I was thinking the other day, about how most programmes and films nowadays use "now in HD" or "also in 3D" as selling points. Which right now makes sense, but it obviously can't be set out as something different forever. After all you don't hear in trailers "showing in widescreen".
So I thought I'd open it to discussion, how long can channels like BBC HD and ITV1 HD use that part of their name before it's common place on television? And for how much longer can films at the cinema use "in 3D" as a selling point, before it's common knowledge that there's a 3D alternative?
How long in the past were things like "in colour" or "in widescreen" used before being classed as a standard?
It'll last a lot longer than 'in colour' and 'in widescreen' (was that actually used?) as the SD and HD services are on different channels whereas you didn't have to make several changes with colour and widescreen as long as you had the equipment.
Widescreen was not incompatible with standard/4:3 - existing sets could crop the signal as required (or their digital STB could do it for them). HD transmissions cannot be picked up by SD sets - therefore a distinction will need to be made (one way or the other) for a similar amount of time to the time it took for a good amount of time (405 transmissions were not completely turned off until the mid-80s!). I expect the death of the "television station" as we now know them to come before such a time.
It'll last a lot longer than 'in colour' and 'in widescreen' (was that actually used?)
I don't think any channels used the text 'Widescreen' but the BBC for a good number of years would have it in their announcements: "Now on BBC One in widescreen, it's Eastenders..."
What will be interesting is when (if ever) on boxes that do receive HD is if they replace their SD counterparts on the EPG - eg BBC 1 HD would be 101 etc, and the SD version higher up the guide. I'm not as technically minded as some on here, but I guess that's not an option at the moment with something like sky - Could SD and HD Sky boxes theoretically have different EPG numbers - for example? Or would a change to one mean outcry for those without HD - if you see what I mean.
Could SD and HD Sky boxes theoretically have different EPG numbers - for example? Or would a change to one mean outcry for those without HD - if you see what I mean.
I'm sure it's perfectly possible to allocate different EPGs onto HD and SD boxes - so that LCN 1 on an SD box points to BBC1 SD and LCN 1 on an HD box to BBC1 HD
It would presumably need a software update to all existing boxes of a particular type though
It'll last a lot longer than 'in colour' and 'in widescreen' (was that actually used?)
I don't think any channels used the text 'Widescreen' but the BBC for a good number of years would have it in their announcements: "Now on BBC One in widescreen, it's Eastenders..."
The only one I can think of is Sky Premier Widescreen, named as such because it was a separate service with its own EPG number, as with the current HD channels.
Could SD and HD Sky boxes theoretically have different EPG numbers - for example? Or would a change to one mean outcry for those without HD - if you see what I mean.
I'm sure it's perfectly possible to allocate different EPGs onto HD and SD boxes - so that LCN 1 on an SD box points to BBC1 SD and LCN 1 on an HD box to BBC1 HD
It would presumably need a software update to all existing boxes of a particular type though
The only problem is regional programming not on the HD channel as well as regional adverts on ITV1 with the current set up, but I'm sure most other channels are fine.
Sky have flexibility in their EPG system to remap channels - as do Freesat - as both can map the regional ITV1 and BBC One variants, the national BBC Two variants (and on Sky the correct advert regions in the case of C4 - not sure about Five)
So Sky could have mapped BBC One HD to 101 and ITV1 HD to 103. However because of the lack of regional variations, and possibly an extra EPG management cost (I imagine HD could be added as a separate "region" as a simplistic way of doing it)
Many FTA satellite boxes let you manually remap your channels - and some have no concept of LCNs at all - and some Freeview boxes let you remap as well.