What about the USA format with a decimal point in it? That is the main channels would be 2, 3, 7 9, 10, with the multichannels under those, such as the following for 9:
9.1 - SD simulcast
9.2 - 9 Gem
9.3 - 9 Go
9.4 - 9 Life
9.5 - 9 Rush
…etc
4 Likes
I don’t mind the idea but don’t think it’s compatible with the DVB-T standard that we use here. The US uses ATSC which is a completely different and unrelated format.
4 Likes
Does their system require one to press eg. “9 point 2” on a remote to go to 9.2? Or do you just press 9 and then press + or ^ to access it? I think that would confuse a lot of Australians who for instance don’t understand why 7 is on 6 etc,
2 Likes
If I recall correctly from when I was over there last year there’s a “point” button on most TV’s/STBs to access the subchannels. If you don’t put the point in it would default to the .1 channel.
2 Likes
Thanks!
Entering “92” seems easier than “9 point 2”.
3 Likes
Also drop the SD simlcuast
2.1 ABC
2.2 ABC News
2.3 ABC Comedy/Kids
2.4 ABC Me
3 Likes
True. I forgot that was an ATSC thing.
3 Likes
At least ATSC delivers a decent picture now for the Yanks… the old NTSC analogue looked awful.
2 Likes
More or less the former, yeah, it’s either a decimal point or a hyphen symbol (as it can be and is written both ways, either “9.2” or “9-2”). All digital stations have a suffix on their LCN as the unadorned number was used to access the analogue service - no ATV/DTV switching required on the TV necessarily. Also why they simply used the number of the analogue service as the prefix, unless it clashes with a nearby station (and then there’s a process to assign the number).
The latter is not necessarily the case for everyone who uses ATSC - Mexico for instance originally did similar, but then re-aligned the channel LCNs to mimic the channels in Mexico City (which are often the network name or part of it, like ours), except where they couldn’t in cities close to the US border. But there’s not enough networks there to bother with multi-channels - and if they had to, it’d be likely that they’d number them as separate “major” channel numbers rather than “.2” channels.
2 Likes
I actually think the Aussie allocation is very smart - perhaps complicated by the regions but IMO much better to have all the channels from one broadcaster together.
In comparison here on Freeview we have:
- BBC channels on 1, 2, 9/24, 23
- ITV channels on 3, 6, 9, 26, 28 (and +1 channels on 29, 33, 58, 59, 89)
- C4 channels on 4, 13, 14, 18, 31, 49 (+1 on 15, 30, 47)
- C5 channels on 5, 21, 32, 33, 46 (+1 on 38)
HD is a mess on Freeview but main channels are simulcast on 101-105, with additional BBC on 106/107. Kids and news channels are in their own section of the EPG.
5 Likes
If I recall correctly, Japanese TV station LCNs generally follow Tokyo’s assignments albeit with some variations in some prefectures.
But the list generally is:
LCN 1 - NHK General
LCN 2 - NHK Educational
LCN 3 - Independent station
LCN 4 - Nippon TV affiliates
LCN 5 - TV Asahi affiliates
LCN 6 - TBS affiliates
LCN 7 - TV Tokyo affiliates
LCN 8 - Fuji TV affiliates
LCN 9 - Independent station
Hopefully it’s something Australian LCNs move towards to - 1, 2, 3, 7, 9 nation wide.
4 Likes
Call me old fashioned, I would love SBS to have 28, to match their old capital city analogue frequency. As all the other networks are using their old analogue capital city frequency as their main channel LCN.
2 Likes
i would have liked them to have “0” 
4 Likes
ATSC probably just did their channels in that way because you could never get agreement on allocating LCNs in a central way, and their markets are so fluid that what is a clear LCN in one market would be different in another.
I’ve been trying to work this out, but info is very sparse (at least in English), but seems like ISDB as it’s used internationally followed the ATSC way, but in Japan they have a somewhat unique implementation being halfway down the middle, though I believe it’s pretty much all theoretical as I don’t believe any stations multichannel other than 1seg mobile broadcasts.
They assign a single channel number to network - but with 1 through 12 as single ‘numbers’, reflecting legacy VHF channels, and with remotes that typically have 12 number buttons to directly select channel 12 as if 12 was a single digit.
There’s seemingly only sparse usage of this, a few channel 10s exist, but TV Tokyo for example didn’t take up their legacy 12 allocation, I suppose because it put them in a better spot to compete.
If there were multichannels, there’s a choice of either pressing the network button then using the channel up/down, or instead type the channels in manually - the single digit channels map to essentially a .1 channel like the US system - so pressing 2 gives you channel 2.1, but you can choose to directly type in 22 without any extra steps and get the multichannel.
The really useful, but hard to explain feature is that if you get multiple versions of the same channel, they are auto assigned an extra suffix based on signal strength. The best one gets the one button press channel as well as the “0” ending - so channel 2 is also “210” - network 2, channel 1, best signal (0), while a further away signal would get channel 211, network 2, channel 1, signal 1. So either just press 2, or if you know you want the variant, you’d press 211.
It wouldn’t work with the flexibility of DVB/ATSC’s numbering - as 22 and 2.2 wouldn’t be distinguishable without having the reverse of ATSC’s need to press the . button to select a subchannel - but it might have suited Australia
(more reading: http://www.arib.or.jp/english/html/overview/doc/8-TR-B14v3_8-1p3-1-E1.pdf - see the section on branch identifiers)
4 Likes
Perhaps maybe once 9/WIN and 10/SCA are all under common ownership, we will see that happen (and no more duplication on the Gold, Central and Sunshine Coasts).
The other thing I would like to have seen differently is for regional LCNs to be on 4 (Seven), 5 (Nine) and 6 (Ten) so they are in order and together.
8 Likes
Totally agree. Much neater and in the same order.
2 Likes
Except that Ten is actually first on 1, 10 is the first of the 2 number channels, so 4 - Seven, 5 - Nine, & 6 - Ten wouldn’t be in the same order.
Also originally the reason 6 was chosen for Seven regional was because it was the LCN next to 7 & the same for 8 regional & 9 metro, unfortunately there was none available next to 1 (or 10) as 2 & 9 were taken, so 5 was chosen for Ten regional as it’s half of 10.
When the regionals had the networks swap a few years ago, but wouldn’t swap & give up their existing LCN’s, that screwed all the LCN original numbering theory up, when 5 became a 9 channel & 8 became a 10 channel.
3 Likes
I’ve always wondered if Australia delayed its DTV launch, would ISDB-T be given another look?
1 Like
I pay that, but SBS were only on 0 in Sydney in Melbourne only as a temporary fix for those that did not have a UHF tuner in 1980.
28 was always the fulltime SBS (reserved 5th channel) frequency in Sydney and Melbourne and all other capital cities.
Not sure many devices can support dialing up past 0, as in 01, or 011? Plus would confuse many say you dial in 07 or 09, some devices would point to 7 or 9? is the 0 range part of the LCN table?
3 Likes
If the ABC and SBS ever merge then LCN 28 suddenly becomes available for SBS. Not likely though.
2 Likes