Ofcom to facilitate launch of three HD terrestrial channels by 2009

[The News Bot]

Ofcom has announced that it is going to be overseeing the conversion of terrestrial broadcast systems from analogue to digital - and is promising that three HD channels will be available as soon as the gradual digital switchover begins in the Granada region in 2009. Apparently a fourth HD channel will...

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[HeadBanger]

Will Mpeg4 and DVB-T2 be backwards compatible or will everyone one who's currently upgraded to Freeview need to upgrade again?

[Miles High]

One would need to upgrade. No current freeview boxes are HD capable.

[David Mackenzie]

Although the DVB tuners inside some of the newer Sony TVs are (unless Ofcom has chosen some sort of incompatible standard)...

[ricpamiwor]

What about the BT Vision box? That has an HDMI port, does that mean that when these channels are introduced the BT Vision box will support them straight away?

[David Mackenzie]

I'd assume that it won't unless it specifically states otherwise.

[SeanT]

The next version of the vision box might, but I don't think this one will - could be wrong though, it has the HD processing power, but I'm thinking that the DVB-T chipset probably isn't upto the job.