Al Jazeera English from The Shard

Is Freeview their only HD broadcast?

It's not the first time the Freeview HD feed has reverted to the SD variant.

There have been a few times that I've watched AJE HD on Freeview and it is an upscaled SD version, but it does return to HD the next day or two.

Yeah this channel is also on many satellites but not in HD, It's a Freeview exclusive.

From what I recall, only the UK and New Zealand have access to the AJE HD feed on linear platforms.

AJE have a Beta HD stream on YouTube too.

Would be great if Sky NZ broadcast the channel in HD then, AJE picture quality would have to be the worst Sky NZ air

It's apparently on Freeview NZ channel 16 in HD.

So it is. I dont know anyone with a Freeview HD box (or hardly anyone with a normal freeview bix tbh) but will have to check it out.

It's odd, given that they were end to end HD when they started 9 years ago that it's taken so long for them to actually start distributing that signal.

They have had various issues in the past with their fibre network between the broadcast centres - parts of it being damaged or cut. It's likely that they've lost the HD distribution of the channel to the UK either because the fibre's been totally lost or there's not enough capacity.

If it was cost cutting they'd surely have ditched the HD Freeview carriage itself

Does anyone know why Al Jazeera America broadcast at 720p rather than 1080i? I don't think it has anything to do with Current TV's prior carriage agreement as Current did not have an HD feed at the time of the sale. I think they distribute the channel on their own so they aren't dependent on the distributors resolution of choice.

Edit : Their main wiki page says it's 1080i but the program page says the picture format is 720p. I seem to remember at launch it was 720p but perhaps it switched.

Edit No. 2 : AJAM isn't carried on many cable companies in HD so there's little reference but this article from the Pro Video Coalition lists Al Jazeera America as 720p.

All I know is that it's still in 4:3 letterboxed on Comcast. That, along with the inconsistency of the product, has shied me away from watching AJAM.