FreeView - what is it?

Author: jawapro
Date: Mon 12/01/2009 09:45 PM




 

For anyone who watches any local TV, you'll probably have seen ads for a thing called FreeView. Even I've seen it, and I don't watch much local stuff.

The ads waffle on about 15 new free channels - and how it's going to be great.

Well - they're full of it.

The 15 channels are as follows.

The standard 5 (WIN, SC, SBS, ABC, and TDT).
The HD version of the standard 5 (normally the same shows, just higher quality images etc)
An extra station for each.

Ok - so we really only have 5 new stations, as the HD ones are essentially the same as the standard (SD) ones. ABC looks like theirs may be different - but that remains to be seen.

Of those 5, ABC2 already exists. TDT's second is going to be an all-day sports channel, and SBSs is going to be all day news. So all we're waiting for is SC and WIN.

So much for 15 brand new stations.

Basically it's an attempt to encourage people to buy digital TVs/Set Top Boxes so they can close down the analouge stations - and at the same time, prevent people going to Pay TV by making it look like they'll get lots of extra channels for free.

I'd been planning to blog about it anyway - but I saw this story on theage.com.au which did a good job of summing it all up - so head over there and give it a read.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/home/technology/freeview-digital-mutton-dressed-as-lamb/2009/01/10/1231608576080.html



Comments: 5

 

Comment: 1

Author: turkeybrain
Date: Mon 12/01/2009 11:57 PM




I have also heard that we're going to need to have FreeView branded set top boxes to be able to use the much touted EPG, but I'm not sure if this is true or not. However, I completely agree that not much will change, though I am quite interested in the sport channel. Hopefully they'll include some of the European soccer and keep me happy!

 

Comment: 2

Author: DarthOblivion
Date: Tue 13/01/2009 09:22 AM




heh. Well, it doesn't sound too cool - I despise marketing ploys. I think that the people who have to put shiny new labels on dusty old products are just (a) not interested enough in the product - they just want the monies, or (b) just don't have any imagination...

 

Comment: 3

Author: Nifen
Date: Wed 14/01/2009 07:22 PM




abc has 2 channels, both have different tv shows. been that way since i've been back from being over seas.

 

Comment: 4

Author: Nifen
Date: Wed 14/01/2009 07:23 PM




oh forgot to mention, sbs has a news only channel.
and 2 other sbs channels. i've been on digital for ages now. since i bought that tv.

 

Comment: 5

Author: jawapro
Date: Thu 15/01/2009 11:32 AM




To be honest - I thought they had sbs2 already. Not according to Freeview though. Not that Freeview is reliable - they are making it sound like we're getting 15 new channels - and we're not.

We've had digital for ages too - mostly on set top boxes - but more recently in Plasma (parents) or LCD (me) tvs.

So we're really only gaining 3 channels - assuming the stations actually decide to make use of them.