Ludicrous that they're "not allowed" to put AVC channels on Freeview! It's like the terrestrial broadcasters want to be left behind by IPTV!

What's the point of putting AVC on when hardly anyone can view them? They have started doing this on the DVB-T2 multiplexes - all the Freeview HD equipment that can receive those multiplexes can also decode AVC.

FWIW the bit rate of the BT Sport AVC channels appears to be around the same as a normal channel on the multiplex - presumably due to the higher demands of football so we'll probably get two services in anyway.

Ah so they are using 2 Mbs on each BT Sports channels that means they should be 720x576 with lots of bit room in AVC! OK so we could see two 544x576 bit rate starved channels after, just like all the others!

Over a 1 minute sample just now

BT Sport 1 - 2.99Mbps (highest bit rate on the multiplex)
BT Sport 2 - 1.21Mbps (lowest bit rate on the multiplex)

Everything else around 1.3 (QVC Beauty) - 2.2 (Viva) Mbps.

They have to pay until the end of the contract anyway, perhaps it would be considered misleading to attract new custom based on a service they know will be discontinued in the short term.


It will be now, although customers in Freeview Lite areas wouldn't have been able to receive the channels over DTT.

That doesn't make any sense, there are 13 concurrent channel streams on the multiplex, just as there are on all of the COM multiplexes. Closing down the BT streams wouldn't mysteriously restrict Arq B to 12 streams.

Following on from other posts, here's the background and reason for the permission of MPEG4 encoding on a DVB-T multiplex, and Ofcom's stance on allowing variations in the future from DVB-T MPEG2 to DVB-T MPEG4.

http://licensing.ofcom.org.uk/binari...ter-arqiva.pdf

Do Freeview users get an "unsubscribed" message or something else if they don't have access to BT Sport, or are the channels hidden from them?

Usually, a message along the lines of "scrambled" or "encrypted" channel.

Regarding Quest +1, I'd assume this is some kind of placeholder and that Discovery have a long-term plan for the slot.

IIRC at one time the Discovery on-demand services were split into two options - Factual On-Demand and Lifestyle On-Demand (I'm possibly thinking about the old original TalkTalk/Tiscali/HomeChoice system there), rather than divided into individual channel brands. It's also worth considering that Discovery have been boosting their FTA presence in a number of European markets recently to make smarter use of their content and rights. So here's what I think may happen in the longer term:

- Quest partially retooled from its current provision into a male-skewing, primarily documentaries and fact-ent channel, screening content from Discovery, D. Science, D. History, D. Turbo, D. Shed, and maybe Animal Planet, alongside much of the current Quest output
- the Quest +1 slot used for a female-skewing factual and lifestyle channel (designed to compete with Really, ITVBe, and to a degree the likes of Pick and More4) screening content from DMAX, TLC, Home & Health, and ID as well as popular-factual Discovery programming.

Whether this would be by way of a relaunched DMAX being punted onto Freeview, or the creation of a new channel entirely, I don't know, but that kind of reshuffle would further strengthen Freeview's mix of editorial output, provided they don't just use it as a dumping ground for the same stuff already looping around on other channels...

Indeed, SonOfPurple, and I'd expect this slot to show something like Discovery Home & Health or Discovery Shed in due course.

And the fact that we live in a free market capitalist country where a regulator allows the market - ie. multiplex operators and broadcasters, to decide what gets made available to viewers

I like +1 channels on satellite but it's disappointing when these channels clog up the limited space on Freeview, Eurosport would be a great addition to Freeview and I say that as someone not into sport, so let's hope they have plans to do something like that rather than just broadcast Quest+1`.

I assume with ITVBe coming at some point, ITV will have to close one of their +1's on Freeview to fit it in?

That shouldn't be difficult, ITV4 +1 isn't doing much.

That no good it only broadcast 2 hours more likely itv2+1.

Why not move Quest+1 from LCN 0057 To LCN 0037 so the two Quest Freeveiw Channels can be together side by side as it wood be easy to find on Freeveiw LCN EPG

Price Drop is on channel 37.

What's so difficult about scanning down the epg past LCN 38? LCN 57 is not exactly hidden, neither is it too far away.

And if you',e already deleted or hidden channels that are of no interest to you, or you have a favourites list set up, it is probably even closer

Quest will be moving to 37 with Quest +1 moving next to it at 38.

I've been thinking. The change will leave a two channel gap, further up. Sony tv?.......

The changes have know took places.


Its one of a number of portability.