Community Channel HD on Ch 109 is closing down on March 13th. Community Channel SD on Ch 63 will be moving to COM7 on the 14th.

This raises the question... do Arqiva have an HD channel lined up to take that slot? As it seems strange to change it to SD immediately if the space isn't required by something else. Or are they planning on filling it up with a few SD channels?

Couple of channels would be good such as Eurosport.

Cannot really get Com 7 so it does not effect us here.

Isn't it a pay channel though? So why would it launch on Freeview?

The only reason why it was HD was to distinguish two streams of the same channel that had different time slots. If they were both in SD there would have been two channels called "Community Channel" close to each other in the EPG which would have been even more confusing for viewers.

I doubt Arqiva has anything else lined up to replace it.

We need Channel 5 HD

Surely it does in the sense that you won't be able to get either version in future?

(Can't say I'll miss it myself).

Agreed, but Channel 5 isn't interested so we've got BBC3HD occupying the slot that Channel5HD would have occupied.

One man's loss is another man's gain (as the saying goes).

Of course, Community HD never was HD even though it occupied full HD bandwidth so it's a better use of space.

Is that the slot going to horror channel then?

Yes it is. http://www.a516digital.com/2015/03/changes-to-community-channel-on-freeview.html

I never watch Community so for me its a better use of space.

There is no reason why channel 5HD can't go on COM7 and have a different number to 105!
If a HD swap was allowed it wouldn't matter anyway as it would end up on 5 on freeview! If it was on freeview!

I'm sure there isn't but they apparently don't want to and there isn't much the rest of us can do about it. Likewise ITV2 which is a serious omission from the HD lineup.

I had 2 programmes that I had set my PVR to record next week. It's freed up some disk space for me I suppose.

If BBC3HD cloeses down in the autumn, surely channel 5 HD wiil launch.

They would bring out BBC1+1 HD?

That was never the issue, it was a commercial decision by Channel 5 to not transmit on FreeviewHD.

Agreed, I'm not especially interested in Horror but I'm far more likely to watch a programme on that than I ever was on Community. I don't think I even bothered adding it to my schedule guide although I have now added Horror.

As far as I'm aware the plan is for BBC1+1 to be an SD channel an HD mux so that won't happen.

Channel 5 are under new management as of last summer so anything could happen yet who knows? Channel 5 is a PSB ITV 2 isn't classed as PSB so that would be why ITV haven't bothered putting it on freeview!

Besides CBBC HD is staying if the planned changes go ahead so the slot wont be free expect for the evening/ night hours of 8 or 9pm till 6 or 7 am.

A thought: now that BBC One +1 is planned to be a separate service, the CBBC capacity will be empty overnight should BBC Three close. The Beeb have gifted a chunk of their capacity to the carriage of Community before - it was on Mux B/BBCB back in the pre-switchover days IIRC - and putting a public-service channel in the vacated BBCA space would cause less ructions than slotting a commercial station in there would... This would enable part-time Community to be restored to those with SD-only receivers and those outside COM7 range...

Don't forget Channel 5HD on Sky is part of HD subscription so unlikely it would be on Freeview.