"Michael Chare" wrote:
The BBC has been FTA for about 2 years. When they went FTA they changed to a
satellite footprint that is more closely focused on the UK making reception in
places like Spain more difficult.

ITV is on that footprint now. C4 have hired space, but C4 is on 2A North.

I think a few sports programmes are omitted from the satellite transmissions.

Some Scottish football, but I think that's because of viewers in
the rest of the UK, not any non-UK overspill coverage. Any others?

"Michael Chare" wrote in message
...
"Mark Carver" wrote in message
...
David wrote:
"^^artnada^^" wrote in message
.uk...

Things could get very interesting over the next year or 2. :)

So technically how will this work?
Will it be the same satellite/transponder used by Sky and this new
Freeview?
Or will every one be duplicated?
Will a Sky digibox do? If one uses a normal digital box now one does
not
get the Sky EPG etc. so will we have to buy new boxes, I do not
suppose
BBC/ITV will give them away as Sky do.
Quite frankly I feel Sky should be involved with the BBC and ITV in
this and
they all work together. I feel a bigger mess arriseing than now
comeing on.

It's almost certain that existing BBC and ITV transmissions on the 'Sky
platform' will be unaffected as far as existing Sky digibox users are
concerned.
The only difference is that it seems ITV transmissions will become FTA
(just
as
the Beeb's did in July 2003)


What about the interactive support? Do any of the present non sky
satellite
receivers handle the interactive system used on the Sky platform?

Will channels 4 and 5 follow?

--

I feel that Channel 5 is going to be the hardest nut to crack, as one
possible reason that they've stayed so cosy with Sky is that at one time
there was considerable speculation about them being bought out by Mr
Murdoch. Something which didn't prevail, but maybe they're still hoping, in
which case it's unlikely that they will be doing anything to rock the boat.



Michael Chare

But all this excitment is premature! There will be no C4 and C5 for some
years and I would confidently expect that something like 95+% of DSAT viewing
will end up still being on Digiboxes (which are very cheap second-hand from
ebay etc.)!!

HDTV may speed things up a bit. With the BBC committed to HDTV, and
there not being any capacity available for it on Freeview.... FreeSat is
the obvious choice to push the HDTV services. C4 & C5 will have to follow.

S.

In uk.media.tv.sky Michael Chare wrote:

: The BBC has been FTA for about 2 years. When they went FTA they changed to a
: satellite footprint that is more closely focused on the UK making reception in
: places like Spain more difficult.

More difficult but NOT impossible. The BBC are possibly paying just as much
in increased costs for programme rights as they ever did to be encrypted!

In uk.media.tv.sky Ivan wrote:

: I feel that Channel 5 is going to be the hardest nut to crack, as one
: possible reason that they've stayed so cosy with Sky is that at one time
: there was considerable speculation about them being bought out by Mr
: Murdoch. Something which didn't prevail, but maybe they're still hoping, in
: which case it's unlikely that they will be doing anything to rock the boat.

C4 need to remain friendly with Sky who do the subscriptions for FilmFour
for them. C4 also currently get free uplinking of C4 and E4 done by Sky
as well and would need to make arrangements for others to do this!

In uk.tech.digital-tv MJ Ray wrote:

: Now, if Ceefax returns as part of this, all will be right with the world...

Ceefax will NOT return. Sky Digiboxes could always (and still can) support
VBI teletext - but most Freeview STBs cannot. As part of the BBCs desire
to concentrate on Digital Teletext (and to even the playing field) the
removal of Ceefax was a totally political decision!

Brian McIlwrath wrote:

C4 also currently get free uplinking of C4 and E4 done by Sky
as well and would need to make arrangements for others to do this!

No, that's done by NTL (Aquiva), however Sky do uplink C5.


--
Mark
Please replace invalid and invalid with gmx and net to reply.

"Brian McIlwrath" wrote in message
...
In uk.media.tv.sky Ivan wrote:

: I feel that Channel 5 is going to be the hardest nut to crack, as one
: possible reason that they've stayed so cosy with Sky is that at one time
: there was considerable speculation about them being bought out by Mr
: Murdoch. Something which didn't prevail, but maybe they're still hoping,
in
: which case it's unlikely that they will be doing anything to rock the
boat.

C4 need to remain friendly with Sky who do the subscriptions for FilmFour
for them. C4 also currently get free uplinking of C4 and E4 done by Sky
as well and would need to make arrangements for others to do this!


No they don't need to "remain friendly". FilmFour's CAM contract is on
commercial terms, and is a requirement regulated by ****Off-Com. It makes no
difference what C4 does, since Sky have no choice in providing "standard
terms" of business to any broadcaster.

On 07 Sep 2005 10:23:13 GMT, MJ Ray wrote:

wrote:
"MJ Ray" wrote in message news:431eb0ea$0$32182
Now, if Ceefax returns as part of this, all will be right with the
world...

(By the way, Ceefax news is still on BBC World on some satellites,
and is the audio out of sync on Hotbird for anyone else?)

Hopefully also opens up the prospect of subscription free PVR boxes to end
the Sky + racket.

Hopefully also allows DIY PVRs like www.mythtv.org work better.


Yes! Lipsync poor on BBC World/Hotbird here too.

*Extract FINGER for email*

Brian McIlwrath wrote:
In uk.media.tv.sky Ivan wrote:

I feel that Channel 5 is going to be the hardest nut to crack, as one
possible reason that they've stayed so cosy with Sky is that at one
time there was considerable speculation about them being bought out
by Mr Murdoch. Something which didn't prevail, but maybe they're
still hoping, in which case it's unlikely that they will be doing
anything to rock the boat.

C4 need to remain friendly with Sky who do the subscriptions for
FilmFour for them. C4 also currently get free uplinking of C4 and E4
done by Sky as well and would need to make arrangements for others to
do this!


C4's Chief Exec, Andy Duncan, seems to be one of the biggest fans of the
free-to-air model, so I reckon C4 will join for the launch. five is
another matter though, but haven't they just been taken over by RTL?
Once the BBC and ITV start advertising Freesat on their TV channels and
****loads of people get Freesat then the economics of subscription
versus FTA start tipping in the favour of FTA, and five will eventually
get on-board. Well, that's my theory anyway, although I suppose I'm
biased towards that view anyway.


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

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