Discussion:
freeview and HD..
(too old to reply)
donkeyHoetee
2006-06-12 15:49:43 UTC
Permalink
Two questions..

1. Do you really need a special terestrial arial to receive freeview,
or can I get by with my normal analog tv aerial which im using to
receive freeview?

2. Is the BBC actually broadcasting HD freeview? or is my father-in-law
talking nonsense?

TIA.
Colin Forrester
2006-06-12 15:58:05 UTC
Permalink
Post by donkeyHoetee
Two questions..
1. Do you really need a special terestrial arial to receive freeview,
or can I get by with my normal analog tv aerial which im using to
receive freeview?
You might, depends where you live and what you already have.
Post by donkeyHoetee
2. Is the BBC actually broadcasting HD freeview? or is my father-in-law
talking nonsense?
Where does he live? - there is a trial of HD.
Clem Dye
2006-06-12 16:12:14 UTC
Permalink
Post by Colin Forrester
Post by donkeyHoetee
Two questions..
1. Do you really need a special terestrial arial to receive freeview,
or can I get by with my normal analog tv aerial which im using to
receive freeview?
You might, depends where you live and what you already have.
Post by donkeyHoetee
2. Is the BBC actually broadcasting HD freeview? or is my father-in-law
talking nonsense?
Where does he live? - there is a trial of HD.
He's not talking nonsense. In London there's a limited HD DTTV trial
taking place involving the BBC, ITV, C4 & C5. You have to be invited to
join it and need a special set-tp box capable of decoding the transmissions.


Clem
Stephen
2006-06-12 22:09:14 UTC
Permalink
Post by Clem Dye
Post by Colin Forrester
Post by donkeyHoetee
Two questions..
1. Do you really need a special terestrial arial to receive freeview,
or can I get by with my normal analog tv aerial which im using to
receive freeview?
You might, depends where you live and what you already have.
Post by donkeyHoetee
2. Is the BBC actually broadcasting HD freeview? or is my father-in-law
talking nonsense?
Where does he live? - there is a trial of HD.
He's not talking nonsense. In London there's a limited HD DTTV trial
taking place involving the BBC, ITV, C4 & C5. You have to be invited to
join it and need a special set-top box capable of decoding the
transmissions

... or a "Digi TV" PC card from Nebula Electronics which allows you to watch
without an invitation (although it does require a high spec. PC). BBC HD is
on UHF Channel 31, and ITV/C4/C5 HD is on UHF Channel 27.
Ben
2006-06-14 15:57:47 UTC
Permalink
Post by Stephen
... or a "Digi TV" PC card from Nebula Electronics which allows you to watch
without an invitation (although it does require a high spec. PC). BBC HD is
on UHF Channel 31, and ITV/C4/C5 HD is on UHF Channel 27.
Do you do this yourself? What file format does the DigiTV software
record? Damn, I wish I lived in London now...
Stephen
2006-06-15 00:32:29 UTC
Permalink
Post by Ben
Post by Stephen
... or a "Digi TV" PC card from Nebula Electronics which allows you to watch
without an invitation (although it does require a high spec. PC). BBC HD is
on UHF Channel 31, and ITV/C4/C5 HD is on UHF Channel 27.
Do you do this yourself? What file format does the DigiTV software
record? Damn, I wish I lived in London now...
Not myself as yet. Details of the software and the PC card are on the
manufacturer's website:
http://www.nebula-electronics.com/
Rickey
2006-06-12 16:05:32 UTC
Permalink
Post by donkeyHoetee
Two questions..
1. Do you really need a special terestrial arial to receive freeview,
or can I get by with my normal analog tv aerial which im using to
receive freeview?
2. Is the BBC actually broadcasting HD freeview? or is my
father-in-law talking nonsense?
TIA.
1. Normally you don't need any different aerial. Some transmitters did
transmit Freeview channels over a wider channel spacing so you needed a wide
band analogue aerial. If you get all the local channels with your current
aerial then thats OK. I certainly do.

2. Special closed trials are being carried out in London. According to
Digital Spy "Freeview has no capacity for more national networks, and will
not have enough room for national high definition broadcasts until at least
switchover when existing analogue signals are switched off."
Stephen
2006-06-12 22:03:09 UTC
Permalink
Post by Rickey
Post by donkeyHoetee
2. Is the BBC actually broadcasting HD freeview? or is my
father-in-law talking nonsense?
2. Special closed trials are being carried out in London. According to
Digital Spy "Freeview has no capacity for more national networks, and will
not have enough room for national high definition broadcasts until at least
switchover when existing analogue signals are switched off."
What they're really saying is they don't want to bother with HD Freeview
until switchover. If they really wanted to launch BBC HD on Freeview now all
they would have to do is scrap BBCi. It's just a question of priorities.

Even ITV/C4/C5 could find room for their HD channel on Freeview now - IF
they thought it was more important than ITV3, E4+1, and the 2 forthcoming
extra streams of channel 5 for example, since any combination of 4 SD
channels from the ITV/C4/C5 groups could be swapped around to make one
contiguous free block big enough for the National HD channel. Again, it's
just a question of priorities.

London has no more capacity for HD Freeview than anywhere else, but
nevertheless it has gone live there without them switching anything else off
at all. Where there's a will there's a way.
John Porcella
2006-06-15 01:12:22 UTC
Permalink
Post by Stephen
Post by Rickey
Post by donkeyHoetee
2. Is the BBC actually broadcasting HD freeview? or is my
father-in-law talking nonsense?
2. Special closed trials are being carried out in London. According to
Digital Spy "Freeview has no capacity for more national networks, and
will
Post by Rickey
not have enough room for national high definition broadcasts until at
least
Post by Rickey
switchover when existing analogue signals are switched off."
What they're really saying is they don't want to bother with HD Freeview
until switchover.
No, what is being stated is that they could not deliver HD even if they
wanted to.


If they really wanted to launch BBC HD on Freeview now all
Post by Stephen
they would have to do is scrap BBCi. It's just a question of priorities.
That is the point! HD would mean compromising the existing services.
Clearly what is meant is that there cannot be a move to HD until more
bandwidth is freed up.
Post by Stephen
Even ITV/C4/C5 could find room for their HD channel on Freeview now - IF
they thought it was more important than ITV3, E4+1, and the 2 forthcoming
extra streams of channel 5 for example, since any combination of 4 SD
channels from the ITV/C4/C5 groups could be swapped around to make one
contiguous free block big enough for the National HD channel. Again, it's
just a question of priorities.
Clearly, HD is not considered more important that the channels you
mentioned.
Post by Stephen
London has no more capacity for HD Freeview than anywhere else, but
nevertheless it has gone live there without them switching anything else off
at all. Where there's a will there's a way.
London clearly does.
--
MESSAGE ENDS.
John Porcella
André Coutanche
2006-06-12 16:01:16 UTC
Permalink
Post by donkeyHoetee
Two questions..
1. Do you really need a special terestrial arial to receive
freeview, or can I get by with my normal analog tv aerial which im
using to receive freeview?
Probably not. It depends on your location, your transmitter and the
condition of your present aerial and (possibly more importantly) your
downlead. In any case, a new aerial wouldn't be 'special' - it would
just be higher gain (or, just possibly, wideband) to suit your
circumstances.
Post by donkeyHoetee
2. Is the BBC actually broadcasting HD freeview? or is my
father-in-law talking nonsense?
The BBC is broadcasting *trial* HD freeview transmissions *in the
London area*. So depending on what your father-in-law actually
asserted ... ;-)

André Coutanche
Mark Carver
2006-06-12 16:34:02 UTC
Permalink
Post by André Coutanche
Post by donkeyHoetee
2. Is the BBC actually broadcasting HD freeview? or is my
father-in-law talking nonsense?
The BBC is broadcasting *trial* HD freeview transmissions *in the
London area*. So depending on what your father-in-law actually
asserted ... ;-)
Radio Times has both BBC and ITV World Cup coverage tagged as being in HD.

Has anyone seen the ITV HD DTT broadcasts yet (Crystal Palace or perhaps Croydon
UHF Ch 27) ?
--
Mark
Please replace invalid and invalid with gmx and net to reply.
Charlie Pearce
2006-06-12 17:26:03 UTC
Permalink
Post by donkeyHoetee
Two questions..
1. Do you really need a special terestrial arial to receive freeview,
or can I get by with my normal analog tv aerial which im using to
receive freeview?
You might be able to, you might not.
Post by donkeyHoetee
2. Is the BBC actually broadcasting HD freeview? or is my father-in-law
talking nonsense?
The BBC is currently carrying out a trial (at low power, in London
only) of digital terrestrial HD broadcasts, though "HD Freeview" is
inaccurate since Freeview is the brand name given to a set of
standard-definition digital terrestrial channels rather than a generic
term for free digital terrestrial TV...

Charlie
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donkeyHoetee
2006-06-12 17:55:02 UTC
Permalink
thanks all, your answers pretty much confirmed what I already believed.

:D
Post by Charlie Pearce
Post by donkeyHoetee
Two questions..
1. Do you really need a special terestrial arial to receive freeview,
or can I get by with my normal analog tv aerial which im using to
receive freeview?
You might be able to, you might not.
Post by donkeyHoetee
2. Is the BBC actually broadcasting HD freeview? or is my father-in-law
talking nonsense?
The BBC is currently carrying out a trial (at low power, in London
only) of digital terrestrial HD broadcasts, though "HD Freeview" is
inaccurate since Freeview is the brand name given to a set of
standard-definition digital terrestrial channels rather than a generic
term for free digital terrestrial TV...
Charlie
--
Remove NO-SPOO-PLEASE from my email address to reply
Please send no unsolicited email or foodstuffs
John Porcella
2006-06-15 01:09:26 UTC
Permalink
Post by Charlie Pearce
Post by donkeyHoetee
Two questions..
1. Do you really need a special terestrial arial to receive freeview,
or can I get by with my normal analog tv aerial which im using to
receive freeview?
You have answered your own question. Your "normal analog tv aerial" gives
you "freeview" reception, therefore you do not need a special one.
Post by Charlie Pearce
You might be able to, you might not.
Post by donkeyHoetee
2. Is the BBC actually broadcasting HD freeview? or is my father-in-law
talking nonsense?
It is, in the London area for tesing purposes.
--
MESSAGE ENDS.
John Porcella
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