Loading...Long car journeys are an absolute nightmare for most people. There’s always a back seat driver who thinks they know the road better than the person behind the wheel, and small children will no doubt regularly ask the dreaded question: “Are we there yet?” Imagine if there was a way to appease their discomfort, a way to keep them occupied whilst you fully concentrate on arriving at your destination. Mobile video on demand could be the answer to this.
Video on demand itself is far from a new thing and has been around in a wide variety of formats for many years. Pay-per-view television has long allowed subscribers of certain services to pay for a certain programme or film and watch it whenever they want. However, the huge technological developments in the mobile phone world have seen many providers offer customers the chance to watch videos on the go through their devices too.
The worries of internet connections in years gone by can be allayed nowadays due to the massive presence of 3G internet on most mobile devices. A 3G connection should allow you to establish a stable connection to stream any sort of VOD service whilst on the move. This isn’t to say that an inferior connection won’t be able to watch videos on demand, but the service will be more prone to skipping and will definitely be of lower quality.
It’s important when using mobile video on demand that the user is fully aware of any costs they may incur. A lot of mobile phone providers allow the user to view a certain amount or selection of VOD content for free. This is usually included in the monthly tariff. Another way you may end up spending money unintentionally is through live TV streaming on your mobile device. Whilst this service itself is unlikely to carry a charge, internet usage caps that many mobile contracts have may be strained by using these services. Alternatively, some content requires purchasing first. Although this still comes with a cost, it is good to know in advance how much you will be paying. Having said that, it’s still important to keep an eye on mobile data usage with these videos as well.
Once you’ve taken all these things into consideration, mobile video on demand is definitely something to bear in mind to prevent yourself becoming an irritance to those driving the car. Likewise, it may be worth considering investing in a mobile streaming device for the younger members of the family on those long road trips to save you a headache in the driver’s seat.