So all you are saying is that Comux holds the licence to provide the local multiplex at locations where a local tv service is licensed. If there is no local tv service, there is no multiplex. It is entirely location based.


Mux 2 doesn't exist solely to provide regional variations, it is also the multiplex for Channel 4. Channel 4 is NOT a regional broadcaster. Mux 2 is a national multiplex, carrying national services.


Again, all you are saying here is that Comux holds the licence to provide the local multiplex at locations where a local tv service is licensed. A licence to operate location based multiplexes does not make a national multiplex. As I said originally, that is how you perceive it, others will have a totally different perception.

Nope, comux holds a single licence using interleaved spectrum allocations to carry a multiplex to as much of the population as is a) possible within the bounds of frequency availability and b) is financially viable. 1/3 of the capacity is reserved for local television services which ofcom has awarded seperatly. Comux can use the remaining capacity as they wish (subject to BBC funding limitations - I.e. no slapper channels) and as Comux indicated in their application these would be for fully national services. A change in the services carried only needs a single agreement with Ofcom.

The multiplexes don't require the local service to be broadcast to enable them to be on air (see most of the transmitters currently on air) and they don't need to terminate if the local TV station ceases broadcasting.

On the other hand DAB local radio licences are LOCAL licences, each is awarded seperatly and to many different licencees (e.g. now digital east Midlands, now digital south west, now digital, emap, MUX co) although most are now operated by Arqiva or MuxCo. The "National" services which these multiplexes carry need to be agreed with ofcom on an individual basis, but must reserve capacity for the relevant BBC LR station (if any).

National has never meant 100% of the uk - 1-4 analogue was 98.5%, Channel 5 was 70%, Freeview pre-DSO was about 80%, or 70% for all six multiplexes. Classic FM (INR1) is about 90%, INR3 (Absolute) is about 50% nighttime coverage. Freeview PSB is about 98.5%, Freeview COMs are about 90%, Freeview COM 7/8 will be about 70%, and Comux will be about 65%.

It's true to say that the local service doesn't need to have started broadcasting for the local multiplex to be enabled. There does, however, need to be a local tv licence for the multiplex to exist. Take, for instance, the situation with Plymouth, there were no applicants for the local tv licence. Going by your theory, the local multiplex would have been set up regardless, this isn't the case. In fact the local multiplex is secondary to the existence of an actual local tv franchise. If there are no applicants for the licence there will be no service. Similarly, if the local service ceases broadcasting, the raison d'être of the multiplex also ceases. In such circumstances, it remains to be seen whether the multiplex would continue until another local tv licence is issued or whether the local multiplex would be mothballed.

I'm afraid that most of your views are at odds with those of my contacts at Ofcom and Arqiva, so I won't waste time commenting on the rest. As I said to Chrisy, if you wish to "perceive" this as a national multiplex, that is entirely up to you.

The main reason for the single licence for the local multiplexes is basically because it would have been onerous to place the additional responsibility of operating a multiplex on a small local tv franchise. A single operator of multiple local multiplexes rather than a pseudo-national multiplex.

Oops, sorry, testing something and hit submit instead of cancel, please ignore.

BBC Red Button 2 (302) now running the Wimbledon promotion loop.

Looks like QVC Beauty went off-air at 1pm, so I assume that has now ceased to make way for 302.

Now identical to RB2 on satellite, where the Digital Widescreen Test Transmission (aka Windmills) was replaced by that loop this morning. I do hope they don't keep "BBC Red Button stream 2" on the screen when normal programmes start.

QVC Beauty has a new start time of 5am on the MHEG slate, so, presumably, it is temporarily using the spare capacity available from 5am to 8am between Babestation and Rocks & Co.

0500-1300 according to QVC.

They were live until 1300 on Monday, so that doesn't seem unreasonable. There is no obvious spare capacity available from 0800-1300 to allow this. Unless, perhaps, BBC RB 302 isn't 24/7 at this stage or maybe the hours of, say, Rocks & Co. have also been adjusted.

unless they are trying to fit 14 channels on the MUX!

I wouldn't have thought they would attempt that on ARQ B. There's very little overhead capacity available, so adding a 14th channel would cause bitrate starvation. Not very sensible on a multiplex with fast moving action video on several channels (BT Sport channels, BBC RB 302 etc)

Rocks&Co is now starting at 1pm.

Yes, I noticed, after I had made the above post, that Rocks & Co's off-air slate had been changed to reflect the new hours of 1pm to 11pm. That was the missing piece of the jigsaw.

So, Rocks and Co has returned to the hours it had prior to 01/11/2013. QVC Beauty has taken up the spare 3 hour slot on ARQ B and also the hours it previously shared with Rocks & Co (prior to extending hours and moving to the newly created 13th stream on 01/10/2013).

It's nice to see that the 0500-0800 slot has been filled, it has been vacant for quite some time. If I remember correctly, the last time it it was (partially) used was for the Al Jazeera 6-8 channel in 2012.

Ah, yes, the channel my TV steadfastly refuses to forget, no matter how many times I rescan it.

So where is this second RB for the flagship sporting event Wimbledon?

Just one RB on 301

The second RB 302 is on a commercial mux which is not available to about 8% of us...
Rolle on connected TV fir all 12 courts we can see on the website .

I had to re-scan to get 302.

I came back to delete my post.

roll on connected red button on all HD platforms!

There's lots of talk about RB302 and occasionally 301, but my TV also has BBC RB200 (PSB1). Where does that fit in the forthcoming scheme of things?

That fits in where it's always been, as the BBC red button interactive services that replaced ceefax.

Anyone know how long the audio channels on BBC RB 301 (in London at least) have been 160 and 112kb/s. I last remember them being 192 and 128, but that could be a while ago. Did this change happen with BBC London started?