Apsattv
10-05-2008, 12:02 AM
From http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4468531a18335.html
Posted 09-04-2008 12:22 AM
A new era of high-definition TV has arrived in NZ
BIGGER, BETTER: Freeview's digital terrestrial TV service is the first to broadcast programs in high definition in New Zealand.
As of last week, Kiwis in the country's major centres have a new way to watch their TV - digitally, through Freeview's Digital Terrestrial Transmission (DTT).
Digital TV transmits TV shows through the same 1s and 0s your computer uses, rather than the traditional analogue method. It's a bit like moving your music collection from vinyl to CDs.
Eventually, Freeview's digital TV will replace the analogue transmission system most of us currently use for the free to air channels like TV1, Prime and TV3.
Freeview's digital TV broadcasts promise a clearer picture and extras like electronic programming guide, similar to Sky's digital satellite service.
The launch of DTT is the second step toward the eventual switch-off of analogue signals - Freeview's satellite service launched last year, intended for mainly rural areas with reception problems - but there's no need to rush out and buy in.
The Government's current line is that it will announce a switch off date in 2012, or when 75 per cent of homes have digital TV service, whichever comes sooner. About 47 per cent have access now, including those with Sky.
For Freeview's satellite service viewers need a satellite dish and set-top decoding box to receive it.
For DTT, viewers will only a Freeview terrestrial set-top box ($500) and a UHF aerial ($50-$100). Your existing aerial might do - if you can pick up Prime you can get UHF. But the good news is after the initial cost, Freeview is free. There is no ongoing subscription like for Sky.
Besides better reception, Freeview's DTT will also broadcast some programmes in high definition. This means you'll get fantastic colours and clarity on big-screen TVs. You probably won't notice much change on screens smaller than 30-inches.
The first shows to be aired in high-definition last week were Boston Legal, So You Think You Can Dance and the season premiere of Rove Live.
They were broadcast in 1080i, one of two high-definition standards NZ broadcasters have adopted. The second is 720 lines (720p), a lower resolution.
Both offer a much higher resolution than standard definition (SD) but TV3 is screening only a handful of primetime shows in high-definition and TVNZ none at all - its first full 720p broadcast won't be until the Olympic Games start on TV One in August.
Instead, the broadcasters will upscale all of their programmes to a higher resolution that, while an improvement over SD, won't be as good as "native high-definition" (1080i or 720p).
The good news is the difference shouldn't be all that noticeable, because the broadcasters' upscaling engines are quite powerful.
As frustrating as the lack of native HD content is, TVNZ wouldn't even be contemplating broadcasting in HD if not for the maturing of a new compression technology called MPEG4. It allows more high definition and standard definition channels to occupy the same frequency than the earlier-generation MPEG2.
Although the world is shifting to MPEG4, New Zealand is one of the first countries to adopt it, and because the chipset isn't produced in the same volumes as the commonly used MPEG2, it is more expensive, hence the high price of HD receivers (which also cost more because of their greater processing grunt).
Later in the year, new TVs from the likes of Sony, Panasonic and Philips will have MPEG4 digital tuners built into them -- but expect to pay an extra $500 for the convenience of integration.
Also likely to be launched soon are gaming consoles with add-on digital receivers -- expect Sony's PlayStation 3 to be first -- PC cards and adaptors that will turn computers into digital TVs, and stand-alone receivers with DTR functionality. However, as of tomorrow's launch, only one Freeview-approved HD receiver model will be on sale, although five more are in the pipeline.
The Freeview DTT set-top box sells for about twice what the satellite Freeview receiver sells for and, unlike Sky TV's MySky, doesn't have Digital TV Recording (DTR) functionality to record programmes onto a hard drive.
Moreover, Sky's next-generation MySky, which will be able to record three channels at once and download video on demand, probably will sell for only fractionally more when the pay-TV operator launches two HD movie and two HD sport channels in July.
However, subscribers will be charged a premium for these, whereas the only costs connected to Freeview HD are buying the gear on which to receive the service.
All of the high definition receivers will offer analogue outputs but native or upscaled HD will only be viewable via HDMI connections that are specified for copyright protection (which many pre-2005 TVs didn't have). So, if you own a traditional cathode ray tube TV with 1080i definition, such as Sony's HR series of only a few years back, you won't be able to watch Freeview in native HD because it's unlikely to have an HDMI input.
Viewers who have bought LCD or plasma TVs within the last couple of years should opt for FreeviewHD if they can afford it -- the difference in viewing quality, even with upscaled content, will be dramatic.
But those who want the time-shifting convenience of a DTR receiver should wait a few more months until they come on the market -- by when TV3 should be screening 20 to 40 hours a week of native HD programming and the Olympic Games will be about to do for HD on TVNZ what the Commonwealth Games did for colour nearly 35 years earlier.
Freeview's DTT service will be available to most Wellingtonians, including those in Petone, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt, Poirua and Paramata. Kordia, which operates TV broadcasting infrastructure in NZ, has a main broadcasting tower and four repeaters stations in the Wellington region to overcome geographical challenges.
Freeview's DTT service is also widely available in Hamilton and the Waikato. Kordia has a main broadcast tower in the area, as well as a repeater station in the CBD.
The service's DTT channels include TV One, TV2, TV3, C4, and Maori TV as well as TVNZ Sport, TV6 (kids and public service TV) and starting last week TV7 (current affairs), as well as the Parliamentary channel.
FREEVIEW CONTENT
With the launch of TVNZ's factual channel, TV7, and the prospect of more native HD programming, Freeview is developing an exclusivity that may soon challenge Sky's digital supremacy.
Although most of the 15 channels on the platform are also on Sky, TV3 has a new Freeview channel in the works and TV7 will provide topical relief from TV6's archive-heavy schedule (although the latter is boosting its new commissions).
TV7 has been shrewdly programmed to fulfill TVNZ's charter mandate while reinforcing its One News branding in the marketplace.
It offers a mix of current affairs from Australian, British and American networks that can't be seen on any of Sky's cable news channels, anchored by TVNZ's own news and current affairs resources.
There also are slots for new international documentaries (including ones from the United States' Public Broadcasting Service), Kiwi documentaries that previously aired as part of the DNZ or Inside NZ strands, and same-week or same-day re-runs of TV One shows such as Eye to Eye and Close Up.
Two local series have been specifically commissioned for TV7 - the Wednesday night duo of Back Benches, a political review that will be broadcast from the Backbencher pub across the road from Parliament, and Media7, a panel-driven news and new media half-hour.
Posted 09-04-2008 12:22 AM
A new era of high-definition TV has arrived in NZ
BIGGER, BETTER: Freeview's digital terrestrial TV service is the first to broadcast programs in high definition in New Zealand.
As of last week, Kiwis in the country's major centres have a new way to watch their TV - digitally, through Freeview's Digital Terrestrial Transmission (DTT).
Digital TV transmits TV shows through the same 1s and 0s your computer uses, rather than the traditional analogue method. It's a bit like moving your music collection from vinyl to CDs.
Eventually, Freeview's digital TV will replace the analogue transmission system most of us currently use for the free to air channels like TV1, Prime and TV3.
Freeview's digital TV broadcasts promise a clearer picture and extras like electronic programming guide, similar to Sky's digital satellite service.
The launch of DTT is the second step toward the eventual switch-off of analogue signals - Freeview's satellite service launched last year, intended for mainly rural areas with reception problems - but there's no need to rush out and buy in.
The Government's current line is that it will announce a switch off date in 2012, or when 75 per cent of homes have digital TV service, whichever comes sooner. About 47 per cent have access now, including those with Sky.
For Freeview's satellite service viewers need a satellite dish and set-top decoding box to receive it.
For DTT, viewers will only a Freeview terrestrial set-top box ($500) and a UHF aerial ($50-$100). Your existing aerial might do - if you can pick up Prime you can get UHF. But the good news is after the initial cost, Freeview is free. There is no ongoing subscription like for Sky.
Besides better reception, Freeview's DTT will also broadcast some programmes in high definition. This means you'll get fantastic colours and clarity on big-screen TVs. You probably won't notice much change on screens smaller than 30-inches.
The first shows to be aired in high-definition last week were Boston Legal, So You Think You Can Dance and the season premiere of Rove Live.
They were broadcast in 1080i, one of two high-definition standards NZ broadcasters have adopted. The second is 720 lines (720p), a lower resolution.
Both offer a much higher resolution than standard definition (SD) but TV3 is screening only a handful of primetime shows in high-definition and TVNZ none at all - its first full 720p broadcast won't be until the Olympic Games start on TV One in August.
Instead, the broadcasters will upscale all of their programmes to a higher resolution that, while an improvement over SD, won't be as good as "native high-definition" (1080i or 720p).
The good news is the difference shouldn't be all that noticeable, because the broadcasters' upscaling engines are quite powerful.
As frustrating as the lack of native HD content is, TVNZ wouldn't even be contemplating broadcasting in HD if not for the maturing of a new compression technology called MPEG4. It allows more high definition and standard definition channels to occupy the same frequency than the earlier-generation MPEG2.
Although the world is shifting to MPEG4, New Zealand is one of the first countries to adopt it, and because the chipset isn't produced in the same volumes as the commonly used MPEG2, it is more expensive, hence the high price of HD receivers (which also cost more because of their greater processing grunt).
Later in the year, new TVs from the likes of Sony, Panasonic and Philips will have MPEG4 digital tuners built into them -- but expect to pay an extra $500 for the convenience of integration.
Also likely to be launched soon are gaming consoles with add-on digital receivers -- expect Sony's PlayStation 3 to be first -- PC cards and adaptors that will turn computers into digital TVs, and stand-alone receivers with DTR functionality. However, as of tomorrow's launch, only one Freeview-approved HD receiver model will be on sale, although five more are in the pipeline.
The Freeview DTT set-top box sells for about twice what the satellite Freeview receiver sells for and, unlike Sky TV's MySky, doesn't have Digital TV Recording (DTR) functionality to record programmes onto a hard drive.
Moreover, Sky's next-generation MySky, which will be able to record three channels at once and download video on demand, probably will sell for only fractionally more when the pay-TV operator launches two HD movie and two HD sport channels in July.
However, subscribers will be charged a premium for these, whereas the only costs connected to Freeview HD are buying the gear on which to receive the service.
All of the high definition receivers will offer analogue outputs but native or upscaled HD will only be viewable via HDMI connections that are specified for copyright protection (which many pre-2005 TVs didn't have). So, if you own a traditional cathode ray tube TV with 1080i definition, such as Sony's HR series of only a few years back, you won't be able to watch Freeview in native HD because it's unlikely to have an HDMI input.
Viewers who have bought LCD or plasma TVs within the last couple of years should opt for FreeviewHD if they can afford it -- the difference in viewing quality, even with upscaled content, will be dramatic.
But those who want the time-shifting convenience of a DTR receiver should wait a few more months until they come on the market -- by when TV3 should be screening 20 to 40 hours a week of native HD programming and the Olympic Games will be about to do for HD on TVNZ what the Commonwealth Games did for colour nearly 35 years earlier.
Freeview's DTT service will be available to most Wellingtonians, including those in Petone, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt, Poirua and Paramata. Kordia, which operates TV broadcasting infrastructure in NZ, has a main broadcasting tower and four repeaters stations in the Wellington region to overcome geographical challenges.
Freeview's DTT service is also widely available in Hamilton and the Waikato. Kordia has a main broadcast tower in the area, as well as a repeater station in the CBD.
The service's DTT channels include TV One, TV2, TV3, C4, and Maori TV as well as TVNZ Sport, TV6 (kids and public service TV) and starting last week TV7 (current affairs), as well as the Parliamentary channel.
FREEVIEW CONTENT
With the launch of TVNZ's factual channel, TV7, and the prospect of more native HD programming, Freeview is developing an exclusivity that may soon challenge Sky's digital supremacy.
Although most of the 15 channels on the platform are also on Sky, TV3 has a new Freeview channel in the works and TV7 will provide topical relief from TV6's archive-heavy schedule (although the latter is boosting its new commissions).
TV7 has been shrewdly programmed to fulfill TVNZ's charter mandate while reinforcing its One News branding in the marketplace.
It offers a mix of current affairs from Australian, British and American networks that can't be seen on any of Sky's cable news channels, anchored by TVNZ's own news and current affairs resources.
There also are slots for new international documentaries (including ones from the United States' Public Broadcasting Service), Kiwi documentaries that previously aired as part of the DNZ or Inside NZ strands, and same-week or same-day re-runs of TV One shows such as Eye to Eye and Close Up.
Two local series have been specifically commissioned for TV7 - the Wednesday night duo of Back Benches, a political review that will be broadcast from the Backbencher pub across the road from Parliament, and Media7, a panel-driven news and new media half-hour.