POLL: MediaWorks 'FOUR' will only be in SD, start your 'we want it in HD' vote HERE!

Forums › Freeview (DVB-T/DVB-S) › POLL: MediaWorks 'FOUR' will only be in SD, start your 'we want it in HD' vote HERE!

wilt64

246 posts

Master Geek

#76247 31-Jan-2011 12:02

Looks like FOUR http://www.four.co.nz/ will be in SD for now. read the post a comment here http://www.c4tv.co.nz/Home/Four/tabid/1408/Default.aspx I think it is a backwards step, shows like the Simpsons, survivor, and other popular shows which at present are in HD will be in SD. I think we all should start a partition and view out disappointment, so here we go I have started a “Doodle pole” so start voting!!!

http://www.doodle.com/rqcu7bzv9tdepeek

More info on FOUR

http://www.four.co.nz/

http://www.c4tv.co.nz/Home/Four/tabid/1408/Default.aspx

Cheers

Mike

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#433147 31-Jan-2011 12:05

Good luck...

gehenna

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#433159 31-Jan-2011 12:18

Do they even have the bandwidth for HD?

wilt64

246 posts

Master Geek

#433161 31-Jan-2011 12:19

SteveON: Good luck...

Thanks for that....not sure what this will do but lets give it a try!! I will run the Doodle vote for a couple of weeks then I will send the link to mediaworks hopefully we should have a few votes by then!!

wilt64

246 posts

Master Geek

#433162 31-Jan-2011 12:21

gehenna: Do they even have the bandwidth for HD?

Yes i believe so TVNZ have TV1,TV2 in 1080i and TVNZ6/7 in SD on one mux can't see why Mediaworks can't do it??

dolsen

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#433164 31-Jan-2011 12:24

gehenna: Do they even have the bandwidth for HD?

Well, there's a bit of bandwidth with the tv3+1...

Not much technical info on the official site.
Satellite + terrestrial, or, just terrestrial (assume both as they didn't specify).
Audio formats supported?

A bit of a backwards step if your programs were on tv3 and get moved.

wilt64

246 posts

Master Geek

#433167 31-Jan-2011 12:38

dolsen:
gehenna: Do they even have the bandwidth for HD?

Well, there's a bit of bandwidth with the tv3+1...

Not much technical info on the official site.
Satellite + terrestrial, or, just terrestrial (assume both as they didn't specify).
Audio formats supported?

A bit of a backwards step if your programs were on tv3 and get moved.

TV3+1 is only in SD, so on MediaWorks you have TV3 (HD 1080i and DD5.1), TV3+1 SD C4 SD(from this Sunday will be called FOUR and C4 will be moving to C42 in SD and C42 looks like it is going to be axed)
So on the MediaWorks mux you have one channel in HD and 3 in SD

bfginger

1269 posts

Uber Geek

#433349 31-Jan-2011 19:05

To be honest it looks like FOUR is just C4 with the name rebranded and fewer music videos.

I'd prefer they went to 720p than 1080i as it doesn't need quite as much bandwidth.

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Flippikat

156 posts

Master Geek

#433367 31-Jan-2011 20:09

wilt64:
dolsen:
gehenna: Do they even have the bandwidth for HD?

Well, there's a bit of bandwidth with the tv3+1...

Not much technical info on the official site.
Satellite + terrestrial, or, just terrestrial (assume both as they didn't specify).
Audio formats supported?

A bit of a backwards step if your programs were on tv3 and get moved.

?

TV3+1 is only in SD, so on MediaWorks you have TV3 (HD 1080i and DD5.1), TV3+1 SD?C4 SD(from this Sunday will be called FOUR and?C4 will be moving to C42 in SD and C42 looks like it is going to be axed)
So on the MediaWorks mux you have one channel in HD and 3 in SD

I agree. Fans of the shows that move to Four have good reason to feel frustrated.

The only thing stopping Four from being HD as well as TV3 is cost, I suppose.

Going a bit OT, but with all the activity going on between Four, C4 and C42, I wonder if there are any eventual plans to do something different with the space used by TV3+1??
Sports is probably out of their reach, given that Sky have almost everything, but there are other niche ideas that they could attempt...

nigelj

856 posts

Ultimate Geek

#433376 31-Jan-2011 20:21

wilt64: Looks like FOUR http://www.four.co.nz/ will be in SD for now. read the post a comment here http://www.c4tv.co.nz/Home/Four/tabid/1408/Default.aspx I think it is a backwards step, shows like the Simpsons, survivor, and other popular shows which at present are in HD will be in SD. I think we all should start a partition and view out disappointment, so here we go I have started a “Doodle pole” so start voting!!!

http://www.doodle.com/rqcu7bzv9tdepeek

More info on FOUR

http://www.four.co.nz/

http://www.c4tv.co.nz/Home/Four/tabid/1408/Default.aspx

Cheers

Mike

To be honest, I don't mind either way, I see little point in 'flat' cartoons transmitted in HD (Simpsons/South Park etc for example) and as far as shows like How I Met Your Mother, I don't see much point in having them in HD. If Four was going to show Sports on the other hand, yeah, HD might have some merit, but my guess is that the few sports Mediaworks still have rights to, will be shown on TV3 in HD.

It really does sound like Mediaworks is following the model used by their sister channel Ten in Australia, sports in HD, main channel + supplementary channels in SD.

sbiddle

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#433397 31-Jan-2011 21:14

Have you seen Media Works' current balance sheet? If not you might want to look at it.

One thing us HD fans forget is that the vast majority of viewers still don't care about HD 5.1 content. Spending money that won't generate any extra return in revenue isn't a great business case.

openmedia

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#433406 31-Jan-2011 21:22

I'd love to see FOUR appear in HD, but for the moment I'm just pleased that Mediaworks are bringing a bit more variety to the TV market,

Generally known online as OpenMedia, now working for Red Hat APAC as a Technology Evangelist and Portfolio Architect. Still playing with MythTV and digital media on the side.

Flippikat

156 posts

Master Geek

#433412 31-Jan-2011 21:28

nigelj: To be honest, I don't mind either way, I see little point in 'flat' cartoons transmitted in HD (Simpsons/South Park etc for example) and as far as shows like How I Met Your Mother, I don't see much point in having them in HD.? If Four was going to show Sports on the other hand, yeah, HD might have some merit, but my guess is that the few sports Mediaworks still have rights to, will be shown on TV3 in HD.

It really does sound like Mediaworks is following the model used by their sister channel Ten in Australia, sports in HD, main channel + supplementary channels in SD.

I'm not sure if that's a reasonable

while TV3 is the only Mediaworks channel to carry sport, it is not a dedicated sports channel like One HD in Australia.

in fact, it would be pretty hard for any free-to-air dedicated sports channel to exist in NZ.

There are only 3 ways I think it could happen:

* NZ's population to explode to the point where free-to-air channel advertising can get enough money to outbid Sky for the rights to sports (unlikely)

* The Government to introduce anti-syphoning laws, preventing Sky being able to bid for some rights. (Unlikely, it would slash the money sports bodies get for rights too)

* Sky to create a Free To Air sports channel (perhaps a use for one of it's UHF frequencies?).... Even though it's a long shot, this is the most likely.

The best way for Mediaworks to use a HD channel might just be a FTA movie channel, but they might need to be creative with advertising..

muppet

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#433414 31-Jan-2011 21:31

One thing us HD fans forget is that the vast majority of viewers still don't care about HD 5.1 content. Spending money that won't generate any extra return in revenue isn't a great business case.

Indeed. I'm in this camp. We have a big stupid HD TV and I couldn't give a rats for HD. Sorry, but I just don't. I hate the terrible compression that Sky use, because you notice that. SD vs HD, sure, HD looks good but it doesn't make much difference at the end of the day to me.

Edit: Should I hand in my geek card?

Audiophiles are such twits! They buy such pointless stuff: Gold plated cables, $2000 power cords. Idiots.

OOOHHHH HYPERFIBRE!

Flippikat

156 posts

Master Geek

#433422 31-Jan-2011 21:36

openmedia: I'd love to see FOUR appear in HD, but for the moment I'm just pleased that Mediaworks are bringing a bit more variety to the TV market,

good point.

if the economy picks up as some are saying it will, then advertising money will grow and Freeview's variety may grow even more - because the financial incentive to create more channels will be there.

In hindsight, we had some of the toughest economic conditions to launch a broadcasting platform in.

I'm just hoping that we get Freeview HD expanded before the World Cup, because that event could work as a good driver to get more people on to Freeview.. Morepeople means bigger advertising audience, which means more reasons to grow the range of channels.

mikenzb

371 posts

Ultimate Geek

#433471 31-Jan-2011 23:28

openmedia: I'd love to see FOUR appear in HD, but for the moment I'm just pleased that Mediaworks are bringing a bit more variety to the TV market,

Agreed.

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