Hmm...... yes I could see bid tv or price drip TV being replaced....in my dreams unfortunately.
I think all we'd need would be:
Trouble replacing UKTV BI (teen strand programmes
Living replacing FTN
Challenge replacing Film4 + 1 / a sit up channel
FTN going the way of the dinosaurs
Where has this idea come from that C4 can't think of anything to replace Film4+1 - give them chance. Film4+1 fills the slot nicely (and more importantly cheaply) giving C4 time to plan their next digital channel - and to get the money and rights in place for what they want to do. I wouldn't expect anything to replace Film4+1 till next Summer at the earliest. (I've given up hope on an interactive feed for Celebrity Big Brother).
One change I wish they'd make is to swap E4 and E4+1 around. It's ridiculous that the +1 version of the channel is broadcast at full 720x576 resolution whilst the main channel is broadcast at only 544x576. Due to the modulation differences between mux 2 and mux C, in a weak signal area you're also more likely to receive E4+1 than you are E4 itself!
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that would be the problem. the article talks about 'the growing space available on the freeview platform' but there is no free space at present. C4 has been struggling to think off a channel to replace film4+1 in the long term,
This 'growing space issue' where a 'Freeview slot' suddenly appears overnight needs to be dealt with. The present cludge of considering 544x576 an acceptable resolution to broadcast in so they can squeeze on another stream is ridiculous. Despite insisiting in 2002 that absolutely no more than 4 videostreams can fit onto a multiplex in 16QAM (a key part of the BBC's argument for a second multiplex, which I still believe they don't really need), all of the reawarded multiplexes (B, C and D) have broken this rule, with B and C now having 5 streams each, and D has been pushed to 6.
It's fairly obvious that they next 'Freeview slot' will be realised by a 6th stream on multiplex D, and subsequent ones will happen by ditching full 720x576 resolution and dropping to 544x576. For all the Freeview project was supposed to do to improve technical quality rather than ruthlessly squeezing in more streams as ITV Digital has done, they've now gone the same way.
Surely with all the transmitter updates that have happened in the last 4 years, it would now be possible for multiplex C to go back to 64QAM modulation and fit in more streams that way. A less robust signal has got to be a better compromise than reducing the video resolution to sub-analogue levels.
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P.S. Not sure how workable it would be but out of interest if instead of buying the bundles of channels Sky decides you could decide to subscribe to like the UKTV family of channels, do you think that would improve the situation or just lead to smaller channels being even worse off?
Thing is, such a business model is only workable amongst channels of similar value. There are in excess of 100 basic tier subscription channels available through Sky Digital, but the advertising revenue and subscription revenue is not distributed evenly; 30 odd of those channels are +1's which cost peanuts to run and make only a tiny extra amount of money, about another 20 are second channels ('Channel A 2', 'Channel B Extra' etc) which barely make any more than a +1, and another 30 odd are the result of gigantic extended channel families (e.g. there are 13 Discovery-branded channels) which again pail in comparison to the amount of money they bring in compared to the parent channel. This leaves you with a core group of amount 20 channels claiming the majority of the money.
This is the fundamental problem with going for a non-package approach; the most popular channels claim the highest rates, and so will cost the most to provide, the least popular channels claim the lowest rates and so cost the least to provide. The end result is that when offering an option to pick X number of channels for £n / month, the price will only be slightly less than being tied to packages.
This has happened in the past - OnDigital (and ITV Digital at first) used to provide the option to pick any 6 primary channels, rather than having to pay for channels you don't watch. It was a big difference in viewing choice, but only a tiny one in price - a 6 channel subscription was only £2 / month cheaper than having the whole lot!
Being able to choose individual channels and pay less for them is a nice idea in theory, but in practice the reductin the provider will be able to give you is slight.
That's good news then - hopefully! Go on Sky - do your worst! The only complication is I think Sit Up only have one stream in Wales.
cwathen posted:
One change I wish they'd make is to swap E4 and E4+1 around. It's ridiculous that the +1 version of the channel is broadcast at full 720x576 resolution whilst the main channel is broadcast at only 544x576. Due to the modulation differences between mux 2 and mux C, in a weak signal area you're also more likely to receive E4+1 than you are E4 itself!
Well our main aerial only picks up Mux 1,2,A,B - but I get your point!
The only real difference in quality that affects my viewing is that the Mux 2 picture is less stable in adverse weather conditions - but of course the situaton varies depending on the strength of your signal.
And personally I can't really say the picture is much worse on Mux D with six channels than it was with four. It's certainly a trade off I'm willing to accept - though the situation with Mux A is much worse.
I've said for years now the best solution is simply to switch each mux to 6 channels and move things around a bit!
Well its about time more Flextech channels came to Freeview especially Living - I've noticed Ftn haven't even done their Most Haunted Live simulcasts for a long while.
And another new American drama (albeit axed)! ABC's Night Stalker remake starts on Wednesday 3rd. I'm a little disapointed to see that Close to Home will be twice weekly, something always clashes with one of the episodes!
After all this time FTN will be showing some quality shows again from the 1st January 2007.
It has scrapped Thomas Cook TV at 6pm along with Quizcall at 10pm, instead it has 11hours of solid programming.
On the 1st January, here is the schedule:
6pm: The Crystal Maze
7pm: 6ixth Sense: double bill
8pm: Chubby Children
9pm: Most Haunted
10pm: Close to home
11pm: Street Crime UK 3
00:00: Celeb Poker Club
01:00: Casino Casino
02:00 The Crystal Maze (rpt)
02:55: 6ixth Sense (rpt)
03:45: Casino Casino
0430: The Warehouse
0435: TV Scrabble
Other features are The Krypton Factor, Bullseye, The L Word, Break with the Boss.
For more information click below:
(requires Acrobat Reader)
Oh brill!!! Crystal Maze at 2am, thats exactly when I'm up! NTL/UPC Digital doesn't carry Challenge, so it's been quite some time since I've seen it. Big fan.
God - that made me feel old. 17 years ago that episode aired - I was only 7!
Nice to see The Crystal Maze back though for us non-Challenge viewers, even if just repeats.
The first episode so some obvious issues - Richard O'Brien didn't seem terribly settled in the role, well - not until towards the end of the show. Also, the games seemed more repetitive than I remembered - with one game in each zone being basically a maze!
Anyway, nice touch with the prizes being based on what the individuals want rather than something perceived to be good (like a speedboat for example!) - and it's a show more than any other I'd welcome back to TV!
Im looking forward to seeing Bullseye and the Krypton Factor again.
I liked the end challenge where they had to try and land a aircraft on the Krypton Factor.
