Now that the BBC Trust has approved plans to launch a high-definition channel, it’s asked viewers to decide how and when the service will be launched.
Viewers will be asked their opinion over whether the new technology should be made available immediately on Freeview, which would involve buying a new set top box (and another one in four years’ time) or whether they are prepared to wait.
A public consultation on the subject will be held until 23 October.
Although a high-definition service can be made almost immediately available through cable or satellite (where a trial service is already running), the problem lies with the Freeview platform.
There is no sufficient digital spectrum available to carry the nine-hour HD service and, at present, Freeview boxes are not capable of displaying high-definition.
One suggestion is to rrun the HD channel on Freeview between 2am and 6am at the expense of BBC Four and BBC Parliament at these times. Viewers would then have to buy a new HD-Ready box and use it to record programmes during these times – not ideal.
And in between one to four years, these set top boxes would become obsolete and viewers would have to buy a new model to watch the nine-hour HD service.
Ofcom is carrying out a review of the Spectrum and the BBC trust wants to postpone the decision about Freeview until early next year.
Via
The Independent
Related stories
Comment: Is terrestrial HD broadcasting a reality yet?
BBC Trust greenlights terrestrial BBC HD channel
More reflection on UK terrestrial HD
To be honest spending a tenner now for a box and again in 4 years shouldn't be too much of a problem for people.
The main annoyance will be unplugging and swapping the boxes over.
Bring it to the Freeview platform and get rid of some of the trash channels! I received the test channel previosly via Elgato's EyeTV... Well worth it...
The Independent (above): "Viewers would then have to buy a new HD-Ready box and use it to record programmes during these times – not ideal." . . . "And in between one to four years, these set top boxes would become obsolete and viewers would have to buy a new model to watch the nine-hour HD service."
David (above): "To be honest spending a tenner now for a box and again in 4 years shouldn't be too much of a problem for people."
Me: I don't think it's very likely that you will be able to get a box that will RECORD HDTV for a tenner!
This would have to be a hard disk PVR, so one to two hundred pounds seems more likely to me, and the article says it could be obsolete in ONE year.
So perhaps a rather different equation than Dave suggests.