It’s one of those things that you either love or hate about digital TV: you’ve either got a signal or you don’t – unlike analogue, which would give you a snowy half picture if you weren’t exactly in the right position. Of course, with the switchover to digital TV due to be completed by 2013, that might have meant a good deal of rural Australians going without their daily dose of television. That’s why today the government announced a satellite service that would provide digital TV to rural Australians.
The satellite service, which will cost somewhere in the order of $40 million dollars per year over the next four years to build and operate, will mean that regional Australians will get access to all the FTA channels (like 7Two, Go! and One HD) for the first time. They’ll also receive local news services as well.
There’s no word in the announcement about whether or not those requiring the satellite service will have to pony up the cash to pay for the installation of a satellite dish, but there will be a “satellite conversion subsidy” from the government.
Personally, I think it’s great that we’re not leaving the bush behind with the switch to digital TV. Although how well the plan is actually implemented is another matter altogether…
[DBCDE]
Dim
Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at 5:34 PMThis type of system is already in operation in New Zealand, as there are only 8 major centres with the signal being transmitted. Should mean that if you purchase a programmed top box and point your dish at the right satellite people in Aus should be able to pick up the NZ tv stations…
Mitchell
Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at 9:06 PMNo Dim, this is not possible as the Freeview service in NZ is located on the NZ Spot Beam of the Optus D1 Satellite, you’d only be able to pick this up with a >10m dish, and it then probably wouldn’t be very reliable.
paul
Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at 5:40 PMwhat about the ppl who live in the city and are in a digital blackspot?
Robert
Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at 5:55 PMFYI – there currently already is satellite transmission of *most* FTA channels in Australia and the rule used to be if you couldn’t receive terrestrial signal with a 10 metre high antenna you could then apply for the Government provided FTA satellite decoder card for insertion into a DVB-S STB.
Jamjar
Tuesday, March 15, 2011 at 8:31 PMWho the heck would go to the trouble of attempting to install a 10 metre high terrestrial tv antenna????!!!! The local council probably would not give an ok to that even if you could find someone who could install it!!!!
zaphodity
Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at 6:28 PMGood news..About time the people in the bush got a break…Now they have a few extra channels of SH@T to choose from !
Corey Evans
Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at 6:51 PMThese people CHOOSE to live in the bush! Sure offer the service but make them pay for it! Living in a less populated area will always equal less services. If they they don’t like that, don’t live there, simple.
Kif
Wednesday, January 6, 2010 at 10:22 AMIf they don’t live there, you don’t get food. Simple.
The majority of farmers I know don’t have time for TV anyway, besides to check on what the weather is doing. If it wasn’t offered free, they wouldn’t bother to pay for it.
Jamjar
Tuesday, March 15, 2011 at 8:35 PMCorey, I live 320kms in the deep south west of western Australia.
I acutually install satelite Tv in this area. Corey, my view is that as the satelites are already up there, all of Australia should have all of the programs free. That is ALL for free. The commercial networks get revenue from advertising and the government is funded from the broad based government income.
bert
Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at 9:32 PMI’ve heard (infrmally) that the regional FTA feeds will be encrypted – so the people in a given regional area can *only* watch the localised versions of their channels (with ads, PSAs etc) – i.e a set-top with a CAM/smartcard. With this limitation on top of a ‘Freeview’ sticker – you can be reassured that you won’t miss any of the adverts and promos between the program segments.
AnthonyP
Wednesday, January 6, 2010 at 9:56 AMgo to the post office and buy an Aurora card and get FTV via sat now!
Yes it is locked to your region and it is encrypted, but only using the Irdeto, which most CAMS will decode.
Check this weblink out.
http://www.lyngsat.com/packages/aurora.html
Daryl
Saturday, February 6, 2010 at 7:30 AMyou said “The satellite service, which will cost somewhere in the order of $40 million dollars per year over the next four years to build and operate” does that mean it going to take 4 years before we get the service?
i think its great that us bushies finally will get services that the city people take for granted.