I did check Moel-y-Parc earlier and still no sign of COM8 there. I also see that the digitaluk channel list hasn't been updated with COM8, nor the coverage checker.

I wonder if Arqiva are contractually allowed to run COM8 with significantly different coverage than COM7 for very long. Maybe QVC have got this bandwidth for a giveaway price to get the mux going.

The TXs switched on today were Crystal Palace, Winter Hill, Sutton Coldfield, Emley Moor and Black Hill.

Was COM7 all rolled out at the same time?
Something's telling me that it was done in 3 stages of 10 sites, but maybe that was referring to something else.

Are you sure that they won't try and put the equivalent of 7 HD or 28 SD, or a combination of the two somewhere?
And yes that's 4 SD to 1 HD of those 7! I am presuming that they will use 544*576 res and only about 1.5Mbps.
I guess a HD channel would get about 6Mbps, what do the 2 QVC channels get each roughly?

5 HD is definitely overdue... would it be too much to ask for channels 105 - 110 to shunt one along to make way for 105 being used for 5 HD? It'd be silly to have 111 for 5 HD.

Good point that sounds like a plan!

Financial decision by channel 5, ask them, nothing to do with shunting channels along.

Agreed, but they already rejected 105 when it was offered which is why the BBC took it so I doubt Ofcom would be sympathetic to such a request?

COM8 is on digitalbitrate.com now

http://en.digitalbitrate.com/dtv.php...ng=en&mux=COM8

The launch of COM 7 was in stages because the equipment was still being installed. I think it was assumed that the installation for both muxs would have been done together, meaning that COM 8 could be switched on at all sites at the same time.

Maybe the staggered rollout is something to do with establishing the feed to different sites.

BBCB is running with enough null packets to allow another HD channel for about 6 months.

111 and 112 are already taken, which is what this thread is about.

Well, the next one along then.

Honestly, it's like they chose the worst possible channels to make HD versions of. Who the heck wants to see QVC in HD? The mind boggles.

It's more a case who is willing to allow their programmes to be seen free-of-charge in HD?

QVC is, Channel 5 isn't.

Well it looks a heck of a lot better in HD, which can't harm sales.

Even where it's powered up, I'm not seeing any channels here.

I suspect it's more to do with either testing before they make it live everywhere, or they need to do some work to get the feed to sites.

It seems we do not have Com 8 here, a friend of mine got her box to scan and it did not come up with QVCHD or QVC beauty

I'd love to see:

Channel 5 HD
Spike HD

Urrr... my Wife for a start

QVC have wanted to go HD on Freeview for some time - the theory being that it will show the products off better, closer to how you would see the item in a shop.

But it seems getting QVC Beauty a longer timeslot was their first priority and they have done that with SD from 5am to 1pm, and HD from 1pm to 2am. The +1 Live channel gives them HD on the main channel in the mornings, but with the +1 time shift possibly being the bigger reason for people to watch.

Mustn't forget that COM8 coverage will always be limited, and the SD channel with 90% population coverage will remain more important than HD channels with 70% at best.

Well hopefully we will see channel 5 HD on freeview as free to air, but they are likely to follow the ITV and channel 4 policy of putting the non PSB sister channels behind a paywall.
So Spike HD plus 5USA HD and 5* HD, if those 3 channels come into existence, will likely be tied up with sky and Virgin.

Channel 5 being under new ownership and with the com8 mux fired up with something actually on it already, they might think it is worth considering?

I still think they'll be getting more from Sky for it being Pay TV only than they'll make from going on Freeview.

They could do both though Gold, Dave and Really are pay on sky and they all exist on freeview free to air.

On top of that Viacom could launch HD versions of channel 5 sister channels to make use of HD sub money from sky and Virgin, whilst making channel 5 itself free to air.

They are just concepts right now, but the second option could give them 3 times the HD sub money and either of them would be better than the status quo for both Viacom and viewers.

Gold? On Freeview?

You are presuming that the money UKTV make from Dave & Yesterday being Pay on Sky is equivalent to that Channel 5 make for Channel 5 HD being Pay only. They are different arrangements. Sky don't see SD channels as being a particular draw to their platform, but they still like to think of themselves as being the only place people wanting HD will turn to. They will offer more to try and prolong the situation and prevent free to air alternatives damaging that position..

There are plans to give the HD versions of the PSB channels full PSB status, at which point C5 will be forced to launch C5 HD FTA. I assume this is why the newly created space on PSB3 hasn't been used or advertised (Ofcom have to agree usage on that mux). Ofcom already consider them PSB for the purpose of EPG prominence.