The move to DVB-T2 for all Freeview transmissions, be they SD or HD, is on the cards and will happen at some point (2020, ISTR), when more of the frequencies currently in use are cleared so as to support more mobile network stuff.. Those people that only have kit that can receive DVB transmissions will need to replace hardware in order to receive anything, me included. Luckily, in my case it's only old TVs in my guest bedrooms that I have to worry about, but this will affect a lot of people for sure. As the frequencies get cleared COM7 and 8 will disappear, as they're temporary, but the shift to DVB-T2 should allow more channels to be handled on the remaining multiplexes. Whether we'll still end-up with the channel set that we have remains to be seen.
What's annoying here is the seemingly arbitrary way in which channels are moved around to the annoyance of viewers. But why should be be surprised? We're only consumers after all, and we get no real say in anything like this. Freeview seems now to be a bit of a victim of its own success, and the channel count is still climbing. For me, that doesn't really equate to more choice, just more dross. Far better in my mind to have a smaller set of decent quality channels, all in HD, than the mess that we seem to have at present (accepting that not everyone can receive everything available on Freeview). Of course, my idea of what's dross doesn't necessarily line-up with what other people enjoy. I can still receive CBS Drama, as I can receive COM7 mux transmissions, but it's still a channel that I rarely watch, if at all ......
The problem with your idea of having fewer, better, channels is that it means fewer commercial breaks per hour. Most of the minor channels are old dross but people here often think they should be in HD despite the fact that the BARB figures for them are poor and the source material is rough. Such channels can make a bit of money though at low bit rates in SD. There is sadly little evidence of people rushing to HD, ITV HD's viewing figures are only 20% of the total for ITV and I have no reason to believe other channels are any different. I also know, from a fellow engineer, that his family watch channels 1-5 out of habit despite having 101-105 in HD and I'm sure they are not unusual in that respect. Sadly he tells me, the channels on that TV cannot be re-ordered.
The move to DVB-T2 for all Freeview transmissions, be they SD or HD, is on the cards and will happen at some point (2020, ISTR), when more of the frequencies currently in use are cleared so as to support more mobile network stuff.
Nothing has been decided yet. It is thought the three COM muxes will be DVB-T2, it's possible at least one or two of the PSB muxes will remain DVB-T.
It is difficult to say what this statement means but it may only refer to an interim retune when higher 700MHz channels are just moved in frequency to the channels in the 30s before a switch to DVB-T2. I don't believe any DVB SD channels will be allowed to remain as that would waste spectrum and prevent the introduction of further HD channels, even those on Comm 7&8 would probably have to close.
Quote, from the same document.
VLV also commented that making the 600MHz band available for displaced services may potentially disrupt the HD and other services currently in the spectrum, and said that the future evolution of these services using DVB-T2/MPEG-4 technologies should not be compromised by this change.
Do you get BBC1 HD on channel 101? If so you know your TV is Freeview HD compliant if not it isn't. If you get BBC1 HD but not BBC News HD it is a signal problem.
The 17 channels I am not now receiving are those that apparently have 70% UK coverage:
•VIVA - channel 57 (just over 70% UK coverage)
•Community Channel - channel 63 (just over 70% UK coverage)
•CBS Reality+1 - channel 67 (just over 70% UK coverage)
•CBS Drama - channel 71 (just over 70% UK coverage)
•Rishtey - channel 77 (just over 70% UK coverage)
•Talking Pictures - channel 81 (just over 70% UK coverage)
•5USA+1 - channel 83 (just over 70% UK coverage)
•BBC Four HD - channel 106 (just over 70% UK coverage)
•BBC News HD - channel 107 (just over 70% UK coverage)
•Al Jazeera English HD - channel 108 (just over 70% UK coverage)
•Channel 4+1 HD - channel 109 (just over 70% UK coverage)
•4seven HD - channel 110 (just over 70% UK coverage)
•QVC+1 HD - channel 111 (just over 70% UK coverage)
•QVC Beauty HD - channel 112 (just over 70% UK coverage)
•RT HD - channel 113 (just over 70% UK coverage)
•CBeebies HD - channel 124 (just over 70% UK coverage)
•Al Jazeera Arabic - channel 134 (just over 70% UK coverage)
...so I do have BBC1 HD and all the other DVB-T2 channels that are quoted as having 98.5% UK coverage.
With a 93-96% signal strength, I'm at a loss why my DVB-T2 sets are not receiving the above channels. Grateful for any explanation!
The loss of BBC4HD and 4SevenHD will be a big hit for me. These are channels that I watch pretty regularly. I can get the BBC channel on Freesat, but I really would like to access all of the channels that I watch from one source. As I said earlier, we're only consumers, so what we want doesn't matter .....
If you have over 90% signal strength on comm 7&8 but no quality you must have some form of local interference. Poor HDMI and aerial cables next to each other, the list is endless. Check with your neighbours to see if their reception is OK. I always recommend that people talk to their neighbours on these matters before going on forums.
The loss of BBC4HD and 4SevenHD will be a big hit for me. These are channels that I watch pretty regularly. I can get the BBC channel on Freesat, but I really would like to access all of the channels that I watch from one source. As I said earlier, we're only consumers, so what we want doesn't matter .....
The point though is that you won't lose them. The muxes they are currently on are going, but a switch to DVB-T2 on some/all of the other muxes will increase the overall capacity. Unless there are other commercial reasons for dropping the channels, they will find a home on another mux and have increased coverage too.
However, the switch to DVB-T2 might not happen at the same time as COM7/8 go off-air. Arqiva wanted to run COM7/8 for a couple more years on spare frequencies whilst 700MHz was being cleared, but Ofcom won't let them. That might mean they are forced off-air for a year or so until Arqiva decide it's commercially viable to upgrade COM5/6.
It depends where you live. COMs 7 and 8 are definitely going off air in some areas from the end of 2017. Ofcom have suggested the affected channels 'could' be moved to IPTV temporarily.
I'm not sure I did to be honest, although I certainly had London Live. What would be the reason for this though?
I don't know, it is a bit odd. London Live transmits at a much lower power than COM7/8 and, as you say, the coverage checker says you should get them. COM7 and 8 are on higher channel numbers (frequencies) so near the top of a Band A aerial's range but only just above the others. Have you tried manually tuning UHF channels 33 and 35?
Edit: just seen a page of posts I missed but most of what I have written is still valid.
It's possible a low-pass filter has been fitted to the aerial system to block signals above Channel 30. This is especially likely if it is a communal aerial system.
It's possible a low-pass filter has been fitted to the aerial system to block signals above Channel 30. This is especially likely if it is a communal aerial system.
It is indeed a communal aerial system and this may explain things. Sounds like I'll need to contact the management company.
It is indeed a communal aerial system and this may explain things. Sounds like I'll need to contact the management company.
A bit more research reveals it's all channels broadcast on channels 29, 33 and 35. Apparently the communal TV (fibre) aerial system was not designed to cope with this number of muxes! The same system is meant to be feeding another 9,700 homes due to be built at Ebbsfleet Valley over the next 10 years. Somebody didn't think about future capacity when designing the system!
I'd suggest they simply didn't want the extra expense of providing three extra channels for what are after all only temporary muxes. It's a similar situation where I live, aggravated by the fact that 80% of my neighbours have Sky or Virgin so couldn't care less that half the Freeview HD channels are missing.
I'd suggest they simply didn't want the extra expense of providing three extra channels for what are after all only temporary muxes.
Only two of them are temporary....
Of course it was never envisaged that we'd have more than six muxes, but then in 1982 I doubt anybody thought we'd get a fifth channel on analogue either!
Comments
What's annoying here is the seemingly arbitrary way in which channels are moved around to the annoyance of viewers. But why should be be surprised? We're only consumers after all, and we get no real say in anything like this. Freeview seems now to be a bit of a victim of its own success, and the channel count is still climbing. For me, that doesn't really equate to more choice, just more dross. Far better in my mind to have a smaller set of decent quality channels, all in HD, than the mess that we seem to have at present (accepting that not everyone can receive everything available on Freeview). Of course, my idea of what's dross doesn't necessarily line-up with what other people enjoy. I can still receive CBS Drama, as I can receive COM7 mux transmissions, but it's still a channel that I rarely watch, if at all ......
Clem
Nothing has been decided yet. It is thought the three COM muxes will be DVB-T2, it's possible at least one or two of the PSB muxes will remain DVB-T.
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/consultations/700-code-practice/statement/700mhz-clearance-cop-statement.pdf
It is difficult to say what this statement means but it may only refer to an interim retune when higher 700MHz channels are just moved in frequency to the channels in the 30s before a switch to DVB-T2. I don't believe any DVB SD channels will be allowed to remain as that would waste spectrum and prevent the introduction of further HD channels, even those on Comm 7&8 would probably have to close.
Quote, from the same document.
VLV also commented that making the 600MHz band available for displaced services may potentially disrupt the HD and other services currently in the spectrum, and said that the future evolution of these services using DVB-T2/MPEG-4 technologies should not be compromised by this change.
The 17 channels I am not now receiving are those that apparently have 70% UK coverage:
•VIVA - channel 57 (just over 70% UK coverage)
•Community Channel - channel 63 (just over 70% UK coverage)
•CBS Reality+1 - channel 67 (just over 70% UK coverage)
•CBS Drama - channel 71 (just over 70% UK coverage)
•Rishtey - channel 77 (just over 70% UK coverage)
•Talking Pictures - channel 81 (just over 70% UK coverage)
•5USA+1 - channel 83 (just over 70% UK coverage)
•BBC Four HD - channel 106 (just over 70% UK coverage)
•BBC News HD - channel 107 (just over 70% UK coverage)
•Al Jazeera English HD - channel 108 (just over 70% UK coverage)
•Channel 4+1 HD - channel 109 (just over 70% UK coverage)
•4seven HD - channel 110 (just over 70% UK coverage)
•QVC+1 HD - channel 111 (just over 70% UK coverage)
•QVC Beauty HD - channel 112 (just over 70% UK coverage)
•RT HD - channel 113 (just over 70% UK coverage)
•CBeebies HD - channel 124 (just over 70% UK coverage)
•Al Jazeera Arabic - channel 134 (just over 70% UK coverage)
...so I do have BBC1 HD and all the other DVB-T2 channels that are quoted as having 98.5% UK coverage.
With a 93-96% signal strength, I'm at a loss why my DVB-T2 sets are not receiving the above channels. Grateful for any explanation!
COM7 is not transmitted at the same strength as the other muxes and never will be.
COMs 7 and 8 are both being phased out from the end of 2017, a year earlier than originally planned.
Clem
The point though is that you won't lose them. The muxes they are currently on are going, but a switch to DVB-T2 on some/all of the other muxes will increase the overall capacity. Unless there are other commercial reasons for dropping the channels, they will find a home on another mux and have increased coverage too.
However, the switch to DVB-T2 might not happen at the same time as COM7/8 go off-air. Arqiva wanted to run COM7/8 for a couple more years on spare frequencies whilst 700MHz was being cleared, but Ofcom won't let them. That might mean they are forced off-air for a year or so until Arqiva decide it's commercially viable to upgrade COM5/6.
It depends where you live. COMs 7 and 8 are definitely going off air in some areas from the end of 2017. Ofcom have suggested the affected channels 'could' be moved to IPTV temporarily.
Edit: just seen a page of posts I missed but most of what I have written is still valid.
It is indeed a communal aerial system and this may explain things. Sounds like I'll need to contact the management company.
A bit more research reveals it's all channels broadcast on channels 29, 33 and 35. Apparently the communal TV (fibre) aerial system was not designed to cope with this number of muxes! The same system is meant to be feeding another 9,700 homes due to be built at Ebbsfleet Valley over the next 10 years. Somebody didn't think about future capacity when designing the system!
Only two of them are temporary....
Of course it was never envisaged that we'd have more than six muxes, but then in 1982 I doubt anybody thought we'd get a fifth channel on analogue either!