BBC HD on Freeview: rollout dates
There's a press release that's appeared today on the BBC press office website that outlines the planned roll out of Freeview HD. I've pulled out a couple of interesting paragraphs but it's worth looking at the full release as it has the dates for different bits of the country:
Today the BBC has confirmed the timetable that will make HD services on Freeview available to 50% of the population in time for next June's World Cup, and to 98.5% of the population by the end of digital switchover in three years' time.
and
New DVB-T2 technology will deliver an increase in capacity of 67% to the BBC's Multiplex B, efficiently creating the space needed for UK public service broadcasters' HD transmissions. The UK will be the first country in the world to launch this new standard, and its successful implementation is the result of pioneering work by the BBC in collaboration with partners including Ofcom, Arqiva, Siemens and receiver manufacturers. To view Freeview HD, audiences will need equipment containing this new technology. Freeview HD receivers (set-top boxes, digital television recorders and integrated televisions) will be available from early 2010.
Paul Murphy is the Editor of the Internet blog.
Some coverage so far:
- CNET: BBC HD on Freeview: Rolling out across UK in 2010
- TechRadar: BBC confirms Freeview HD 2010 details
- Computer Shopper: BBC announces timetable for Freeview HD
- Digital Spy: BBC unveils Freeview HD rollout timetable
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~31~RS~)
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Ah, the list I had for ages. Nice to see it confirmed.
Freeview HD - final dates - ukfree.tv
Any chance of knowing what the channel numbers and ERPs will be for the "early service" transmitters?
Last time BBC HD at Crystal Palace was on C27 (522.0MHz) and it took out Multiplex A for everyone using Bluebell Hill...
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Thanks for this at last. We wont have to look at dubious amateur sites anymore.
Next on Freeview ... BT buying capacity from the DSO dividend to launch pay channels (as intimated in the 2009H2 results presentation last week). It keeps developing.
At least I can now decide on whether to wait for a Canvas box or going in in August for a DTT HD only device.
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... that should of course refer to the BT 2009H1 results presentation.
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ChrisCornwall: I presume you mean the Interleaved Frequencies?
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#4 It was unclear.
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Why is it going to take so long to roll out? Those of us in the south (but outside London) will miss out on the service for up to three years. No chance of a reduction in the license fee during that period I assume?
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So, given the state of play with OfCom, can we assume that the ill-conceived DRM plan is actually dead, or are you still hoping to resurrect it?
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I can see that this could cause all kinds of problems with the general public.
At the moment everyone is going out to buy new televisions etc to get ready for the digital switch over. This will mean that thousands of people will now be buying equipment that won't be compatible with HD services.
A lot of people just won't get the difference between the two, they will think that they have bought a HD ready TV that is freeview compatible and would therefore expect to be able to receive freeview HD.
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Absolutely Darren!
We went through the Digital switchover during the summer on the Isle of Man, and I replaced my old CRT telly for a nice new HD ready TV with digital tuner - as did most of the Island judging by the number of old TV's at the local tip.
As from next year this will be obsolete.
If I actually want to watch Freeview HD I will need to go and buy yet another box to go under my TV, and yet another remote control.
I'm sure this is the real plan to bring us out of the recession - force everybody to switch to digital and replace their kit, and then a few months down the line get everybody to go and buy more kit so that we can watch what we thought we would be able to in the first place.
Digital Britain = Disposable Britain.
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Will this be real HD or the reduced bitrate, reduced resolution "HD Lite" service that the BBC are currently offering on satellite?
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HDLite.
Its one of the reasons (I suspect) they lowered it to HD-Lite on satellite.
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Could the BBC tell us in what year the 1080p50 capable Freeview HD boxes will be rolled out? And when broadcasting in this format will start on Freeview HD?
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So, er, when’s Digital UK going to be updated with the new info? Surely this should’ve happened before the press release? ;)
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#1 Unless i've got my wires crossed, here is more detailed information regarding frequencies etc: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv/ifi/tvlicensing/muxlicensees/mb/
This time it seems Crystal Palace will broadcast on UHF C31 (ERP 10kW) and the license is valid from 30th November 2009 to 30th June 2012.
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Even though I live in the Thames Valley and not some remote corner of the British Isles, I cannot yet receive Freeview, yet alone Freeview HD, and will not do apparently until the 2012 switch over.
So I am stuck with satellite as my only access to digital TV.
Can the BBC reassure me they will do everything in their power to provide the best possible HD picture quality on satellite? Or is my HD PQ via satellite going to be continued to be reduced in quality in order to bring it down to the level of Freeview HD, even though I can't even receive that?
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Would Graham Plumb care to comment here on this article, in which he is quoted, discussing the format of Freeview HD ...
http://crave.cnet.co.uk/televisions/0,39029474,49304310,00.htm
BBC: We may do 1080p on Freeview HD
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The shame about this whole HD thing is that on HD flat screens, the picture quality is still no where near as good as the original analogue HD played on 1175 line CRT monitors.
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In 16, ChrisCornwall referenced the link about 1080p.
It's very bad that we can't have 1080p50. Graham Plumb says "If we were to get 1080p on Freeview HD, it would be 1080p25", :(.
Does that mean if we did get 1080p on Freeview HD it would be a mix of 1080p25 and 1080i25 (the latter being 50 fields per second - ie. superior motion), or would everything have to be at the really low juddery, stroby and jerky, low motion/temporal resolution frame rate of 1080p25?
Please reconsider, BBC. If you are going to add 1080p to Freeview HD, please make sure it is capable of 1080p50, like is in the recommendations by the EBU and the BBC. Please read what the project manager of the EBU has said about 1080p50, and also Richard Salmon of the BBC and others. And if we can't have 1080p50, please ensure we can have both 1080p25 and 1080/50i (ie. 1080i25 - twice the motion samples of 1080p25). In fact, at low bitrates, 720p50 may be higher quality for some content than 1080i25 so perhaps this should be included as an option as well.
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I concur with HD1080 (again)
50Hz Motion is NECESSARY for accurate motion portrayal.
25P is only required for film transfer. EVERYTHING else should be either 50 fields or frames.
Otherwise 720p50 ought to be reconsidered.
Judder is an unacceptable picture artifact for a modern television system.
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