HD Broadcasting

Television General Television Topics
787

Why would they?

788

I guess channel seven want us media Spies to do all the leg work :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes::stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

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789

Hopefully sooner rather than later. It hardly qualifies as an HD channel with the amount of bandwidth it’s given. There are a few people in the Austech and Whirlpool communities that use VAST just for SBS HD as it is MPEG-4 and in glorious quality.

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790

If SBS HD was to switch over to MPEG4, I’d imagine that they would have to launch an MPEG4 HD simulcast of one of their other channels or something else to make the exercise worthwhile.

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791

Really? I wouldn’t say Nine moving Extra over to MPEG-4 with its new 9HD channel was an ‘incentive’. I don’t think SBS needs to think about that at all. Besides, I don’t think they’ll have the room to have 2 MPEG-4 channels alongside their existing 4 MPEG-2 channels and radio channels.

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792

Extra is still in MPEG2 in the metro areas and I’m pretty sure Nine never switched it over to MPEG4. Extra2 was the channel sacrificed for 9Life, although I’m sure not too many are complaining about that.

I think WIN may have briefly shown Extra in MPEG4 before the affiliation reshuffle happened, that’s probably what you’re thinking of.

I’d be happy to be corrected if I’m wrong of course, but I thought that the average bitrate of SBS HD on terrestrial TV is currently around 7-8mbps or somewhere around that mark which would probably allow for two OK quality MPEG4 HD channels?

Also, as far as I’m aware the three radio channels from SBS on Digital TV are 128kbps each. At a combined total of 384kbps, only a tiny part of the 23mbps or so that makes up the entire multiplex.

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793

Is that so? My apologies, I stand corrected. I thought 9HD and Extra were MPEG-4. Yes, WIN definitely had WIN HD, 9Life, Extra and Gold in MPEG-4 prior to July 1.

It peaks at that bitrate, but it’s very noticeable when it’s not peaking. For that reason alone they should convert to MPEG-4 and perhaps increase their MPEG-2 channels. I think if they were to launch let’s say Viceland in HD MPEG-4 as well, they’d end up with 2 bitrate-starved HD channels.

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794

“Wow!
That cat that sounds like it’s saying ‘no! no! no!’ Looks glorious in 1080i!”

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795

Might be reading too much into this but Seven’s latest promo for their tennis coverage references that a lot of it (can’t remember the exact wording) will be in HD.

Read into it what you will in regards to whether it refers to 7HD or the online streaming offering

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796

Yeah, I heard that promo just minutes ago also.

797

Seven are offering an app that you pay for to stream HD content of the Tennis.

798

So maybe 7s simulcast of the main channel in hd is only jut for the tennis then will switch back after the tennis? Seems logical that they do if you understand their logic. :stuck_out_tongue:

799

There will be Tennis on all 3 of Seven’s channels (excluding 7flix like during the Olympics I assume) - so technically everywhere will be getting some Tennis in HD - it might just vary which channel that is on.

800

If Seven only wanted to do a HD simulcast of the main channel in all markets for the tennis, I don’t think they’d make the switch until about a day or two before the tennis actually starts.

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801

Thats true.
However I bet they had always planned to return 7HD for Sydney, Brisbane and Perth at the end of the year (as we are seeing) , but decided to keep it close. I suspect that and the ABC’s failure to get HD off the ground kicked them into gear.

I assume the switch is just exactly that a switch on a board or something, nothing to major?

802

It looks like the change to 7hd will happen at 12.05 am on Friday morning

803

I would have laughed if it turned out to be an error in the epg but it’s certainly looking like the switch over is happening :grinning:

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804

For whatever reason, the “7HD Sydney” EPG has the changeover happening at 2am when the infomercials come on.

But considering that the EPG for the channel consists entirely of Seven main channel programing from that point in time onwards, I’m reasonably confident that we’ll be seeing Seven’s main channel programing in HD come Friday.

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805

Can anyone confirm whether regional Qld will get 7HD . Or wait and see?

Also will this HD channel remain when AFL comes back?

806

We don’t know