BSkyB hard drives missing 160GB of space

THE NEXT generation of satellite decoder boxes - supplied by the likes of Amstrad and Pace - will feature 300GB hard drives. But, according to a source within BSkyB, only 140GB will be available to the consumer.

Today's satellite boxes have hard drives of around 80 GB so that the viewer can pause and rewind programmes that they have recorded or are viewing live.

So why will BSkyB be keeping 160 GB for itself on boxes designed to cope with High Definition TV? Our source speculates this may well have something to do with Free Viewpoint TV (FVT).

Basically this is a sort of 'surround-sound' for TV images. Viewers will be able to look at the action from a variety of angles - not just merely straight on.

Our source also speculates that these decoders will also come with broadband modems inside. So they can be plugged straight into a broadband socket without any need to connect via a router or whatever.

Why would BSkyB want this? One good reason is to prevent fraud. A good number of its boxes are finding their way over to Spain's Costa Del Crime. It's much cheaper to obtain a box in the UK than pay for installation in Spain.

Plus it's an easy way to put Sky into bars without having to pay the full commercial rate. But if a box is permanently connected to the net, BSkyB can track it. Then take action when the box acquires a Spanish IP address rather than one in Tooting.

And the public will be told that Internet access is required so that BSkyB can offer all sorts of interactive services - like online shopping. A cunning plan, huh? µ