Requirements and availability
A 512MB broadband connection is required but 1MB-plus recommended, along with a Windows XP PC. Sky says that with a 1MB connection, downloads will take approximately the same time as the length of the movie or sports video. So, a two-hour movie, which will take up around 750MB of hard disk space, would be a near-two-hour download.
Although only one PC per home will be able to download and play the footage, users of different accounts on that computer will be able to access the videos. Sky says that Microsoft Digital Rights Management software prevents unauthorised viewing and that it will also automatically delete movies and sports video from users' PCs once their licenses expire for particular downloads – or Sky's do.
Parental controls are said to be available using PIN numbers to restrict offline access and viewing and based on British Board of Film Classification certificates - 12, 15, 18 and so on.
Sky-stated system specs (which include no recommendations for CPU type or speed!)
* Win XP Home or Pro, with Administrator privileges for downloading the required installer and apps
* 256MB RAM (512MB recommended)
* 250MB of free hard disk space for the installation
* At least 3GB of space for media-file storage (recommended 10GB)
* A 16-bit colour display allied to a screen resolution of at least 1024x768
* Windows Media Player 10 or higher
Installing Sky by broadband will add a trio of apps - the Kontiki peer-to-peer manager host and service (V51102.0 according to Sky); Microsoft.net Framework 1.1 (presumably not if V2 is already installed); and Flash Player 7. If users are running V9 or earlier of Windows Media Player, the installer will also point them to a download site for the latest version.
The company has a comprehensive FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) area running already for Sky by broadband, so, logically, the launch isn't far off.
We'll keep you updated on availability but the company is accepting registrations now. Those who sign up will receive emails when the service comes available. At that point, they'll need to revisit the site and have ready their Sky digital viewing card number.
Signed up and awaiting
email
