ITV1 HD

http://www.rp-network.com/tvforum/uploads/itv_hd_gif.gif

(Sorry about the bad quality)

ITV1 HD

I know ITV had a HD channel in 2006 broadcasting on Telewest (Teleport) for the football, and there has been talk about ITV1 going HD, but when?

I found a website (ITV1 HD Website) but this looks a bit odd as it seems to have noting to do with ITV!

Does anybody have a clue?!

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/digitaltv/a95131/itv-hd-to-be-freesat-exclusive.html

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/digitaltv/a95131/itv-hd-to-be-freesat-exclusive.html

It's a shame it's not being put on freeview (OTA).
Are there any updates on when freeview is going HD?

Also, it says they're broadcasting "H.222" rather than H.264/Mpeg4/AVC.
Why? Is that better in some way to 264?

EDIT:
Here's what the ITV chairman thinks about the DTT HD plan:
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/digitaltv/a95214/grade-calls-for-change-to-dtt-hd-plan.html

I agree with Mr Grade - Ofcom should NOT auction it!!!

H.222? I've never heard of that before, could someone maybe explain it?

It's been confirmed - http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/digitaltv/a95312/confirmed-itv-hd-is-freesat-exclusive.html

Am I wrong in thinking Channel 4 were going to be involved in Freesat? There's no mention of it on the Freesat website. For some reason I was under the impression that Five was the only broadcaster out of the big 4 being left out.

Apparently it's H.264 in an H.222 wrapper, but God knows why they're doing it like that.

So that it can't be "added" on a Sky box?

Bozz

Sky and ITV haven't had the best of relationships have they? Every ITV channel launch in the last few years seems to have met with obstacles from Sky in granting them EPG places.

I wonder, given Sky are keen to increase their portfolio of available HD channels, if this is ITV's way at getting back at them.

The only thing that I'm never sure about with rebroadcasting a channel in HD is that you can't include any HD content from any of the other channels without airing it on the main channel.

When is freesat actually launching?
I would have thought that they'd have wanted it up and running for the football this summer, even if the home nations aren't in the tournament.

Today. See thread here.

Suggestion is that ITV HD is H222 wrapped H264 to allow it to integrate via Press Red with the MPEG2 SD ITV1-4 services.

This may allow the HD stream to drop back to the correct SD ITV1 regional variation for ad breaks (without having to uplink 20+ HD regional variants of ITV1) - and also allow ITV2-4 content to be simulcast in HD (as long as the stream isn't needed by ITV1?)

It also means that ITV don't need to have an extra EPG slot - and it may mean they have fast-tracked the launch as it may not need licensing in the same way as a new channel?

On the other hand it may prove difficult for freesat HD PVRs to record - when they arrive?

Whether Sky boxes will be upgraded to handle the ITV HD functionality (freesat boxes may have a more modern and HD friendly interactive engine than Sky's quite old OpenTV system) who knows... I suspect ITV would be quite glad of 500,000 more potential viewers for their HD services?