OK this is going to be a bit rambly but i'm not going to plan! What is the delay with releasing a cheap digital decoder that would allow you to FTA Terrestrial channels(there have been rumours of a price of around £50), if such an item was released, I bet many would buy one or two or three +, because it would mean a cheap way to get extra(maybe not brilliant channels). Anyway, when the nation has been converted to Digital(if such a box is released soon, it would speed up the at the moment increasingly unrealistic 2010 date), would channels such as the UK collection decide to become FTA(could they), because they would have a much larger potential audience and i'm sure that could increase their income, although could they do this with rights issues? Can any channel become FTA, or do they need a special licence, I know space isn't quite as critical as it is at the moment but it is still an issue. Comments please.
Another thought, can't they just make integrated digital tv's, just your basic digital equivalent of our current sets, and ITV Digital as Sky have done, require a stb for extra channels, its a system that has worked for Sky for years!
Have Sky got a system in place allowing you to link two TV's, or more actually, to one dish and being able to watch a different channel on one Tv to another?
I presume they must do, especially if Sky+ is to live up to the hype.
BP
Big Phil
What's going to happen to all of the portable TV sets like the ones in most peoples' bedrooms? I know that my mum is unwilling to buy anything remotely digital (I don't live with her btw, hence the Sky!), so will they be free? I'd assume that they would have to be.
A while ago some people were going on about a little box that plugged onto the back of TV's that would allow them to get a digital signal, for about £50, which at switch over would have to be handed out free.
BP
Big Phil
Yeah Mich, that sounds like the safest bet I think. It would HAVE to be free though, although I'm quite excited at the prospect of having ITN in my bedroom, as it's one of the FTA channels I believe!
Yeah thats a point how many others would become FTA? How about the UK Family of channels, surely increased advertising would make it worth loosing the subs?
BP
Big Phil
Yes, it's a possibility I suppose. I'd imagine that Sky News would be FTA if it was on Digital Terrestrial, and I certainly wouldn't mind MTV being FTA! Certain channels do acquire satellite or pay TV rights for programmes, but I'm not sure if UKTV do this. Anyone know?
I don't know but i'd have thought it would have been worth aquring full rights in order to broadcast FTA, I think UK Gold would fast become the third big ratings contender with ITV 1 and BBC 1.
MG
MikeG
Mich posted:
Another thought, can't they just make integrated digital tv's, just your basic digital equivalent of our current sets, and ITV Digital as Sky have done, require a stb for extra channels, its a system that has worked for Sky for years!
They do make digital TV's. You can get all the terrestrial and channels like BBC News 24, BBC Choice, ITN News Channel etc. You get them through your aerial so it's from ITV Digital. The decoder is inside the TV. They cost about £399 (I think).
And on the thing of portables which Big Phil mentioned, they will become useless when analogue is switched off unless they have an extra decoder (or whatever they're called) attached to them.
I have one in my bedroom though, and it costs just £15 a month rental.
That's why they're bringing Digital TV's in. To replace protables - although, I don't know how they think they're going to ever switch analogue off by 2010 when they're still making analogue (UHF) telly's!
Well yeah thats our point, a simple decoder could upgrade almost all tvs to being able to receive digital, which would digitalise the country within a couple of years. I know they make iDTV's but my argument is that they should make them as they do analogue tv's and leave pay tv companys adding their own stb(actually shouldn't that be Under Set Box, is there anyone with it on to of their tv? )
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