C31 Melbourne and C44 Adelaide are the last ones left on-air. Also, C44 doesn’t stream anymore from what I can tell.
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Channel 31 Queensland was replaced by in 2017 by Queensland Online TV (later Hitchhike TV), but the service went inactive in 2020.
WTV in Perth ceased broadcasting in 2020 and switched its focus to YouTube.
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it’s shifted its live stream to CTV+ Explore - CTV Plus Australia
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Thanks man, will check it out!
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Had a look at the on demand streaming on CTV+, theres a series about community radio stations in SA that would be of interest to many here
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You might have been confusing the “kicked off” part with the previous Community Television Sydney, which was the temporary licence broadcaster that ended up losing the competition for the permanent community licence to TVS in 2004.
TVS left on their own accord - they claimed they “needed” to get a video-on-demand service going and they were going to focus on that in 2016, but with one of their consortium members (in Metro Screen) disbanding around the same time due to lack of funding, the lack of appearance of that on-demand service could probably be a sign (speculative for sure) of how much appetite there was for the University of Western Sydney (the other major partner) to continue largely on their own.
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Thanks for the info!
So from what you are saying, in the future, FTA Digital TV will be likely be taken off the 600 MHz band, with that spectrum sold to Telstra, Optus and TPG for 5G services in the country.
I guess this is what the Federal Govt is trying to do now to an extent, by “asking” the FTA networks to return some spectrum so that it can be sold off to the Telco’s for better 5G coverage in the bush.
I think unless there is new bandwidth for all the FTA networks including ABC/SBS to move to, to keep existing amounts of spectrum (or more for 4K), then the 600 MHz bandwidth won’t be auctioned off for 5G services.
I don’t understand why Malcolm Turnbull wanted them kicked off FTA Digital, to go to streaming only, when there is enough spectrum available on the unused fourth commercial channel space.
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I think what was going to be a 4th commercial TV licence is going to be used for the eventual DVB-T2 transition.
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While its likely the licences will end up with those three, its not a guarantee it all will. Some of 5G’s capabilities may attract other network operators to operate “private” networks (ie not end user subscribable) as well in some areas
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Here’s another idea to free up the 600 MHz band that doesn’t require the use of DVB-T2.
This is how it would work.
- Get rid of the SD simulcasts of HD channels and convert all MPEG2 SD channels to MPEG4.
This would free up more than 23Mbit/s of bandwidth and so you would only need four multiplexes in an area instead of five.
- Then you would re-organise the channels onto shared multiplexes as follows
Block A, B, C, D & E - two channels each containing the main local channels that aren’t carried over a whole state/territory.
M1 & M2 channels, each carry a state/territory based multiplex of other channels, with each area having one channel or the other, similar to how the ABC & SBS will be on one of two channels on DAB+.
Two channels could remain unallocated, reserved for future use.
The channels could be arranged as follows:
6-7 or 11-12 Block A
8 9 9A & 10 DAB+
11-12 or 6-7 Unallocated
28-29 Block B
30-31 Block C
32-33 M1 channels (1 per area)
34-35 M2 channels (1 per area)
36-37 Block D
38-39 Block E
ADVANTAGES
- Doesn’t require DVB-T2
- The new Block A-E are on the same band (3, 4 or 5) as the current Block A-E.
- The state/territory multiplexes are in Band 4, so anyone with a Band 3-4 antenna or Band 4-5 antenna should be able to receive all channels.
- Overlapping markets (e.g. Gold Coast) could be catered for.
- 14 more MHz for DAB+, doubling the currently available bandwidth.
DISADVANTAGES
- People with TVs that can’t receive MPEG4 would no longer be able to receive TV without a set top box.
- Many non-primary channels wouldn’t be able to have local advertising.
- Some people who have VHF-only antennas would need a new VHF-UHF antenna. However, many people in those areas would still have a VHF-UHF antenna from the days before the first restack.
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Maybe you should put the idea to the ACMA in Writing.
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Currently in Wiseman’s Ferry for the weekend and was watching the Australian Open Women’s single final, Great win to Ash Barty BTW.
Wiseman’s Ferry has very little to no Dtv reception, I had to watch the game on Imparja. as where we were staying has no tv reception. The few exceptions the pub and the bowling club have 10 element Yagis on massive masts.
Also fm reception is very poor with Sydney fm very weak.The Edge 96.1 is the strongest signal on my portable, Did Wiseman’s Ferry once have an analogue tv translator, or was one proposed for there? A low powered digital tv translator is needed maybe on the same frequency as Picton in a SFN, but the population is so small and the lack of frequencies was probably the reason for VSAT. If there was fm frequencies available Rebel and Breeze could broadcast into the valley.
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I don’t think there was ever a TV translator at or proposed for Wisemans Ferry?
There was an council owned self-help Analogue TV translator site in the Megalong Valley but when DTV came along the council wanted TX Australia to buy all the new transmitters/combiners, antennas, & maintain them (for next to nothing) but the council would take full ownership of it all without paying for the new equipment in any way, & TXA said no way, we buy the new gear we own it, so that site died with the Analogue TV services.
There was a DTV translator site proposed for Dangar Island/Brooklyn area on the Hawkesbury River, but a suitable cost effective site couldn’t be found.
The cost of just getting a TV feed to a site around Wisemans Ferry would be prohibitive for the amount of viewers I’d imagine, then put site establishment & ongoing operational & maintenance costs on top of that, just not cost effective.
I think the Central Coast radio stations are more the local ones there, than the Sydney stations, but TV has to be VAST?
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They are also quite weak, 961 is the strongest signal into the valley.
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I think similar thing happened at Hartley too, my brother in law has to have VSAT, but he can get a little bit of Sydney DTV but it is very weak and unreliable.
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This is unsurprising - I know of a number of Councils who were left with a significant bill after any switchover subsidies, some decided to ditch the transmitter and subsidise residents to go VAST, while some continued on with the retransmission.
I know of one site at least where the Council ended up owning it because they were the “last man standing”, everyone else walked away resulting in the community having to directly fund its upkeep - when switchover came, their decision not to convert was simple.
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As I recall the figure the ACMA used for the analogue switch off was 500 residences: less than 500 and they subsidised VAST and more than 500 and the analogue self help was upgraded to DVB.
Recently the DVB self helps became an issue again when the regional commercial broadcasters refused to service ABC and SBS translators without payment. On the surface that seems fair enough except the taxpayer paid for their gear in the first place as well as the ABC and SBS. These sites were never covered by the BA contract for ABC and SBS. Be interesting to see who does the faults now that BTS is no more?
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I can remember about 20 years ago there were plans to commission a TV translator for Wisemans Ferry. I do recall seeing it listed in an old edition of the ABA radio and TV stations book but it never eventuated.
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Was watching Tv this morning, and all channels dropped out except Channel 7 channels
This only happened for 5 mins and then all came back… was this just me or did others have issues too?
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Whereabouts are you?
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