Live matches in afternoon (West Coast and Fremantle playing away interstate) are also shown live on Seven in Perth.
True johnno the last few weeks the Sunday game from Perth has been delayed
Does anyone know if 7HD is available on Foxtel yet?
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Not as yet AFIAK
If AFL is the reason for the Syd/Bris/Perth 7mateHD decision, then 7 should make both 7 and 7mate MPEG 4 HD.
But with an MPEG2 SD simulcast of 7 only (7mate MPEG4 HD only, not MPEG2 HD as it is now).
They could reduce the bitrates of the current 7 and 7mate streams to achieve this (since MPEG4 is more efficient).
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I really like that idea! I think that HD versions of both Seven & 7mate would be very achievable with MPEG4. Picture quality wise, both could look reasonable enough if they were in MPEG4 with about 3.5-4mbps or so.
Realistically though, I don’t think that Seven (or indeed, any network) would be brave enough to convert either of their “main” multichannels to MPEG4-only just yet. A year or so from now? Maybe…
I really don’t understand Australian networks sometimes - especially surprised Sydney is being sold short.
Agree offering 7mate in MPEG4 HD would be the better option, although with enough notice (a couple of months perhaps) for those without capable receivers to do something about it. The current strategy just means they’re doing nothing and if they think about switching them to MPEG4 this time next year most the audience will be in the same position.
7 Melb HD Currently running at 1920x1080 MPEG4 4.60 - 5mbps Nbc Today is HD & 7 news studio shots are HD but the intro graphics are SD
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7HD is already showing on Foxtel set-top-boxes on 207 with 7mate moved to 188
What does the watermark look like on 7 HD in Melbourne? Does it say HD in watermark?
No. It is exactly the same the normal 7 watermark.
Seven’s Olympic HD watermark during their coverage of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing
Seven HD Sport watermark during the 2010 Australian Open
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So let me get this straight
Adelaide and Melbourne are the only markets to get the new 7HD
Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sydney & Perth don’t get it?
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So far it appears they get 7mate HD instead.
Yep, Sydney, Brisbane/Gold Coast and Perth get 7mate HD because Seven/the AFL wants all metro markets to see AFL coverage in HD…so I’m lead to believe.
This is perhaps the most bizarre HD strategy ever concocted.
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I wonder how many people are going to tune into 7mate for the AFL and get angry because it’s in SD (and because 70 is labeled 7HD).
Is Seven going to inform Syd/Bris/Per 7mate viewers that it can be seen in HD on 70?
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Hopefully, Seven will update the LCN name to “7mate HD Sydney” (as an example) before too long if that’s the strategy they want to go with.
Although I would personally still prefer to see a HD simulcast of the main channel. One really hopes that they’ll flick the switch from 7mate HD to Seven HD in Sydney, Brisbane/Gold Coast and Perth before the ABC beats them to the punch with a HD simulcast of their main channel (knowing the ABC, everyone should get this)! 
I’m guessing probably not.
Surely the long term plan is to make 70 the main channel in all markets- otherwise they’ve done a heap of reshuffling for nothing.
My theory for the current launch state is:
a) They want to get AFL to launch in HD in all metro markets- which is a good strategy in itself to stop viewers getting pissed off. This could also be linked to the AFL right deal.
b) They not yet setup to actually have another channel playing out to be able to do moan channel on 70 eveywhere, and then just breakaway for AFL matches.
So basically 7/7HD and 7mate/7mateHD run off the same program/ad stream and just have different encoders. Adding an encoder to add HD to the mux is not too much equipment that wouldn’t take up too much extra space in the control room.
Adding an extra program stream could require adding new control desks and monitoring screens, which comparitively take up more space and are more pieces of gear, so could be harder to organise.
This would also explain the watermarks being the same, and could also explain why 7Qld only got one stream of 7flix.
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