[keithwalton]

hmm seems strange them mentioning the need for better compression when it already exists !! normal digital tv in the uk uses upto 8mbit/s and is mpeg-2 as said average is about 4mbit/s
Hdtv in america still uses mpeg-2 and requires around the 20mbit ballpark per channel.
As the switchover to hdtv will require new hardware why dont they go the whole hog and move to mpeg-4 ??? it is far superior in terms of compression and is the basis of the latest, windows media 9, quicktime 6, real 10, as well as divx 5 and xvid.
As microsoft have from there demonstrations the high end hdtv can be done at 6mbit with ease. Which would put it at 1.5x a current channels space. if theye used 720p they could use 4mbit which is the same as a normal tv channel.

Could someone please make the beeb wake up and smell the coffee. Sufficent compression does exist already it can be done NOW.

As for analogue switch off terrestrial will only gain 5-6 channels room. Unsure about cable, and sattelite analogue is already off

K

Edit - and yes there is already a large amount of programs being recorded in high def in order to sell them to the states etc. Things like wimbledon and the snooker etc are all hdtv recorded