For those not in the know, Freeview is a UK branding exercise that covers free-to-air digital television. It essentially offers all the FTA networks digital TV offerings under one easy to remember brand name, essentially so that it can compete better with pay TV.
Considering the success Foxtel is experiencing at the moment, this is actually a good move for the FTA networks. Freeview will act as a standard that various DVR manufacturers will be
able to adopt to ensure that they can provide an accurate EPG for home
entertainment recording. This will allow other PVRs to seriously compete with the likes of TiVo and Foxtel’s iQ2 box.
Freeview will incorporate 15 channels from the FTA networks, including the high-def channels and the upcoming SD multi-channel offerings, and is tasked to drive up the digital offerings available on free-to-air TV.
The only problem with the Freeview concept is that it’s only launching in 2009. It should have launched at least 4 years ago. It launched in the UK in 2002, and even New Zealand has used its masthead as a driver for FTA TV since last year. The reasons behind the delay are probably too numerous to mention, but the fact that Channel 7, 9 and 10 were so precious about their EPG information for so many years certainly wouldn’t have helped.
So, get ready for an onslaught of phone calls next year from your less tech-savvy mates asking what the hell Freeview is. You’re going to get a few calls.
[Via TV Tonight]
ed
July 18, 2008 at 6:06 PM
This comes to FTA trying to monetise EPG. then people wouldn’t pay for it so now they have no choice but to give it. TV in Australian is crap, they are stuck in the 80s, and I hope every executive involved in TV dies of arse cancer.
Report PermalinkSteve
July 18, 2008 at 6:32 PM
I think this is great – not everyone wants to fork out for Foxtel/IQ or a Tivo box regardless of their “competitive pricing”. It’s good that FTA TV isn’t going to fall behind the times now that we are steaming ahead in all AV related technology..
Report PermalinkKen Westmoreland
July 18, 2008 at 8:05 PM
Wadda ya mean ‘even’ New Zealand? NZ got colour TV before Australia, and pay-TV as well. On the other hand, it only got commercial-free TV channels in the past year.
Report Permalinkfatfingers
July 19, 2008 at 11:17 AM
I hope to the God of Tech this means that they will get their act together and actually start showing shows at their advertised time. I’m sick of missing the last three minutes of a show even when I record five minutes past the finishing time. I’m looking at YOU, Channel Nine.
And before you ask, no I can’t record 20 minutes past the finishing time if I want to record something else after the over-runner on a different channel.
/rant
Report Permalinkhugh
July 20, 2008 at 12:07 PM
does this mean that channel 10 will actually be broadcasting there HD content on there HD channel in rural areas “seriously ten” i want to watch AFL in HD get with it
Report Permalinksnakedoctor
July 20, 2008 at 5:15 PM
I applaud the introduction of a Freeview service. Let us all not forget that ITV Digital (aka onDigital) pioneered this quite successfully until a brain explosion when they blew all their money on the “also rans” of the English Football Leagues. I digress. No doubt the local FTA stations will bastardise the concept for their own benefit, and we will end up with a second rate product, as we generally do in Australia.
Report Permalinknicola
August 11, 2008 at 7:02 AM
with the freeview box that is coming out in 2009 will you be able to get uk living for eastenders
Report Permalinkrywtuuyrw
August 12, 2008 at 7:16 PM
Hey, thats Freeview NZs logo, what about Australia, shouldnt you guys have your own freeview logo, HUH!!!!!!!!!!!!???????????
Report PermalinkJabir
August 29, 2008 at 8:25 PM
This is great news for Australia, i do however think that DVB Australia should research DVB-T2 as it is supposed to provide effeciency gains for Spectrum Use, also would be great if Pay TV and and other world wide satellite channels are integrated in Digital TV.
Report PermalinkSteven
September 9, 2008 at 2:47 PM
I think what the Federal Government should do is to also allow all the players in the Freeview consortium to set up a digtial satellite (DSAT) add-on package with extra channels to compliment the digital terrestrial (DTT) offering. The existing DTT multiplex structures for each network are really not enough to accomodate more than just 3 SD channels in total (unless a lot of time-sharing was involved with, say, 2 different services per SD channel) when a mandatory HD channel and the option of a few local digital radio services are also sharing the same multiplex.
Therefore, in order to offer the most variety and to cover specific programming niches (children/family, music, sport, arts, nostalgia, documentaries, home-life programs, shopping, religion and 24-hour news), a companion Freesat service is necessary.
The structures are already in place for this to happen and GlobeCast is already leading the way with a plethora of free channels over on Optus D2 offering a reasonable mix of ethnic programs, religion and 3 English language news channels so far. All that is needed is for the Freeview players to jump on board and contribute a few niche Freesat channels of their own to add to this growing lineup, and a massive marketing campaign to promote DSAT/DTT combo receivers and dishes at affordable prices.
Under this arrangement, the DTT half of this operation would have an entirely regional focus and the DSAT half would provide all the niche channels unencrypted for a national audience. Each network would be required to offer a couple of extra channels each exclusively on DSAT to ensure this – this is what the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 are curently doing for Freesat in the UK.
Report PermalinkKim Humphreys
November 30, 2008 at 9:40 PM
What are the new chanels going to be. Is it anything like the satelite chanel B3 which is full of News chanels and little else, or are we going to get a good selection of shows worth staying home for to watch. I personally think Austar and Foxtel are crap.
Report Permalinkliz
December 2, 2008 at 10:58 PM
Oooh yay! Pardon my lack of enthusiasm. More free to air channels – probably like what we had for our enjoyment on Saturday when I was sick as a dog and wanted something to watch to distract me. Ch 10 – sport; Ch 9 – sport; Ch 7 – sport; Ch 2 – sport; Ch 22 – sport; Ch 1 – umm…guess what? Sport! I cant wait for yet more channels with yet more exciting golf, car racing, bowls!
Report Permalinkmiles
December 4, 2008 at 10:50 PM
lmao ok i can geuss what these new channels will be abc1, abc2, abc3, abc HD, sbs HD you can geuss the rest lol
Report PermalinkMark Johnston
December 8, 2008 at 6:23 PM
If we’re adding channels can somebody explain to the cretins who control the programming that the whole idea of having more than one channel is to show DIFFERENT PROGRAMS???
Report PermalinkHom many times to we see the same listings for abc1, abc2 etc??
Anyway – I’ll be amazed if Freeview is available in rural WA….
matt
December 10, 2008 at 11:21 AM
does that mean that we will get shows that r only on foxtell eg like the wrestling will that be on any of the 15 channels at the moment it is only avialable on foxtell will that change?????
Report PermalinkGraeme Smith
December 21, 2008 at 7:38 PM
The UK version brings access to a much wider range of channels and includes the option on many set top boxes for a ‘card’ giving access to additional paid channels (eg SETANTA sports and UK Gold).
Is it intended that the Aus FREEVIEW will be ‘growing’ in the near future? Will there be additional paid channels? Or even the possible option for this in future?
Report Permalinkmitch
January 2, 2009 at 8:57 PM
Great … 15 channels of Australian commercial shit.
As if Australian commercial TV didn’t already represent the nadir of commercial broadcasting in the western world, we now have it re-branded for the digital age. Wow !
Well, if it looks like shit, tastes like shit, there is a good chance it is shit !
Report PermalinkDexter
January 8, 2009 at 4:26 PM
This Freeview nonsense is actually a Trojan horse designed to squeeze ad-skipping PVR’s and
DVD recorders out of the Australian market.
How, you may ask?
It’s all about the new EPG, which we can expect will be much better than the current crappy EPG.
This all-new fully functional Electronic Program Guide will only be displayed by Freeview-branded equipment. This includes recording equipment that either has never had ad skipping functionality, or once did have such functionality that has been disabled by the manufacturer in order to get silly Freeview branding on the box so that mugs like us will buy it.
By ad-skipping I mean 30, 60, 90 second skip options on PVR recordings, and on DVD recorders the auto-chapter marking of the blackscreen that bookends all ad breaks.
The networks have correctly judged that not quite enough viewers are yet owners of such equipment to create a storm of protest big enough to embarrass the networks into backing down. The deal is already done I’m afraid.
The current crap EPG may continue to be transmitted for some time but the situation rather unclear. It’s day are numbered. The networks will not attempt to improve it and they can switch it off whenever they want anyway, because they were never legally mandated to provide it in the first place.
When the Freeview spin doctors and TV network execs are asked about this war on ad skipping hardware they are usually evasive. Perhaps the elephant in the room is giving them the evil eye? And no wonder – crippling hardware to try and defend their outdated revenue model is indefensible.
Report PermalinkJim
January 8, 2009 at 7:45 PM
As a non-nerd I’m still confused. I have an HD Plasma,a DVD recorder and subscribe to Foxtel. Currently I can record whatever I want and it seems that the only change for me will be that if I don’t purchase the obligatory STB, I won’t have access to the EPG. Well really, who cares!!! The programs are never screened on-time anyway – so it’s a manual exercise anyway.
Report Permalinkwerrty
January 10, 2009 at 1:36 PM
australia has far too much boring shit to broadcast why don’t they start gettin some decent shit. what da point of having freeview coz its only a waste of time.
Report Permalinkdebbie
January 12, 2009 at 12:43 PM
when is freeveiw comming i live in young nsw
Report PermalinkLisa
March 1, 2009 at 10:25 AM
ha!
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