Mainland TV to Introduce digital TV channels along side Freeview

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andrewcnz

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Topic # 87977 12-Aug-2011 06:24

Now terrestrial digital TV is on air in the Nelson region, Mainland is planning to introduce a number of new terrestrial digital TV channels including its current TV channels along side Freeview...

Press Release.

http://www.7-media.net/mainland/Mainland-technical/Press-release-MTV-5-Aug-2011.htm

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Reply # 505594 12-Aug-2011 15:19

Great news! Freeview is really starting to speed up in getting the new channels since the recent expansion of coverage.

mm1352000

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Reply # 505817 12-Aug-2011 23:07

Is it just me or do people think that "alongside" is a keyword here? To me that press release reads like Mainland is going to broadcast using the same technology as Freeview HD but that they're not actually going to pay Freeview to be a part of the official Freeview channel lineup...

mm

codyc1515

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Reply # 505825 12-Aug-2011 23:21

mm1352000: Is it just me or do people think that "alongside" is a keyword here? To me that press release reads like Mainland is going to broadcast using the same technology as Freeview HD but that they're not actually going to pay Freeview to be a part of the official Freeview channel lineup...

mm

Yes, the fact they say "a number of channels" and "alongside" in the same sentence makes me think that it may not be with Freeview specifically.

nigelj

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Reply # 505831 12-Aug-2011 23:45

Considering that the press release says:

The Ministry has offered us channel 26 at Observatory hill and channel 27 at our new Takaka hill site so we are in the process of installing the new digital system.

Sounds like it definitely is alongside, although I do find it a bit odd that they are recommending removing the reflectors off the aerials (I take it that means those little wing thingys right?), I thought they were meant to improve signal strength.

(I would guess that there is nothing stopping them adding their UHF transmitter as part of the official Freeview platform in their area though, it'd just be like the TVNZ/Mediaworks/Kordia transmitters).

What will be interesting is how they do the EPG, because I'd guess unless the transmitter becomes part of Freeview it won't get in on the Freeview MHEG5 EPG.

mm1352000

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Reply # 505843 13-Aug-2011 00:03

Yes, I'm wondering about EPG too. I could be wrong, but I think the reflector makes an aerial more directional - not an aerial tech though...

codyc1515

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Reply # 505851 13-Aug-2011 00:49

mm1352000: Yes, I'm wondering about EPG too. I could be wrong, but I think the reflector makes an aerial more directional - not an aerial tech though...

From my experience with antennas in the past this would seem to be a correct statement.
As for the EPG, I don't find the MHEG EPG useful personally, just the EIT EPG.

sunfolk

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Reply # 506529 15-Aug-2011 00:52

Yagi Antenna 101.

Tv Antenna made up of three elements. Directors/Dipole/Reflector.

Function of directors is to increase forward gain (think of it as a zoom on binoculars).
Function of Dipole (this is the bit your coaxial cable connects to through the balun) is to collect the signal and send to your TV.
Function of Reflectors is to improve the front to back ratio gain of the antenna.
IE the reflectors make the antenna favour recieving signals looking forward, rather than behind it.

Gary Watson by suggesting that SOME Nelson city peeps can RX his broadcast by removing the reflectors on their Antenna is taking the piss.

removing the reflectors will degrade the signals from the Tx the antenna is pointed at, and reduce the f/b ratio enabling reception of signals `behind` the antenna.

Sorry to ramble but its late need sleeps....
Allan

wmoore

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Reply # 506591 15-Aug-2011 09:42

mm1352000: Is it just me or do people think that "alongside" is a keyword here? To me that press release reads like Mainland is going to broadcast using the same technology as Freeview HD but that they're not actually going to pay Freeview to be a part of the official Freeview channel lineup...

mm

Isn't this just going to confuse people more. To the man on the street Freeview is digital FTA TV.
Wouldn't make more sense to have it on the 'freeview' platform.

"In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." -
-- Abraham lincoln

mm1352000

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Reply # 506602 15-Aug-2011 10:04

Ahhhh, but you see that costs money!

richms

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Reply # 506983 15-Aug-2011 20:11

So they are doing digital but from a different site? WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY SMOKING?!

Richard rich.ms

Jacobc

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Reply # 507049 15-Aug-2011 23:05

They really need to simplify things. A clear website with a clear program guide and channel names that people will understand. Specific show names listed instead of just "Documentary" or "world news" Otherwise they just end up confusing people. They have some nice docos and they even played Heston's feasts before tv1. But I really don't want to watch shows puled from satellites which seems to make up about half their programming. Hopefully they polish up their new channels a bit better.

Biggles69

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Reply # 507256 16-Aug-2011 12:23

richms: So they are doing digital but from a different site? WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY SMOKING?!

Why all the negativity? You’re getting more Free Digital TV.

I don’t see why there would be confusion ‘Freeview’ isn’t a channel it’s a lame branding exercise, it’s a collection of channels and your TV or Set top box doesn’t care it just allows you to watch the channels if finds after you do a scan.

The reason Mainland isn’t broadcasting on ‘Freeview’ is due to the extremely high cost of being included on the terrestrial Freeview TX, and why should Mainland pay when they already have well established TX sites, which they offered to provide as a TX base for Freeview for a fraction of the cost that the Govt paid to the other providers, you could have had terrestrial digital ages ago and not have wasted money on a sat box in the meantime.

Freeview is NOT a good thing, it’s very restrictive, MHEG5 EPG is crap compared to EIT EPG, and the official Set top boxes are a joke compared to the unofficial ones and then there’s the cost of them, in Australia you can buy a set top box from the supermarket for $30 or a 500gig HD recorder capable of recording 4 channels at once for $500 from the major chain stores.

mm1352000

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Reply # 507295 16-Aug-2011 13:29

Freeview is NOT a good thing, it’s very restrictive

I don't think that has a whole lot to do with Freeview or even the broadcasters. The broadcasters are just adhering to the restrictions that are put on them by the content owners/producers that they buy their content from. Don't you think Mainland would be in the same position if they were showing "Hollywood" content? Which would you rather have - free content with restrictions, paid content with restrictions, or no content?

MHEG5 EPG is crap compared to EIT EPG

EIT is just the same raw data so I don't really get what you're saying there. In my opinion you're just as likely to find boxes that have rubbish EIT EPG screens/functions.

...and the official Set top boxes are a joke compared to the unofficial ones...

Again - the broadcasters (who had a hand in forming the Freeview entity) have their hands tied by the content owners/producers. Boxes' functions must be restricted to the satisfaction of the content owners.

...and then there’s the cost of them, in Australia you can buy a set top box from the supermarket for $30 or a 500gig HD recorder capable of recording 4 channels at once for $500 from the major chain stores.

Compliance testing isn't cheap I'm sure - and the more feature-rich the device, the more testing that has to be applied. I don't blame Freeview for requiring it as consumers will have expectations about the performance of Freeview-certified devices. Freeview have a brand image to maintain.

nigelj

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Reply # 507320 16-Aug-2011 14:18

mm1352000:
Freeview is NOT a good thing, it’s very restrictive

I don't think that has a whole lot to do with Freeview or even the broadcasters. The broadcasters are just adhering to the restrictions that are put on them by the content owners/producers that they buy their content from. Don't you think Mainland would be in the same position if they were showing "Hollywood" content? Which would you rather have - free content with restrictions, paid content with restrictions, or no content?

There is nothing (in my opinion) wrong with Freeview, except perhaps the advertisements they use to try and get people to switch. My impression is that the Freeview consortium (which from my calculation is formed by the owners of 11 of the 19 TV/Radio channels on the Auckland Muxes) have very little control over broadcasting, except for technical constraints that the Freeview certified TVs/STBs etc have to meet.

MHEG5 EPG is crap compared to EIT EPG

EIT is just the same raw data so I don't really get what you're saying there. In my opinion you're just as likely to find boxes that have rubbish EIT EPG screens/functions.

I agree w/ mm here, my experience with TVs in Australia (that for reference, iirc use EIT) was absolute garbage, it may be good for people with MythTV setups etc but the MHEG5 EPG we have here, for aesthetics sake and for functionality, is spot on. Frequently in Australia my (EIT fed) EPG on my TV (and also on a TV at work) was missing half the time, incomplete a quarter of the time, and slow/awful the other quarter of the time. I was very thankful for the Channel 7/Yahoo online EPG and the Foxtel iQ EPG when I was over there.

Also, the MHEG5 offers a couple of good things that EIT doesn't, for instance the EPG 'look' is consistent between STB manufacturers, TV's etc so once you've seen it and used it, it'll be the same.

The other important thing that MHEG5 offers, is control by Freeview etc to make it accessible friendly, I have poor eyesight, and can easily read the Freeview EPG from a decent distance without glasses, where the TV menus/etc are not very readable. TV manufacturers may not always think about that (especially ones that are trying to do it for as cheap as possible).

(SNIP point of mm's that I definitely agree with)

...and then there’s the cost of them, in Australia you can buy a set top box from the supermarket for $30 or a 500gig HD recorder capable of recording 4 channels at once for $500 from the major chain stores.

Compliance testing isn't cheap I'm sure - and the more feature-rich the device, the more testing that has to be applied. I don't blame Freeview for requiring it as consumers will have expectations about the performance of Freeview-certified devices. Freeview have a brand image to maintain.

Freeview is a brand, so they have a right to certify/not certify what they want, they've taken the time to make things accessible for people with poor eyesight etc, They want people to go for their 'brand' for that reason.

As for $50 STBs in Australia, important to note, that Australia is still only MPEG-2 where we have MPEG-4 for video, also NZ STBs need to be able to process Dolby Digital & AAC-LATM audio streams, add to it the possible cost of licensing MHEG-5, it could add up).

My earlier comment about the Mainland TV move, is if they aren't going to join Freeview, how will Freeview TVs/STBs cope with two different EPG sources, that could be where some issues like I had with Australian EIT EPGs start coming in (can't view the EPG for Mainland/Freeview without switching channels etc).

richms

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Reply # 507398 16-Aug-2011 15:47

There are mpeg4 HD boxes in AU for sub $100 - just look at the AU DSE site.

http://dicksmith.com.au/product/GH5915/topfield-freeview-high-definition-set-top-box

Am tempted to get one of them and see if it deals with the standard 8MHz stepping used in NZ or not. Being that its from a vaugely known brand it may have generic firmware available if needed.

Richard rich.ms

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