You Ask Freeview (June 2011 round) #AskFreeviewNZ

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#486352 27-Jun-2011 11:13

Why was the decision made to install the Invercargill HD transmitter at Forest Hill and not Hedgehope where the current terrestrial transmitter is located?

The existing hedgehope transmitter provides service for a lot of southland including Invercargill and Gore.

The new HD transmitter at Forest Hill only really services Invercargill so Gore and a lot of other smaller southland towns have missed out.

Why??

DaMo73

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#486356 27-Jun-2011 11:26

@marmel This is what was posted in another forum here on Geekzone and would most likely answer your question.

wellygary:
DaMo73:
The only issue I have with them installing the transmitter @ Forest Hill is that areas like Wyndham and Otautau miss out entirely. I just don't understand why they couldn't have installed it at Hedgehope and even one of my friends on Facebook by the name of Andrew Joll posted a blog detailing why it would have been better for it to be at Hedgehope.

My understanding is that it basically came down to $$$, Culture and Heritage wanted the most coverage for the least amount of $$ spent for the entire nation wide digital expansion.

Using alternative sites (JDA) may save enough money to allow an whole additional town to be added to the rollout, So yes you lose some coverage, but you make up for it with more coverage in other new areas. -but it still doesn't help the people who on the outskirts.

mm1352000

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#486365 27-Jun-2011 11:38

Yeah, you might want to read this thread: http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=83&topicid=85702

Apparently Freeview had nothing to do with the decisions over who should be given the expansion contracts.

Brunzy

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#486384 27-Jun-2011 12:21

geek4me: Are there plans to boost the signal strength from existing Freeview transmitters that provide a marginal signal with loss of picture in bad weather like the one at Haywards serving Upper Hutt?

I would'nt say that is a Txmitter fault , more like your signal is not far enough above threshold

geek4me

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#486440 27-Jun-2011 14:37

Brunzy:
geek4me: Are there plans to boost the signal strength from existing Freeview transmitters that provide a marginal signal with loss of picture in bad weather like the one at Haywards serving Upper Hutt?

I would'nt say that is a Txmitter fault , more like your signal is not far enough above threshold

I agree it's not a transmitter fault, just looking for a stronger signal but I suspect that once a transmitter is in place it is never boosted up to give a better signal/coverage hence the question. I'm in Trentham on the flat with an extra tall and long aerial but it's still marginal when rainy.

richms

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#486444 27-Jun-2011 14:41

I know in the UK there was plans to increase the digital strength once analog was gone from a site, as they were worried about it causing interference to people receiving analog. IMO that concern is stupid as the interference would just make people more likely to move to digital.

Richard rich.ms

Jimmy22

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#486459 27-Jun-2011 15:29

would it be possible to run a short term 3d broadcast like the "HD channel" in the near future for limited hours of the day to let us all know how the existing equipment will cope ? has anyone mentioned a channel for 3D rugby world cup games via freeview ?

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illicit

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#487666 30-Jun-2011 08:30

Regarding advertising;

1) If they are not confused by the poorly conveyed information, then the strange/unnecessary animations will either distract, annoy or cause people to 'switch off' and ignore the advert.

2) The current animated blob riding a whale has no relationship to the information that needs to be portrayed. (the older generations have NO IDEA what it is these adverts are trying to portray - I know this is fact as I have been in their house working and asked them "what was that advert about that was just on?" - The Answer = "I have no idea!")

3) The adverts should be designed to inform the masses, not sell them something.
There is no need to employ flashy animations and TV personalities to convey information in a strange, dis-jointed way.

I think most would agree that the advertising needs to be plain and informative. (No unrelated animations - just one person giving info with helpful shots of current aerials/dishes and analogue TVs and shots of what will be used in future.

- Ideally broken up into 'blocks' of info (ie: start with what is going to happen in 2012/13 and why).
- Run each block of info for a period (1 or 2 months?)
- Move on to the next block of info.

4a) Print advertising should be portrayed in the same plain and informative way ie: EQC style.
It should also match the current info block being run on TV.

4b) Articles in Local papers featuring info on Freeview NEEDS to be checked/approved first, there is too much misinformation going out that is confusing the general population.

5) Retail store staff need to have a decent product/service knowledge session in regard to Freeview as I have found that there is just as much misinformation coming from salespeople as there is from any other source. ( As a local installer I am more than happy to spend an hour or two of my time with the local salespeople at a product knowledge session, as it would save me hours of repetitive phone calls from confused citizens asking why their CRT needs to be thrown out next month.)

Myself and many others consider the current advertising for Freeview to be a wasted effort.

I'm sure the plain adverts will be cheaper to produce - allowing more adverts to be placed across more mediums, therefore achieving the goal of informing the masses.

In short, the above is not really a question but a summation of views expressed here on Geekzone by the small population of well informed New Zealanders. I hope this is given some serious thought/discussion and I'm sure the folks here at Geekzone are more than happy to help out in any way possible.

grolschie

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#487706 30-Jun-2011 09:53

Something like this would be helpful:
http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=83&topicid=85474#483226

grolschie

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#487707 30-Jun-2011 09:53

Something like this would be helpful:
http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=83&topicid=85474#483226

Although, CRTs will still work with many set top boxes.

bfginger

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#488420 1-Jul-2011 20:28

When viewed on the popular MagicTV MyFreeview|HD receiver and PVR, the channels on the Kordia mux have elevated black levels meaning darker areas of the image look washed out and whitish, meaning alot of content looks horrible. I have been told this is because the Kordia mux encodes black and white as video levels unlike the other two muxes which encode them as PC levels. If this is the case, this likely means either the MagicTV received Freeview approval despite not being fully compatible with Freeview|HD, or Kordia is broadcasting outside of specification. Could this please be fixed?

Is it true that eight new channels will soon be launching on Freeview|HD in Auckland?

Has the Panasonic DMR-BWT700GZ been MyFreeview|HD approved? It isn't listed on the Freeview website but sellers are saying it has Freeview HD tuners.

With the number of channels there is now on the Kordia Freeview|HD mux the bitrate allocated to each individual channel is relatively low and the broadcast quality is poor. The Parliament TV channel on the Kordia mux does not broadcast any programming 98% of the time but instead shows a static image. Over a 10 minute period I recorded both Prime and Parliament TV while it was in static-image mode and was surprised to find that Parliament TV had 78% of the bitrate Prime had over that period. I presume the situation is similar for Parliament TV on the satellite. Could the bitrate on Parliament TV be moderated when it is not broadcasting content, for the benefit of channels people are watching?

The OTA MHEG-5 EPG can be slow to load and navigate at times. Will the EPG be made available over the internet to internet-enabled Freeview receivers in the future for faster operation?

It has been noticed that some Freeview PVRs have had the electronics required for a true standby mode omitted meaning they use what over time amounts to be a significant quantity of electricity while in their quasi standby mode. Will Freeview go "green" and require Freeview approved devices to have a true standby mode, or require them to go low-power in standby mode to receive an additional accreditation? STBs without genuine standby modes are being recognised overseas as a significant contributor to overall electricity usage.

Will on-demand services like those by TVNZ and TV3 be made available to internet-enabled Freeview receivers at some point in the future?

We know being Freeview approved means certain things like supporting the MHEG-5 EPG, but should buyers consider being Freeview approved as signifying a device is a quality product from a hardware and software point of view?

Jimmy22

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#488438 1-Jul-2011 21:19

Bfginger you are a legend, no that wasn't a question but let it stay anyway eh ?
i would love to see the answers to those questions .... looking forward to it !

mm1352000

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#488485 2-Jul-2011 02:02

This is a really technical one, but I wouldn't know who else to ask:

Why are the centre frequency values in the NIT terrestrial delivery system descriptor all set to 0? It would help some receivers scan more quickly if the values were set properly.
(Note: location = Manawatu, tx = Wharite)

sbiddle

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#488504 2-Jul-2011 08:22

bfginger: Is it true that eight new channels will soon be launching on Freeview|HD in Auckland?

There is a discussion on this here. These aren't Freeview channels, merely additional DVB-T channels.

Flippikat

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#490344 6-Jul-2011 23:11

geek4me: Are there plans to boost the signal strength from existing Freeview transmitters that provide a marginal signal with loss of picture in bad weather like the one at Haywards serving Upper Hutt?

I agree.. How about standardising signal strength of the mux, so all 3 come through with the same power?

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