Will HD ever be on freeview?

[clarky78]

Freeview is digital tv afterall, so will it be likely to be on freeview? I'm asking because my dad thinks he needs HD tv for it, but i said if HD does make it to freeview, It will be years away by which point you'll want a new tv?

[Starburst]

Freeview (DTT) has very limited capacity thanks to the need to protect the quality of the analogue broadcasts so in the short term (3 or 4 years) it's doubtful there will be any HD domestic service on DTT. When analogue is switch off there may be new mux capacity and combined with a more advanced codec (new STB, IDTV tuner) then the chance for DTT HD will increase dramatically.
If by some chance there was a service in the next couple of years then you would need both a new HD telly and HD set top box to access and make full use of the content.

[Stephen Neal]

The BBC are due to trial an HD service via digital terrestrial in London as part of the 12 month BBC One HD simulcast trial. This is using a frequency currently unallocated to broadcasting - but a national roll out would have to wait until analogue switch-off AND the frequencies such a switch-off would free being allocated to broadcasting.

The HD system the Beeb use for the DTT trial is likely to need custom, BBC supplied, set top boxes (as there won't be a huge market for them) - and there is little likelihood you will be able to buy an integrated TV with the right technology in the short, to mid, term.

Hopefully those of us with DTT cards in PCs will also be able to receive the broadcasts though!

[Nick_UK]

The trouble is that whenever a broadcast band becomes free, it's so tempting for the government to sell it to the highest bidder, and unfortunately the highest bidders tend to be mobile phone and commercial private radio companies. When Band III TV was sold off, only a tiny proportion of it was sold to broadcasters (for DAB radio) - the rest went to private concerns.

[jedi-jae]

Well, who knows what kind of compression technology will be available, not to mention 4th or 5th generation digi-boxes, in a few years time.

HD on freeview should happen, but it won't be for a while, the whole point of freeview is to get people off of analogue. That said the Beeb reckons all it's new output by 2011/12 will be HD.

[chambeaj]

Personally I think freeview will be consigned to the dustbin within 10 years.

[Starburst]

Originally Posted by chambeaj

Personally I think freeview will be consigned to the dustbin within 10 years.

I believe it has a 10 year license so considering HD, the obvious need to move to a more advanced compression codec and a market which is going to radically change in the next 5 years I wouldn't be surprised either if Freeview is a one hit wonder.

Of course that is Freeview, DTT is going to be around for a long time

[RecordablDVDfan]

If we had'nt dropped VHF Bands 1 and III maybe these could have been used for HD DTT ? HD is only on DTT anyway down under but not very popular aparently, can't think why. To have totally murdoch free HD via your aerial is something Aussies have had since 2001, we have to wait until 2012 I guess

[Stephen Neal]

Originally Posted by RecordablDVDfan

If we had'nt dropped VHF Bands 1 and III maybe these could have been used for HD DTT ? HD is only on DTT anyway down under but not very popular aparently, can't think why. To have totally murdoch free HD via your aerial is something Aussies have had since 2001, we have to wait until 2012 I guess

Problem is that the Aussie HD hasn't been that popular. ABC (the Aussie nearest to the BBC) has ditched 1080/50i and have moved to 576/50p so that they can launch an ABC2 service instead. (Though in Aus 576/50p is technically deemed "HD"...)

[Stephen Neal]

Originally Posted by jedi-jae

Well, who knows what kind of compression technology will be available, not to mention 4th or 5th generation digi-boxes, in a few years time.

HD on freeview should happen, but it won't be for a while, the whole point of freeview is to get people off of analogue. That said the Beeb reckons all it's new output by 2011/12 will be HD.

I think the BBC's public stated aim is all production in HD by 2010. That is, of course, production - not broadcast. (Though once BBC One HD launches on DSat, in 2006 it will be very difficult to stop it...)

Originally Posted by Stephen Neal

I think the BBC's public stated aim is all production in HD by 2010. That is, of course, production - not broadcast. (Though once BBC One HD launches on DSat, in 2006 it will be very difficult to stop it...)

I believe you're right there... Everything produced in HD but not necessarily broadcast in HD.

O

[bizarrefish]

I think you also need to take into account the advancement in broadband in the last 5 years, given another 5 you might not be needing tuner's at all with the capacity to watch over your connection.

[RecordablDVDfan]

Originally Posted by bizarrefish

I think you also need to take into account the advancement in broadband in the last 5 years, given another 5 you might not be needing tuner's at all with the capacity to watch over your connection.

My local ITV region is doing this now with news and local progs etc. Very good 1.2mbit video. Excellent service

www.itvlocal.tv

[jont]

If the BBC are planning to show the World Cup in HD next year are they only going to be using satellite to distribute ? Or will they only be recording in HD and downsampling for DTT/sat ?

Jon

[Starburst]

Originally Posted by jont

If the BBC are planning to show the World Cup in HD next year are they only going to be using satellite to distribute ? Or will they only be recording in HD and downsampling for DTT/sat ?

Jon

The BBC have not committed themselves only to a HD trial in 2006, no word if this will definetly involve live WC games.
If they did then Dsat and TW are probably the only two viable domestic realtime platforms. The standard BBC broadcast via analogue, DTT, Dsat and cable will be using the 16:9 world feed and probably some local material filmed by a BBC crew. I do not know if HBS will be filming exclusively in HD (1080i) and down converting or using two sets of cameras.