TV switchover fiasco

I found this snippet in this week's ERT, personally I don't think that there
is anywhere near that amount of early receiver's still in use, but let's
hope that progress for the overwhelming majority won't be held up by a
vociferous few.

29 March 2005 TV switchover fiasco

GOVERNMENT regulator Ofcom is backing a change to the Freeview TV signal
that will render a million set-top boxes obsolete.

The switch from the 2k to 8k transmission standard will also adversely
affect 75,000 integrated digital TVs (IDTV).

The proposed modification would provide the UK with a more reliable digital
terrestrial TV (DTT) system but because many older ITV Digital and Freeview
receivers are incapable of handling the 8k carrier system they will stop
working if the change is made.

Ivan wrote:
I found this snippet in this week's ERT, personally I don't think that there
is anywhere near that amount of early receiver's still in use, but let's
hope that progress for the overwhelming majority won't be held up by a
vociferous few.

It would certainly put me off DTT - I don't want to have to buy a new
box every couple of years. If people find that they are having to do
this the no-subscription no-ongoing-cost attraction of Freeview will
diminish and more people will rent their boxes from Sky.

Government policy couldn't possibly be influenced by what would be good
commercially for Sky could it, any more than be influenced by the fact
that the owner of Sky also owns the Sun.

"No party in the last 30 years has won a general election while facing
concerted personal opposition from The Sun."

"The Sun is courted by all politicians because its sales are
concentrated in belts of marginal constituencies in the south and south
east. It is also read, politicians believe, by millions of people at
election time who do not normally follow politics very closely."

"In 1992, opinion polls showed that Neil Kinnock was likely to win the
general election and defeat the incumbent Conservatives under John Major
or that, at least, the result would be very close.
But in the final week of the election campaign a series of
devastating personal attacks on Kinnock seemed to deter enough potential
supporters. The Conservatives got back into power with a solid majority
and The Sun ran a headline claiming to have "won" the election for Mr
Major."

"Shortly before the 1997 general election, Labour persuaded The Sun not
only to spike it guns, but to turn them on its Tory rivals - and The Sun
found itself on the winning side once again.
Both the new Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and Rupert Murdoch, owner of
The Sun, certainly thought it had played a vital role in the election."

"After his landslide victory Mr Blair wrote to thank the paper's editor,
adding: "You really did make a difference.""

"Between 1991 and 1996, News International recorded profits of more than
a billion pounds on which little tax was paid. Murdoch was able to take
advantage of assorted tax havens to minimise the tax bill.
The Sun claimed the credit for the Tory victory in the 1992
elections. John Major became premier. The front page of the 9 April 92
issue had the head of the Labour leader, Neil Kinnock inside an electric
bulb and carried the pungent caption: If Kinnock wins today, will the
last person to leave Britain please turn out the lights?
The next general election was due in 1997. The new Labour leader,
Tony Blair, knew he had to woo Rupert Murdoch to win. He travelled all
the way to Australia to address the media executives as Murdoch’s guest
and assured them he would bow to their economic ideology
(neo-liberalism) which favours more wealth for the few at the expense of
the many. Having secured his own terms, Murdoch promised Blair of his
support. The Sun ran a frontpage headline in 2-inch letters: THE SUN
BACKS BLAIR. On 27 April, just 4 days before the election, the News of
the World, the sister sex-and-scandal weekly followed with the headline:
WE BACK BLAIR – Man for the New Millennium. After Labour’s landslide
victory, the Sun boasted in another headline: IT’S THE SUN WOT SWUNG IT.
(It had said the same after the Tory victory in 1992.)"[*]

Quotes from
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1209115.stm

Except for[*] from
http://www.goacom.com/overseas-diges...tabloids2.html



Floppy Bunny

Erm... I'm probaly being silly, but what does the 2k and 8k mean?

Ben
~~~

Ivan wrote:
I found this snippet in this week's ERT, personally I don't think that there
is anywhere near that amount of early receiver's still in use, but let's
hope that progress for the overwhelming majority won't be held up by a
vociferous few.

29 March 2005 TV switchover fiasco

GOVERNMENT regulator Ofcom is backing a change to the Freeview TV signal
that will render a million set-top boxes obsolete.

The switch from the 2k to 8k transmission standard will also adversely
affect 75,000 integrated digital TVs (IDTV).

The proposed modification would provide the UK with a more reliable digital
terrestrial TV (DTT) system but because many older ITV Digital and Freeview
receivers are incapable of handling the 8k carrier system they will stop
working if the change is made.

It's the number of carriers in the COFDM signals

take a look at http://www.gigawave.co.uk/cofdm.html

Ivan said the following on 2005-03-30 13:16:
I found this snippet in this week's ERT, personally I don't think that there
is anywhere near that amount of early receiver's still in use, but let's
hope that progress for the overwhelming majority won't be held up by a
vociferous few.

29 March 2005 TV switchover fiasco

GOVERNMENT regulator Ofcom is backing a change to the Freeview TV signal
that will render a million set-top boxes obsolete.

The switch from the 2k to 8k transmission standard will also adversely
affect 75,000 integrated digital TVs (IDTV).

The proposed modification would provide the UK with a more reliable digital
terrestrial TV (DTT) system but because many older ITV Digital and Freeview
receivers are incapable of handling the 8k carrier system they will stop
working if the change is made.


For those in Borders, Wales and West Country the newest 8k incomplient
boxes will be 6 years old, so how many of them will still be in working
order come switch over (no doubt many Pioneers have been dumped as the
remotes pack in after about 8 months)? (Obviously a non-issue in the
Channel Islands)

If the numbers are relativly small it could well be worth while for the
government (or ITV PLC?) to replace affected STBs FoC to enable us to be
on the best footing for the future rather than sticking with the mess
that is 2k.


(It will also allow SFNs to be added in where needed, ideal for cities
like London and Edingburgh that have significant pockets of poor
reception that can't be fixed due to lack of frequencies.

Kev

"Floppy Bunny" wrote in message
...
Ivan wrote:
I found this snippet in this week's ERT, personally I don't think that
there
is anywhere near that amount of early receiver's still in use, but let's
hope that progress for the overwhelming majority won't be held up by a
vociferous few.

It would certainly put me off DTT - I don't want to have to buy a new
box every couple of years. If people find that they are having to do
this the no-subscription no-ongoing-cost attraction of Freeview will
diminish and more people will rent their boxes from Sky.

Floppy Bunny


As far as I know 2K chipsets only affected early On-digital boxes, also
after ITV digital folded a large number of subscribers 'won' their receivers
anyway.

If a tiny handful of people are still using slow early generation receivers
( from what I can gather later On-digital boxes were equipped for use with 8
K) and have owned them for more than five years, then surely they've had
their money's worth?

Especially when one considers that for the cost of a single TV licence, it's
now possible to purchase a couple of good quality Freeview receiver's!

Ivan wrote:
I found this snippet in this week's ERT, personally I don't think that there
is anywhere near that amount of early receiver's still in use, but let's
hope that progress for the overwhelming majority won't be held up by a
vociferous few.

29 March 2005 TV switchover fiasco

GOVERNMENT regulator Ofcom is backing a change to the Freeview TV signal
that will render a million set-top boxes obsolete.

The switch from the 2k to 8k transmission standard will also adversely
affect 75,000 integrated digital TVs (IDTV).

The proposed modification would provide the UK with a more reliable digital
terrestrial TV (DTT) system but because many older ITV Digital and Freeview
receivers are incapable of handling the 8k carrier system they will stop
working if the change is made.



That would be suicide, if that happened, then people will just say sod
digital and go back to analouge.
I do not think it will happen, if it does, then how can we trsut Ofcom
not to change the system when it likes?

Ad said the following on 2005-03-30 18:40:
Ivan wrote:
That would be suicide, if that happened, then people will just say sod
digital and go back to analouge.
I do not think it will happen, if it does, then how can we trsut Ofcom
not to change the system when it likes?

It's ITV Digitals fault. 8K transmission falls within the DVB-T
standard, but On digital rushed to market with boxes that arn't fully
complient with the specs.

IMHO ITV PLC should be responsable for replacing all 2K (on digital/itv
digital branded) only boxes still in use when the first analogue station
is turned off.

Kev

"Ad" wrote in message
...
Ivan wrote:
I found this snippet in this week's ERT, personally I don't think that
there
is anywhere near that amount of early receiver's still in use, but let's
hope that progress for the overwhelming majority won't be held up by a
vociferous few.

29 March 2005 TV switchover fiasco

GOVERNMENT regulator Ofcom is backing a change to the Freeview TV signal
that will render a million set-top boxes obsolete.

The switch from the 2k to 8k transmission standard will also adversely
affect 75,000 integrated digital TVs (IDTV).

The proposed modification would provide the UK with a more reliable
digital
terrestrial TV (DTT) system but because many older ITV Digital and
Freeview
receivers are incapable of handling the 8k carrier system they will stop
working if the change is made.



That would be suicide, if that happened, then people will just say sod
digital and go back to analouge.
I do not think it will happen, if it does, then how can we trsut Ofcom
not to change the system when it likes?

As well over 90 per cent of Freeviews near 6 million viewer's probably have
8K compatible receivers anyway, and won't notice any difference (apart from
maybe improved reception for lots of people) then I can't really see why
people would be turning away from Freeview 'en mass' can you?

On Wed, 30 Mar 2005 18:12:10 +0100, "Ivan"
wrote:


"Floppy Bunny" wrote in message
...
Ivan wrote:
I found this snippet in this week's ERT, personally I don't think that
there
is anywhere near that amount of early receiver's still in use, but let's
hope that progress for the overwhelming majority won't be held up by a
vociferous few.

It would certainly put me off DTT - I don't want to have to buy a new
box every couple of years. If people find that they are having to do
this the no-subscription no-ongoing-cost attraction of Freeview will
diminish and more people will rent their boxes from Sky.

Floppy Bunny


As far as I know 2K chipsets only affected early On-digital boxes, also
after ITV digital folded a large number of subscribers 'won' their receivers
anyway.

If a tiny handful of people are still using slow early generation receivers
( from what I can gather later On-digital boxes were equipped for use with 8
K) and have owned them for more than five years, then surely they've had
their money's worth?

Especially when one considers that for the cost of a single TV licence, it's
now possible to purchase a couple of good quality Freeview receiver's!

Well said that man.

Charlie

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