I agree, although on Foxtel it’s something like 100 (SD) and 209 (HD) for Nine - should reverse that where possible!
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I meant like Fox8 etc. I was just giving the 9 channels as the example
I imagine the key here is education rather than laziness. All networks are guilty of poorly marketing HD… it’s no wonder viewers are not responding.
Possibly also comes from learned behaviour… we all know we can go to 7, 9 or 10 but breaking that habit to 70, 90 or 13 can take time even if we know at the back of our mind that they’re there. Even myself i know I took a while to get “used” to pressing the HD channels. Now it’s just second nature.
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While I agree they should just throw the HD channels on the main LCNs and the SD broadcasts into the 100s, I wouldn’t be surprised if the networks persist with running the HD channels on alternative LCNs so they don’t annoy the elderly in Sydney who have been watching TV on just “2, 7, 9 and 10” for the last 50-60 years!
When the networks eventually decide that they need to broadcast a 5th channel/4th multichannel (don’t say it won’t ever happen…I’m sure we all thought that three channels/two multichannels would be the limit back in 2010-11!), I’m sure that HD simulcasts will again be the very first thing to go.
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Foxtel are able to change the numbers based on what you subscribe to - SD only packages get the SD channels in those spots, with the HD channels in the 200s.
For large numbers of viewers - moving MPEG4 HD channels to the main LCN would make people think their TV is broken, as the channel would stop working on their TV. Foxtel know in advance that the channel will work.
They just need more promotion of availability in HD.
Ten are the exception - One should get a rebrand to move it off their best LCN - then put Ten HD on 1.
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I have a LG TV that allows me to “swap” channels around, so when I press 9 on my remote it goes to Nine HD on 90. Unfortunately not all TV sets have this feature (like my smaller but newer Sony).
But I agree that there needs to be more promotion for the networks’ HD channels, perhaps a five-second strap at the start of the programme?
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Oh dear!
Is ABC News still getting getting sports highlights from the Seven, Nine and Ten SD channels?
I think so, in the past I’ve seen them use WIN’s footage (watermark et al) when they were affiliated with Nine.
I couldn’t agree more, Ten are are under utilising what I think is a prime LCN, it’s the first channel that appears when I set up or do a full rescan on my telly… it should be showcasing Ten’s best content in crystal clear HD, not second tier content in blocky SD (obviously that wasn’t in Ten’s plans when One was first launched with the promise of 24 hour sport as One HD).
One should be rebranded as Channel 12, with Ten HD on 1.
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That’s what I do with the Panasonic as well - I’ve always had SBS HD set to 3 with the SD channel on 30. People have forgotten the “good old days” of analogue where you often needed to program your TV and/or VCR with the correct channel numbers. Many places would have had their TVs set to 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
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Absolutely!
I’m visiting family in Perth at the moment, and they didn’t know about the HD channels, nor could they see any point in them when I showed them. So I just went and swapped their LCNs as well, like @TV.Cynic and @Herb.
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It bugs me when i go to someone’s house or place etc and they have the SD channel on. But when I bring up the idea they either: Not know about the HD varient or they can never tell the difference 
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My parents often watch the SD version instead of the HD version of the same channel (except for SBS, which they always watch the HD version of its main channel), mainly due to the sound being too quiet on their main 55" Samsung TV when watching the HD version, to the point that they require switching on the sound bar. It’s worth noting that the MPEG-4 HD channels broadcast its sound on Dolby Digital, whilst the SD channels + SBS HD broadcasts in Stereo.
As for me personally, through my own TV which is connected to an MPEG-4 STB (as my TV doesn’t have MPEG-4), I only have the HD versions of ABC, SBS, Nine & Ten, with the SD versions of those main channels being deleted from my STB. 
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Hopman Cup Tennis looking great in HD on 7!
Looking forward to MPEG4 HD for Aus Open in 2 weeks time!
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I too notice a lot of people I know watching the SD channels only. When I flick the channels to the HD one, they don’t notice the difference. How?!?!
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Maybe they need to get their eyes tested!
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They just don’t watch it as closely as us MSers do…
Most people just want to see a picture.
Dare I say it, the advantages for most people in going from SD to HD isn’t as great as going from analog to digital.
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To be honest there are times I can’t see a noticeable difference I just put it down to old eyes perhaps needing glasses 
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