Because then you would have to find different codes fro hundreds of channels, instead of just the ones on Freeview.

Im utterely amazed it took you near on three months to reply to a post that you started.

He couldn't remember his short code letter and number for this digital spy thread.

The ITV2 button was put on TV's as for many years it was expected that there would be a second commercial channel , it in fact took a lot longer than anyone thought.

As for the number codes. I actually find it easier to just say BBC1, or if someone shouts to me from the kitchen and asks what channel something is one I might reply back with 1,2,3,4, or 5 but usually with their full channel names.

You say you refer to them as these B1, B2 etc. I assume that by that you mean when you are talking with other people as obviously you would not need to refer them to yourself as you would just flick the remote control. So when you speak to someone else about B1 ot I3 or S3 , do they know what you are talking about , initially ?

Sorry I don't really get it

Of course, TV & radio channels in the USA have three- or four-letter call signs to identify them.

I'll get me coat...

I vt ds to rd th td sd by vp

ds ab tk ts cd is gg to fr

big imaginary prize if anyone can decode it

This has been a message from C1

I visit Digital Spy to read the thread strarted by...

Can't do the rest..

Is it 'does anybody think this code is going too far'?

Can the imaginary prize be split in two?

I imagine it can..

It might have to go three ways if I can guess correctly what vp stood for.........

I think it was various people.

The rest is correct....... WD

Click here to view the prize (imaginary link)

Oh well, there's 15 minutes of my life I will never get back.

This is possibly the most pointless thread I have seen EVER...

Agreed.

Try this thread instead:

http://forum.digitalspy.co.uk/board/...d.php?t=423857

I think you might like it.

Excellent. My choices are just about to be added...

In certain cases it's necessary to use more than one letter and one number. Take the UKTV family of channels. This is the best I can come up with as a coding system:

UB = UKTV Bright Ideas
UDo = UKTV Documentary
UDr = UKTV Drama
UF = UKTV Food
UG1 = UKTV Gold
UG2 = UKTV G2 (appropriate since this was formerly called UK Gold 2)
UH = UKTV History
US = UKTV Style
USG = UKTV Style Gardens

How about that then?

But why? As has been said on here several times, by the time you explain your code to someone, you'd have been just as quick saying the full channel name.

Erm, well done? I'll be sure to use it if I think my phone's being tapped.

This thread certainly refuses to die!

Sorry folks, this thread is just sheer madness.

Well whilst talking to my family recently, I've sometimes used the following codes:

B1 = BBC1
B2 = BBC2
B3 = BBC3
B4 = BBC4
I1 = ITV1
I2 = ITV2
I3 = ITV3
I4 = ITV4

My mum, aunt or uncle, depending on who I was talking to recently, always seemed to understand what channel I meant when I said B1, I2 etc. However it took me a little more explaining when I said "B6" for CBeebies though. Last night (or the night before) I mentioned BBC News 24, as my aunt and uncle probably wouldn't have understood B7.

Just a reminder, the full set of eight UK BBC channels is as follows:

B1 = BBC1
B2 = BBC2
B3 = BBC3
B4 = BBC4
B5 = CBBC
B6 = CBeebies
B7 = BBC News 24
B8 = BBC Parliament

Isn't it great that B8 is now available full screen on Freeview after being quarter screen only for the past four years?

Wow thanks for reminding me, I'd got B5 and B6 mixed up, no wonder my 3 year-old got confused!

The reason for numbering the BBC Channels in that order is that's the order they appear on Freeview. At present, analogue terrestrial (ATT) is the standard backbone platform everyone has. Post DSO ATT will cease to exist, and so the 3 PSB MUXs on DTT (Freeview) will be the standard backbone everyone will have. Therefore Freeview carries the official sequence of BBC Channels. I know the order on Sky is different:

BBC1 your region
BBC2 your region
BBC3
BBC4
BBC News 24
BBC Parliament
CBBC
CBeebies
BBC1 Other regions
BBC2 Other regions

But still, at least BBC News 24 comes before BBC Parliament, and CBBC comes before CBeebies even on Sky.
That's just Sky being awkward, if only they put all the kids' channels BEFORE the news channels in the line-up, just like Freeview.

Coming back to your point, it is a bit odd that both Freeview and Sky put CBBC followed by CBeebies, because CBeebies (B6) is for younger children (5 and under) whereas CBBC (B5) is for older children (6 to 13).

Surely this is a wind up??

Not always,I've never seen any Sumo wrestling on Sumo TV!

Friendly TV consists solely of text 'n' tits programming these days,which could hardly be construed as "friendly"....

I'm currently in the middle of a Sky+ copying session so I can't browse through the epg for other examples but i'm sure there's plenty more!

And what's the point in using 'B4' as a code for a BBC channel when there is a music videos channel already called B4??!!

What? UKTV Food? For your info, UF is my code for UKTV Food.

I never knew that. Trouble is, BBC is the leading broadcaster in the UK, so to fit in with the logic, B4 must be used for the BBC family of channels, i.e. BBC4.

I know B4 is often used for BEFORE.