An Empire Crumbles

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TameIti

97 posts

Master Geek

#131812 19-May-2008 16:26

Is there any possibility of Freeview getting a live sport channel? If Freeview played live sport such as rugby I would definitly switch from Sky to Freeview.

Fossie

1240 posts

Uber Geek

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#131815 19-May-2008 16:28

What would be nice, is if sky would deliver the channel unprotected.

allstarnz

1719 posts

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#131817 19-May-2008 16:32

TameIti: Is there any possibility of Freeview getting a live sport channel? If Freeview played live sport such as rugby I would definitly switch from Sky to Freeview.

doubt it, it's a nice ideal. But the money to pay professional sports people has to come from somewhere, and a large proportion of that somewhere is TV money from News Ltd, who own (at least part of) Sky, Foxtel and Supersport

Freeview already have a live sport channnel, but they aren't showing anything until the Olympics. TVNZ have very little live sport TV rights these days.

TameIti

97 posts

Master Geek

#131819 19-May-2008 16:43

Yeah it would be awesome. Sport is the only thing keeping us with Sky.

stuzzo

534 posts

Ultimate Geek

#131824 19-May-2008 16:54

Do you think that the whole Freeview Satellite standard definition thing might ultimately be seen as a mistake. Given 1080i/720p looks set to be a new standard for some time, would it not have been better for Freeview to just wait to become a full HD service.

Being first to the market isn't that much of an advantage if you haven't got the right product and I can see in 6 or 12 months the grumbling starting to emerge from that 5% or so that can't get an Freeview HD service. These will probably be the same 5% who won't be looking forward to high speed internet.

eXDee

4032 posts

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#131842 19-May-2008 17:39

cyril7: DVB-S2 just provides a higher density modulation scheme (8PSK) that allows more bitrate in the same bandwidth (around 40% more) than DVB-S's QPSK, but nothing stops putting an mpeg4 HD stream on the current system.

All the HD offering on Sky will be DVB-S using mpeg4 as the video codec. These streams will be slotted in with current mpeg2 SD streams, obviously only MySkyHD boxs will be pointed to decode those mpeg4 streams, and older boxs only to mpeg2 SD streams. Obviously Sky will be deploying more transponders to roll out the HD service, they have 2 more tranpsonders (4muxs) capacity to go on D1, so there should be no problem pushing several HD streams in at roughly 3 mpeg4 HD/mux or 6-8mpeg2 SD streams/mux.

Cyril

I'm guessing since they have the streams so crappy as it is on SD, this means that they will probably have low end HD (oxymoron)?
I suppose they could sell higher bitrate SD as HD and people would beleive it, sometimes watching sky sport is like youtube quality.

NZRobin

161 posts

Master Geek

#131861 19-May-2008 18:42

I guess that freeview could always decide to upgrade to HD via satellite at some stage in the future. After all there was no mention of HD at all when freeview was first announced.
I guess its a bandwidth thing and when/if they get enough people onto Freeview then it might become more cost effective to rent the extra satellite space.
They already have there own infrastructure in place to transmit terrestrially and will be able to transmit a lot more this way when the space becomes available at analog close down.

To be honest if they had gone HD-Sat then I would invest in that instead to get any other channel that I might be able to pick up. As it is I wont get either until at least one of three things happen, I get a flat-screen (prefably with a digital tuner and LED backlight) to make use of that HD, Sky allows Prime onto Freeview or decent HD PVR's are produced, (or I get a HTPC).

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eXDee

4032 posts

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#131931 19-May-2008 21:55

Freeview Terrestrials intention is to replace analogue terrestrial eventually, so thats why they are investing so much in it, rather than satellite.

compost

295 posts

Ultimate Geek

#131940 19-May-2008 22:35

sbiddle: I completely fail to understand why the media seem to think that Freeview and Sky are competing products because they aren't!

So if they aren't competing, why can't you get Prime on Freeview? And where's TVNZ 6 & 7 on Sky?

Any stb based broadcast system is a potential threat to Sky because it can be configured for pay channels, and Freeview broadcasters would be foolish to ignore the potential revenue stream. In fact oxymoronic Freeview pay channels have already been mooted.

compost (7/3/08): The collective purchasing power of the Freeview broadcasters may be sufficient to compete with Sky so this potential alliance must be cracked at all costs, probably by offering up a lolly scramble of FTA rights and content snippets.

This move by TV3 could be the start of a slippery slope that leaves Freeview a lame duck with little compelling content. Since the government will have egg on its face if Freeview fails, it makes me wonder if they won't offer a subsidy to stop TV3 defecting.

A time-poor geek is hardly a geek at all

browned

636 posts

Ultimate Geek

#132001 20-May-2008 11:06

This move by TV3 could be the start of a slippery slope that leaves Freeview a lame duck with little compelling content. Since the government will have egg on its face if Freeview fails, it makes me wonder if they won't offer a subsidy to stop TV3 defecting.

Freeview is a replacement for analogue services. Freeview will not fail unless 90+% of NZ'er get Sky HD and it is against my religion to pay for TV with ad's in it and I am sure that will apply to others as well.

Prime will be on Freeview...but not until the analogue switch off in about 20.... who really knows.

NZ is ahead of the game for HD, we have jumped straight into it with mpeg4 and surrond sound which is brilliant. Freeview are just reducing their costs by doing this now instead of more upgrades later on.

I was in the UK up until Feb 07 and the freeview content was great, lots of tv channels, lots of radio, but it was mpeg2. Millions in the UK brought into it and got boxes, tv's with mpeg2. In fact freeview passed Sky as the largest digital service in late 2006 in the UK. Now they are moving to HD and a lot of the TV’s and boxes will not handle it. This means more upgrades for the average jo.

Freeview has done the job right in NZ, now they just need to push for more content, more channels, be it radio or just old programs repeated.

Cheers

old3eyes

9112 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#132033 20-May-2008 12:53

browned:

Freeview has done the job right in NZ, now they just need to push for more content, more channels, be it radio or just old programs repeated.

Cheers
DB

Agree 100% with you. I just hope that freeview doesn't fall over leaving HD to go the way it has in Ozz or worst only on Sky..

Regards,

Old3eyes

compost

295 posts

Ultimate Geek

#132168 20-May-2008 20:57

I was in the UK up until Feb 07 and the freeview content was great, lots of tv channels, lots of radio, but it was mpeg2. Millions in the UK brought into it and got boxes, tv's with mpeg2. In fact freeview passed Sky as the largest digital service in late 2006 in the UK.

Sky UK also introduced Freesat to try and keep people on their technology, but Freeview UK had managed to build up sufficient momentum to be able to resist this.

Freeview is a replacement for analogue services. Freeview will not fail unless 90+% of NZ'er get Sky HD and it is against my religion to pay for TV with ad's in it and I am sure that will apply to others as well.

Prime will be on Freeview...but not until the analogue switch off in about 20.... who really knows.

I wish I had your confidence...Sky NZ won't be blindsided by Freeview like Sky UK was. They have the advantage of hindsight. I wouldn't be surprised if Freesat for Sky NZ is in the works - in which case they would be trying to gauge the latest possible introduction to ensure Freeview is consigned to a bit part in digital TV while minimising revenue cannibalisation due to their own customers downgrading.

A time-poor geek is hardly a geek at all

browned

636 posts

Ultimate Geek

#132252 21-May-2008 08:36

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4554976a13.html - Big implications for sky, are they another Telecom in NZ and going to get forced into a split.

Free Sat is already here - namely Freeview DVB-S, buy the decoder and nothing else, no dish, no special cabling. Sky will have to give connections away or have a lot of extra channels included to make this work in NZ.

Cheers
DB

compost

295 posts

Ultimate Geek

#132907 23-May-2008 21:54

browned:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4554976a13.html - Big implications for sky, are they another Telecom in NZ and going to get forced into a split.

Free Sat is already here - namely Freeview DVB-S, buy the decoder and nothing else, no dish, no special cabling. Sky will have to give connections away or have a lot of extra channels included to make this work in NZ.

Cheers
DB

Erm are we on the same page, I'm talking about Freesat from Sky UK which is Sky UK's attempt to keep people on its stbs so they can be upsold in future - it was too little too late. Similarly Sky NZ would be able to offer some unmatchable content if they launched a free digital satellite service.

A time-poor geek is hardly a geek at all

eXDee

4032 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#132922 23-May-2008 23:09

browned:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4554976a13.html - Big implications for sky, are they another Telecom in NZ and going to get forced into a split.

Free Sat is already here - namely Freeview DVB-S, buy the decoder and nothing else, no dish, no special cabling. Sky will have to give connections away or have a lot of extra channels included to make this work in NZ.

Cheers
DB

That Aussie legislation sounds good, when we were on the gold coast all the big AFL and rugby games seemed to be on free to air channels.

Interesting that they called to have the company split though....

I have a feeling sky will perhaps do something drastic like bringing prime to freeview to try and prevent something like this, which would probably cause a lot more losses than for example bringing prime to freeview.

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