Two new Freeview channels - almost everywhere
Brian Butterworth published on UK Free TV If you are using, or will use a Public Service (small relay) transmitter, please look away now.
For everyone else, the removal of the BBC News Interactive and one Interactive channel has an upside.
The BBC is selling the capacity used by these services to provide two more slots to the commercial market. This means two more channels in areas that have not switched over yet.
At the same time, Arqiva is adding two more full-time video streams (TV channels) over Multiplexes ARQA and ARQB, for those regions that HAVE switched over.
This means, in effect, that as soon as next month there could be two new full-time channels on Freeview.
No doubt it will be ITV3+1 or More4+1+1, but we can hope. Perhaps Yesterday will expand again?
(The most watched non-premium, non-Sky, non-plus-one channels are 0.6%: Living TV; 0.4%: Comedy Central, G.O.L.D., Hallmark, Sci-Fi Channel,
Watch; 0.3%: Alibi, Nick Jr, Nicktoons; 0.2%: Boomerang, Bravo, Cartoon Network, Challenge TV, FX, Good Food, Nickelodeon.).
Which two channels would YOU like on Freeview next month?
Help with Television sets?
Saturday, 29 October 2011
jb38: Looking at CMT was on Astra 1 during January 1997 but was off-air by January 1999.
Astra UK Channels - Astra Analogue UK Channels .
It is interesting that CMT owed Sky money, as they were part of the "multichannels" subscription package.
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J
jb3811:48 AM
Briantist: Yes, quite correct, as CMT was part of the minimum priced subscription package I had at the time.
As far as CMT owing money is concerned, I not only read about this in one of the sat mags that was about at the time, but also heard it casually mentioned a few months later during a TV discussion programme about country music, this being where the "hundreds of thousands" figure was quoted.
It was really the speed that CMT departed that gave rise to suspicions as to exactly why they were going, the original announcement being made over just a few weeks via a caption on the screen accompanied by a voiceover, the said caption most likely having been recorded by me along with the music videos, as it was repeated so frequently.
PS: Interesting two links, as I also noticed the other channel I used to record from, namely VH-1.
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jb38: I definity recall CMT disappearing "in the middle of the night" so to speak. Actually, I don't think I can understand how a niche music broadcaster could survive, given that you needed a whole transponder per channel in the old analogue days, and even the non-niche (and IMHO) excellent "BSB Power Station" did not have the cash to operate.
"Video Hits 1",http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VH1_UK is still there on Sky.
The links are from a site which I did back in the misty past of the 1990s, mainly as something to do on the commute to and from work, which was a forerunner to UK FREE TV.
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Sunday, 30 October 2011
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jb389:16 AM
Briantist: Thanks for the additional info, and which I have had a good study at, I have to admit that I wasn't really aware that VH-1 was still on Sky (which I see is listed on 356) the reason basically because I haven't been a Sky subscriber for years now, having found what's obtainable from either Freeview or Freesat to be perfectly adequate for our limited viewing requirements, this totally excluding sports of any form or fashion, and a reason I feel that Sky is so popular with many.
At the time CMT closed, I was hoping that it would return at some time on the Sky Digital platform to enable me to make a new set of higher quality recordings, as although I have numerous VHS recordings of the short music videos that used to be on all day, the general video quality of the CMT transmission left a lot to be desired when compared to some other channels that were operating at the time, (e.g: VH-1) albeit thankfully the audio was basically OK when used through a large speaker Hi-Fi system. (once treble backed off slightly to kill background hiss)
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Monday, 31 October 2011
jb38: As I have to look after the All free-to-watch channels | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice page, I look though lists of channels endlessly.
Another channel that disappeared about the same time as CMT and didn't reappear on Sky Digital was The Weather Channel. Both channels are still broadcast in their home market, the US - Country Music Television - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and The Weather Channel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia .
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Wednesday, 2 November 2011
J
jb384:38 PM
Briantist: Apologies for the late acknowledgement, but thanks for these latest links. I have to say that I cant quite recall ever having noticed the Weather Channel's logo anywhere on the analogue sat's menu, so I am a bit in the dark about that particular station, however I did find the explanations given on the Wiki link for CMT's demise interesting, especially the sheer scale of its losses, $10 million!!
I just wish though that I had kept the satellite mag containing the article about the money owed by CMT, as although figureless loses were also mentioned it was the reference to CMT owing Sky money for whatever I remember, this being stated from editorial side of the mag and not in the letters column. (they could have got it wrong though!)
I certainly don't envy you having to wade through endless lists, something I would consider to be a bit of a soul destroying job, and its a wonder that you find enough hours in the day to do this as well as replying to the endless number of queries that you do.
Changing the subject though, another point that I have wondered about for a while now but didn't want to enquire via a dedicated posting, involves something I have noticed when checking on back postings. On a few occasions whereby I have found it necessary to do this for purposes of post code checking (if missing on their last posting) or gathering other pieces of information relevant to the question being asked, the problem I noticed is that the continuity of content regarding what's said over the various postings appears on "some" occasions not to have been made by the same person, is this a glitch in your highly complex (to me anyway!) programming system, or is there possibly a simpler explanation?
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Thursday, 3 November 2011
jb38: I think the main problem for CMT at the time was the lack of market. Look at this diagram (figures from BARB) and you will see what I mean:
I'm glad that someone appreciates the amount of time I spend checking data! Normally someone finds a minor error in the gigabytes of data and makes a massive fuss as if it's the end of the world, or posts very insulting messages because they've actually got it totally wrong.
Posts get treated as being from "the same person" if they use the same email address each time, it's not a "glitch" if people don't supply the same one each time.
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jb385:10 PM
Briantist: Well Brian, you are certainly a person with chart for every occasion!! and which on studying same fully clarifies the situation that existed back then.
Regarding any minor errors that might (or might not) have been published, speaking as an engineer I really know nothing about your operation except that the site contains masses of frequently updated information of a complex nature, and considering the quantity of its perfectly excusable if not indeed unavoidable, for anyone providing a service such as this not have an occasional misprint or whatever now and again, especially where figures are involved, and I would personally consider it totally unreasonable for anyone to take the proverbial "hissy fit" should any minor error be discovered, although as an observer I fully understand what you are subtly referring to!
On the previous postings query I made, I did notice that this very occasionally occurred on threads where contributors to the thread were using very similar names, although I did think (which you have confirmed) that its based on the e-mail addresses given when posting, and of course as you have said it depends on a person using the same one all the time, which in some cases for reasons best known to themselves they don't! and probably the reason for lack of continuity in what's said.
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jb38: The chart is from Multi-Channel Development 1992-2011 (Homes 000's) .
I don't really mind when people point out things in a polite way, it's just when there are people who make one really offensive post because something a tiny bit wrong.
But I do have to keep an eye on a huge heap of external information that is published in many formats. Some of it I have automated, such as the radio transmitter maps, which are imported directly from a .CSV file from Ofcom's site.
Ofcom generally rather annoyingly publish huge heaps of information in Acrobat files that I can't even import from, and this requires me to sit with the PDF on one monitor and my database on the other screen checking things manually!
Some thing I have script that check other databases such as DMOL and Lungsat and supply me with lists of changes so I can do manual checks and updates at my end.
The BARB graphs are automatic from their data, some data such the the "radiation patterns" for the transmitters requires "Freedom of Information" requests to get at it.
I agree it is confusing when you have a "Dave" and another "dave" on the same page. I'll see what I can do to help differentiate these.
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Saturday, 5 November 2011
J
jb385:10 PM
Briantist: As regards to the latter, yes it was a bit confusing at the time, but searching through quite a number of the previously made postings listed I sussed out what I wanted to know by disregarding some of the alien content in between.
Thanks for the insight on your methods used for gathering info, and which I appreciate must be an extremely time consuming exercise for anyone to carry out unless they are fully committed to being purely a backroom person, you obviously not being exclusively in that category!. I have to admit though that much of what you do is totally over my head, as although I understood parts of what you referred to anything connected to programming websites etc can be a bit of a mystery to me, especially if they are as complex as your own!
Of course this being something that's a constant source of annoyance to my son (a computer programmer) when I don't instantly latch on to some complex instruction attached to a downloading link he might have sent me to carry out some task, with me always reminding him that "every man to his own job".
Likewise though, if he tags along with me to a job he is similarly mystified when observing me surrounded by test gear / circuit diagrams / and a host of components, (e.g: I.C's, transistors, modules even valves!), this connected to my main occupation involving the in depth (to component level) service and repair of RF communication equipment, although this has always been coupled to an active secondary job involving the repair of domestic electronic equipment (inc Ham gear) at various service depots dotted around.
Anyway, thanks again for the info.
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