FREESAT HD AND FREEVIEW HD

[admin_exported]

I seem to have done it again. The last digital tv service I proactively opted for was ITV's Ondigital and look what happened to that. This time around, I did my homework and guess what, I opted for a digital TV system that appeared on to be a winner on the surface, but when one digs a bit deeper, all I have is a mish mash of oddball channels (re food network!), regional BBC channels (BBC Alba/BBC 2 south west et al), the five normal channels, one and bit HD channels and a lot of dithering about whether Freesat will ever see another HD channel. I must admit, I do like the Freesat, but would appreciate less quantity and more quality, preferably in HD. With the advent of Freeview HD and the potential for several HD channels including C4/ITV/five and the BBC on this platform I do believe that the Freesat days are numbered. If the service does not offer these channels in HD and continues to provide low quality offerings like the food network, confidence in the platform will diminish as viewers opt for Freeview HD and its multiple channels in HD.

I predict Freesat will continue for a few years,but take up will decline as the Freeview HD platform establishes itself and the choice on offer from technology providers such as panasonic, sony and humax reduces as they shift focus to the new HD platform.

I will give my new Freesat TV another 12 months before its off to the landfill ( whoops, sorry I meant to say WEEE man). After which I think I will join the HD revolution on Freeview. There is only so long I am prepared to wait.

 

[AlmaataKZ]

I am going through very similar thinking asI am about to step on to the HD TV train...

 

[Clare Newsome]

I agree it's not had the best start, but Freesat isn't going anywhere - the forgotten part of its remit is to offer digital services to people who simply can't get a strong enough TV signal via their aerials (making Freeview or Freeview HD non-starters). That's all part of the BBC/ITV involvement behind Freesat.

 

[ukdavej]

DIGITAL MAN:

With the advent of Freeview HD and the potential for several HD channels including C4/ITV/five and the BBC on this platform I do believe that the Freesat days are numbered. If the service does not offer these channels in HD and continues to provide low quality offerings like the food network, confidence in the platform will diminish as viewers opt for Freeview HD and its multiple channels in HD.

One thing to consider, I imagine the same things were being said about Freesat a few years back and remember the same thing being said about Ondigital when that launched. Both were badged up as the next big thing. Freeview HD may be the success you hope for but then again it could just be another white elephant. Just something to think about before trotting off to the recycling plant

If you ask me, the future of HD TV lies with the pay to view platforms - unfortunately, money talks

 

[Dave_]

Sigh.

Freesat isn't going anywhere!!!

 

[Anonymous]

Quite agree. Not only because, as Clare points out, there'll always be parts of the UK that have no option but to use satellite or cable for their TV viewing, but also because Freesat's not encumbered by the bandwidth limitations that affect terrestrial broadcasting.

There's a fixed channel limitation to Freeview HD, based on the total available space on the broadcasting multiplex devoted to the service: even after the analogue switchoff is complete, and even with data encoders working to their optimum efficiency, it'll never be able to handle more than five channels of HD. Freesat could, in theory, handle many more.

All that said,it's time the folks at Freesat started turning theory into practice. I'll be interviewing somebody suitably senior over there for the next Ultimate Guide to Television, and 'when are we going to get more channels of HD' is item one on the agenda.

 

[laserman16]

Would agree with what people are saying in that Freesat's remit is provide coverage for people unable to access Freeview.

The problem a lot of people have with Freesat though is the way they push HD programming yet at the moment only provide a couple of channels and have done since it was rolled out. Yet on their homepage they give equal space to the joys of HD broadcasts along side their SD services.

Don't what their take up as been like but I sometimes wonder if people are holding back waiting to see what will happen in the future.

 

[Clare Newsome]

I have no figures for Freesat-equipped TVs, but the latest Gfk figures (of which more here) reveal that 53,000 Freesat PVRs were sold in the UK last year.

Take up of any digital platform typically still gets its greatest boost when the analogue switch-off happens in any area - ie when people are forced to make a choice!

 

[laserman16]

Thanks for that figure Clare. I wonder where that 53,000 lies on their projected targets.

 

[Dave_]

Upto Q3 2009 total Freesat sales(since launch) stood at 643,000.

http://www.joinfreesat.co.uk/index.php/freesat-sales-figures-q3-2009

I seem to recall an article claiming that Freesat's total sales hit the 1million mark over xmas/new year period,though i cant find the article to confirm that ATM.

 

[Anonymous]

Its interesting to read such views on this forum, though the cut and thrust of the comments seem to be skirting around the same issue of Freesat and its inability to deliver on its own marketing hype. If you look at the join freesat website it has a poll of why people took up Freesat and guess what HD tops this. That said, I do take your point about the public service remit to provide standard digital broadcasts to people who can't receive Freeview.

I would also say that I have read several other posts on various websites claiming that a major contributing factor to the lack of HD on Freesat is Sky TV which has taken up all the spare capacity of the satellite used by Freesat and therefore the space left of full HD channels is insufficient. I am not a technical person in relation to this topic, but this is reoccurring theme on the websites such as Join Feesat.

Good luck with the interview, you might ask whom ever you speak to if its the Freesat policy to provide the lowest common denomninator programming and then call it quality whilst ignoring FIVE, C4 and other full HD offerings.

 

[Dave_]

It is true that their is a current lack of capacity on satellite for Freesat-Or more correctly,for broadcaster's wishing to use the Freesat platform.

This is due to the lack of any form of encryption system,which means of the four satellites used to broadcast UK channels, Freesat are limited to using just one (Astra 2D),which has what is considered as a UK only spot beam.

The other three satellites (Astra 2A,2B and Eurobird1)have wide beams that cover europe, and as such are deemed pan-european satellites, meaning that any UK broadcasters wishing to use them have to use encryption to prevent DRM issues.

This wont always be the case, the four satellites are getting are close to the "end of their missions", and as such are due to be replaced.

SES-Astra's replacements for Astra 2A,2B and 2D will have transponders with switchable spot and wide beams, meaning they can tailor services to suit individual operators/broadcasters.

This means Freesat wont be limited to using just one satellite.

Their is a downside though,it will be 2012 before the current fleet start being replaced!

Not sure what Eutelsat's plans are for the replacement of Eurobird1, but i wouldn't be surprised if they follow suit and order similar satellite with switchable beams.