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Freesports

Free-to-air sports channel (July 2017)

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RD
rdd Founding member
They have removed the Virgin logo from their website now.
BE
benriggers
Is this on Freeview HD only? Tried retuning my SD box but Freesports didn't pop up.
RE
Rex
Is this on Freeview HD only? Tried retuning my SD box but Freesports didn't pop up.

It’s on COM8 - yep, Freeview HD only.
MA
Markymark
Is this on Freeview HD only? Tried retuning my SD box but Freesports didn't pop up.

It’s on COM8 - yep, Freeview HD only.


How have we ended up in this pickle in the UK, where DVB-T2 muxes are referred to as 'HD', despite
carrying some SD services ?
NG
noggin Founding member
Is this on Freeview HD only? Tried retuning my SD box but Freesports didn't pop up.

It’s on COM8 - yep, Freeview HD only.


How have we ended up in this pickle in the UK, where DVB-T2 muxes are referred to as 'HD', despite
carrying some SD services ?


Yep - though to be fair it's worse than some countries where you needed to know which flavour of SD platform you needed for MPEG2 and H264 - as places like Sweden have had three (actually 4 if you include tests) levels of broadcast, not two.

1. SD MPEG2 on DVB-T only.
2. SD MPEG2 + SD H264 on DVB-T only. (With HD H264 on DVB-T experimentally)
3. SD MPEG2 + SD H264 on DVB-T, SD H264 + HD H264 on DVB-T2.
(AIUI Sweden will soon be SD MPEG2 just for one mux carrying SVT's SD channels, with all other muxes DVB-T2 carrying either SD or HD content)

This meant you had to read the small print on your TV (if you use a CAM) or STB to ensure compatibility - as they don't have such simple 'Freeview' or 'Freeview HD' branding - all three were branded 'Boxer'...

Maybe Freeview HD should have been called 'Freeview Generation 2' or something - but the main driving force for people to buy it was to get HD, so I'd argue it was a better branding decision...
MA
Markymark
It’s on COM8 - yep, Freeview HD only.


How have we ended up in this pickle in the UK, where DVB-T2 muxes are referred to as 'HD', despite
carrying some SD services ?


Yep - though to be fair it's worse than some countries where you needed to know which flavour of SD platform you needed for MPEG2 and H264 - as places like Sweden have had three (actually 4 if you include tests) levels of broadcast, not two.

1. SD MPEG2 on DVB-T only.
2. SD MPEG2 + SD H264 on DVB-T only. (With HD H264 on DVB-T experimentally)
3. SD MPEG2 + SD H264 on DVB-T, SD H264 + HD H264 on DVB-T2.
(AIUI Sweden will soon be SD MPEG2 just for one mux carrying SVT's SD channels, with all other muxes DVB-T2 carrying either SD or HD content)

This meant you had to read the small print on your TV (if you use a CAM) or STB to ensure compatibility - as they don't have such simple 'Freeview' or 'Freeview HD' branding - all three were branded 'Boxer'...

Maybe Freeview HD should have been called 'Freeview Generation 2' or something - but the main driving force for people to buy it was to get HD, so I'd argue it was a better branding decision...


Freeview+ might have been a better term. There's less confusion regarding DAB+, over vanilla DAB in the radio world
UK
UKnews

Freeview+ might have been a better term. There's less confusion regarding DAB+, over vanilla DAB in the radio world

Hadn't Freeview+ already been used for PVRs that met the specifications laid down by Freeview?
VM
VMPhil

Freeview+ might have been a better term. There's less confusion regarding DAB+, over vanilla DAB in the radio world

Hadn't Freeview+ already been used for PVRs that met the specifications laid down by Freeview?

Though it was originally called Freeview Playback and could have continued to be called that.
NG
noggin Founding member

Freeview+ might have been a better term. There's less confusion regarding DAB+, over vanilla DAB in the radio world

Hadn't Freeview+ already been used for PVRs that met the specifications laid down by Freeview?

Though it was originally called Freeview Playback and could have continued to be called that.


I think "+" had become tied to Sky+ in TV terms - and people 'got' the link. I'm not sure many people are aware of DAB+ as a thing...
VM
VMPhil
Hadn't Freeview+ already been used for PVRs that met the specifications laid down by Freeview?

Though it was originally called Freeview Playback and could have continued to be called that.


I think "+" had become tied to Sky+ in TV terms - and people 'got' the link. I'm not sure many people are aware of DAB+ as a thing...

Yes, but the point is that it wasn't always called Freeview+ and that brand could have been used for the DVB-T2 service if they'd stuck it out a while longer.
NG
noggin Founding member
Though it was originally called Freeview Playback and could have continued to be called that.


I think "+" had become tied to Sky+ in TV terms - and people 'got' the link. I'm not sure many people are aware of DAB+ as a thing...

Yes, but the point is that it wasn't always called Freeview+ and that brand could have been used for the DVB-T2 service if they'd stuck it out a while longer.


But at that point anyone marketing DVB-T2 receivers as anything other than 'Freeview HD' would have been a fool wouldn't they?
VM
VMPhil

I think "+" had become tied to Sky+ in TV terms - and people 'got' the link. I'm not sure many people are aware of DAB+ as a thing...

Yes, but the point is that it wasn't always called Freeview+ and that brand could have been used for the DVB-T2 service if they'd stuck it out a while longer.


But at that point anyone marketing DVB-T2 receivers as anything other than 'Freeview HD' would have been a fool wouldn't they?

Possibly in the short-term, but not in the long-term IMO.

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