At present there's BBC One HD, BBC HD, ITV1 HD and Channel 4 HD or S4C Clirlun on the HD mux.
It's only logical that the fifth slot go to Channel 5 HD.
At present there's BBC One HD, BBC HD, ITV1 HD and Channel 4 HD or S4C Clirlun on the HD mux.
It's only logical that the fifth slot go to Channel 5 HD.
TV doesn't always work logically though now does it?
At present there's BBC One HD, BBC HD, ITV1 HD and Channel 4 HD or S4C Clirlun on the HD mux.
It's only logical that the fifth slot go to Channel 5 HD.
Logical? Says the one who uses shortnames for channels that have short names anyway. Shouldn't your post read "At present there's B1#, B#, ITV1 HD and Channel 4 HD or S4C Clirlun on the HD mux.
It's only logical that the fifth slot go to Channel 5 HD"... or something...
At present there's BBC One HD, BBC HD, ITV1 HD and Channel 4 HD or S4C Clirlun on the HD mux.
It's only logical that the fifth slot go to Channel 5 HD.
Logical in what way?
C5 (when they were 'five') decided not to take up their slot on Freeview HD at launch, and defaulted, allowing the BBC to use the capacity for a second HD channel (BBC One HD joined BBC HD)
Now C5 have new owners they may decide that it makes sense financially to have an HD channel on Freeview HD - but I suspect the case will need to be made pretty hard (How much extra advertising revenue does an HD presence really generate? How many extra viewers do you get?)
Interesting other options are presumably E4HD, Film 4 HD and More 4 HD (due on Sky later this year?) or ITV2 or 4HD? Film 4 HD daytime and E4 HD peak would be an interesting time-share option?
Don't attempt to deconstruct Tumblelogic, noggin. He'll quickly extinguish such insolence with heroic tales of days wast...spent cataloguing vast volumes of channel codes, or something...
Anyway, back in the real world, I suspect ITV would sadly opt for 2HD over 4 due to the higher ratings draw of the former. Although a percentage comparison of native HD output aired by the two channels would be interesting.
Obviously hoping for Film4, or failing that E4, HD though.
ITV actively chose to put the HD versions of their digital-only channels behind a paywall on Sky so I can't imagine them making them FTA and E4 HD is also behind paywall.
C5, as has been said, pulled out of the chance of an HD channel on DTT and I'm not sure if the sums have changed.
As only C3, C4 and C5 can apply for this slot what happens if none of them want it, which is not completely inconceivable? I think it would then be handed over to the BBC as happened when C5 handed back their original proposed HD slot.
ITV actively chose to put the HD versions of their digital-only channels behind a paywall on Sky so I can't imagine them making them FTA and E4 HD is also behind paywall.
Yes - I follow the logic - and Film 4 HD is behind a paywall on Virgin Media isn't it? Film 4 HD was a VM exclusive?
On the other hand channels like Dave are behind a pay wall on Sky but FTA on Freeview, so that logic doesn't always follow. However I suspect there are contractual issues (with Sky possibly subsidising uplink costs?) which mean even - if the Freeview HD advertising numbers make sense it might not happen?
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C5, as has been said, pulled out of the chance of an HD channel on DTT and I'm not sure if the sums have changed.
Quite - though maybe perceptions of HD are changing - as Freeview HD is becoming MORE standard.
What needs to happen relatively soon is regionalisation of BBC One HD, ITV1 HD and C4HD (for ads) on Freeview so that they appear on 1,3 and 4 and not in the 50s in the EPG and become the default choices on Freeview HD sets. That will significantly increase viewing I would imagine.
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As only C3, C4 and C5 can apply for this slot what happens if none of them want it, which is not completely inconceivable? I think it would then be handed over to the BBC as happened when C5 handed back their original proposed HD slot.
I guess there are a number of options :
1. The 5th slot is not filled and the bandwith remains used by the existing 4 channels.
2. The BBC launch BBC Two HD and BBC HD becomes a third channel that caters for BBC Three/BBC Four/CBBC/CBeebies content in HD (not sure how tenable this is given the relatively low viewing figures of the SD channels) OR the BBC News Channel goes HD. (When it moves to Broadcasting House it will surely be running in HD for the bulletins on BBC One)
The BBC appear to be reducing the Red Button services (DSat is losing streams as they close a transponder) so I don't think an HD Red Button stream would happen.
3. A third party is offered the capacity. This is tricky as it is PSB capacity with much greater coverage than the Commercial muxes (which carry the UKTV, Sky etc. channels)
4. The capacity could be used for a number of SD channels. Using MPEG4 rather than MPEG2 you could get a whole bunch of SD channels in - though they'd only be received by Freeview HD boxes. Don't really see this happening.