Freeview - Spectrum Clearance and Technical changes

Arqiva/the broadcasters have really missed a trick here. COM7/8 were launched to drive the uptake of HD/T2 receivers, with the intention of switching the other muxes to DVB-T2 ahead of their closure. Obviously that's now not happening, and the whole thing has been a bit of a disaster.

The trouble is excluding the PSB channels, COM7/8 never really picked up the major HD channels that would drive the uptake. Even in the case of 4's channels it's only carried the lower rating 4seven HD and C4+1 HD, rather than the HD versions of E4/More4/Film4 which would have had wider appeal.

The irony is with HD being the norm for a while now and the popularity of smart TV's I imagine most homes do now have a DVB-T2 compatible TV. Really this switch off should have been used as an opportunity to switch at least one of the SD muxes to T2, if not most of them.

Freeview/Arqiva just need to hurry up and start converting the 3 com DVB-T mux's to T2.

Keep the BBC and ITV DVB-T mux so everybody has a handfull of 'basic' channels, then all the other mux's are extra for those who have a newer...ish tv.

Surely all TV's even the cheapo supermarket badged sets are all T2 now a days? If DVB-T only tv sets are still on sale, ofcom/the goverment needs to give a deadline date to get rid of all of these from being on sale so that the only option to buy going forward is T2 sets only.

In 10 year's time all remaining Freeview frequencies will be up for grabs by mobile networks - cash strapped broadcasters (now also including ITV and C4) are investing what they can in VoD/online rather than a DVB-T2 switch.

By the way, Ofcom and DCMS would have a say in a DVB-T2 switch, so it's not as easy as Arqiva wanting to flick a switch to T2.

I think that’s happened... but I can’t find any evidence of this online. Plenty of TVs in homes which predate this unfortunately but Freeview HD boxes are so cheap that they should at the very least make one more of the 6 remaining MUXes DVB-T2.

I still won't buy a set that doesn't have Freeview HD as it's the only way I'm reassured that it's a T2 tuner and not a basic DVB-T tuner.

Every TV being sold with the Freeview logo must support DVB-T2.

It's happened through the Freeview logo scheme rather than being something government mandated. To use the Freeview logo and brand to sell a TV it has to be tested and certified as UK standards compliant by the DTG, and they withdrew certification of DVB-T SD only TV's in 2015 I believe.

It doesn't technically stop anyone selling a DVB-T only TV or STB, but in effect it has as all the major manufacturers go through the certication scheme, and the major electronics retailers expect it so they can use the Freeview brand.

In practice most manufacturers switched all their products to DVB-T2 long before that as consumers expected Freeview HD support. My 10 year old Sony TV supports DVB-T2 and receives the HD channels no trouble. I don't think I know anyone who has a TV that doesn't support it now (at least not in their living room).

Therefor there should be no reason why Com 6, then Com 5, then Com 4 mux should start to transition to T2. Leaving just the BBC and ITV mux as DVB-T for the time being. Then say after a few years of this, have just 1 DVB-T SD mux left with just channels 1-5 only on, forcing ITV 2/3/4 E4/More4/Film4 & BBC spin offs (if the BBC still has channels other than 1 & 2 still alive by then) onto a T2 mux...then finally give the last mux with the 5 'terrestrial' channels on a year to make it clear to the public they have 12 months left to finally upgrade their equipment kicking and screaming if needs be to DVB-T2, then convert the final mux, job done.

Then comes the no doubt endless retuning of the T2 muxes as the channels sort themselves out to broadcast on whichever mux they can afford to be on etc.

The Vaizey plan from 2011/2 mandate PSB emit HD only ( and do it at 700MHz clearance)
Was a much better idea than a one by one comm conversion .....
But it needs to be done soon ... as the transmission contracts run out around 2035 which is when broadcast specific emission will end

But the implication on the three PSB mux operators is dramatic ...
PSB the first “regional” say 200 HD coder N+M
say 20 regions inc 3 devolved nation
including the,1 or 2 tv and 6 radio or so BBC regional services and itv regions and ch4 regions may be with itv / ch plus 1s etc

PSB the second “national” say 64 HD coders 2N
Say 4 Nations including a lot in Scotland and the BBC uk/ national services say 5 tv and 10 radio plus C5 and s4c In Wales May be some daughter channels

PSB aThe empty say 16 HD coders 2N
who does not have any programmes which can be a uk mux as the comms are
then say five and fours daughter channels and itvs
shared accrisd a OSB mux and SDN Perhaps top up with UKTv ...
Or is the answer itv buys out ch 4 in D3&4 so it has two muxes

There is a lot of devils in the detail though

I will miss having Channel 4 +1 and 4Seven in HD, I'll probably watch them less not being in the EPG next to the other HDs

It's a shame that these Muxs never had that much demand especially for HD, but then I suppose if they did we'd have more to miss when the inevitable closures happened, they were always only temporary

Because COM7/8 carry BBC News, and BBC 4 in HD, they are used in our home almost as much as PSB3

I'll miss C4+1 HD, pre lock down it was an easy way to watch C4 News at 8pm, because I didn't normally get in before 7pm.

It was a surprise yesterday that COM 8 closes in just 10 days from now, I'd thought it would limp on for a few more months

Yes same here but for Cbeebies... unless I'm recording it in which case I use the SD version, the kids don't notice and I need the hard drive space

I hadn't realised that Forces TV was on one of them. We've been watching that a lot for the interesting choice of archive sitcoms in the evening

Quite lucky that the transmitter our aerial points to has it as the one we can see from our window doesn't. Once Com 7 and 8 are gone there'll be little difference