of streaming from Netflix, as well as on PCs, Macs and mobile tablets and phones," reads the Netflix release.

Netflix already has more than 25 million members in the United States, Canada and Latin America, with over 700 devices including Microsoft's Xbox 360, Nintendo's Wii and Sony's PS3 console, as well as Apple's iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, Apple TV and the Google TV platform able to stream Netflix movies.

No word yet on pricing, but US customers pay $7.99 a month to use the streaming service.

Netflix are entering into a busy market over here however. Sky and Virgin Media have robust VOD services avaialble to their customers, while LOVEFiLM has a loyal following in the UK, offering both physical and streamed movie rentals.

Sesame Street's YouTube channel, a popular online destination for kids, was hacked in the afternoon of Sunday 16th October, with the entire contents of the video-hosting page replaced with hardcore pornography.

Accessible for around 20 minutes before YouTube pulled the page, hackers had also altered the channel's appearance so that famous Sesame Street characters had a shocked appearance on their faces, while the tagline "It's where porn lives" was added underneath the main logo. The channel's profile description was also changed so that it read:

"WHO DOESN'T LOVE PORN KIDS? RIGHT! EVERYONE LOVES IT! IM MREDXWX AND MY PARTNER MRSUICIDER91 ARE HERE TO BRING YOU MANY NICE CONTENT! PLEASE DON'T LET SESAME STREET TO GET THIS ACCOUNT BACK KIDS :( PLEASE...LET ME AND MRSUICIDER91 HAVE IT AND WE GONNA MAKE ALL THE AMERICA HAPPY!"

The attack was thought to be an anonymous attempt to frame regular YouTube gaming contributor MrEdxwx, who has denied involvement.

"I did not hack Sesame Street. I am an honsest (sic) youtuber. I work hard to make quality gameplay videos. AND MOST IMPORTANT I RESPECT COMMUNITY GUIDELINES," said MrEdxwx.

"The truth of the matter is that the channel is regularly visited by young children, and parents trust that the page will be safe for them to view," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at web safety specialists Sophos.

"Attacks like this prove that websites with particularly vulnerable audiences need to be monitored regularly, and protected with the highest possible security controls. In addition, parents need to be extra vigilant about keeping an eye on the websites their children are visiting - and remember that even the seemingly most innocent websites can be compromised."

No-one has yet come forward to claim responsibility for the attack.

The BBC's iPlayer app is spreading its wings a little further afield once more today, with the announcement that it will soon be available in Australia.

After a successful launch in western Europe in July, the Beeb are now setting their sights on other global territories, with Australia being a major English-language nation.

"This unique Video On Demand product combines the classic with the contemporary and allows subscribers to mine seventy years of brilliant BBC programmes," said Jana Bennett, president, worldwide networks and global BBC iPlayer.

"We launched the global BBC iPlayer because we think there's an untapped market for the 'best of British' shows, both for Brits living abroad and for all those people we know have a love of great British television, nowhere more so than Australia."

To further the iPlayer's global profile, the BBC have also appointed a new general manager for the product. Matthew Littleford takes the role after joining BBC Worldwide in April 2011. He will be responsible for the iPlayer's editorial, operational, marketing, promotion, product and technology concerns.

Remember the days before VOD TV shows online, or Sky+ freed us from the tyranny of TV schedules? Remember how YouTube liberated our goggle-box sessions? Well, in something of an about turn, YouTube are now lining up a set of scheduled channels for the website.

With a range of themes including fashion and sport, YouTube are planning to get the scheduled stations up and running by 2012, according to the Wall Street Journal. YouTube are speaking to content providers with the aim of filling 12 channels with shows, around the clock.

There's plenty of money being offered too, with YouTube reportedly flashing cash well into the millions to get show makers onboard.

With Google TV set to launch in 2012 in the UK, a few top-notch TV shows could make YouTube in the living room an even more attractive prospect.

49% of UK men have illegally watched sport online, a new poll of 1,661 participants has found.

The majority of those who admitted to watching sport online blamed the high cost of subscription sports channels, with only 2% said they actually preffered watching online.

The most commonly streamed sport was football, with 76% of the audience, with a further 57% and 42% watching rugby and boxing respectively too.

"It's obviously something that is widely done; however streaming live sport online is illegal. Many sports packages are indeed very expensive, but there are always other ways to watch! I suspect many people do this already, but remember you can always get down to your local and watch there!," said Mark Pearson of MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, who carried out the study.

"Sport is a great talking point, so it's always a good idea to watch it with friends and do some socialising. If you're watching a relatively small match, it may even be cheaper to go to the game! It's also a good idea to look out for any discounts or deals that might be available to help you cut the cost of TV packages."

Name: Digital Stream DPS-1000 (Onyx)

Type: Web connected media streamer

Specs: Click here for full specs

Price: £89.99 from Amazon

Looking for web-connected features from your ageing flatscreen TV? Then the Digital Stream DPS-1000 from Onyx (recently refreshed to add LoveFilm support), may suit your needs for a bargain price, providing you can put up with a few glaring omissions.

Though its heavily vented black chassis wont win it any style awards, the Onyx DPS-1000 is attractively small. Measuring up at roughly 16cm x 12cm x 3.5 cm, it'll sit discretely alongside most AV set ups. On the rear you'll find one HDMI port, a scart connection, two USB ports and an Ethernet port. That Ethernet port will be of the utmost importance here, as the DPS-1000 lacks a Wi-Fi connection. It seems a remarkable oversight considering the device is used primarily for web and network connected media streaming; you'll have to make sure your TV is placed near your router in order to wire it up tidily, or else hunt around for a compatible third-party Wi-Fi dongle.

It's a shame that this may put off potential buyers, as the interface and content portals on offer in the DPS-1000 are very good indeed. Built around UK-based Oregan's web platform first seen in last year's Cello TV range, it does away with many of the international fluff found in many larger brands web-connected TV portals. Instead, you're treated to a line up that includes the afore-mentioned LoveFilm, BBC iPlayer, BlinkBox, YouTube and a host of other Web TV offerings.

A mainscreen features a series of widgets, including Twitter, Facebook and news and weather feeds down the right hand side, which while welcome, likely wont get much use as they can be fiddly to navigate, particularly the social networks. The rest of the screen is made of a carousel-like series of icons leading to each content provider.

First up is the iPlayer portal, almost identical to that seen in Cello's iPlayer TV range. It's a slick and fast interface, with the usual "Just In", "Highlights" and "Last Played" tabs. Normal, high and HD quality video, where available, can be toggled through, while a serviceable search function lets you browse the current BBC catalogue.

LoveFilm offers information on all 70,000-odd movies it has in its catalogue, though only a fraction of those can be streamed via the DPS-1000, and none of those in HD. That's not a problem unique to this device though; it's the same with the LoveFilm desktop portal and the one found in the PS3 games console. Regardless, it's again a tidy and well organised interface, giving the option also for subscribers to order Blu-ray or DVD rental versions of those films not available for streaming. Dynamic searching of the LoveFilm library, throwing up new results every time you input each letter, is a little unnecessary in this format however, often annoyingly slowing down search speeds. £5.99 will give 2 hours of online viewing time, while those who opt for the £15.99 subscription will get unlimited access, as well as the ability to order physical disc rentals from LoveFilm.

BlinkBox, while offering a slightly more clunky interface than LoveFilm, is just as well stocked, with US shows such as the West Wing sitting alongside The Inbetweeners, as well as a fair few movies too. Blinkbox's value rentals (starting at £1) gives it a slight edge over LoveFilm in regards to pricing, and there are nice options to nab full TV show boxsets from between £12.99 and £15.99.

Of more questionable quality is the WebTV portal, pulling in video content from myriad sources. Here's where you'll find the likes of YouTube and Flickr, alongside more unusual sources such as Disney Channel Movie Previews, Larry King, the Discovery Channel, UEFA.com and Sesame Street. Presented in a list with thumbnails, it's a motley crew of feeds and video sources, though they're disparate enough to offer at least a few gems to most viewers.

Once connected to a networked PC or media server, or by plugging in a USB drive loaded with media content, you'll also be able to access various image, music and video files through the box. In a nice touch, a search feature will scan both your networked content and the web portals available here, pulling results into one compiled list. In terms of file playback, BMP and JPEG images and MP3 and WMA files work fine, but things get a little more complex on the video front. AVI (DivX), WMV, VOB, MP4 HD, MKV (DivX HD), and WMV HD files worked from a USB stick (but not H.264 MOV or QuickTime) while network searches only recognised MOV, DivX, MP4 and AVCHD files.

Verdict:

It's worth noting that anyone with a Wii or PS3 console will already have access to most of what is on offer here. While the lack of built in Wi-Fi support may keep the price of this diminutive media streamer down, it could prove a deal breaker for all but those with a router very nearby their television sets. If you fall into that likely very small bracket, you'll come away impressed with the DPS-1000, whose many features and content portals gives even the most recent web connected TV offerings from major brands a run for their money. It's well polished on the software front, even if its hardware leaves a little to be desired.

Google have just confirmed that the Royal Wedding will be streamed live on YouTube, giving everyone with an internet connection the ability to view the regal nuptials as Prince William and Kate Middleton tie the knot.

The coverage of the cermony begins at 9am GMT on Friday 29th of April, or 5am EST.

So, however hard you may have been looking for an excuse to miss the "wedding of the century", you haven't got one now; providing you've got a phone that can watch YouTube over a 3G connection, you can take the future King of England and his soon-to-be-missus everywhere you go, inside your tiny pockets on their big day.

Catch-up TV services like the BBC iPlayer and Channel 4's 4OD service mean that we've fewer excuses than ever for missing our favourite shows, but even they have a "show-by date" of only around a week in most cases.

Making unmissable TV even harder to miss then is a new search engine called TimeForTelly. As well as offering the next week's worth of Freeview TV programming, the engine also trawls VOD on demand services, grabbing links to your favourite shows displayed in a grid layout before directing you to the appropriate player before they're off the air and the web for good.

The service will also provide you with suggestions of shows you may like to watch, based on ones you've already selected to track and place in your personal Catch-up TV section.

Try the engine by visiting www.timefortelly.co.uk.

YouTube are set to join the growing ranks of online video services that are planning to start their own web-based TV networks.

Google are thought to be investing some $100 million into creating a 20 channel-strong network that will create 10 hours per week of original content, having already acquired the Next New Networks company in March.

"YouTube is looking to introduce 20 or so 'premium channels' that would feature five to 10 hours of professionally-produced original programming a week," say the Wall Street Journal. "Additional channels would be assembled from content already on the site."

Rumour has it the first fruits of Google's labour may even be with us before the year is out.

Vimeo, Hulu and Netflix are all said to have similar plans in the pipeline.

Now here's one of our favourite items from CES 2011; LG's ST600 Smart TV Upgrader.

All the major TV manufacturers at CES 2011 are billing web-connected and app-freindly sets as the next big thing. But what if you've already got a perfectly good HD TV set without connected features? If you can't afford the premium of a new set, LG will have you covered with their ST600 Smart TV upgrader.

A box no bigger than a 2nd-gen Apple TV, it'll hook up to any TV with a HDMI port to give it all the features of LG's latest Smart TV range. Apps, web video content, social networking; the lot.

And the best bit? It's predicted to retail for little more than £100. Great stuff.

Check it out in the video above.