While we were visiting my mother in Bristol yesterday, the backroom folk at BT Vision were toiling away trying to get Sky Sports 1 &2 and ESPN to work on our new BT Vision system. I got a call on my new smartphone around midday - Craig said that they had downloaded some new systems software to the BT Vision box and as a result the smart-card enabled channels were now working. I didn't really believe him.
At 4.30 pm we were back home and of course my pessimism was unfounded: in glorious video we were able to watch the last hour of the England vs. Sri Lanka second test (it was a draw). So thanks, Craig! And thanks for calling back at 6.30 pm to check it was all working.
We are using all the functions of the BT Vision box:
1. I recorded The Archers in advance and Clare heard it later.
2. We were going to be late for Springwatch so I set it to record from 8 pm and then Clare started watching the recording at 8.10 (yes, you can record and watch a programme at the same time).
3. We watched a Video-on-Demand programme from The Discovery Channel on the Meredith Kercher murder trial this morning.
4. We used the Pause/Resume button on a programme we were looking at yesterday. Bonus - you can fast-forward through the adverts.
Two criticisms. Firstly, the design of the set-top box is bulky and old-fashioned; does it really need to be so large? Secondly, I find the menu structure cluttered and confusing. Apart from that the service brings a tranche of new functionality we're finding really useful.
