Freeview Formed to Drive Digital TV Take-up in Australia

Australia’s free-to-air commercial television networks together with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation recently announced the establishment of the "Freeview" consortium.

It has been formed to kick-start the sluggish take-up of free-to-air digital television in Australia.

The consortium includes the ABC, SBS, the Seven Network, the Nine Network, Network Ten, Prime, WIN and Southern Cross. The ABC’s Director of Television, Kim Dalton, will Chair the non profit organisation.

Dalton says Freeview will work towards making sure that all Australians continue to enjoy the range of programming offered by free-to-air broadcasters as Australia moves from analogue to the digital platform.

“This is an extraordinary step forward for the free-to-air broadcasters. Together we have pioneered digital television in Australia, investing millions in infrastructure and converting our equipment and studios accordingly. Now it’s time for Australians to reap the rewards; Freeview will offer viewers more channels, great content and the very best quality picture and sound,” said Dalton.

From 2009, legislation will allow the commercial free-to-air networks each to broadcast an additional standard definition (SD) channel, as well as their existing SD channels, and their new high definition (HD) channels. The three new channels, plus the two ABC and two SBS channels and their respective HD channels, will bring the number of channels to be promoted by Freeview to fifteen.

Viewers will need a High Definition digital-set-top box, digital video recorder or an integrated digital television to watch Freeview

The consortium will be launching an education campaign to ensure viewers are ready for when the new channels become available .

Prior to the launch, Freeview will work with manufacturers to ensure appropriate technical standards are met on all television equipment that will carry the Freeview logo.

Digital TV in Australia : The State of Play

The formats are confusing and the standards don't seem to be standard. This simple guide unravels the mysteries of Australian digital TV.

Australia's first "free to view" digital television broadcasts began in January 2001. The roll-out has been gradual, but now all five free-to-air broadcasters (ABC, SBS, Ten, Seven and Nine) are transmitting their digital television services in all capital cities — Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart, Canberra and Darwin — 24 hours a day/7 days a week. The emphasis now is on expanding the coverage and content across the country, with over 20 major regional markets receiving at least some digital programming.

According to the original law, they must simulcast (ie, broadcast both analog and digital signals) for at least eight years in an area, so if you lived in any of the cities named above, you would be able to use your current analog television set to receive free to air broadcasts until the end of 2013. The deadline for the analog switch off was originally set for the end of 2008.

According to the industry body Free TV, over 90 per cent of Australians have access to digital television. However, it estimates that only 40 per cent of people currently watch it. To access these services, you will need to buy either a digital set-top box for your analog TV or invest in one of the growing number of integrated digital television sets on the market. Most TVs on the market today feature an on-board digital TV tuner, with high-definition tuners becoming increasingly common.

When the transition to digital is complete, our analog PAL system will be replaced by the DVB-T digital television standard, which was first developed in Europe. Note that again, our system will differ from the US, which is using the American-developed ATSC standard.

"Flavours" of digital broadcasts
The first thing to get your head around is that there are two types of digital TV transmissions, Standard Definition (SD) and High Definition (HD). We'll fill you in on the basics.

Standard Definition
SD broadcasts provide widescreen picture with DVD equivalent picture quality. The resolution is 576i (576 horizontal lines interlaced). It is broadcast with MPEG digital stereo sound (similar to CD quality) although some programs may be enhanced with Dolby Pro Logic or Dolby Digital surround sound. This is the standard that is now available 24 hours a day and it's a marked improvement from the analog signal. Most analog sets are capable of displaying 576i when connected to a digital set-top box.

High Definition
HD broadcasts also provide widescreen pictures, but they have an even sharper image with up to twice the horizontal and almost three times the vertical resolution of SD. Due to bandwidth restrictions, there has been some debate by the public broadcasters over what constitutes "high definition". Australia is one of the only countries in the world to consider a 576p image to be the minimum for HD. This means it is a "progressively scanned" version of the standard definition signal. SBS HD is broadcast in 576p, as is most of ABC HD — although Aunty now broadcasts some content in 720p.

As such, 720p is the universally accepted standard for a minimum HD picture resolution, and consists of a 1280x720 pixels at 50Hz progressive. The maximum resolution that the broadcasters transmit in is 1080i (1080 horizontal lines interlaced). Of course, this differs from the other HD standard 1080p. As flatscreens like LCDs are naturally progressive they won't display an "i" image anyway, but will instead convert it automatically to "p". The benefits of HD pictures are particularly noticeable on larger screen sets and when using projection equipment.

The catch, of course, is that HD broadcasts are available on far fewer programs. The Government has imposed HD programming quotas on each broadcaster of at least 1,040 hours annually (but only for mainland metropolitan areas). The current rules will stay in place until the switch-off of analog in 2013. High definition is also currently available in Darwin and regional areas of Tasmania, Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales.

The good news is that imposed quotas are being exceeded — and in most cases doubled — so there is a wealth of HD content on offer in any given week. Some of the programs are "native" HD (produced in the format), while others have been "up-converted" from SD format. If this top-of-the-line picture quality is what you want, make sure before you buy a new big flat screen TV that both the set-top box and screen you buy are HD capable — look for the HD tick, or you will not be able to fully take advantage of the superior HD image. Expect too, that you will be paying a premium for full-HD equipment.

Standard definition-only equipment is becoming less popular, but there's no need to despair if you decide to invest in SD gear. The Federal Government requires broadcasters to provide a digital SD signal at all times, even when HD programs are being broadcast, so you'll always be able to receive a digital television service, even when the higher quality HD signal is being transmitted.

Multi-channeling and other benefits
In addition to the widescreen view and better pictures and sound, with digital TV you also have access to extra channels. In 2007, most broadcasters officially launched their HD channels, which are able to provide programming that differs from their "core service". Any broadcaster in a non-remote area is able to provide one HDTV multi-channel under rules set down by the Government.

SBS is broadcasting the World News Channel for 20 hours a day in a variety of languages, selected radio channels are available, and most broadcasters are providing program guide channels. The ABC also offers a digital-only channel, ABC2, which features programs not seen on the main channel.

More intriguing is what may evolve from Sydney's market trial of digital data-casting. In addition to extra news, weather, sport and shopping channels, useful community services are being broadcast. You can check out still shots of notorious traffic areas such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and surf-cam shots of the major beaches lets you see what surf conditions are like. There is also an audio feed from Parliament House in Canberra if you want to catch every minute of Question Time.

Austar, Foxtel Digital and Foxtel HD+
The three main Pay TV providers in Australia are Foxtel, Austar and Optus. However, through numerous content-sharing deals made over the years it is Foxtel which provides a lot of content to all three.

Foxtel Digital, the pay cable and satellite digital video broadcasting service, launched in 2004. This was followed by the introduction of the company's first DVR, the Foxtel iQ, in 2005. It's a digital recorder capable of recording two shows at once. Foxtel has retransmission agreements for cable and satellite with SBS (Australia-wide) and Nine (Eastern states only); for cable (not satellite) with the ABC; and Seven and Ten available on cable.

Earlier this year, Foxtel launched its HD+ service with the announcement of a new recorder, the Foxtel iQ2 and five new channels of HD content. In addition to all of the digital commercial channels subscribers in the eastern states also receive all of the terrestrial HD channels as well.

Although AUSTAR runs a cable network in Darwin, it is predominantly a satellite digital TV provider. It has a coverage area of approximately 2.4 million homes — or one-third of the total homes — in regional and rural Australia.

In February 2008, AUSTAR launched MyStar, its personal digital recorder. While it is SD-only it also includes two digital tuners enabling it to receive free-to-air programming as well.

Original Story : CNET Australia by Pam Carroll and Ty Pendlebury 25 July 2008

Media centres: what you need to know

You have a gleaming new flat screen and a sound system to die for - the only problem is that all your music, photos and home videos are being held captive in the computer on the other side of the house. Could a media centre help to bridge your technological divide?

1. What is a media centre PC?

A media centre is a computer-like device that will let you record and replay television programs, surf the internet, and play digital music, games, video and slide shows - all using your television set as the display. The devices are designed to connect to other lounge room media devices and are operated by wireless keyboard or remote control. They are also sometimes called home theatre PCs.

2. What will my media centre do for me?

The most popular uses of a media centre are to aggregate and play digital files such as music, video and photos from a central location, and to access internet and email services in the lounge room.

Other popular features include the ability to watch and record digital TV programs and to pause and rewind current live television broadcasts. Advanced features in some units might also allow you to scale up your existing DVDs to a higher resolution (obviously dependent on the high-definition display capabilities of your TV set).

3. Are they available off the shelf?

Although you can build your own media centre, unless you are a real technology buff, you are best advised to buy an out-of-the-box system or get an expert to pull the bits and pieces together for you.

Some computers are billed as media centre compatible, but a true out-of-the-box solution should include a TV tuner, a preinstalled media centre operating system and a subscription to an electronic program guide such as IceTV.

4. Is it easy to set up?

Assuming you are buying an off-the-shelf solution, set-up time will depend largely on the loftiness of your ambitions, the user friendliness of your hardware and the quality of the user manual. If your new home theatre already incorporates all of the necessary preconfigured components to get things started, the first task is to set up the TV tuner, which could take anything from 20 minutes. After that, the set-up time depends on how much media content you wish to transfer onto the unit, or whether you opt to set up a network that can directly access content stored on your computer. Alternatively your retailer might be able to advise you on specialists who can mesh all the bits and pieces together for you.

5. Will it be easy to use?

Screen menus have been designed for easy navigation using a remote control for most commands and a wireless keyboard for more complex tasks such as internet or email. But be warned that the same sort of things that can play havoc with your computer (such as crashes and malware attacks) can also afflict your media centre.

If you found recording on a VHS machine infuriatingly cumbersome then you will be pleased to know that electronic program guides have turned this chore into a routine flick of the remote. Many devices can also provide similar functionality to a personal video recorder, giving you the choice of recording two things at one time and letting you pause and rewind a TV program showing in real time to fit with your schedule.

6. What other equipment do I need to make it work?

Some entry level media centre systems might not include a TV tuner or EPG subscription, but higher-end off-the-shelf systems should do so.

Display and audio equipment are not generally part of the package so if you want to link up with an existing TV or sound system you must check for the appropriate video and audio inputs.

To extend your media centre functionality to other areas in the house, a media centre extender will let you stream content wirelessly to a number of other display or storage devices (which can run simultaneously and independently). It will also allow you to pipe content stored in your PC directly to your lounge room.

7. Will it look odd in my lounge room?

Media centres might share much of their internal architecture with the classic PC, but most manufacturers have gone to great pains to package them up in a box that would not look out place in your entertainment centre. Many are not much larger than a DVD player and have an external LED display to give you an alternative to navigating via remote control.

Excessive noise can be an issue with some units, however, so check how quietly the machine runs in the showroom to ensure it won't disrupt your viewing experience.

Likewise take measurements of the space it is intended to fill to ensure your new unit has adequate space and ventilation.

8. What extras should I consider?

- If not already included, subscription to an electronic program guide will make it easier to manage television viewing.

- A removable hard disk drive could prove handy for moving media around.

- An ergonomic wireless keyboard will ease hand strain when accessing the internet.

- A universal remote control that works across the media centre and the TV set will help keep clutter from your coffee table.

- A dual high-definition tuner will enable you to record two shows at the same time.

9. How much will it cost?

An out-of-the-box media centre can cost from about $2500 to $6000, depending on the power, ease of use, features, design and brand name. There are more cost-effective solutions available but these involve more customisation and integration, which might require some technological expertise or the help of a specialist.

10. What are those cheaper alternatives?

A media centre needs a lot of hard disk space, processing power and memory. If you have a PC that satisfies those criteria and enjoy tinkering with technology, then you can feasibly create your own home theatre PC for much less than $2500 with the addition of appropriate media centre software, a TV tuner card, and a media extender or game console such as Xbox 360 or Sony's PS3. There are numerous websites that provide instructions on how to connect all of these bits of technology together but such a project is not recommended for the tech-shy.

Original Story by Louisa Hearn, The Age, June 3, 2008

Ratings move to boost HDTV

Free-to-air television stations will finally have some incentive to invest in their high-definition digital channels after a move to include them in official ratings.

Seven, Nine and Ten all offer some unique content on their HD channels - programs that differ from what's being shown on their main analog and standard-defintion channels - but there has been no way of measuring how many people are watching the new channels. That made it very difficult to convince companies to advertise on the channels.

TV ratings company OzTAM today announced that, from November, it would measure ratings for the HD channels whenever they broadcast programs not shown on the main channels.

OzTAM will also begin to measure ratings for ABC2, the ABC's second television channel which is only available to viewers with digital television sets or set-top boxes.

Original story by Jesse Hogan, The Age, May 7, 2008

Channel surfing in a digital-content graveyard

Australian television, running several years behind the rest of the developed world, stands on the precipice of a multichannel frontier.

But should we embark on launching free-to-air channels when the art of programming the ones we already have eludes us still? Free-to-air digital TV is almost a decade old and to describe it as steaming pile of nothing is an understatement.

The only success story is the ABC's stepchild, ABC2. Its commercial counterparts, hamstrung by years of self-inflicted legislative paralysis, are a waste of spectrum.

The hyped high-definition (HD) channels are bare bones and after eight years that's not good enough.

For those few who have installed consumer-unfriendly HD equipment and then bought the antenna they didn't realise they needed, these channels provide a service that amounts to a graveyard for repeats.

Even in the realm of pay TV, where a channel is often not much more than six or eight hours of programming, turned over three or four times in a day, there's enough fresh programming to please most.

The effort is worthy of applause, even if some programs aren't.

The commercial networks pack their schedules with infomercials and too often pepper their prime-time programming with repeats.

In the case of CSI, it is not uncommon for Channel Nine to omit the "R" tag denoting the show is a repeat.

At the ABC, its package of late-night movies has been replayed so often the tapes must be almost worn out.

The mediocre service provided by the networks does not inspire consumers with the kind of confidence free-to-air digital television needs to flourish.

Perhaps the market needs smarter, better operators? Better yet, a reader suggests networks should be obliged to identify the number of times they repeat a program. "R" might be annoying but "R23" is much more honest.

Original story by Michael Idato, The Age, May 8, 2008

High-rise digital set for snowy reception

BRENDAN Foley should be gleefully looking towards the December 2013 end for analog television broadcasting. As the head of contracting services for BSA, owner of Mr Antenna, his division should benefit from the rush of people looking to upgrade to digital.

His dreading the deadline is telling. Foley warns that television viewers must be prodded to make the switch faster because, if they do not, installers will be unable to cope.

"If you're talking to somebody about their TV upgrade in 2008 and they know that the broadcast close date is 2013, (there isn't) a sense of urgency," he said. "You talk to those in the industry and they will tell you, they firmly believe there will be a lot of consumers caught short and lose their TV pictures in 2013."

Since digital television broadcasts began in 2001, one of its biggest selling points has been the ability to get better pictures and sound by connecting a set-top box to the TV. An added lure is being able to watch ABC2 and three additional high-definition channels, with Seven, Nine and Ten to each launch another standard-definition channel in the new year.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority's latest annual report on digital TV found that at the end of last year 41.2% of premises received digital TV broadcasts. When additional TVs were counted, such as in bedrooms, digital's reach was only 25.7% of receivers.

Communications Minister Senator Stephen Conroy has acknowledged that the switchover "could well be the largest change on a national scale since the introduction of decimal currency in 1966". But while most viewers will be able to upgrade by buying a new TV or a set-top box, those living in apartment buildings could face hefty costs.

"The multi-unit dwelling is actually the toughest of all the issues," Conroy said this week. What makes it difficult is that in most apartments, the TV signal travels from two antennas atop the building to a device that splits the signals into individual channels. Each channel is then fed into an amplifier that boosts the signal so all residents can receive it. That is fine for analog but not for digital.

The best-case scenario is that buildings can be upgraded by installing master antennas designed for digital signals. The signal is fed into a digital distribution amplifier, with repeaters every four or five floors. Upgrading an apartment building of 12 to 20 units using that method, according to Foley, would cost about $300 to $400 a unit — as long as the cabling used could carry the signal.

"Television systems installed prior to 2000 … you're pretty much looking at replacing the lot," he said. That is, new cables throughout the building.

While it is in Foley's interests to talk up the switchover problems, his pricing estimates are backed by the Owners Corporation of Victoria, which represents bodies corporate.

Rob Beck, OCV's general manager, says the cost of $300 to $400 a unit is "realistic, and could be much higher … depending on the situation".

"The costs will be directly passed on to the owner-occupier because that's the (type of) levies they would be paying, but indirectly, certainly all these things have an effect on your rental rate," he said.

While all analog TV signals must cease by the end of 2013 — the Government reiterated the December 31 deadline in March — the switch-off date for metropolitan areas is, formally, December next year. But Conroy insisted that "no one should work on the basis that that will be the actual cut-off date … The next time I have to make the adjustment, towards the end of this year, we'll actually move it (the metropolitan deadline) out to the end of that timetable," he said.

Beck highlighted two factors that could slow the digital upgrade in apartments. Firstly, that many owners' corporations would "wait until the death knock before deciding to do anything", in the hope of getting upgrade subsidies from the Government, and, secondly, because of problems in getting all apartment owners to agree to pay for digital upgrades.

"The very nature of an owners' corporation is that there's a very lengthy approval process as well (from the individual owners)," Beck said.

"If people don't, on an orderly scale, start to convert (now), then the technicians aren't going to be able to cope at the point of time when it comes closer and people all of a sudden want to switch over … they're going to have difficulty coping with the demand."

Opposition communications spokesman Bruce Billson predicted that delays in making digital TV accessible in high-rise apartments would prompt some disgruntled residents to attempt their own, crude solutions.

"You can imagine in these higher-storey buildings and office complexes seeing people sticking aerials out their windows," Billson said. "That's hardly the aesthetics people would be looking for after putting such effort into areas around Southbank and the like, to start seeing all sorts of technology out the sides of buildings."

The Federal Government has allocated $1 million to finding ways to solve reception problems in apartment buildings, and the problems are the focus of one of four committees within the Government-appointed Digital TV Industry Advisory Group.

While digital signals do not suffer the same "ghosting" problems of weak analog signals, Billson said one of the few problems with the new technology was that "unlike analog television, where you might get varying degrees of picture quality, with digital you either get all or nothing".

Julie Flynn, chief executive of the Free TV group, which represents the commercial free-to-air networks, said it was important to note the sustained, intense criticism of Telstra by rural residents in the lead-up to the closure of the CDMA mobile phone network.

"If you think that was a problem, you try taking away their free-to-air television," Flynn told an ACMA summit on Wednesday.

"We all need to get our skates on to make sure we can deliver the same coverage to all Australians in that time frame."

In confirming the switch-off date last month, the Government committed $37.9 million to help its Digital Switchover Taskforce promote the change (albeit as part of a plan similar to the former government's Digital Australia scheme that Labor scrapped, and headed by the same person, Andy Townend).

This will include the development of a logo to be put on new televisions and recording equipment to indicate digital compatibility.

But this may be usurped by the free-to-air networks' recent collaboration to develop a digital set-top box under the Freeview brand to promote the switchover, mimicking the approach of British broadcasters.

Conroy was this week given a demonstration of Freeview by the networks and described it as "a pretty significant development".

"The free-to-airs have dragged their feet for most of the past 10 years — they're really behind it now," he said.

The day after the Government confirmed the deadline in March, Ten chief executive Grant Blackley insisted that it had caused "no trepidation from this camp".

"We see it as a target that the industry should aim towards, and I say 'the industry' on behalf of government, (television) manufacturers, broadcasters, the retail sector and other interested stakeholders as well," Blackley said.

But did he think the December 31 target for the end of analog television broadcasting would be achieved? "I think that's a very good question (to ask) in December 2013."

Original Story by Jesse Hogan, The Age, 3rd May 2008

Conroy attuned to new digital TV network

COMMUNICATIONS Minister Stephen Conroy has maintained the momentum for a fourth free-to-air television channel, saying that spectrum freed up by the switch to digital television could be set aside for a new commercial network.

Senator Conroy also revealed that the Rudd Government had estimated the unused spectrum could be worth up to $1 billion.

"In terms of the spectrum and what we could do with it, we've said all along that we are prepared to consider any of the options, including a fourth free-to-air network for the use of the spectrum when we switch it off," Senator Conroy told the ABN Amro Communications Conference in Sydney yesterday.

"We've said that should be on the table for all parties to discuss ... so we're working our way forward on those issues."

The Government aims to have the switch-over to digital television completed by the end of 2013, but Senator Conroy conceded there was "still much work to be done to convert the nearly 60 per cent of Australians who currently do not receive digital free-to-air broadcasts".

"This could well be the most wide-ranging format change on a national scale since we introduced decimal currency," hesaid.

The shift to digital television will free up scarce spectrum that could be used for "new and improved communications services, potentially including wireless internet, mobile telephony and broadcasting".

"The exact value of this spectrum is uncertain, but some estimates say it could be worth up to $1 billion," he said.

"Regardless of its exact worth, the digital dividend is clearly a major benefit of digital switch-over."

Auctions of spectrum licences by the Howard government in 2001 yielded a $1 billion-plus windfall for the commonwealth.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority, which is reviewing spectrum allocations, has recently released several discussion papers about spectrum use in Australia.

Original Story by Kath Hart, The Australian, 30th April '08

Darwin Digital Television

The Sunday Territorian reported yesterday that Darwin Digital Television is set to commence test transmissions next week, in preparation for the station’s full launch at the end of the month.

The station, a joint venture between the incumbent broadcasters Nine Darwin (formerly known as Channel Eight, owned by PBL Media) and Southern Cross Television (owned by Macquarie Southern Cross Media), will carry the Ten Network via a digital signal on UHF channel 33, using call sign DTD.

The station is another in a series of digital joint ventures, with similar Ten affiliated stations operating in Tasmania and Mildura. A similar set-up is expected for regional Western Australia when digital transmissions commence in that state.

Free-to-air ad blitz aims to stall pay TV growth

Free-to-air broadcasters are set to launch a $40 million advertising blitz to whack pay television and attract customers to digital terrestrial TV.

The campaign, to go to air in six weeks, is backed by the three commercial broadcasters, the ABC and SBS, and will have more air time than the former Coalition government's advertising splurge for the GST, which was the single biggest television campaign seen in Australia. Unlike the paid GST ads, the digital TV ads will be run free.

So confident are some of the free-to-air broadcasters about the damage they can inflict on pay TV's - the ad blitz will bundle a line-up of 15 free digital channels available from next year - they say pay TV subscriptions might stall.

In pay TV homes, 40 per cent of viewing is on free-to-air channels. The mid-term goal for the pay TV industry is household penetration of 50 per cent, up from 30 per cent.

"There's no doubt when the consumer has more choice that is free and it is compelling content it's going to hurt pay in some capacity," one TV network executive said this week. "It will slow the rate of growth for pay to a point it may become stagnant in time."

Another TV network executive says the collaboration by broadcasters on the bundle of channels to be called FreeView is unprecedented. It has already resulted in the Seven Network freezing launch plans for its TiVo digital recorder service until at least the middle of this month while it decides whether to proceed, delay or bin the project.

"Free-to-air to this point has sat back and pretended pay TV didn't exist, and now it's in 30 per cent of homes," the broadcast executive says. "Pay TV spends 60 per cent of its marketing funds on [free-to-air] TV. It's their marketing platform. We're going to use it ourselves."

Earlier this week the commercial and public free-to-air broadcasters met to complete a branding joint venture borrowed from Britain also called FreeView. All the free-to-air networks are expected to sign off on a heads of agreement by tomorrow, with one of the sticky issues being board representation - at present each broadcaster is understood to have a seat.

But amid the free-to-air exuberance, the pay TV sector this week produced statistics from Britain it says show Australian broadcasters are deluded in their expectations for curbing pay TV's growth here.

"The arrival of FreeView in the UK did not curb pay TV's growth," says Ian Garland, the commercial director for the Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association.

"Pay TV has continued at the same growth rate. Without a doubt FreeView has grown faster than pay TV since 2002 but even with that growth, cable and satellite pay TV continue to grow at the same pace.

"Pay's [British home penetration] is growing at roughly about 2 percentage points a year, which equates to about 500,000 homes. Pay TV in the UK is not growing as fast as FreeView, but that's not the point. By definition FreeView has to be available to everyone by 2012 because that's when the analogue signal switches off," says Garland.
Like others in the pay TV sector, Garland argues FreeView was launched in Britain with a more compelling offer of 30 channels compared with what will be Australia's initial line-up of 15. "Let's not forget, in the end it's all about content, and people will pay to watch diversified and meaningful content. FreeView won't stop pay's growth. People want multiple choice."There have been question marks over the programming the free-to-air broadcasters here will use across their additional channels but one television network executive said that Foxtel and Austar's content partners had already started discussions with terrestrial networks. "We are about to engage with operators who currently provide to Foxtel who want to move exclusively or simultaneously back to a free-to-air environment," the executive says. "We're going to take Foxtel's content."

Original Story by Paul McIntyre SMH Business Day - 3rd April 08

ABC Digital TV Funding Delay

Federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy says he recognises that the digital ambitions of the ABC have been constrained by funding.

Speaking at a subscription television conference in Sydney, Senator Conroy said pay TV had led the way in delivering new technology and innovation in digital TV.

The planned April launch of children’s channel ABC3 was put on hold after a Howard government election pledge to fund it was not matched by Labor.

Senator Conroy says the Government will concentrate on honouring its election promises in the May Budget, with the ABC’s three-year funding next up for consideration in 2009.

“The triennial funding for the ABC is in next year’s Budget, so there’ll be negotiations in the next 12 months I would imagine,” he said.

“The ABC will, I’m sure, present a very strong case about why their triennial funding envelope should be increased.”

Original story from The LAMP Watercooler 18th March 2008

Media savvy

WHAT is a media centre, anyway? Sounds more like a newspaper office than something hooked to your television.

In geek talk, a media centre is a device set up in your lounge room for watching videos and playing music through your television and sound system.

With the line between PCs and audio-visual gear now blurry and this product category poorly defined, media servers and Home Theatre PC (or HTPC) are other terms you'll hear during the current convergence phase.

HTPCs generally play multiple roles as a PC, a digital video recorder and audio-video player.

Media centres come in a wide range of flavours, including computers, game consoles, networked surround-sound amplifiers and networked AV receivers.

Unfortunately, the level of IT know-how required to set up and use media centres remains a barrier to widespread adoption. The idea of hooking up a gadget between a PC and TV is too daunting for too many.

A good media centre lets you play videos and music from the widest possible range of sources and formats with little fuss.

These include videos and music downloaded or streamed from the internet as digital files, tuners for receiving standard and high-definition digital television stations and -- in Australia from next January -- digital radio stations.

A media centre also usually has an optical disc player, which generally supports a wide range of CD, VCD and DVD formats.

These days the best and latest also play Blu-ray discs.

At the very least, you should be able to pension off your DVD player or demote its duties to a second TV in a bedroom.

A computer can perform media centre duties on Windows, Linux or Apple operating systems.

Media centres that are primarily computers can usually do everything a good computer does, such as browse the web, check your emails and use applications from Microsoft Office to Adobe CS3.

A good media centre should not limit what you see or hear to particular online pay-for-download music or video sites.

Beware of such DRM (Digital Rights Management) hamstringing use of a device or content.

Before buying a media centre, check it can stream YouTube and QuickTime videos and that all the video and audio formats and codes you commonly use are supported.

These include Xvid and DivX codec videos, plus audio formats such as MP3, WMA, FLAC, RealAudio and Ogg Vorbis.

Support for internet radio is an increasingly popular feature.

A PC-STYLE media centre should also allow you to access emerging internet television (aka IPTV) and video-on-demand services such as Joost, Veoh, Hulu and Babelgum.

A tuner card can enable a media centre to receive standard and high-definition digital TV, then record and timeshift programs similar to set-top recorders such as the TiVo.

Video and audio files can be stored on the media centre's own hard drive -- 1TB is excellent, 500GB is good and 250GB is OK -- or elsewhere on your network.

For ease of use but restricted functions, there's the Apple TV.

The Pinnacle ShowCenter is a good all-rounder to consider.

For the home-theatre receiver option, look at the Yamaha range for top quality and Onkyo for a competitive price.

A cheap and cheerful media centre can even be made by modifying an old Xbox game console, but tinkering under the hood of any kind of electronic device is best left to the experts.

Buy or beg a second-hand Xbox classic and track down a friendly local techie type who knows how to convert it into an open-source Xbox Media Center -- or XBMC for short. Visit: http://xbmc.org and www.promods.com.au.

The XBMC is hooked between your PC and TV to play downloaded videos and music in a huge range of formats. And games.

It's not pretty but it works well, though fan and hard-drive noise can be an issue.

And even with the modification done to order, you'll still need a heavy-duty geek streak to get it up and running properly. Not recommended for newbies.

Original story by Richard Conrad - Herald Sun 19th March

Digital TV set-top box blaze danger

You might not just be saving the planet by unplugging your TV equipment at night – you could be saving your life as well!

In a bizarre but chilling incident last night all the set-top digital TV boxes in one street in Washington, Tyne and Wear, burst into flames after a power surge.

The massive power surge blew up a whole street’s worth of TV digiboxes. As they burst into flames firefighters rushed from house to house yelling at residents to turn off their electrical equipment. Panic ensued.

One horrified resident described the road as being "lit up like Blackpool Pier" – a once-popular holiday destination for people who live that far north.

According to reports, home-owners fled into the street when their set-top TV boxes began to spark and smoke after a power surge.

Mum-of-two Sharon Stubbs, 37, described how she was out helping her neighbour whose sitting room had caught fire when a terrifying blaze started in her own house.

Another neighbour scarred his hand on the blazing hot digital box cables.

A spokesman for Tyne and Wear fire service confirmed that: “It is possible that if the boxes were plugged into the mains electricity and there was a surge something like this could happen."

So should we now unplug all our set-top boxes at night? What about recording late movies or our favourite telly programs when away on holiday? Should we expect to come home to a pile of ashes?

Electricity company, NEDL, sorted the problem out by 11pm and reassured residents that they should claim on their insurance.

Sharon claims her lounge flooring will need replacing and one neighbour’s home will need replastering and redecorating.

And who says the TV licence doesn’t sometimes work out as value for money. Every cloud of smoke has a silver lining…

Original story by Simon Jary in PC Authority UK Blog on 6th March 2008

Sport to spearhead digital TV push

THE Rudd Government will use sport to drive the take-up of free-to-air digital television by allowing TV networks to show big-ticket sporting events on new channels such as ABC2 and the commercial networks' alternative high-definition channels.
Under changes being considered by Communications Minister Stephen Conroy, the Government may allow TV networks to broadcast sporting events, which are now protected under anti-siphoning laws, on their free-to-air digital channels.
The sports most likely to be in Labor's sights include soccer, tennis and netball.
The Government plans would help prevent a repeat of the situation before the 2005 Ashes Test cricket series between Australia and England, when the broadcast almost went to a pay TV channel after the free-to-air commercial channels did not take up the rights from the England Cricket Board.
After a national outcry, the series was eventually picked up by SBS, generating record ratings and big advertising revenue. At the time, laws prevented the series being shown on ABC2 and other TV networks' alternative digital channels.
But any move to increase the amount of sport on free-to-air TV using the extra digital channels would infuriate media mogul Rupert Murdoch and other big players in pay TV.
Free-to-air digital TV can be accessed using digital set-top boxes, costing as little as $40. These give viewers extra channels, including ABC2 and additional SBS channels, as well as commercial channels' high-definition broadcasts. Most newmodel TVs have built-in digital tuners.
With analog television broadcasts due to be switched off in 2013, the Government is looking for ways to encourage Australians to take up digital TV, given that only 30% nationally have so far made the switch.
Talk of giving free-to-air networks first opportunity to show major sporting events came as thousands of soccer fans were robbed of the opportunity to watch the Socceroos play Qatar in their World Cup qualifier in Melbourne last night.
Under a seven-year $120 million deal reached by Football Federation of Australia in 2006, FoxSports has the broadcast rights to 90 A-League games a season, six Socceroo games and the rights for Asian tournaments featuring the Socceroos.
Shadow communications spokesman Bruce Billson said the Rudd Government had meekly accepted Socceroos games being shown on pay TV, despite talking tough when in opposition.
Senator Conroy said the Government could not rip up the FFA's contract with Foxtel but would move to put the Socceroos' World Cup qualifying games on the anti-siphoning list in time for the contract's expiry in 2013.

Story by Andrew Probyn and Nick Butterly The Age February 7, 2008