There’s a site https://www.digitalbitrate.com/ - which does something kinda similar - with the things like streaming being paid features (and seemingly a requirement that it’s your content) - is probably more than enough info to satisfy most interest in stuff like what channels are available.
I dunno if there’s pre-existing open source projects to basically generate that kind of thing but that’d be interesting, and likely scope wise a lot more reasonable for a home network connection, and thus potentially finding others who could contribute their more unique sets of channels.
A single tuner could just rotate through a scan - collect data on a multiplex for 10 minutes or something and then just tune to the next one.
I had a VAST server cranking for a while which some members enjoyed using. But having a single service CAM for each area really made it hard. I don’t think anyone would be interested in Regional WA terrestrial, so I canned it.
Highly recommend DVBViewer Media Server for anyone wanting to start a Windows-based server. Otherwise TVHeadend is the ultimate option.
That really hits hard @WAtvVideos. I was thinking of utilising it for a 30-minute Regional WA commercial compilation consisting of regional commercials for next month, but after reading this, it seems I might have to can that compilation. A missed opportunity. Ouch.
Update: The Sydney + Wollongong recording server is now live. PM me if you want access.
I’ve also upgraded the server to have two tuners – so you can record two muxes at the same time (e.g. you can record 9 Sydney + WIN Wollongong simulatenously).
As noted over in the Nine (WIN) thread, WIN have dropped the SD simulcast of the main channel.
These samples were from the main Bendigo transmitter, sport was on 7HD, 7Mate, 9HD and 9Go during the sample.
543.5
WIN Television
Video
Format
Audio
8/80
9HD Bendigo
6.34Mbps
H.264 HD
384k AC3
81
9Gem
4.26Mbps
H.264 HD
384k AC3
82
9Go!
5.65Mbps
H.264 HD
384k AC3
83
9Life
1.69Mbps
H.264 SD
128k MP2
84
New Channel Coming Soon
0.51Mbps
H.264 SD
128k MP2
85
GOLD
1.00Mbps
H.264 SD
128k MP2
Nulls
0.98Mbps
Compared to the previous Ballarat sample I posted when they had SD running, those bits are appropriately shared to increase all channels - even 9Life is a bit higher up.
I don’t know how notable it is as I was sampling with a portable antenna, but WIN’s signal was the weakest of the commercial networks for me - it broke up a bit while I was doing this sample and came in about 10% weaker in signal strength than Seven/SCA10. If this is replicable then maybe are WIN shaving a little bit off their power levels of their transmitters as a way of some slight cost reductions?
550.5
Seven Network
Video
Format
Audio
6/60
7HD Bendigo
5.29Mbps
H.264 HD
256k AC3
62
7twoHD Bendigo
3.28Mbps
H.264 HD
256k AC3
64
7mateHD Bendigo
4.48Mbps
H.264 HD
128k AC3
65
7Bravo
2.60Mbps
H.264 HD
256k AC3
66
7flix
1.56Mbps
H.264 SD
128k AAC
67
TVSN
1.43Mbps
H.264 SD
128k AAC
68
RACING.COM
2.19Mbps
H.264 SD
128k AAC
Nulls
0.46Mbps
Seven don’t have the same issue with the excessive null packets from when I sampled Ballarat just after they’d dropped the SD version of the main channel - which means nice and healthy bitrates for 7HD.
The ad that was playing during the sample thumbnail for 7flix was amusing:
Sky News Regional was showing Fox Sports News at the time, so don’t know if that high bitrate is typical, but the infomerical on gecko certainly didn’t seem to warrant it.
I figure SCA are just in a holding pattern regarding any investment/technical changes to their broadcasts until their ownership gets resolved, hence not following the lead of the other channels.
Seven metro, Ten and SBS have all made changes that meant fewer channels for those old receivers, while Nine have cut bitrates to the bone to keep up SD simulcasts and have no channels that aren’t available in MPEG-2.
I would think we aren’t too far from Seven making the call to flip 7two in metro areas, they haven’t restored a simulcast of 7mate and would be able to judge how much backlash they get in regional areas.
I think the numbers are different for the capital cities, if 5% of your viewers are on MPEG-2 equipment, in a regional market that’s a few thousand people, in Sydney or Melbourne, it’s hundreds of thousands. So I think the timeline will justifiably be slower, but Nine seem much more cautious.
There are also the regional areas in overlapping markets that have repeaters for both regional and capital city commercial channels (e.g. the Gold Coast, parts of the Sunshine and Central Coasts, and the area around Mandurah, WA) so only one antenna required.
Thanks, do you reckon realistically it goes any further south than say Caboolture/Morayfield?
I think the thing that helps reduce any perceived overlap in Brisbane (compared to Sydney) is that most of Brisbane’s north is fairly flat and that the Sunshine Coast South TXs are low powered compared to the Wollongong ones.
Also, in Sydney there was probably a bigger advantage earlier in accessing regionals. The Nambour relay of WBQ came later so viewers might not have seen a need to add an extra antenna for that.
In my location , I could easily ditch the Brisbane antenna for one pointed north receiving the Sunshine Coast relays of Brisbane plus the Sunny Coast regionals.
Seven’s SD services are still active in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. And also in SCA-served areas, including the Spencer Gulf and Tasmania.
