All posts by Briantist
Below are all of Briantist's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
I suspect there will be one clear benefit. The BBC One Oxford feed won't get pulled for satellite - as DQF threatened.
So the Prime Minister will be able to watch his local news on satellite.
| link to this comment |
Another possible benefit is that the BBC is now in a position to "sort out" the "England Problem".
The BBC did say they were looking at dealing with the technical problems of providing regional news in England on satellite.
Given the low proportion of HD viewers and the cuts to BBC budgets in real terms, the BBC can't afford to stick all the BBC One England streams on satellite.
However, they could use a technical solution to allow a MPEG4 "HD" stream to switch to several "SD" streams when the regional news is on.
This would then solve the problem of BBC ONE HD not being where it should be - at 101 on Freesat and Sky.
| link to this comment |
Michael: That's correct. It's my website and I decide on the topics discussed!
To answer your question: you're seeing things the wrong way around.
Sky+ and Sky+HD boxes require constant authorisation from the encrypted data stream provided by Sky Subscriber Services Ltd on the various Astra satellites.
The microprocessor in the viewing card has to provide the software in these boxes with "this function is authorised" for the said software to provide a given function.
Without
a) a valid viewing card;
b) a satellite signal; and
c) payment to SSSL
The software doesn't see the authorisation message and doesn't provide the functions to the user.
Clearly Sky are not stupid enough to encode a simple work around into their software. That would be - clearly - against their business model.
When you get your "free" box from Sky you signal a contract saying you will provide them with at least £10 a month if you want "Sky+ functionality". No one is forcing anyone to sign a contract with Sky.
Their offer is clear: PVR facilities require subscription.
Upgrading from Sky+HD to Freesat+HD | Freesat | ukfree.tv - 11 years of independent, free digital TV advice
| link to this comment |
Michael: Other successful companies do much the same. Apple have made megabucks from their "fancy walled garden" business model.
Sometimes it doesn't work: MIcrosoft have suffered because they tried to create a "Sky+"-style lock in with both Windows 8 and XBox One.
I expended much good-will with the BBC in the past when they tried to create a Microsoft lock-in with their Digital Rights Management.
I think history has proved what I said was correct: the BBC shouldn't be trying to side with ONE commercial technology company.
| link to this comment |
Michael: Of course the biggest "Sky+" thing goes on with mobile phones.
They are done with the same idea: you get a flashy bit of technology "for free", but you have to sign your life away for two years.
And does your phone become "unlocked" when you're contract up?
| link to this comment |
KEVIN GARDINER: From the report at Read this: a516digital: BBC local radio spotted testing on Freeview in West Midlands | ukfree.tv - 11 years of independent, free digital TV advice the audio stream doesn't have any EPG data, so you won't see it without "test equipment".
| link to this comment |
Mark: I suspect that if they want to get total coverage then there would be the need to have some additional duplicates, much as you indicate. I was trying to "keep things simple".
This is certainly an issue with some county areas that straddle the TV regions such as Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire.
I suspect that the BBC Three Counties Radio which covers Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire is also going to need to be on Oxford as well as Cambridge and London.
| link to this comment |
Don: Yes, I've been pondering my maps of BBC regions at BBC nations and regions - overview map | ukfree.tv - 11 years of independent, free digital TV advice and I agree: BBC Radio Essex will need to be on the PSB1 London multiplex.
As I said in the article above, it's not possible to split the regions without excessive cost, so BBC Essex would be broadcast to Crystal Palace (and relays), as well as Sudbury and Tacolneston and their respective relays.
Just to explain a bit more.
Each "region" on Freeview requires a piece of very expensive - and critical - bit of computer equipment: the multiplexer.
Into the multiplexes you pour high-bitrate uncompressed video and audio streams, and out the other end comes a constant flow of bits containing the "lossy" compressed services encoded for broadcast.
The whole ability of a broadcaster to provide N services with 100% (not 99.9999%) reliability depends on this piece of equipment.
It's easy for the "commercial" multiplexes: they have the same set of services nationwide. That's one box per multiplex, located in one place.
For the PSB multiplexes, because of the BBC regions (on PSB1), ITV/STV/C4/C5 regions on PSB2, and the mix of regions on PSB3, each and every region requires a multiplier.
So, it's bad enough, for the BBC (or their contracted service provided Arqiva) to support 18 regions for PSB1. At least when the bits are out of the door (so to speak) they just get relayed on, bit-for-bit.
To be able to split, say, BBC East into a Sudbury and a separate Tacolneston service would double the costs, double the monitoring and support costs.
Or... just live a bit of overlap for the local radio services and the costs of adding in a few local radio station is just a bit of reconfiguration of existing equipment.
This is quite interesting: http://downloads.bbc.co.u….pdf
| link to this comment |
Friday 28 February 2014 9:43PM
KMJ,Derby: I'm going to remove the start dates... no point saying what Ofcom says.