HDTV is coming to Freeview
Same old crap programmes, though

By Andrew Thomas: Thursday, 03 April 2008, 4:39 PM

OFCOM has published its plans to revamp the UK's digital terrestrial television system to enable HDTV services on digital terrestrial system, Freeview.

Operators will be required to adopt 64-QAM encoding, which enables more channels to be broadcast per multiplex.

Currently, only a couple of the six available multiplexes use this mode, with the other four multiplexes using the more robust but lower capacity 16-QAM encoding, introduced in the early days of DTT broadcasting when low power for digital was necessary to avoid co-channel interference with analogue transmissions.

The lower capacity meant a more robust signal, but with the switch off of analogue transmissions over the next few years, the ERP of digital broadcasts can be increased, allowing the more capacious 64-QAM system to be used.

Once the higher-capacity encoding is in place, one multiplex will be cleared for the use of HDTV services, starting in the Manchester area in 2009.

The freed-up multiplex, MUX B, will then be converted to broadcast four MPEG4 HD channels. The BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Five and Welsh network S4C will be invited to bid for slots, says Ofcom.

New set top boxes will be required to receive the new channels. Oh, and a high-def TV would help, too.

http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/04/03/hdtv-comes-freeview

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7328029.stm