How many freeview channels will there be?

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There is probably a simple to answer to this but... from reading other threads, I understand that there will only ever be 30 Freeview channels. Is this true?

If so, why does my Nokia 221T allow 4 digit programme numbers to be selected (i.e. 9999 channels)? And why does it have two card slots on the front, if there will never be any channels that require payment and/or de-scrambling?

I'm wondering if there will be more channels when (in the dim distant future) they can switch off the analogue transmissions and free up the bandwidth for more digital channels. Is this right?
 
The Pace Twin digibox also has a (currently redundant) slot in the front. The blurb that comes with it says that the owner should insert their 'viewing card' when requested to do so and that this is for future use only. That could mean the possibility of subscribing to other digital channels (possibly through Sky) if that sort of deal is ever brokered.

As for the 4 digits, I doubt there will ever be thousands of digital channels but nor do I think there is any evidence that there will only ever be 30.

In both cases it's obviously better to have a machine prepared for future possibilities than to have to create another one if those possibilities become realities.
 
Once analogue is turned off there will be the opportunity to increase the number of possible channels and their broadcast strengths, this will be dependent upon the government allocating the unused capacity to DTT use and not selling it off for telecom services.
I would have thought that any future PAY service on DTT will mean totally new STB's since I doubt very much that current models could support a brand new encryption system after all SECA is totally discredited and SECA2 I believe has already sprung leaks.
Don't forget that Freeview only has a 10 year license so combine that with analogue switch off and the whole DTT platfrom could be in for a major evolution/revolution at that time.
 
Does anyone know when analogue will be switched off ?
 
Originally posted by JohnG
Does anyone know when analogue will be switched off ?

That old chestnut, it's a tricky one and nobody seems to have a definitive answer. The same question has been asked many times about FM radio :hiya:
 
In order to receive more channels the box has to be capable of receiving more frequencies outside the present band (which currently is only capable of accommodating around 30 channels.)
So, the answer has to be in the specs of your Pace receiver. Could it receive new multiplexes in the bands currently occupied by the analogue broadcasts? If it can then - come the big day - when all transmissions go digital, your Pace box will be OK and be able to receive many more terrestrial digital channels.
 
Originally posted by JohnG
Does anyone know when analogue will be switched off ?
Never I hope a lot of equipment is going to be practically un-usable.
 
I have just been reading this thread here will we have to pay a subscription to Sky (above the TV licence) to receive our TV after the switch off.
 
Well under ondigital there were more than 30 channels 60 IIRC is the max of the current system at lower bit rates and dont forget that the space occupied by the radio stations could carry a couple of channels as well.
 
How many people have more than just the one TV that they use for there viewing? Most families have the normal TV in the lounge, and one in either there bedroom or their child’s or both, and what about the videos? You will have to have a digi box for them if you want to tape something other than what you are watching at present.
 
Absolutely correct.
Unfortunately this very point about multiple TVs (including many portables) , VCRs etc. seems to escape most of the powers that be and certainly the government.
The BBC have been known to allude to it.

There is an urban myth that , towards the end of the rollout of 625-line TV and the closure of 405-lines, some old granny somewhere refused to get another TV and so the broadcasters bought her one.
Some kind of subsidy will ultimately be needed if they really want to switch analogue TV off.

Chris Muriel.
 
I suppose the government of the day will not bother so long as they get you to pay for the one set that can receive TV has a licence and they make a big fat profit at selling the frequencies off, sod the public..

Who are they going to sell the free airwaves to and what will they use them for?
 
Just to prove the point, I got this in my work-related newsfeeds this morning :

Media Week via NewsEdge Corporation : The government will have to provide "substantial public subsidies" if it is to meet its 2010 target for switching off analogue television, according to a report by Strategy Analytics.
Despite the rapidly falling price of the adaptors needed to receive a digital signal and the success of Freeview, the government still has a long way to go before it convinces enough viewers to make the switch.

The research contrasts with predictions that the price of these adaptors would fall from their current price of AGBP60-AGBP80 to as little as AGBP27 within the next four years.

Price is not the only problem. David Mercer, the principal analyst at Strategy Analytics said: "It's not so much about getting the majority of households to take digital TV, it's converting all the second and third sets and video recorders."

Approximately 44% of UK households now watch digital television. The government has said that a minimum of 95% of the population will have digital TV before the analogue signal is turned off.

Chris Muriel, Manchester
 
Actually the government said that 95% must have ACCESS TO digital TV before the signal is turned off. Just like 90% of people have "access to" broadband now!

I still can't see it happening for a long, long time.
 
Well there are new boxes out from humax and alike but if the government were sneaky (i think they are) then they will bump the liscence fee up buy £25 and give away a really cheap nasty RF only adapterto get the stats up.....


PS well over 90% of the uk already have access to digital TV it hits their roof 24-7 and a small dish will receive a huge number of channels...
 
Before analog can be turned off, digital needs to be the normal reception method. That must surely mean that digital must be incorporated into all new TV's and Videos for at least five years or more.
I think analog will be here for a while.
:rolleyes:
 
And at a reasonable price! Intergrated TV's cost a lot more than getting a standalone DTT receiver & analogue TV. AFAIK you can't get a DTT VCR yet. The closest available to this being the Pace Twin.
The government seem to be pushing for a 2010 analogue switch off. I do not see this being even close. The elderly/poorer are less likely to buy newer hightech equipment within the next 7 years. Even when they are switched off, the channels are more likely to be sold to mobile phone companies for a higher price than DTT/Freeview would be willing/able to pay.

Mark.
 
Was the word 'free' not inserted before 'access'? Sky having done away with FTV, maybe not their fault, that leaves only freeview, and it's never going to cover 95% of the pop. Surely they aren't considering charging us a license fee and them making us pay a subsciption for what are now the terrestial channels? I'm all right jack, I live in Surrey, and pay for cable anyway, but even my Dad in Sussex is on a sticky wicket with freeview, his reception depends which way the wind is blowing. The government will have to apply large amounts of spin to switch off analogue any time, let alone by their target.
 
Originally posted by MarkE19
... Even when they are switched off, the channels are more likely to be sold to mobile phone companies for a higher price than DTT/Freeview would be willing/able to pay.

I doubt if any of the mobile phone companies will be interested; firstly, the UHF channels are miles away from the spectrum they currently use, so it would take a complete redesign of all their base-stations and millions of handsets, and second, they're having enough problems paying off the debts they incurred buying the 3G licenses, so it's highly unlikely they'll want to 'invest' in any more of the government's special offers on more spectrum.

That's not to say there won't be plenty of others who may be interested in it though :)

Vaughn
 
Use it for HDTV:clap:
 
There are technical issues with digital freeview that seriously need to be addressed before the analogue shutdown happens. The main one being electrical impulse interference.

A few faint lines of disturbance on analogue result in complete picture break up in digital. How many millions of people would like to live with this I wonder?
 
Originally posted by Pod Person
There are technical issues with digital freeview that seriously need to be addressed before the analogue shutdown happens. The main one being electrical impulse interference.
I doubt they'll change the transmission standard now. For good technical reasons it's one of the best (I read). Impulse interference has been addressed by the standards committee and I believe the CAI has issued guidelines regarding the type of aerial most suitable. Apparently an aerial with a balun is essential. The DAT45 fulfils this requirement. No doubt others will, too.

Apart from that, it's obviously essential to minimise the effect of impulse interference by mounting the aerial away from sources (eg. main road traffic) and routing the cable away from 230v mains power cables.

Once analogue has been "switched off" the digital transmissions can be increased in power and impulse interference will be much less of a problem.

Fman
 
My only problem is analogue from Emley Moor overpowering Sutton digital when there is ducting.
 

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