Digital Switchover: Channel Islands
This is the thread covering digital switchover on the Channel Islands.
Fremont Point
Coverage: All Channel Islands; has relays on Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney.
Switchover: 17 November 2010
Switchover occurs in just one stage on the Channel Islands.
On 17th November 2010, just after midnight all analogue services cease (BBC One Channel Islands, BBC Two, Channel TV, Channel 4). By 6am at the main Fremont Point transmitter the new digital services will be available. The relays will be upgraded during the course of the day, and all transmitters on the Islands will be digital only by mid-afternoon.
Captions began being shown on analogue services on 17 May 2010, according to Digital UK.
What channels will be available?
Freeview Lite channels will broadcast in the Channel Islands. The commercial operators SDN (ITV PLC) and Arqiva have no plans to extend coverage of their multiplexes to the Channel Islands.
Confirmed channels are:
BBC One Channel Islands
BBC Two
Channel TV
Channel 4
Five
ITV2
BBC Three
BBC Four
Channel 4+1
More 4
E4
BBC One HD (DVB-T2 Tuner required)
BBC HD# (DVB-T2 Tuner required)
Channel 4 HD (DVB-T2 Tuner required)
CBBC
CBeebies
BBC News
BBC Parliament
BBC Red Button 105 & 301
BBC Radio 1, 1X, 2, 3, 4, 5L, 5LSX, 6Music*, 7, AN*, WS
* Subject to BBC review of these stations.
# Name subject to change with the introduction of BBC One HD in the autumn.
I've not been able to find any information on whether ITV2+1 or ITV1 HD will be on, as the Channel Islands has a different Channel 3 licensee - it is not ITV PLC controlled.
In addition, many viewers with a MPEG4 compatible box or TV will be able to pick up services from the French digital terrestrial TV service 'TNT', with an appropriate aerial set up.
There should not be any legacy issues with old boxes, as there is no Freeview service ahead of digital switchover, although French services may be received with the appropriate equipment and aerial set up.
More reading/resources
Transmitter Map:
http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/transmitternetwork/tools__and__resources/switchover_maps/maps/Channel_v2.2.jpg
Frequency and multiplex information:
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv/ifi/tech/dsodetails/channelislandsreg.pdf
Publicity leaflet:
http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/33280/8mthChanIs_5feb2010.pdf
Are there are any forum members on the Channel Islands? And do you think Freeview is going to be used by many, given that it's not been available, and Sky has been available with more channel choice for years?
Fremont Point
Coverage: All Channel Islands; has relays on Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney.
Switchover: 17 November 2010
Switchover occurs in just one stage on the Channel Islands.
On 17th November 2010, just after midnight all analogue services cease (BBC One Channel Islands, BBC Two, Channel TV, Channel 4). By 6am at the main Fremont Point transmitter the new digital services will be available. The relays will be upgraded during the course of the day, and all transmitters on the Islands will be digital only by mid-afternoon.
Captions began being shown on analogue services on 17 May 2010, according to Digital UK.
What channels will be available?
Freeview Lite channels will broadcast in the Channel Islands. The commercial operators SDN (ITV PLC) and Arqiva have no plans to extend coverage of their multiplexes to the Channel Islands.
Confirmed channels are:
BBC One Channel Islands
BBC Two
Channel TV
Channel 4
Five
ITV2
BBC Three
BBC Four
Channel 4+1
More 4
E4
BBC One HD (DVB-T2 Tuner required)
BBC HD# (DVB-T2 Tuner required)
Channel 4 HD (DVB-T2 Tuner required)
CBBC
CBeebies
BBC News
BBC Parliament
BBC Red Button 105 & 301
BBC Radio 1, 1X, 2, 3, 4, 5L, 5LSX, 6Music*, 7, AN*, WS
* Subject to BBC review of these stations.
# Name subject to change with the introduction of BBC One HD in the autumn.
I've not been able to find any information on whether ITV2+1 or ITV1 HD will be on, as the Channel Islands has a different Channel 3 licensee - it is not ITV PLC controlled.
In addition, many viewers with a MPEG4 compatible box or TV will be able to pick up services from the French digital terrestrial TV service 'TNT', with an appropriate aerial set up.
There should not be any legacy issues with old boxes, as there is no Freeview service ahead of digital switchover, although French services may be received with the appropriate equipment and aerial set up.
More reading/resources
Transmitter Map:
http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/transmitternetwork/tools__and__resources/switchover_maps/maps/Channel_v2.2.jpg
Frequency and multiplex information:
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv/ifi/tech/dsodetails/channelislandsreg.pdf
Publicity leaflet:
http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/33280/8mthChanIs_5feb2010.pdf
Are there are any forum members on the Channel Islands? And do you think Freeview is going to be used by many, given that it's not been available, and Sky has been available with more channel choice for years?
0
Comments
On FreeSat access to ITV1 HD is via the red button, not directly dialed in even though ITV HD regions are starting up elsewhere because CTV is the licence holder not ITV, and there is a note on FreeSat info channel (999) that not all ITV1 HD content will be available to the CI. So I would expect the ITV1 HD Freeview service to be the same. ie they will get a feed but subject to cuts. Also CTV will be able to insert their own material, but I doubt whether they could afford to do so, as it will have to be inserted at the central muxing unit in London. CTV, STV and UTV will be at a huge disadvantage unless they co-operate with ITV as the cost of HD infrastructure is so high.
ps LCN728 Heart radio will probably be be available although this is carried in CTV's half of capacity on D3&4. LCN100 Teletext and LCN106 Directgov and the Rabbits should be available in the CI as these are now in C4 capacity since Teletext had its licence revoked.
Would Heart really be broadcast in the C.I., as its currently only on ITV PLC regions? I wonder if the content of Directgov is relevant to the Channel Islands (because of the different administrative postion of the islands, i.e. not being part of the United Kingdom). There is already an anomaly with regards Channel 3 and the Channel Islands: I understand "The Zone" on ITV isn't broadcast in the Channel Islands because the gambling content isn't available to Channel Island residents. Will be interesting to see how these anomalies are sorted at switchover.
As far as I could find out, ITV1 HD on FreeSat is only available via the red button for the CI. I'm surprised that they can afford to keep it going. It makes me think that there is a much closer relationship between ITV and CTV than is realised. ie CTV must be paying for some of it.
I suppose Channel must pay into the Network Pot for programmes like Coronation Street, so it seems reasonable that such programmes are available in HD in the Channel Isles.
I think horse racing is fine - otherwise Channel 4 would have to be blanked every Saturday afternoon!
This freeview lite is nonsense also, all relays should carry the full freeview service
I understand that there aren't many spare frequencies available, without interference. However Single Frequency Networks could have been used to boost the service. Arqiva and SDN aren't interested in increasing the number of transmitters they broadcast from - it'll be the same transmitters that carried Freeview before switchover that will have the full service after switchover.
Firstly, as far a Fremont is concerned the present analogue allocations of E41, 44, and 47 are being switched to PSB 1, 2, 3, so no real issues there.
There is a sort of SFN to be used anyway. Gorey and St Brelades will share allocations.
Why's it odd ? The off air feed from Rowridge ceased almost 10 years ago, (17 years ago for C4) so why is Rowridge's switchover date relevant to CTV ?
Interesting that 51, currently used for analogue at Fremont is going to be used for Les Touillets relay in Guernsey. Could 51 have been SFN'd for a com mux, I wonder, with Les Touillets using its old analouge UHF channels for the PSB muxes? However with satellite television, its probably just not commercially viable to set up the commercial multiplexes on the Channel Islands.
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Does anyone on DS have details of the post-switchover frequencys for Cherbourg and other parts of France close to the Channel Islands?
I would expect it not to be.
It is up to Channel TV what they do with their half of mux 2, as long as they broadcast Channel TV (oh, and Five). They could come to an agreement with ITV plc to broadcast ITV2 and ITV2+1, same as stv and UTV, or they could sell the lot off to shopping channels. They were part of the application for the ITV HD service, so I would expect Channel TV HD (or, as Ray says, perhaps a cut-down version of ITV1 HD with stuff blanked out).
Also, I would expect the BBC to broadcast BBC Radio Jersey and BBC Radio Guernsey on mux 1, as they do with their other nations services. Hopefully they will add the Channel Islands properly to the BBCi weather pages, getting decent weather information there is nigh-on impossible - analogue Teletext used to be decent but of course that is gone now.
Chris
Already happened in March 2010 in Normandy, with Brittany which is also close happening in June.
http://www.csa.fr/TV_numerique/tnt_zones_region.php?reg=5
Also on that site: http://www.csa.fr/upload/TNT/R1-NO-18122009.pdf Why can't the UK publish coverage maps like that!?
And I see a compelling reason for the Channel Isles population to go straight for Freeview HD (DVB-T2) enabled devices, as they will be able to enjoy the whole Freeview Lite offering (with HD) plus the MPEG4 compatibility will bring them quite a few French digital channels!
Have holidayed in CI for a no. of years and have noticed quite a lot of satellite dishes - presume some Freesat and some Freesatfromsky as well as Sky subscription. Must say if I lived there and was only getting Freeview Lite I would go down the satellite route.
BBC Radios Jersey and Guernsey come under the BBC English regional directorate, so I think it's very unlikely they will appear on PSB 1 on the CIs. I'd expect to see BBC London on CP's Mux1 before any other 'English' local stations end up on DTT.
It won't - only some French pay TV channels broadcast in MPEG4. All of the 18 free channels are in MPEG2 DVB-T and are perfectly watchable on any freeview equipment.
As a previous poster has said, Basse Normandie switched earlier in the year. The main transmitter at Cherbourg-Digosville switched last November.
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The information about switchover timings in the north of France kind of explains why Channel Isles switchover was brought forward. If France has just about completed switchover in that whole area, and the Channel Isles are using some of their old analogue frequencies (which would have been avoided by French frequency planners), then there is no point in waiting a few more years to get digital switchover over with...
And the CI does not pay any License fees .....
http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/about/media-centre/news/tv-licensing-has-rung-in-the-changes-NEWS14/ There's no escape..!
Seems a bit out of date factually, and the comments section makes interesting reading. Common gripes: no ITV HD, will HD be available, why won't I get the full range of channels: comments include: "Wow! we are going to receive 20 channels, as opposed to 140 in the UK, i think i will pro-rata my television licence payment, could be interesting!!! " (Answer: we don't get 140 on DTT in the UK and the licence fee funded channels are all going to be there).
And no responses on the page from anyone at Channel TV!
Channel TV is about the size of a large shed. I know 'cos I've been there. Probably Channel M is bigger.
They are MPEG4 but over standard DVB-T.
If the CI used DVB-T2 for all three PSB muxes, they could forward the 2 x 24.13 Mbps PSB1 and PSB2 feeds unchanged in two PLP's within each DVB-T2 mux.
Thus would leave a free capacity of 2 x 16 Mbps without any extra TX cost.
As Freeview is currently not on the islands adn france did DSO very recently, the number of legacy dvb-t receivers should be very low.
Lars
then you should use the new Freeview HD boxes/PVRs
as they have the MPEG4 Chips in them, plus the
DVB-T/T2 Chips as well, if you want more UK channels
then consider Freesat or Freesat From Sky
As I have said, that is not the case. Only the French Pay TV channels and HD Channels on digital terrestrial use MPEG4. All of the 18 free SD channels including the 6/7 main French channels (TF1, France 2, France 3, CANAL+ (only the non-encrypted segments), France 5, M6 and Arte) are transmitted via DVB-T in MPEG2 just like Freeview here.
Also, unlike via analogue, France 5 and Arte are separate 24 hour channels, instead of France 5 turning into Arte at 7:00pm each evening.
you shall need the i-candy Freeveiw HD box
because it has a viewing card slot,
it maybe possible to use the card slot
for the French channels, I am not 100% sure,
if not, if you go over to France, then you can buy their box
and you can also use it for the Freeview HD service
here as well, but you can not use the Interactive, Subtitles,
Text or EPG services here as they use a different system
to ours, which is a shame