Basically you would have 1 DVB-T2 Multiplex for ABC/SBS and another for the commercial stations minus the shopping channels. Essentially, this can also be used to shift Capital City services to the UHF Band in order to expand DAB to major regional areas and possibly avoid Tropo related interference.
I think itâs more likely that some regional areas will move to VHF, utilising channels freed up by a consolidation of metro VHF signals. And that UHF spectrum freed up to be sold off to telcos eg. from UHF 37 to 51.
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Iâm not sure an 8-12 year switchover could be described as anything other than âcasualâ
Changing over from analogue to digital is a MUCH MUCH bigger exercise than going from MPEG 2 to MPEG 4, I donât think you can compare them.
Its not just about the receivers, in the analogue to digital switch, it was also about the broadcasters too, ensuring that we had enough blackspots covered with in fill transmitters to ensure viewers had reception, or to get VAST jnstalled if not. That is already there in this case.
And that is starting to look pretty efficient against the 11.5 years since that weâve been living with MPEG-2.
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Metro TV will remain VHF forever. Many installations are now VHF-only, and the cost burden would be pointless.
Yes, some regional areas might shift (back) to VHF. Wonât be many though, if ever.
More likely is a further restack in regional areas down into UHF Band IV. i.e. Bendigo to use Channels 28-30, Shepparton 31-33 etc.
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If you can get our channels down to 3x 7 MHz channels with DVB-T2, then you could have metro areas and some regional areas on 3 VHF channels (either 6-8 or 10-12) and have an additional 21 MHz for DAB+.
The remaining UHF channels would be on channel 28-39 rather than 28-51.
Iâd rather see T2 technology used to improve picture quality.
I canât see a DVB-T2 transition occurring.
Iâm not confident all currently on the market TVs support DVB-T2, or have it enabled in Australia. I donât know for sure if the industry has even confirmed the exact specification of a theoretical DVB-T2 service, as some sets may support DVB-T2, but only to something like the UK profile and thus not including support for HEVC.
I certainly donât think you need it in order to achieve significant spectrum gains.
House Hunters was in Kurrajong on Sunday night where some large antenna installations were seen. Looking on MySwitch there is a NW Sydney relay so perhaps these are legacy installs - and seem to also include Illawarra (that My Switch says may be at good levels).
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Letâs be honest - spectrum gains in future will likely be achieved by several FTA channels going the way of the dodo. Begin with the shopping, horse racing and news channels first.
Merge ABC and SBS and give them one 7 Mhz channel. Then have 2 commercial networks on one 7 MHz channel, and the third network on the remaining channel, with some space for whatever is left - i.e. Community TV.
Realistically, ABC + SBS will share one and all three commercials will share one. Community will actually be kicked to the curb. After all, the reason they keep threatening to kick C31+44 off will finally come to fruition. But I think the possibility of this all happening is still a decade away.
Going by the photos, and as a former long time local in the area, it looks like that house is in a part of Kurrajong that is in a ditch, going by the antenna setup. Not all of the area has a good, easterly takeoff.
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Alternatively, they could do what the Swiss have done by ending terrestrial TV. Switzerland had high cable/satellite TV penetration and we donât, but nowdays streaming TV is a serious option.
Is 10 Peach Regional really HD? Itâs got some terrible interlacing artefacts on my old Panasonic plasma. Maybe itâs only 720p?
Not 720p at all. Itâs 1080p. Otherwise the channel wouldâve remained in SD. Simple as that.
If you are experiencing problems with the picture on your old TV whilst viewing the new MPEG-4 HD channels, you may need to purchase a new TV. Some are affordable, while others are expensive, many of which are heavily reliant on streaming and Android TV OS.
Itâll be a very slow, drawn out and uneven process of rationalisation of multiplexes and spectrum clearing I suspect, especially with terrestrial television in a consistent state of decline.
Itâs already started in the more remote markets, with Mildura now being without a Ten service, and consolidation of two networks onto one multiplex in Griffith and Mt Gambier.
I can see this process of multiplex consolidation and service withdrawal continuing in the coming years- eventually I would expect that only the metros and perhaps the major regionals will have a full suite of services (and even then, I can see many of the smaller infill transmitters and translators being downsized and/or switched off on time)
720p is stiil considered HD. To my knowledge, it needs even more bandwidth than 1080i, as every line is broadcast in every frame, rather than every 2nd line (interlaced).
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Not quite - it works out as 46,080,000 pixels per second for 720p vs 51,840,000 for 1080i, assuming both are full frame.
The way the compression codecs work mean generally a progressive scan service will need less bandwidth than an interlaced service does (for the same pixel count), because less changes between each frame when you are sending 50 full frames.
Of course, 1080p is double the pixels, so the efficiency of progressive scan doesnât make up for that extra real bandwidth. But visually, the extra resolution and detail of a 1080i signal over 720p makes it generally worth it.
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