BBC FreeSat project

[reforse]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/news/p...7_02_2007.html

BBC want to provide a separate satellite service.

They just need to ensure that they don't give S*y a foothold.

[Seraphim]

Promising isn't it. From inside the BBC I was picking up the vibe that the Freesat project was dead, so this is a pleasant surprise. Hopefully it'll mean a boost for free to air HD services - that'll be all I'll want it for.

[Starburst]

Bit of a dead duck in the short term (no CH4 or Five) but it's biggest role will be to force OFCOM to reduce the EPG fees SKY are allowed to charge, no other reason for ITV to throw money into a BBC project.
That said assuming boxes appear that support the H.264 codec then long term FTA HD will be far more attractive to UK broadcasters, anything after that it's a wait and see


If it's an open platform with CI options then once again we'll get the rush of complaints when the first PAY channels are offered via these boxes

[reforse]

Originally Posted by Starburst

If it's an open platform with CI options then once again we'll get the rush of complaints when the first PAY channels are offered via these boxes

I have to hold my hands up, that would be me. I often find myself complaining when someone who has agreed to provide a free public service (I exclude TUTV from my complaints as they were allowed the bandwidth for PPV purposes) decides to take the benefit (terrestrial bandwidth) whilst taking away the free service in order to charge me fees, or well, to charge some other mug.

[Jungle Fred]

An article in Friday's Times by Dan Sabbagh says that this project has "none of the disadvantages of Freeview, no capacity constraints and no problem with high definition".

He talks about the possibility of ITV and Channel 4 being persuaded to be involved.

Lets hope that it brings free to air HD that is currently looking unlikely on Freeview.

It should also be available in the areas that currently can't get Freeview - the providing of an alternative to Sky after the analogue switch off seems to be the main driver of the project.

[Starburst]

That means H.264 support with HDMI and probably upscaling built in and combined with the fall in chipset prices should be priced pretty competitive for a first generation product.
If it wasn't for no Ch4 or Five (at launch) I would probably snap one up straight away to replace my FTV digibox.



ITV are partners with the BBC already, it was a joint proposal and probably the only way any sort of deal could be done with manufacturers to support a UK specific service.

[gavan]

Originally Posted by reforse

I have to hold my hands up, that would be me. I often find myself complaining when someone who has agreed to provide a free public service (I exclude TUTV from my complaints as they were allowed the bandwidth for PPV purposes) decides to take the benefit (terrestrial bandwidth) whilst taking away the free service in order to charge me fees, or well, to charge some other mug.

It's a bit different to the Freeview situation where there's quite limited bandwidth for TV channels and not enough to go around.

There's a lot more capacity on satellite (particularly if the boxes support mpeg4 type compression) so pay channels aren't going to be at the cost of free ones, as can be the case on Freeview.

So long as an open interface is included in the mandatory specs I have no problems with pay services, they can only add to the overall appeal of the platform.

[Jonstone]

This is the sort of service that I was advocating in the threads regarding analogue switch off and possible uses for the spectrum.

The majority of the people on these forums would like to see some bandwidth reserved for hd television channels.

I think it would be much better to sell all those frequencies off to the highest bidder but to allocate an amount of the revenue generated to set up a proper freesat service like the one proposed here.

That way you would get a free to air television service with very little bandwidth constraints that could provide a proper hd service rather than just a few channels.

I know some people can't have satellite dishes, but then some people can't receive freeview and although that will improve after analogue switchoff I am sure there will still be areas where the signal is not strong enough to produce good hd pictures.

Of course it would be better to have both, but in the current climate I feel it is unlikely that the funds would be available to do this

[toycollector]

Originally Posted by Jungle Fred

An article in Friday's Times by Dan Sabbagh says that this project has "none of the disadvantages of Freeview, no capacity constraints and no problem with high definition".

He talks about the possibility of ITV and Channel 4 being persuaded to be involved.

Lets hope that it brings free to air HD that is currently looking unlikely on Freeview.

It should also be available in the areas that currently can't get Freeview - the providing of an alternative to Sky after the analogue switch off seems to be the main driver of the project.

Now that murdoch has a share in ITV, what are the real chances of them joining with the BBC? I guess very small.

[fordbaynes]

Hi Starburst and Everyone.

Re your comment on H.264 codec, does the existing free to air Pace DS810XE hve this? If so what do you think about getting one now whilst they are around £100 on Ebay?

GBPilot.

[Starburst]

Originally Posted by fordbaynes

Hi Starburst and Everyone.

Re your comment on H.264 codec, does the existing free to air Pace DS810XE hve this? If so what do you think about getting one now whilst they are around £100 on Ebay?

GBPilot.

Yes it is.
At this time it can pick up the BBC HD trial channel and anyother FTA mpeg2 or H.264 channel. However remember that there are question marks against the long term BBC HD output on satellite and it's unlikely to support the Freesat spec when that finally arrives.

[fordbaynes]

Thanks for all your replies and especially Starburst.
GBpilot.