Righteo, loyal Freesat follower here. I have the Foxsat for a good few years, and generally pretty happy with it. However, its certainly looking rather dated and lacking in features.

So, I was pretty happy to hear that Freesat are planning their next generation service and have read some technical specifications around the net, and they show some potential for a pretty strong service. There are some questions I have, and hoping that someone here can shed some light:

MoCA support - that's whats already included in the Humax, right? Ability to tune to 3 channels at once? Are there any limitations on how many chnnels could be received via one - or two - cables.

Remote Record - I asked Freesat via Twitter if they were working on remote record functionality, they replied their erngineers were working on it. I assume this would be rolled into the Next Gen services?

Release - website says "coming soon", via Twitter the Freesat team say "soon". Being an impatient little bugger, "soon" is always pretty far away. Anyone have any ideas on releases?

YouView integration - its a pretty sleek service from what I have seen and would enable broadcasters to just use one VOD platform, but the inclusion of HbbTV suggests its not being considered in the base specifications. Unless of course it there to make life easier for european content providers? Thoughts?

Does anyone have any other thoughts or knowledge of NextGen Freesat?

Not sure about the other points, but the Humax does not have MoCA, it's something completely different!
http://www.mocalliance.org/

Unlike YouView freesat have never published any specs. What is known has been mentioned in interviews or leaked.

Unicable (SCD) is said to be included and the Foxsat already has this. MoCA is said to be included - from what I have read this would need chipset support

I am somewhat doubtful about remote record. To explain a STB in standby cannot be made aware unless it is set to wake and ask a remote server for support. I would imagine that this would have needed to be specified quite some time ago for it to be included on a soon to launch STB

The YouView and freesat approach is very different - freesat defines a lot of UI aspects, YouView is responsible and controls the UI - U.I. firmware being updated on all makes at once (once more than 1 one exists)- so I understand.

The ability to tune 3 channels at once (without restriction) would need 3 tuners and 3 feeds. I don't think this will happen (can't see chipset to support it)

Soon. - No comment.

Look here for chipsets - the BCM7346 looks like a good choice to me.

It is interesting that everything you mention has little or nothing to do with Freesat really. Freesat is pretty much just an EPG so I'm not sure what 'Next Generation Freesat' could possibly be.
MoCA would be something manufacturers could readily implement if there was demand, but firstly I think it would be way outside the scope of Freesat for them to mandate support and secondly, IMO, it is unlikely to happen. In-home distribution is already swamped with connectivity options for moving media around: PowerLine, Ethernet, Wi-Fi and WiGig etc, all that is needed is a protocol to get everything talking and that is what DLNA is gradually doing.
As REPASSAC mentioned you probably meant Unicable (SCD) support and I'd love to see that mandated by Freesat but again I think it is a little outside their remit really.
Remote Record is already there with some boxes, e.g. Echostar. Again it is something that I think is outside the remit of Freesat itself to mandate or even try to standardise.
I also think YouView is destined to fail and so I doubt it will make it to Freesat, but I may be wrong, and a backward Freesat EPG would be a good idea.
I think going beyond 2 tuners is more likely to be dealt with by home media servers as they become ever more mainstream. The Humax method of allowing multiple streams from one transponder to be recorded/watched provides a reasonable alternative and I very occasionally do wish my Echostar could do this.

well I feel that with space now there for all type of channels etc.... Freesat could now move into giving more IP services that bring more iplayers from the like of channel 4 and 5 and other internet tv services...... The boxes/ tv could have joint public free TV services ( Freeview & Freesat ) system that able join the EPG together for a better and wider channel listing and better multi channels recording, so a freesat box could use all four cables to multi LNB. A box with good chips onbroad to allow games that have been downloaded by epg links. Full internet service with mail etc ....so a return path to channels could be made for viewers to make and take part in shows. ...App's that help to join the box to service from internet and many other items could help to make the next step of freesat a better public service in tv world.

Have you been reading the YouView specs - sounds exactly likr it.

OK, so we've been waiting and waiting and then waiting some more, and apart from a poll on joinfreesat and a little speculation in forums there is still NO big announcement from Freesat... Is anyone else starting to think that the promised Freesat 2.0 (if you will) is never to happen...? Whilst I am mostly a patient man I am seriously running out of the stuff... I love my HDR but am sure I will equally love my second gen Freesat box if it ever materialises beneath my tellybox to bring me more features... COME ON FREESAT! (rant over)

The second generation spec was 'announced' way back in early 2011, with boxes 'promised' for Autumn 2011 - so I wouldn't hold your breath.

I do think though that much of the 2nd generation additions are covered by YouView anyway, and a non-YouView 2nd generation box would be a waste of time.

Humax are the major Freesat developer, and they have long since stated that Freesat YouView wouldn't even be started until after Freeview YouView was finished - and presumably that's still ongoing with updates on the way?.

Once Freesat have (eventually!) decided on the spec, then it's a matter of manufacturers designing and building boxes to match, then getting them approved by Freesat.

We can only be patient

I think that as far as Humax are concerned that the YouView freeview box is done. I understand that Humax are responsible for the API to control the hardware and YouView for the UI and everything else. All requests for missing features are being directed to YouView who will issue updates.

It was my understanding that Freesat (the organisation) not only runs the EPG but lays down (in collaboration with the manufacturers and broadcasters) the specs for all Freesat boxes. That's why they are allowed to carry the Freesat logo.

Although they do have some say in how their EPG is used they don't appear to control the specs of the boxes to the extent that YouView is doing.
Freesat boxes don't always do just Freesat, the Humax and Echostar support non-freesat FTA satellite viewing and recording to different extents, the Echostar incorporates Sling functionality, the Humax supports external media, etc, etc. Those are the only two Freesat boxes I have experience of but I'm sure there are many more variations on extended functionality the boxes can provide while still carrying the Freesat logo.
Maybe Freesat 2 / next-gen will control the specs more.

I think I read somewhere that they had to add non-Freesat mode (which apparently wasn't in the original specification) in line with EU broadcasting directives ("Television without Frontiers"). This says that a box must be capable of receiving whatever (EU channel) is out there, encoded or not. It is up to the broadcasters to limit viewing to only their subscribers by encoding the signal (conditional access) or in the case of fta channels by restricting the transmission beam, not by hardware or software limitations. Therefore it is not an offence to receive and watch fta UK TV in Europe or vice versa - it is up to the broadcaster to limit the reception. Obviously such directives cannot be applied retroactively to boxes designed and manufactured before the directive came into force. There has been a long discussion on this on the Sky forum. In the case of the Humax boxes switching to fta or non-Freesat mode is messy - whether this was intentional or not who knows, possibly just because it was added as an after-thought. It should have been included in the remote by way of a single button press.

According to the pre-exhibition announcement (IBC, Amsterdam 7-11 September) Humax states:


So no doubt the press and these forums will be full of it later in the week

agreed. Though some boxes might have additional capabilities, the basic must do's and must not do's is stated by freesat.

More info and videos on the Freesat site.

Also, Join Freesat promises to update its news thread when more information arrives and will include the Humax specs soon.