Britain's first full-time Freeview HD channels could launch as early as 2009, with up to four on air by 2012.
Media regulator Ofcom has greenlit its own proposals to upgrade one of the six Freeview multiplexes to highly efficient next-generation transmission technology.
This could allow high definition broadcasting or dozens of extra standard definition channels, but viewers will need a new set-top box or a plug-in module for their IDTV.
But the plan doesn't look beyond digital switchover in 2012 to suggest how Freeview could continue to develop in the long term.
The new services would use Multiplex B - currently operated by the BBC - to transmit channels using MPEG-4 compression and the cutting-edge DVB-T2 transmission standard. Together these can effectively double the capacity of this multiplex.
The current channels on Mux B would be moved to either the BBC's Mux 1, Mux 2 (owned by ITV and Channel 4) or Mux A (owned by SDN) - here's an illustration.
The upgraded Mux B would start operating in 2009, when the Granada, Wales and Westcountry regions switch of their analogue TV. Other regions would get the extra channels as they switch to digital, except for Border, which will switch later this year and would have to be upgraded again before 2012.
Mux B would be expected to carry three high-efficiency channels from 2009, but it's expected that continuing improvements to the new technology would allow four or five channels by 2012.
On of the channels would be controlled by the BBC Trust and is expected to be used for the BBC HD channel which is already available on satellite and Virgin Media.
The others would be auctioned to ITV, Channel 4 and Five - although the broadcasters have already agreed that ITV and Channel 4 will launch hi-def channels first, with Five joining when the extra capacity arrives.
But Ofcom will not insist the extra capacity is used for HD - the channels could propose to launch a wealth of new SD channels instead.
Digital TV experts at the Digital TV Group have asked Ofcom to create a plan for Freeview beyond Digital Switchover in 2012, but the latest plan doesn't run past 2014, when the new licenses for Mux B will run out.
1. there is no spare capacity on the other muxes. Freeview is well known to have no more space for new channels. So the only way to do this will be to either close down some channels on the other muxes, or reduce the already noticeably inferior picture quality on existing channels even more.
2. OFCOM's switchover documents show that almost everyone served by a repeater (rather than a main transmitter) will only receive the three public service muxes (including mux B). So they will not receive any of the public service channels moved from mux B to the commercial muxes.
What benefits are on offer to compensate for these losses? Four "HD" channels operating at a proposed 8mbit/s. I place "HD" in quotes deliberately because looking at the European MPEG4 satellite HD channels shows just how bad HD channels can appear when not given enough bits. OFCOM's proposed "HD" channels will use less than half the bits that the BBC use for BBC HD on satellite. Maybe OFCOM only has 720p HD in mind, rather than 1080i? Ultimately, would any of this be worth all the consequences of squashing the current mux B channels onto other muxes? The answer is clear enough to me. At best the benefits are mediocre and the disadvantages significant. So forget it OFCOM, go back to school, Saturday afternoon detention, do it again properly and "come back and see me on Monday morning". Very disappointing.
So I hope OFCOM will firmly be told that either it should come up with proposals for PROPER high definition channels on Freeview (requiring a new mux, perhaps as a single frequency network) or just forget the whole thing and go back to sleep. By the time HD is planned on Freeview, most people will have HD TVs, they will want to watch HD channels, Freesat HD receivers will be cheap and accessible, and Freeview will lose its relevance as it will have both low quality standard definition picture and mediocre HD ones as well.
Bye bye, OFCOM.
Posted by Tim Hewett (127.0.0.1) on April 04, 2008 at 12:20 PM BST #
The news from Ofcom and certainly the media is not good - stating that most of theses new TV's won't be able to receieve the HD channels when they launch in 2009. Thus the only way to get HD content is to purchase a new Freeview HD box (when it becomes available)! This defeats the point of having Freeview integrated into your TV.
My suggestion is if you are going to purchase a HDTV wait a few months until you see new models boasting HD IDTV...
Posted by Paul King (127.0.0.1) on April 07, 2008 at 08:01 AM BST #
Posted by Graham Appleby (127.0.0.1) on April 11, 2008 at 09:52 AM BST #
Where do you get your information from?
Take advice from someone who hasn't a clue and wait a few months, a broadcasting standard hasn't been agreed yet and even if it was you would have to wait at least a year until this could be included into manufacturers products.
Posted by Dan Scott (127.0.0.1) on April 11, 2008 at 09:11 PM BST #
Most of the Freeview boxes and HDTV's are only MPEG2 enabled, you have been warned!
Posted by Paul King (127.0.0.1) on April 20, 2008 at 04:42 PM BST #
Posted by Tim Kirby (127.0.0.1) on June 28, 2008 at 08:45 AM BST #
Posted by Graham Appleby (127.0.0.1) on September 17, 2008 at 03:27 PM BST #
Not quite as bad as originally feared, where it was thought that the bitrate for the channels squashed into the muxes would have to be so low as to be unwatchable.
Posted by Tim Hewett (127.0.0.1) on October 20, 2008 at 06:18 PM BST #
Posted by Ron (127.0.0.1) on March 25, 2009 at 03:04 AM GMT #
Posted by Mike (127.0.0.1) on December 06, 2009 at 02:10 AM GMT #