Analogue Switch off
 

FYI:

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/pods/pods.pdf

My vote goes to option 3 with additional capacity gained used for a
limited HD service.

wrote in message
oups.com...
My vote goes to option 3 with additional capacity gained used for a
limited HD service.



Like just about every other Ofcom consultation, you don't seriously think
they'll take any notice of what the average punter thinks do you? They - and
the business world - will do what they want anyway, whether we like it or
not.

Simes

the saint wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...
My vote goes to option 3 with additional capacity gained used for a
limited HD service.



Like just about every other Ofcom consultation, you don't seriously
think they'll take any notice of what the average punter thinks do
you? They - and the business world - will do what they want anyway,
whether we like it or not.


Very true, and very sad....


--
Steve - www.digitalradiotech.co.uk - Digital Radio News & Info

Find the cheapest Freeview, DAB & MP3 Player Prices:
http://www.digitalradiotech.co.uk/fr..._receivers.htm
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http://www.digitalradiotech.co.uk/mp...rs_1GB-5GB.htm
http://www.digitalradiotech.co.uk/mp...e_capacity.htm

Like just about every other Ofcom consultation, you don't seriously think
they'll take any notice of what the average punter thinks do you? They -
and the business world - will do what they want anyway, whether we like it
or not.


It is very easy to be cynical about the whole thing but it is an
astonishingly complex task to decide the best choice, and even more complex
to actually implement it. I am glad neither are down to me!

Peter Crosland

"Peter Crosland" wrote in message
...
Like just about every other Ofcom consultation, you don't seriously
think
they'll take any notice of what the average punter thinks do you? They -
and the business world - will do what they want anyway, whether we like
it
or not.


It is very easy to be cynical about the whole thing but it is an
astonishingly complex task to decide the best choice, and even more
complex
to actually implement it. I am glad neither are down to me!


An extract (haven't yet received the full subscription version) from this
week's ERT Weekly eNews... so why don't they stop talking about it and get
on and do it!




News Article ID: 9218

08 February 2005

Power boost will broaden DTT coverage

WHEN the analogue TV signal is switched off, the power of digital
terrestrial TV signals can be strengthened to reach 99.7 per cent of UK
households.

Furthermore, 37 per cent of Freeview viewers will be able to receive the
service using set-top aerials.

Details of life after analogue switch-off were revealed in a House of
Commons Public Accounts Committee report on BBC investment in Freeview.


Peter Crosland

Peter Crosland wrote:
It is very easy to be cynical about the whole thing but it is an
astonishingly complex task to decide the best choice, and even more
complex
to actually implement it. I am glad neither are down to me!

Several things occurred to me...

Firstly, they can't make everyone happy. They'll be someone somewhere
who could get analogue (kind of), but can't get DTT. Cue Daily Mail
story!

Secondly, so "five" has to go on the second BBC mux? Interesting
bedfellows. Even lower bitrates too.

Thirdly, why no SFNs? Or near SFNs?

Fourthly: isn't this just a double tax on viewers?
Tax 1: you must buy new equipment.
Tax 2: the government are going to take away MHz of previously FTA
broadcast spectrum and flog it off to the highest bigger.

Remind me again - who is this switchover supposed to benefit? Last time
I checked I could receive 4 or 5 largely good quality (in terms of
picture and, sometimes, content) analogue channels, and goodness knows
how many crappy (sometimes in terms of picture, and often content!)
FreeView channels.

I just want to watch the few decent TV programmes each week in decent
quality on reasonable priced equipment. Like people in Australia are
going to be doing long before we manage to switch off analogue TV!

Cheers,
David.

P.S. did you see the part that assumed 3Mbps per TV channel? I bet even
that crappy figure looks optimistic by 2010! Or even 2005! :-(

Peter Crosland wrote:
It is very easy to be cynical about the whole thing but it is an
astonishingly complex task to decide the best choice,
and even more complex to actually implement it.
I am glad neither are down to me!


And politicians will just love OFCOM's own admission:
|the disadvantages of some tens or hundreds of thousands of households
|not being covered by DTT (or only enjoying a Sub-marginal service)
|are significant. Such an outcome would complicate the communication
|and implementation of switchover materially.
|In particular, for those households where no alternative digital platform
|is realistically available, the implication would be that some homes
|would risk losing access to television altogether.

2. Free up bandwidth so that government can auction it. More dollars to
government.
I'm not so sure that after the 3G licence fiasco that companies are going to
be daft enough to bid for bandwidth as if "more is good".
When BT sold off it's mobile phone network did it recoup the money spent on
it's 3G licence?


The next generation of high content phones need less bandwith due to more
ingenious compression algorithms. Even then the biggest users of mobiles are
probably kids texting.

Sing a long wrote:
Peter Crosland wrote:

Like just about every other Ofcom consultation, you don't seriously
think they'll take any notice of what the average punter thinks do
you? They - and the business world - will do what they want anyway,
whether we like it or not.

It is very easy to be cynical about the whole thing but it is an
astonishingly complex task to decide the best choice, and even more
complex to actually implement it. I am glad neither are down to me!

Peter Crosland

Yes, let me think about this..Right got it:

1. Make operating costs per channel less by squeezing in more. More
dollars to broadcasters.
2. Free up bandwidth so that government can auction it. More dollars
to government.
3. Keep plugging digital so that the punter will not notice the con.
Earlier collection of aforesaid dollars.

Yes, it is truly astonishing how complex it all is. The cynics, I
suggest, are the *******s that are shafting us. O, yes:

4. Don't bother about quality.


Hear bloody hear! :(


--
Steve - www.digitalradiotech.co.uk - Digital Radio News & Info

Find the cheapest Freeview, DAB & MP3 Player Prices:
http://www.digitalradiotech.co.uk/fr..._receivers.htm
http://www.digitalradiotech.co.uk/da...tal_radios.htm
http://www.digitalradiotech.co.uk/mp...rs_1GB-5GB.htm
http://www.digitalradiotech.co.uk/mp...e_capacity.htm