BBC2 Freeview bit rate decreased?

It's fairly well known that Freeview squeezes down the bit rates of
its MPEG-2 broadcasts, in order to fit as many digital channels as
possible into the six available muxes. However, the BBC-exclusive mux
was the exception to this rule: it only carried four channels (BBC1,
BBC2, BBC3/CBBC, and News 24), at significantly higher bit rates.

Recently this seems to have changed. I've noticed that, although BBC1
is still broadcast at 2.0GB/hour, BBC2 broadcasts have reduced from
1.7GB/hour to 1.3GB/hour.

Does anyone know of any specific reason for this change?

On Sat, 2 Aug 2008 15:35:13 -0700 (PDT), "A. J. Moss"
wrote:

It's fairly well known that Freeview squeezes down the bit rates of
its MPEG-2 broadcasts, in order to fit as many digital channels as
possible into the six available muxes. However, the BBC-exclusive mux
was the exception to this rule: it only carried four channels (BBC1,
BBC2, BBC3/CBBC, and News 24), at significantly higher bit rates.

Recently this seems to have changed. I've noticed that, although BBC1
is still broadcast at 2.0GB/hour, BBC2 broadcasts have reduced from
1.7GB/hour to 1.3GB/hour.

Does anyone know of any specific reason for this change?

Greed?

"A. J. Moss" wrote in message
...
It's fairly well known that Freeview squeezes down the bit rates of
its MPEG-2 broadcasts, in order to fit as many digital channels as
possible into the six available muxes. However, the BBC-exclusive mux
was the exception to this rule: it only carried four channels (BBC1,
BBC2, BBC3/CBBC, and News 24), at significantly higher bit rates.

Recently this seems to have changed. I've noticed that, although BBC1
is still broadcast at 2.0GB/hour, BBC2 broadcasts have reduced from
1.7GB/hour to 1.3GB/hour.

Does anyone know of any specific reason for this change?

BBC2 is stat-muxed so the bitrate will vary depending on the content of the
other channels on the same mux. BBC1 in England (except London) is a fixed
bitrate.

A. J. Moss wrote:
It's fairly well known that Freeview squeezes down the bit rates of
its MPEG-2 broadcasts, in order to fit as many digital channels as
possible into the six available muxes. However, the BBC-exclusive mux
was the exception to this rule: it only carried four channels (BBC1,
BBC2, BBC3/CBBC, and News 24), at significantly higher bit rates.

Recently this seems to have changed. I've noticed that, although BBC1
is still broadcast at 2.0GB/hour, BBC2 broadcasts have reduced from
1.7GB/hour to 1.3GB/hour.

Where did you find this information? I'd be interested to know what it is
for BBC4; I was watching the 2007 Arena programme on the London Underground
last night, and the picture quality was awful.


--
Jeff
(cut "thetape" to reply)

On Sun, 3 Aug 2008 08:40:40 +0100, "dB" wrote:


"A. J. Moss" wrote in message
...
It's fairly well known that Freeview squeezes down the bit rates of
its MPEG-2 broadcasts, in order to fit as many digital channels as
possible into the six available muxes. However, the BBC-exclusive mux
was the exception to this rule: it only carried four channels (BBC1,
BBC2, BBC3/CBBC, and News 24), at significantly higher bit rates.

Recently this seems to have changed. I've noticed that, although BBC1
is still broadcast at 2.0GB/hour, BBC2 broadcasts have reduced from
1.7GB/hour to 1.3GB/hour.

Does anyone know of any specific reason for this change?

BBC2 is stat-muxed so the bitrate will vary depending on the content of the
other channels on the same mux. BBC1 in England (except London) is a fixed
bitrate.

How does this work in Scotland? I assume BBC1 Scotland is a fixed
bitrate. Is BBC2 Scotland also a fixed bitrate?

Scott wrote:

Does anyone know of any specific reason for this change?
BBC2 is stat-muxed so the bitrate will vary depending on the content of the
other channels on the same mux. BBC1 in England (except London) is a fixed
bitrate.

How does this work in Scotland? I assume BBC1 Scotland is a fixed
bitrate. Is BBC2 Scotland also a fixed bitrate?

BBC 1 and 2 in Scotland (and Wales, and NI) are 'repackaged' into local
versions. In other words the network programming is fed as clean feeds without
the London announcer's voice over and all the squished up credits, so that
this vandalism can be done locally. The result is, that opting in and out of
the London networks is a more complex process, and therefore BBC 1 and 2 are
locally coded and muxed. Therefore BBC 1, 2, 3,and News 24 are all in the same
stat mux pool. The same applies in London. The English regions 'cut and paste'
their local version of BBC 1 into an English-nationally assembled mux, this
can only work if the gap for BBC 1 is a fixed size. So a 4.5 Mb/s 'hole' is
provided for BBC 1. BBC 2, 3, and N24 all fight for bits in a stat-mux .

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

On Sun, 03 Aug 2008 11:22:40 +0100, Mark Carver
wrote:

Scott wrote:

Does anyone know of any specific reason for this change?
BBC2 is stat-muxed so the bitrate will vary depending on the content of the
other channels on the same mux. BBC1 in England (except London) is a fixed
bitrate.

How does this work in Scotland? I assume BBC1 Scotland is a fixed
bitrate. Is BBC2 Scotland also a fixed bitrate?

BBC 1 and 2 in Scotland (and Wales, and NI) are 'repackaged' into local
versions. In other words the network programming is fed as clean feeds without
the London announcer's voice over and all the squished up credits, so that
this vandalism can be done locally. The result is, that opting in and out of
the London networks is a more complex process, and therefore BBC 1 and 2 are
locally coded and muxed. Therefore BBC 1, 2, 3,and News 24 are all in the same
stat mux pool. The same applies in London. The English regions 'cut and paste'
their local version of BBC 1 into an English-nationally assembled mux, this
can only work if the gap for BBC 1 is a fixed size. So a 4.5 Mb/s 'hole' is
provided for BBC 1. BBC 2, 3, and N24 all fight for bits in a stat-mux .

So BBC1 and BBC2 both have a variable bitrate?

Scott wrote:
On Sun, 03 Aug 2008 11:22:40 +0100, Mark Carver
wrote:

BBC 1 and 2 in Scotland (and Wales, and NI) are 'repackaged' into local
versions. In other words the network programming is fed as clean feeds without
the London announcer's voice over and all the squished up credits, so that
this vandalism can be done locally. The result is, that opting in and out of
the London networks is a more complex process, and therefore BBC 1 and 2 are
locally coded and muxed. Therefore BBC 1, 2, 3,and News 24 are all in the same
stat mux pool. The same applies in London. The English regions 'cut and paste'
their local version of BBC 1 into an English-nationally assembled mux, this
can only work if the gap for BBC 1 is a fixed size. So a 4.5 Mb/s 'hole' is
provided for BBC 1. BBC 2, 3, and N24 all fight for bits in a stat-mux .

So BBC1 and BBC2 both have a variable bitrate?

On DTT, in Scotland, Wales, NI, and the London region, yes I believe they both do.


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

In article , Jeff Layman
scribeth thus
A. J. Moss wrote:
It's fairly well known that Freeview squeezes down the bit rates of
its MPEG-2 broadcasts, in order to fit as many digital channels as
possible into the six available muxes. However, the BBC-exclusive mux
was the exception to this rule: it only carried four channels (BBC1,
BBC2, BBC3/CBBC, and News 24), at significantly higher bit rates.

Recently this seems to have changed. I've noticed that, although BBC1
is still broadcast at 2.0GB/hour, BBC2 broadcasts have reduced from
1.7GB/hour to 1.3GB/hour.

Where did you find this information? I'd be interested to know what it is
for BBC4; I was watching the 2007 Arena programme on the London Underground
last night, and the picture quality was awful.



Yes wasn't it!, but the content in this instance:-)


Tho the older stuff looked good for its age..

Excellent prog and just what BBC 4 is good at!.

BBC 3 OTOH total waste of spectrum....
--
Tony Sayer

In article ,
Jeff Layman wrote:
here did you find this information? I'd be interested to know what it
is for BBC4; I was watching the 2007 Arena programme on the London
Underground last night, and the picture quality was awful.

I'm not surprised - reception in tunnels is always poor.

--
*My dog can lick anyone

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.