You Ask Freeview thread #1

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#166075 21-Sep-2008 19:02

charley:
I watch freeview on a 29" 4:3 tv and get the black boarders all round with alot of c4 programs and a few programs from other channels e.g Celebrity Apprentice, Funniest Home Videos, Wipeout etc
I cant stand watching programs that look like that.

So, this is NORMAL behaviour, either change decoder setting to 4:3 centrecut or buy a widescreen TV. Developing an understanding of the aspect ratios and how they appear given decoder and TV settings is the way to go rather than expecting the channels to start 16:9 zooming 4:3 ratio programs for your benefit - this results in all of 432 lines (out of 576) of vertical resolution.

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charley

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#166094 21-Sep-2008 20:14

Freeview: Is it possible to have programs like Celebrity Apprentice, Funniest Home Videos, Wipeout, Hogan Knows Best, Cops, The Daily Show, The Catherine Tate Show etc displayed fullscreen on 4:3 TV's? And if so when is it going to happen?

@Spyware - my current solution is to record these shows then make the ts file directshow supported so they can be used with avisynth's DirectShowSource and crop to make it be displayed full screen on tv.

cheers

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#166097 21-Sep-2008 20:25

charley: Freeview: Is it possible to have programs like Celebrity Apprentice, Funniest Home Videos, Wipeout, Hogan Knows Best, Cops, The Daily Show, The Catherine Tate Show etc displayed fullscreen on 4:3 TV's? And if so when is it going to happen?

@Spyware - my current solution is to record these shows then make the ts file directshow supported so they can be used with avisynth's DirectShowSource and crop to make it be displayed full screen on tv.

cheers

Could you please create a new thread if you wish this to be discussed further.

These shows are all 4:3 content that is transmissed fulltime in a 16:9 frame. If you're viewing Freeview with a STB on a 4:3 CRT TV and have the STB set to centre cut they will display fullscreen.

Your problem is obviously a setup issue trying to decode Freeview|HD on a PC, then feed the PC it into a 29" CRT TV (I'm guessing using a s-video or composite input) at a much lower resolution while obviously atempting to centre cut it so it displays full screen. It isn't really a Freeview issue as such.

petes117

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#166098 21-Sep-2008 20:26

So to summarise my questions for Freeview:

1) Will we see more Free-to-Air channels such as Prime, Alt TV, Juice in the future?

2) Will there be a standard resolution/bitrate/audio for all channels?

Thank You

BazNZ

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#166106 21-Sep-2008 20:46

Will the racing channel Trackside be coming aboard Freeview anytime soom. The picture on Sky looks terrible on a 50" HDTV

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#166122 21-Sep-2008 21:53

It there an intention to bring back Dolby Digital AC3 audio for TV1 and TV2? This was great during the games on TV1 and has been sorely missed since, when it was stripped without reason. Also, it's hard to understand why the HD Demo channel, which is surely there to captivate an audience, is using a basic AAC soundtrack only. I realise this takes some bandwidth away from the video, but I was under the impression that AC3 would be used when available.

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#166161 22-Sep-2008 09:02

Spyware:
gurthang117:
How about having a standardised video resolution and audio format for all channels, even if the original programme is not recorded in it? i.e 1280x720 50fps and 5.1 AC3 audio

May not be possible due to bandwidth constraints. Each mux can support up to 26 Mbps using DVB-T COFDM 64QAM, FEC 3/4, guard interval 1/16, 8K carriers. 2 x 720p + 3 x 576i is the limit or 2 x 1080i + 2 x 576i. This has been discussed previously and it should be obvious that the laws of physics have been used to determine resolution and bitrate of each channel.

EDIT: Mux bandwidth can not be increased without a change to DVB-T2 which is currently on trial in London.

Possibly a silly question -could they just add more muxes?

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Jaxson

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#166183 22-Sep-2008 10:12

Questions:
Trackside was trialled, is this coming to sat or terrestrial?
Extra sat channels coming to terrestrial, -stratos etc?
Are you developing a new mheg5 EPG to allow for one touch PVR record scheduling etc?
Will DVB-t ever transmit EPG data as EIT format as well?
How many PVR's are you aware of that are submitting for approval?
Prime, cripes sell out and put it on freeview, or push the government to force it PLEASE!
Could a software fix detect black bars on all 4 sides and scale to full screen? -The aspect changes are ridiculous.
Why the compete with SKY, the two are totally different but advertising has suggested Freeview HD is a replacement. (Maybe in 5% of cases where people have base SKY subscription only to view free to air channels)

Comments to common other poster questions:
Traditional analogue TV is cropped to fit a 4:3 TV. Set your freeview units to Pan and Scan, or zoom etc and it will crop your nice widescreen to fill your TV, or will zoom in to remove the black bars. Freeview broadcasts the original aspect ratio, to which you can then do what you want to it.

Freeview HD should be called Freeview UHF. The UHF format allows for HD broadcast where original HD content is available is all.

mattstutter

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#166201 22-Sep-2008 11:05

sorry if this has already been mentioned - don't have time to read all the questions (but no harm in reminding if it has been asked).
Will freeview sort out the volume difference between TVNZ and TV3? I'd prefer if all channels went the way of higher dynamic range at once! It's a dance of the volume control as you change channels currently on the DVB-T HD platform.
Something else they may want to consider as the audio stream goes towards dolby AC3 is adding the dynamic range reduced flag as an option for late night viewing. I've never wanted it with DVD's but for TV it could be VERY useful...

gustov

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#166245 22-Sep-2008 12:42

What efforts is Freeview making to increase the visibility of its (new channel) programme listings in the print media?

The largest circulation newspaper in NZ (The Herald) does not carry any daily programming for TVNZ 6, 7 or Cue. And the "TV Guide' buries the listings away in a couple of square inches of newsprint so there is no space for more than just the programme name.

Quite often the station's own EPG only has a generic listing about a programme, instead of displaying some information about the actual episode - this is particularly annoying with documentaries.

I and many others, undoubtably miss interesting programmes on these channels because they are not being widly published enough.

sbiddle

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#166249 22-Sep-2008 12:56

gustov:
What efforts is Freeview making to increase the visibility of its (new channel) programme listings in the print media?

The largest circulation newspaper in NZ (The Herald) does not carry any daily programming for TVNZ 6, 7 or Cue. And the "TV Guide' buries the listings away in a couple of square inches of newsprint so there is no space for more than just the programme name.

Quite often the station's own EPG only has a generic listing about a programme, instead of displaying some information about the actual episode - this is particularly annoying with documentaries.

I and many others, undoubtably miss interesting programmes on these channels because they are not being widly published enough.

This is a very good point and something I'd like Freeview to answer as well. The Dominion Post is the same - TVNZ6 and TVNZ7 do not appear dspite being FTA channels but channels from Sky do appear. It would also be interesting to hear justification from Fairfax over this as well.

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#166265 22-Sep-2008 13:29

gustov: What efforts is Freeview making to increase the visibility of its (new channel) programme listings in the print media?

This is currently the responsibility of each broadcaster to arrange...

kiwijunglist

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#166325 22-Sep-2008 17:28

1. If / When can we expect to see Prime TV broadcast on freeview DVB-T?

2. Why do TV1/TV2 use progressive and TV3/C4 use interlaced?

3. Is there any plans to introduce 1080P broadcasting now that 1080P displays are more common?

4. When can we expect DVB-T compatible PVRs with 7 day DVB-T EPG data and what is holding this up?

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freitasm

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#167678 29-Sep-2008 09:42

A reminder that I will be closing this thread later today and sending the question to Freeview...

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#167728 29-Sep-2008 12:28

1: Whats happening with Prime & Trackside, alot of comsumers are waiting for these (especially Prime) before getting Freeview. Is this an issue we need to take up with the Govt (petition etc) or is this an issue between SKY (owners of Prime) and Freeview?

2: I would be nice if the Guide data transmitted were in more detail (program descriptions etc) Publishing these in newspapers etc shouldn't be necessary beacause all Freeview receivers can receive the guide data. This will be much more important in the near future as Freeview recorders come into popularity.

3: What can Regions do about speeding up the implementation of HD in their area (ie: South Canterbury) Local fundraising to help pay the cost of equipment (I personally know of alot of support for this if it will get HD here sooner)

4: Are local broadcasters (CTV, Triangle etc) getting assistance or encouragment to to get on Freeview?

5: Is there a year in mind for the analogue cut-off, will it be a rolling cut-off or all at once?

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