If you want a lesson on how to confuse the hell out of customers about digital television, look no further than the lessons currently on offer from the upcoming Australian Freeview service. Not only are they promising 15 channels od digital programming when there currently isn’t 15 channels operating (and there’s no word on whether there will be), but as Ty Pendlebury over at CNet AU has discovered, the FreeView EPG won’t actually work with any current TVs or DVRs – to enjoy FreeView’s EPG, you’ll need to pony up a heap of fresh cash to get a product with the FreeView badge.That whole confusing conversation could lead you to ask, “What’s so special about FreeView’s EPG?” And the answer is “not even Freeview themselves know”. Apparently, they’re still working out the details…
It’s not all doom and gloom though – if you currently get the free EPG on your TV – you know, the one that takes half an hour to load two channels worth of info and is useless for all intents and purposes – you’ll still get it even after the Freeview EPG has been launched.
If you want my advice (and I know you do), it’s to completely ignore Freeview. Get yourself a TiVo (which has their own EPG), a Foxtel iQ (which has their own EPG) or a third party DVR running IceTV (which you have to pay a subscription for, but seriously, it’s so much better than the “free” alternative). Freeview is essentially a marketing campaign that has done nothing but confuse consumers about what their real options are.
[via CNet AU]
Jetzz
Friday, February 6, 2009 at 12:50 PMTivo 1 , Freeview 0
flamingdrongo
Friday, February 6, 2009 at 1:10 PMi fully agree… freeview can bugger off and fail. i’m not going to buy another set top bloody box or tv with special tuner… rubbish
noisymime
Friday, February 6, 2009 at 1:33 PMCan’t we all just use Shepherd EPG and be done with it?
dave
Friday, February 6, 2009 at 2:34 PMFreeview looks like the last gasp from an industry that knows its becoming obsolete. If the tuner on my tv or DVD broke, I wouldn’t bother replacing it- much easier to download stuff than muck about with whatever the networks come up with.
poedgirl
Friday, February 6, 2009 at 3:15 PMI personally use Windows Media Center with the TV Pack to get the guide over the air. It comes in almost instantly for me and has 7 days of programming. The only gripes are in Channel 9′s names, like “Friday Night at the Movies” for every single movie on a Friday night. Same with their sport.
Frantelle
Friday, February 6, 2009 at 3:18 PMHere, here. 15 channels, come on. Perhaps by the end of 2010.
Anthony
Friday, February 6, 2009 at 4:01 PM15 channels = 2 existing + 1 “new” content channel!
Still no details of format eg. SD (576i) ED (576p), HD(720p, 1080i) etc!!! And all over MPEG2 not MPEG4 like UK and NZ freeview!
Hirsty
Friday, February 6, 2009 at 11:51 PMffs giddy up Aus.
Cral
Saturday, February 7, 2009 at 6:53 AMVista Media Center with EpgStream works great and it’s free.
http://epgstream.net/default.aspx?page=information-epgstream-v1
Steve`
Monday, February 9, 2009 at 2:27 PMNewspaper/TV Guide = 1 / Electronic fandanglery = 0….
Seriously though, a while ago, I was really excited by Freeview – until I realised all the channels are pretty much the same as what we get now – with the addition of that Ten “One HD” or whatever it is.. massive FAIL.