Hdtv

Jonathan David · 09-06-2004, 20:47

With Sky's announcement today that they intend to go down the path of HDTV at some point in the future, can I just please say to the higher ups at NTL (and any future boss of a merged cable company)

HAVE HDTV READY TO GO WHEN SKY HAVE IT READY TO GO!!!

With at least 2 years knowledge that its gonna happen, can NTL please not try and blow it again.

Have Pace or Samsung ready with the boxes and Liberate ready to go with there software(preferably with a built in PVR

)

My money will be there for you, just as it will be for VOD and a PVR (if NTL decides they want to do it as well as VOD)

Of course NTL could decide to merge with Telewest and then spend the next 5 years trying to merge the CS and television software. Oh and of course they will get themselves badly into debt and need to restructure again!

Ramrod · 14-09-2004, 11:04

Thought I'd resurrect this thread with this info

Quote:

High-definition television (HDTV), already available in five markets around the world, is set to take off in Europe next, a broadcasting conference has been told.

14-09-2004, 11:13

Yes its available in 5 markets but you can hardly say it has "taken off", more like "just hovering off the ground"

Stuart · 14-09-2004, 12:05

TBH, I think NTL will have to follow suit. I don't think they can afford to ignore this. Having said that, they haven't started Dolby Digital broadcasting yet..

Neil · 14-09-2004, 12:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by scastle

TBH, I think NTL will have to follow suit. I don't think they can afford to ignore this. Having said that, they haven't started Dolby Digital broadcasting yet..

It's ok, it's all "coming soon"......

Stuart · 14-09-2004, 12:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil

It's ok, it's all "coming soon"......

Somehow I think you are probably right..

gazzae · 14-09-2004, 12:55

When I was watching the NFL on Sunday, Sky were getting a feed from Fox and the fox commentators were going on about how great it was to be broadcasting in HDTV.

Just a pity Sky didn't/couldn't take the HDTV feed.

14-09-2004, 13:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by gazzae

When I was watching the NFL on Sunday, Sky were getting a feed from Fox and the fox commentators were going on about how great it was to be broadcasting in HDTV.

Just a pity Sky didn't/couldn't take the HDTV feed.

Its also a small minority that have HDTV capability in the States too.

nialli · 14-09-2004, 13:15

Seeing how few channels broadcast in widescreen and how slow the likes of Discovery and UKTV have been to recognise that most of us are watching their programming with massive black frames on widescreen stuff, I can't see HDTV being adopted any time soon for the vast majority of broadcasting.

Jonathan David · 14-09-2004, 15:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by gary_580

Its also a small minority that have HDTV capability in the States too.

It might be at the moment but in the US, HDTV is the standard that WILL have to be adopted by all members of the public.

Of course over here in the UK, a different digital standard, which allowed a lot of channels to be broadcast, was adopted.

HDTV uses more digital bandwith (so fewer channels) then this so if in the future the UK decides to adopt HDTV all Sky,Cable and Freeview box would have to be replaced. So at the moment HDTV in this country is a niche market.

**Chris** · 14-09-2004, 15:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by nialli

Seeing how few channels broadcast in widescreen and how slow the likes of Discovery and UKTV have been to recognise that most of us are watching their programming with massive black frames on widescreen stuff, I can't see HDTV being adopted any time soon for the vast majority of broadcasting.

The problem for broadcasters like Discovery and UKTV is that they rely very heavily on old repeats that were shot in 4:3. Presumably they don't consider it worth their while to switch. Even $ky only got round to it this year, and bizarrely they still switch back to 4:3 to transmit adverts, even though virtually all the ads then have to be shown as a 14:9 compromise, causing black borders round all four sides of the image on my widescreen telly.

They will have the same problem when the UK goes HD (which will happen eventually, just not any time soon) - if they don't have programmes they can broadcast in HD, they're not going to bother switching. As with digital, it will be the BBC that leads the way. Where they go, the rest will follow, so anyone interested in this should keep an eye on the engineering pages of their website.

Stuart · 14-09-2004, 15:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris T

<snip>
As with digital, it will be the BBC that leads the way. Where they go, the rest will follow, so anyone interested in this should keep an eye on the engineering pages of their website.

They are already transmitting test transmissions in HDTV. See http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/article/ds15753.html and http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/screen.p...4&type=bbchdtv for screenshots.

Actually, I agree, HDTV will take off. Even if the demand does not appear to be there, it's getting increasingly rare to find professional level video hardware/software that doesn't at least support HDTV (been spending a lot of time recently looking at editing hardware/software to use for work).

Chrysalis · 14-09-2004, 18:57

what happens to the areas with no ntl digital when analogue is turned off?

andygrif · 15-09-2004, 15:19

I have just got back from the IBC (Internation Broadcasting Convention) in Amsterdam, and HDTV is very much on the agenda.

Some of the cooler products include an HD/SD hybrid TV camera, so when it comes time to switch over studios will be equipment ready.

I also saw a Sony 61" plasma, which was repeating Discovery HD and looked just stunning.

So it is definitely coming, and UK is likely to be one of the first in Europe to get it...apparently. Quite how you'll get it remains to be seen.