MPEG-4 in Illawarra
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MPEG4 changeover for GO! on Monday 19th June
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“…are upgrading their channels to MPEG4 technology to improve picture quality with high definition channels” gives me the sense that they will move all the multis to HD eventually?
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Disappointing GEM wont be upgraded to HD until late July - too late for the Ashes
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Or it could also mean that in some cases the bits that are saved can go towards higher bit rates on HD channels.
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Every channel on every network will be MPEG4 HD “eventually”… but at least WIN seems to be moving more quickly on this than other networks.
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WIN Network Technology Improvement
Oxymoron right there. 
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Great spin from WIN ‘we are making technology improvements’ - that will make your old clunker TV obsolete. Great for who, you or us?
Like WIN being “local” but closing down every regional TV studio except the mother studio at Mount St Thomas.
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The majority of TVs out there are MPEG-4 compatible. The ones that aren’t are likely due for replacement anyway, or can be brought back to life with a set top box.
The MPEG-4 switchover is far less disruptive than the analogue-digital switchover, but the same argument about “being left behind” is being recycled.
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So would you rather we all still be watching analogue?
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If its got to be WIN then black and white would be better
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I’m struggling to work out why more HD channels is a bad thing
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It’s 2023. Its ridiculous that the majority of our multichannels are still SD. But at least we seem to be progressing quicker now.
I expect Nine to follow suit.
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I don’t have much love for WIN due to previous dealings with them. It’s interesting them pushing strongly to MPEG 4 prior to the likely 600Mhz band clearance, rather than as part of it.
In the USA, part of the 600Mhz clearance involved incentive auctions which paid existing broadcasters to surrender their RF channels. The RFless broadcaster then went onto the other DTV channels that stayed in the area - all in MPEG4 as that was required for everyone to fit on what was left. At one stage there was even a private capital fund that invested in the process - buying stuffed FTA stations and selling them into the 600Mhz incentive auctions. Some may have even gone dark after the auctions.
MPEG 4 will have more interest to incumbent broadcasters than just a better viewing experience.
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There’s no guarantee that there will be a consolidation on TV allocated spectrum and it makes sense to make use of newer technology as they refresh equipment along the distribution chain (any direct benefit to the consumer is almost a bonus).
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And not just any ol black and white. 405 line black and white!
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They may even still have a Nipkow disk onsite too - very bandwidth efficient. You can transmit it over a voice channel
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still glorious 576i SD in Southern NSW
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So if WIN are going from MPEG-2 SD to MPEG-4 but still SD, where have all those “saved” bits gone to?
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HD broadcasts?
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