Confirmed: ITV HD is Freesat exclusive

Well i didn't think ITV could get much more stupid. I guess i was wrong.
I doubt we'll miss much until the internationals and FA Cup matches start later in the year.
I will be watching the champions league final on skysports, i have a great dislike for ITV Mudovision.
 
Well i didn't think ITV could get much more stupid. I guess i was wrong.

Judging by some of the recent comments they're not as stupid as some of the people on here :rolleyes:. The usual "I must have it cos its in HD so will pay anything" is what ITV are after. It will increase takeup of their boxes (what no comments about manufacturer??) and justify their choice to limit platforms. Thus delaying the inevitable cave in and availability on Sky and Virgin. :suicide:
 
itv will have no choice to get on the sky platform
itv and sky never have been pals it took a long time for itv to be on sky
but its ok form anyone who wont pay for sky with 2 hd channels and not paying £10 for HD
 
Sadly once again the innocent viewer is the loser in what looks to me like the latest piece of tit for tat between ITV and Sky.

The decision to make ITV HD Freesat exclusive makes no sense in its own right particularly as Michael Grade always claims he wants to see HD services available as widely as possible as witnessed by his stance on Freeview HD proposals. This will achieve the exact opposite.

It might be different if Freesat were a pay proposition competing with Sky but it isn't. I can see therefore no benefit to ITV HD in denying itself access not only to the existing 500,000 Sky HD subscribers but also effectively to the other 8.5 million Sky subscribers because any honest assessment would suggest that none of those subscribers who might want to move to HD are going to do so by migrating to Freesat paying up to £200 for the box, installation etc whilst at the same time denying themselves their existing Sky subscription channels and the Sky HD packages. Similarly I don't believe there are many people who would seriously anticipate existing Sky subscribers buying a second box, dish etc simply to acquire ITV HD. The people who will buy Freesat will do so irrespective of whether ITV HD is also on Sky.

Some on this and other forums are so blinkered by their anti-Sky obsession that they fail to see that ordinary viewers will be the losers here not Sky. If Sky were looking for platform exclusivity in similar circs they'd be bursting blood vessels in venting their spleens against it.

I am disappointed in Michael Grade who I thought was better than this and had the viewers interests primarily at heart. The reality is however that corporate politics is what this is about. ITV want Sky to divest themselves of their interest in ITV and this is a useful tool to try and hasten that happening.
At its pettiest it is just a way of having a poke at Sky. By the same token Sky will no doubt act in similar fashion in this little tete a tete given the chance. The two have had an uneasy relationship for years.

And who suffers? Anyone who just wants to have access to the best range of HD services who is told if you want them all then you have to pay £200 to a second platform for dish, installation etc with no doubt more holes in walls, cables etc when there is no need.

And how will it end? Answer - Same as it did when ITV 1 eventually came onto Sky. ITV HD will be on Sky - maybe not today or tomorrow but one day as sure as eggs is eggs it will happen. And it will happen not because it is in the viewers interests but because and only because it then suits ITV and / or Sky.

I'd like ITV HD now but I'll have to do without because ITV want to do some petty points scoring. I thought they might rise above it on this occasion. Still its their loss as far as I am concerned. The irony is that me and thousands of other viewers would probably watch shows in HD on ITV just because they are in HD which we wouldn't bother with otherwise. The sad thing is I bet they know that too but don't care if it means they can get one over on Sky.

Sad really.
 
Sadly once again the innocent viewer is the loser in what looks to me like the latest piece of tit for tat between ITV and Sky.

The decision to make ITV HD Freesat exclusive makes no sense in its own right particularly as Michael Grade always claims he wants to see HD services available as widely as possible as witnessed by his stance on Freeview HD proposals. This will achieve the exact opposite.

It might be different if Freesat were a pay proposition competing with Sky but it isn't. I can see therefore no benefit to ITV HD in denying itself access not only to the existing 500,000 Sky HD subscribers but also effectively to the other 8.5 million Sky subscribers because any honest assessment would suggest that none of those subscribers who might want to move to HD are going to do so by migrating to Freesat paying up to £200 for the box, installation etc whilst at the same time denying themselves their existing Sky subscription channels and the Sky HD packages. Similarly I don't believe there are many people who would seriously anticipate existing Sky subscribers buying a second box, dish etc simply to acquire ITV HD. The people who will buy Freesat will do so irrespective of whether ITV HD is also on Sky.

Some on this and other forums are so blinkered by their anti-Sky obsession that they fail to see that ordinary viewers will be the losers here not Sky. If Sky were looking for platform exclusivity in similar circs they'd be bursting blood vessels in venting their spleens against it.

I am disappointed in Michael Grade who I thought was better than this and had the viewers interests primarily at heart. The reality is however that corporate politics is what this is about. ITV want Sky to divest themselves of their interest in ITV and this is a useful tool to try and hasten that happening.
At its pettiest it is just a way of having a poke at Sky. By the same token Sky will no doubt act in similar fashion in this little tete a tete given the chance. The two have had an uneasy relationship for years.

And who suffers? Anyone who just wants to have access to the best range of HD services who is told if you want them all then you have to pay £200 to a second platform for dish, installation etc with no doubt more holes in walls, cables etc when there is no need.

And how will it end? Answer - Same as it did when ITV 1 eventually came onto Sky. ITV HD will be on Sky - maybe not today or tomorrow but one day as sure as eggs is eggs it will happen. And it will happen not because it is in the viewers interests but because and only because it then suits ITV and / or Sky.

I'd like ITV HD now but I'll have to do without because ITV want to do some petty points scoring. I thought they might rise above it on this occasion. Still its their loss as far as I am concerned. The irony is that me and thousands of other viewers would probably watch shows in HD on ITV just because they are in HD which we wouldn't bother with otherwise. The sad thing is I bet they know that too but don't care if it means they can get one over on Sky.

Sad really.

Great post! Spot on! :smashin:

ATB

Max
 
Judging by some of the recent comments they're not as stupid as some of the people on here :rolleyes:. The usual "I must have it cos its in HD so will pay anything" is what ITV are after. It will increase takeup of their boxes (what no comments about manufacturer??) and justify their choice to limit platforms. Thus delaying the inevitable cave in and availability on Sky and Virgin. :suicide:

Well i can see the logic of keeping ITV HD locked to freesat for the short term (for promoting Freesat), but they will only shoot themselves in the foot if they don't migrate it to other platforms in the longer term when HD take up increases as the costs come down.
 
To be honest this is a big blow for Virgin Media more than Sky.

Sky has sufficient 'live' progamming available in HD to make their offering value for money to enough people.

VM are charging a monthly subscription for PVR functionality (free on all PPV sky packages) and HD - of which they have very little.

ITV offered the option of seeing regular live HD football to the VM customers - and then its taken away.

At least Sky HD customers get 1/2 the CL in HD.
 
Quite odd - particularly as ITV HD was on VM during their trials (World Cup 2006)
 
The irony is that me and thousands of other viewers would probably watch shows in HD on ITV just because they are in HD which we wouldn't bother with otherwise.
Good post, well put.

I hardly ever watch ITV, (I admit sometimes I do miss the odd good programme because I don't check the schedules), but would definatley show more interest if they were to offer good drama and sports in HD.

Their loss! :thumbsdow

john
 
It will be interesting to see just how much stuff ITV have recorded in HD or have access to HD material - perhaps not much at the moment or maybe it's just upscaled material. If this is so then maybe they don't want circ the vast majority (sky HD viewers) to see what is supposed to be a premium quality picture as it may not be initially - I guess they may have a bit of a learning curve to go up first before making it more widely available - who knows:
 
Sky are intending to make a £600m bid for Virgin cable.
The cost for dish,box and instaqllation of Freesat is £150see this:
http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/2008/05/freesat_launches_today.html;jsessionid=2DD237FFAE3FEAF3A2F529B4D4B2D630?tmcsTrackingInfo=$6F4uD-8Ib8eMSoW2n1SkvPAXgPIrbrw6e_tiU7vgnvonIdYqLzd4o0g5fY61eb1TO-nytWNtbK1$
 
Sky are intending to make a £600m bid for Virgin cable.




Not quite, they are reported to be making a bid for the VM interest in the UKTV brand and other TV channel interests.
 
Sky are intending to make a £600m bid for Virgin cable.
The cost for dish,box and instaqllation of Freesat is £150see this:
http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/2008/05/freesat_launches_today.html;jsessionid=2DD237FFAE3FEAF3A2F529B4D4B2D630?tmcsTrackingInfo=$6F4uD-8Ib8eMSoW2n1SkvPAXgPIrbrw6e_tiU7vgnvonIdYqLzd4o0g5fY61eb1TO-nytWNtbK1$

Sky buying Virgin Media..? Massive news but unfortunately that article seems to be subscriber only.
 
Am I missing something here its both BBC and ITV
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7384928.stm

gary



How do you mean?

The BBC and ITV were the instigators of Freesat and provided the funding to get it off the ground. Once specs were sorted the licences to build Freesat badges boxes were sold to manufacturers and EPG capacity and infrastructure was put in place for the channels that are reported to be paying £30,000 a year for a slot.
Interesting to see how much money is generated from licensing and EPG sales and if it's profitable.
 
Will this new freesat hd box record? ? ?

- Either way there is no way I am getting another box just to watch the rubbish that is coronation farm in hd...

Also has anyone looked at the quality branded boxes that will sit proudly on your rack ...

BUSH,HUMAX,GRUNDIG and GOODMANS!!!!!!!!!!

I thought thompson was bad but these budget junk box makers are having a laugh.

Freesat will be dead within 12 months at this rate (imagine the failure rate of these quality brands - just missing the daddy - amstrad!)
 
Freesat will be dead within 12 months at this rate (imagine the failure rate of these quality brands - just missing the daddy - amstrad!)



SKY own Amstrad, a little ironic if they did release a Freesat box:)
 
Perhaps Sky could bring out a firmware update to make it available :rotfl: I believe the feed is simply hidden.




I would assume it wouldn't be a major firmware issue to get the tuner to see the broadcast, I only had to update the software codec and manually enter the channel specs to get it on the PC.

It would only be an ADD channel though so no recording but then again you can't record it on any of the current Freesat boxes either:)
 
I know it will be a complete waste of time, but I felt compelled to vent my spleen to ITV! Did so on the ITV contact us page and on Freesat.
Feel better now........
Even though I hardly watch anything on ITV it would have been nice to have a choice. As someone earlier said, I may even had started watching a bit more frequently if it was in HD as IMO, ITV sd has got to be one of the worst pictures on my SKYHD box. Champions League PQ is laughable.
 
You're all making a huge mistake by assuming ITV HD will actually be worth watching. Given their technical prowess, ITV HD will probably look just like everyone else's SD.
 
You're all making a huge mistake by assuming ITV HD will actually be worth watching. Given their technical prowess, ITV HD will probably look just like everyone else's SD.

Hopefully it won't because itv sd feed is so bad because there having to spread the bit rate across all the different regions, the HD channel won't do that so should be of a high quality.
 
"A standard definition Freesat from Sky set-top box costs £150 including installation - which is roughly on a par with the launch prices for Freesat. A high definition Freesat from Sky box, which costs more, allows viewers to watch BBC HD and Channel 4 HD."

Taken from SkyHD's response to freesat announcement on DS.

Ermm, as far as I know you can't buy a freesat from sky HD box as you have to pay £10pm HD subs if you buy it from Sky. Someones telling porkies somewhere???
 
"A standard definition Freesat from Sky set-top box costs £150 including installation - which is roughly on a par with the launch prices for Freesat. A high definition Freesat from Sky box, which costs more, allows viewers to watch BBC HD and Channel 4 HD."

Taken from SkyHD's response to freesat announcement on DS.

Ermm, as far as I know you can't buy a freesat from sky HD box as you have to pay £10pm HD subs if you buy it from Sky. Someones telling porkies somewhere???

Yes you can, but to have it without contract means paying full price (£399??) for a non subsidised box which you could have with a Freesat from Sky card. So no Porkies, but not a viable route to HD IMHO ;)

Don't forget you will get to see Luxe HD as well BBC HD & CH4 HD! Assuming you like watching paint dry! :D

ATB

Max
 

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