Television.

[magicwand]

Can i recommend Hd television. Had it installed over the weekend and its marvellous viewing.

[Papaumau]

Hi Magicwand.....

I agree. I have had HD TV for more than a year now and there is no doubt that the difference is amazing. I especially like nature programmes where the colours and the detail is simply stunning.

Early on - ( I am a bit of a gadget freak ) - there was only about two or three channels on Sky that actually transmitted anything in high definition but now there are over THIRTY such channels.

One of the great advantages to having a Sky HD box to go with the HD-ready televisons is a much smarter remote control and electronic programme guide, ( EPG ), as it not only has many more features than the old system but every truly high definition programmes that is transmitted on these channels is highlighted in red text.

Great fun and I am sure that eventually the "sheep" out there that resist new technology at first will eventually get one too.

[magicwand]

Hi Magicwand.....

I agree. I have had HD TV for more than a year now and there is no doubt that the difference is amazing. I especially like nature programmes where the colours and the detail is simply stunning.

Early on - ( I am a bit of a gadget freak ) - there was only about two or three channels on Sky that actually transmitted anything in high definition but now there are over THIRTY such channels.

One of the great advantages to having a Sky HD box to go with the HD-ready televisons is a much smarter remote control and electronic programme guide, ( EPG ), as it not only has many more features than the old system but every truly high definition programmes that is transmitted on these channels is highlighted in red text.

Great fun and I am sure that eventually the "sheep" out there that resist new technology at first will eventually get one too.

Hello,

yes it's like having a new toy to play with. Have to admit that Sky are worth the little bit extra. Already have lots recorded readyto watch when I like.

[Papaumau]

The luddites out there....( and there are plenty of them ), will say that it doesn't matter how much good television that we have available to us "there are only so many TV-watching hours sensibly allowed per day!" and of course they are right.

What they miss here is that with HD TV and the sky+ recorder that is inbuilt we can record many hundreds of hours of TV and then pick and choose the best to actually watch.

Even the luddites will agree that there is a lot of rubbish on TV and I say that with Sky+HD ability the viewers can be much more choosy and discerning in what they watch.

THAT has to be a good thing no matter how you look at it !

[Hells Granny]

Right at this moment it doesn't make any difference to me, 'cos I can't see the TV well now!

I have cataracts.

Cheers, HG

[Papaumau]

Get em fixed HG !

My old Irish grannie, ( you will hear a lot about her if you read my stuff ), was real and she too suffered from cataracts.

I can remember her telling me as a child that she had to leave them until they "matured" so that removing them would be easier. She was almost completely blind before they finally did the operation. Once the cataracts WERE removed her sight was recovered totally.

Oh I miss her so much, as she was my mum until I was nine !

[John]

The roll out for HD without subscription has started.

HD will be the normal standard for all channels.

Expect to see HD Freeview Boxes soon. Not that these will have
the capacity for all HD viewing.

Better to go for Freesat - i.e. replace the Skybox direct.

HD is old hat now and has been replaced by Super HD.

But it will be years before it is rolled out in the UK until HD
has well and truly been put in place.

Super HD would need all new equipment - like terrestrial to digital.

What Sky really has is too many sports rights.

BBC sit back and collect the TV Tax and deliver as little as they
can get away with. Controlled by a layer of Fat Cats (plus expenses).

[Papaumau]

The roll out for HD without subscription has started.

Yes it has but I think that if a fee CAN be charged it WILL be charged as HD TV is very expensive to produce.

HD will be the normal standard for all channels.

I suppose that eventaully it will but this might take some time - probably ten years or more.

Expect to see HD Freeview Boxes soon. Not that these will have
the capacity for all HD viewing.

I doubt very much that HD will be provided on basic "Freeview" as there is no provision there for subscription payments. I guess that if it IS transmitted on Freeview it will be received via the Freeview+ boxes that allow for recording and replay with "Top-up TV" included. These will not be cheap !
 

Better to go for Freesat - i.e. replace the Skybox direct.

When one realises that "Freesat" is not a cheap or as wide-ranging option as Skysat and the antenna that you already have will have to re-aligned to the Freesat satellite ( Which means that it cannot then be used to receive SKY ), I doubt if many people will go for that option. The present sales for Freesat equipment has stalled seriously.

HD is old hat now and has been replaced by Super HD.

"Super HDTV" is not expected to be available in Britain until 2015 and it will be VERY expensive at the outset !

http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/14/33-megapixel-super-hi-vision-ultra-hdtv-could-be-on-the-air-in/

But it will be years before it is rolled out in the UK until HD
has well and truly been put in place.

It might take a long time for the "luddites" eventually getting their heads around subscribing to ordinary HD, never mind Super HD !

Super HD would need all new equipment - like terrestrial to digital.

I would expect that the old HD receivers could be upgraded to handle the 33 megapixel superHD version. But you are right that the TV manufacturers would use this as an excuse to chuck yet another kind of TV at us.

What Sky really has is too many sports rights.

BBC sit back and collect the TV Tax and deliver as little as they
can get away with. Controlled by a layer of Fat Cats (plus expenses).

I wholeheartedly agree with BOTH of those points !

[John]

Freeview HD is already up and running in places.

There is no extra subscription but it will need a new Freeview HD Box.

These have not been put on sale yet and are probably on a container ship heading this way now.

There will be 50 percent coverage by June 2010 - to enable the World Cup to be viewed in HD (via Freeview). No problem with Freesat.

Obviously Super HD is being delayed because of HD being taken up first.

When has a technology when first introduced ever been at a reasonable cost?

[Papaumau]

Sorry, but HD TV will never be included in ordinary "Freeview" boxes as firstly the idea of "Freeview is that it should be "free" after the twenty quid set-top box has been bought.

High definition TV will always be a subscription service no matter what platform it is received on.

[John]

'High definition TV will always be a subscription service no matter what platform it is received on'

This is not true.

HD TV will be the standard - just as 405, 625 was.

You can get subscription free HD on Freesat now, Freeview now in some areas when you have
the correct box.

[Papaumau]

BBC HD TV that is "free" on Freesat is so because by law the BBC are not allowed to charge for the reception of anything on their platform. The one ITV film that is at present available in HD via the red button is unlikely to be repeated any time soon.

If you knew anything about marketing you would know that the private broadcasters will charge for EVERYTHING as long as they think they can get away with it. Because of this it will be many years before high definition is standard and free for all channels on "cooncil TV" - as it is sometimes called.

Before ANY high definition transmissions can be received by anybody they have to have a HMDI-ready TV AND a supply of high-definition programmes delivered from a box that has the capability to deliver HDMI pictures and sound.

Not at any time soon will this be delivered free to anybody unless they have the money to spend on the aforesaid hardware, and in the case of FREESAT, the dedicated satellite dish too. 

"Freeview" high definition channels are not yet available even although they say that they will be here soon and without subscription. DO NOT hold your breath waiting for that to happen.

While they say that the Freeview HD box will be available to buy some time in 2010, they do not say what this extra box is going to cost. In any case the channels that will be receivable via this new box will be publicly broadcast - free-to-air channels - anyway. Commercial and money-making high definition programmes will NEVER be free to receive.

Yes, the "freeview" channels are available via a terrestrial aerial connection on the BT-Vision box, ( V-box ), but not only do you have to have a telephone contract-package to get HD on this platform but you also have to get them via BTs expensive broadband service and "home-hub". Before any high definition material can be received via the V-box it has to have had an upgrade download to enable this. Afterwards all HD programmes are charged for on a one-at-a-time download service. Freeview HD - when it eventually comes - will be available via a normal terrestial aerial on a V-box, but "Freesat" HD programmes will not be available either by broadband or by terrestrial aerials to the V-Box.


As my old Irish grannie used to say....."There is no such thing as a free lunch !"

[John]

'BBC HD TV that is "free" on Freesat is so because by law the BBC are not allowed to charge for the reception of anything on their platform.'  

Again this is untrue - We have Television Tax that the BBC collect for this.

They also have advertising on some channels and even a one off subscription charge for another.

At some stage - all channels will be HD. But not from the Mark 1 Freeview HD box - because there is not the broadcasting bandwidth. But then again that is a matter of time and compression development.

There is no reason why the latest upgradable HD TV's should not be able to decode HDTV directly from their inbuilt Freeview Tuner.

You can watch BBC HD programmes via Broadband now in the UK - even without paying the TV Tax!

[Papaumau]

John said:

'BBC HD TV that is "free" on Freesat is so because by law the BBC are not allowed to charge for the reception of anything on their platform.' 

Again this is untrue - We have Television Tax that the BBC collect for this.

Now you are splitting hairs as we all know that the licence-fee pays for the BBC services. That includes the high definition services. Do NOT be surprised if they put this up to pay for these expensive-to-produce programmes.

John also said:

There is no reason why the latest upgradable HD TV's should not be able to decode HDTV directly from their inbuilt Freeview Tuner.

And I say that this will never happen as the inbuilt "freeview" decoding capability at the moment - which is encapsulated in a very small bit of additional hardware will never include any high-definition output as the hardware needed for that would make such TVs ( which are at the moment trying to be as thin as possible ), too bulky. Future high definition - in whatever format - is always going to be supplied by a largish secondary box with recording ability and a space for a chargeable viewing card - or cards.

( I ran my own domestic satellite sales, installation and repair company successfully for three years until I was forced to retire because of arthritis ).

The rest of what you write is pure conjecture and open to interpretation so I will not engage you in that.

[John]

The BBC - rather then be known as the British Broadcasting Corporation
are awash with taxtation money.

The equipment is in place for HD.

What stops is it is the digital change over for the whole of the UK.
Once that is in position - it will be all systems go.

There is HD leakage for the World Cup at a minimum.

Sky will not have the monopoly in its provision.