I’ve had a pretty extensive search through Facebook on a variety of 7 based pages, as well as a few local groups where people whine about things (one in particular was filled with people complaining when they couldn’t watch 7flix when it initially launched in MPEG-4), and I haven’t found a single comment anywhere of anyone saying they can’t access 7 anymore now that 7SD is gone.
This is a good experiment for 7, clearly an SD simulcast of the main channel is no longer needed!
as mentioned, I think it’s a temporary solution so that no new equipment is needed at BCM. They would’ve literally changed the feed into the MPEG2 HD encoders from 7mate to 7.
I think you’ll find all of 7’s O&O playouts will be identical nation-wide when they move to NPC.
I recall MPEG-2 HD channels were 1440x1080 for most networks towards then end of the MPEG-2 HD era. Years earlier I think some networks did dabble with 1920x1080 (Metro Ten? regionals running loops?) but as more multi-channels came in this was reduced.
I believe the MPEG-4 HD channels are now 1920x1080 which would be another factor in them having a better PQ.
I remember STW used to be the only ones in Perth to run full HD with 5.1 surround where available from network programming.
That’s interesting. SBS in Tassie when it was the old Mpeg2 looked great, we didn’t get that blockiness at all. I do prefer the set up now though, of course, because of Viceland also being HD.
Was going to say, my Panasonic DVR has a function where I can renumber and/or swap channel numbers. I had the HD channels on mine set up as 2 3 4 (Viceland) 5 6 8 for a while, much better set up.
Yes we have a new 43 inch Samsung LED LCD tv replacing a 32 inch LCD tv that was 9 years old, but the HD channel looks a million times better than it did on SD.
I don’t understand why they could suddenly change it to HD now , could they not have done this back when metro Brisbane went to HD as it is still MPEG-2?
I guess they didn’t want to have the watermark saying 7 HD because people might wonder what it means and confuse people so they remove 7 SD and just keep calling the HD channel 7 _____ Rockhampton, Townsville etc. I’m sort of glad 7 SD has gone because for an SD channel it definitely wasn’t DVD quality as SD is supposed to be . In Rockhampton market for me.
Aren’t there some parts of GWN7 where there are no HD service at all not even 7MATE HD? Or is this old/wrong info?
Otherwise SCA have shown (if confirmed…) they can do 7HD & 7QLD dumping 7SD shows WIN can do it
7QLD is owned by the network, not by SCA…
Yeah there’s a 7mate SD feed for the North-West of the state. I’m not sure how many transmitters use it but as far as I know they swap it from the HD service during AFL games. It sits on 73 on satellite.
I’d say the Cricket deal has pushed them to do it now.
I know, I was referring to the two separately.
SCA have proven they can do 7HD
7QLD dumping 7SD shows WIN/GWN can also do it
I thought the Olympics would have meant HD on the main channel, that was sort of a joke how it wasn’t. Guess Olympics vs Cricket, cricket more important.
What about the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games back in April?
While Regional NSW & Victorian viewers enjoyed HD main channel coverage, I could imagine Regional Queenslanders (outside the Gold Coast which thankfully, had both Seven & Prime7 in HD) being quite upset that they were denied the opportunity to watch main channel coverage of such a massive event for their state in HD!
Yes it is odd considering that 7 Qld is owned and operated by 7 and we got 7Flix and 7 Food pretty much straight away and 7 Two/mate a few years ago.
9Life here in regional Qld was gone like 2 weeks and back quickly when the affiliation changes happened. 9 Hd was here fast too from memory.
you are placing a lot of emphasis on the assumptipn that general people notice such things.
How is it possible 7mate has a higher bitrate than 7HD? Does it mean both main channel and 7mate are in HD in Brisbane?
variable bitrates allow that to happen on occasion
I’d guess a longer term Cricket deal holds more weight for a network to do something vs the olympics passing through for a couple of weeks every few years
Plus Nine had Cricket in HD not everywhere of course and probably in less areas ever since WIN lost the affiliation deal
Also worth remembering that you’re comparing MPEG2 SD with MPEG4 HD, which seems to cope better with lower bitrates than the former