End of Volo TV on FGW HSTs?

[Ash Bridge]

September edition of Railway Magazine is reporting that FGW is removing the seat back infotainment touchscreens from their HST sets,seems a bit of a shame as it was quite an interesting innovation. What do people think of this move?

 

[CC 72100]

September edition of Railway Magazine is reporting that FGW is removing the seat back infotainment touchscreens from their HST sets,seems a bit of a shame as it was quite an interesting innovation. What do people think of this move?

I'm not surprised, I read elsewhere that content hasn't been updated for a year. The volo system was the wrong thing at the wrong time.

With tablets just around the corner, and decent enough internet coverage (or offline apps), people had an easy way to keep themselves entertained. I mean watching a bit of pre-recorded TV between Swansea and Reading was never going to be able to compete. The news headlines is quite a useful feature - but the minute I get somewhere with 3G I can browse on my own device on whatever website I want, not just a few articles from BBC.

It's just like the 'radio' on-board pendolinos and voyagers.... new for only a short while and then superseded by MP3 players.

I don't think too many people would miss it.

On a sidenote, it also had a habit of making coach D really hot!

 

[swt_passenger]

It was overtaken by technological advances before it even started. A bit like headphone sockets in the seats on Virgin's trains really. When it was a chargeable thing no-one was prepared to pay, IIRC.

A good idea at the time, but I suggest no one had looked at upcoming and competing technology such as mobile broadband and wifi. Timescales wise, where does it fit in alongside devices like iPads etc?

 

[Via Bank]

The only thing the Volo TVs can do that a relatively cheap tablet/phone with cellular data can't is show a speedometer without having to install an app, and since they're slow, unresponsive, nasty to use, with washed-out low resolution screens, laden with adverts and timed to turn off after a short amount of time, they aren't even any bloody good at that.

It was about seven years too late to be considered remotely innovative.

 

[IanXC]

They've already been removed on the Sleeper as I understand it.

 

[Mojo]

A shame really as it had the opportunity to be something really exciting.

Volo have confirmed on Twitter that it is being removed:
https://twitter.com/VoloTv/with_replies

 

[Ash Bridge]

A shame really as it had the opportunity to be something really exciting.

Volo have confirmed on Twitter that it is being removed:
https://twitter.com/VoloTv/with_replies

Totally agree there Mojo, never got the chance to sample it, guess I've left it too late now

 

[route:oxford]

September edition of Railway Magazine is reporting that FGW is removing the seat back infotainment touchscreens from their HST sets,seems a bit of a shame as it was quite an interesting innovation. What do people think of this move?

Even airlines are switching to BYOD for content.

http://www.aircanada.com/rouge/en/entertainment.html

 

[CC 72100]

Totally agree there Mojo, never got the chance to sample it, guess I've left it too late now

If it's an consolation, you're not missing out on much. It was good fun for 5 minutes, I suppose it was quite cool at the time, but after a while and when the content became free, the writing was on the wall and its days numbered.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Been ages since I had a run out on God's Wonderful, but I remember particularly liking the GPS map. Shame you had to keep tapping the thing to stop it turning off :mad:

 

[Ash Bridge]

If it's an consolation, you're not missing out on much. It was good fun for 5 minutes, I suppose it was quite cool at the time, but after a while and when the content became free, the writing was on the wall and its days numbered.

Plus I suppose with the gradual late introduction of wi-fi on the HSTs has equally helped seal it's fate.

 

[causton]

If it's an consolation, you're not missing out on much. It was good fun for 5 minutes, I suppose it was quite cool at the time, but after a while and when the content became free, the writing was on the wall and its days numbered.

Definitely.

Used it on the Night Riviera and watched one episode of a TV show I recognised, the others were crap. The only remotely interesting thing on the last one I used on an HST was a Dutch(?) (with English language though) short film and some meditation podcasts...

 

[Mainline421]

I will miss the Volo TVs anyway the live map with a speedometer was great! (But they weren't even working last time I traveled.) Also not everyone has a smartphone or tablet.

 

[ainsworth74]

Even airlines are switching to BYOD for content.

http://www.aircanada.com/rouge/en/entertainment.html

Interesting though it's pleasing to see that for philistine's like me that have embraced the tablet/smart phone revolution they can hire you one for $10 which isn't too unreasonable on a long flight.

 

[SprinterMan]

This is a real shame I have had many hours of fun watching the moving map on FGW HSTs, but alas, it was always going to fail due to the onset of smartphones

Adam

 

[Rapidash]

Not at all surprising, really, last few months it was turned off in the entire carriage when I was on a HST.

 

[starrymarkb]

Even airlines are switching to BYOD for content.

http://www.aircanada.com/rouge/en/entertainment.html

United in the US are now saying use our iOS app to stream from the aircraft's Wifi. Android, and Windows Mobile are not welcome.

Airlines can save a lot of weight by ripping out IFE and less kg of weight mean less kg of fuel

 

[TheEdge]

Unless you really liked Miranda for some reason I found it to be pretty poor.

 

[Yew]

If it had a decent amount of content it would be good, the only problem is that unlike flights abroad/to the US, they dont have the option of getting early film releases to make up for the limited content. And the journies arent as long/have scenery.

Its a shame that its being ripped out the sleeper however, I think it could still have potential there, and lets face it, they have a loit of spare parts to use!

 

[IanXC]

Its a shame that its being ripped out the sleeper however, I think it could still have potential there, and lets face it, they have a loit of spare parts to use!

My impression was that on the sleeper its in favour of Wifi

 

[embers25]

United in the US are now saying use our iOS app to stream from the aircraft's Wifi. Android, and Windows Mobile are not welcome.

Airlines can save a lot of weight by ripping out IFE and less kg of weight mean less kg of fuel

I'm fine with using tablets etc but not installing power points to charge them is very poor and also charging $5 to access content that was free before is typical penny pinching. So basically we save them money by reducing fuel need but they charge us for it!!!

 

[fgwrich]

If it had a decent amount of content it would be good, the only problem is that unlike flights abroad/to the US, they dont have the option of getting early film releases to make up for the limited content. And the journies arent as long/have scenery.

Its a shame that its being ripped out the sleeper however, I think it could still have potential there, and lets face it, they have a loit of spare parts to use!

My impression was that on the sleeper its in favour of Wifi

Agreed and agreed. For the sleeper it was probably more suited to if it came with more content, which unfortunately most of the time it didn't. Mind you, they did beat Dave to it for US Legal Drama Suits, so they didn't always lag behind!

And Wifi is now fitted to all the Night Riviera vehicles, so the Volot should then have now unfortunately gone.

 

[Techniquest]

I will defend Volo:TV, it was brilliant when it was first trialled years ago. The bright green seats however were a bit much for the eyes! Can't quite remember when it was first trialled though, 2004 or 2005 at least.

I loved it when it was first used, and I always made a beeline for the Volo:TV coach. Watching Thunderbirds on the way home from Cardiff to Swansea was a fun experience

In a way it'll be a shame to see it go now, but I must admit I've not used it for a long time since I've had a smartphone for a couple of years now.

 

[leedstraindude]

United in the US are now saying use our iOS app to stream from the aircraft's Wifi. Android, and Windows Mobile are not welcome.

Airlines can save a lot of weight by ripping out IFE and less kg of weight mean less kg of fuel

Only for a while. Apple signed a 6 month exclusivity contract when they first started the rollout of this. Once that's done with other OS should become available as the United apps are updated.

 

[Greenback]

Apart from the map and speedometer, I never found the TV's good or interesting. They were irritating to use, often didn't work at all, and, as others have already mentioned, the content was a bit crap.

Sorry, but I won't miss them!

 

[davetheguard]

Apart from the map and speedometer, I never found the TV's good or interesting. They were irritating to use, often didn't work at all, and, as others have already mentioned, the content was a bit crap.

Sorry, but I won't miss them!

That was my only use of it too. And even with the map you had to keep hitting the "zoom in" button every few seconds, as it kept automatically zooming out again by default.

 

[Greenback]

That was my only use of it too. And even with the map you had to keep hitting the "zoom in" button every few seconds, as it kept automatically zooming out again by default.

Yes, I found the same, which partly why I described them as 'irritating'! I couldn't be bothered with the rest of it. As has been said the whole thing was several years too late, and was pretty much doomed from the start.

 

[Flamingo]

I'll miss the map - there have been a few occasions in the dark, when on routes I wouldn't work very often and timings gone to hell that I've looked at the map myself to figure out where the hell we were! (Before anybody says IPhone and Google Maps, that depends on one having a signal!)

 

[jon0844]

I will miss the Volo TVs anyway the live map with a speedometer was great! (But they weren't even working last time I traveled.) Also not everyone has a smartphone or tablet.

With WiFi you can go to the train home page and see a map of where you are, the speed, and other useful info.

I do think screens in the seat, with an input so you can watch your own content and also charge your phone (example, an MHL connection) would be good, but phone screens are getting bigger and tablets are now pushing 12 inches or more.

So all people need is a way to charge, and a USB port with 1-2A output would be ideal.

 

[Ash Bridge]

With WiFi you can go to the train home page and see a map of where you are, the speed, and other useful info.

I do think screens in the seat, with an input so you can watch your own content and also charge your phone (example, an MHL connection) would be good, but phone screens are getting bigger and tablets are now pushing 12 inches or more.

So all people need is a way to charge, and a USB port with 1-2A output would be ideal.

Think the new 1st class interiors on the HSTs feature USB ports on each table.