BBC One HD Regions

Username03725

It's taken a while as it requires the space to transmit all of the regions in HD and some of that space comes from the current SD broadcasts. The BBC have also had to judge when it's acceptable to end SD regional broadcasts; not everyone is bothered enough to replace perfectly working SD equipment just to receive HD. It also requires platform neutrality so Freeview, Freesat, Sky, Virgin and any other providers all need to be upgraded in line with each other. Add in the revised network switching, the need to upgrade regional studios to HD (some still aren't) and then the numerous extra transponders for satellite delivery etc etc and it soon becomes clear it's not a simple case of flicking a switch. And it costs a fortune.

Details of the proposed switchovers are on this BBC page

This page has the scheduled switchover dates, although East didn't happen yesterday. Maybe today eh?

chrisw

How did ITV manage to broadcast regional programmes in HD? Did they have more money to invest than the 'cash strapped' BBC? 

(Genuine question).

daveyjp

chrisw said:

How did ITV manage to broadcast regional programmes in HD? Did they have more money to invest than the 'cash strapped' BBC? 

(Genuine question).

ITV don't provide full local HD coverage

MikeyPGT

Does anyone else find that with HD the sound quality is actually worse?  My kids tell me it's just because I'm old and deaf, but I genuinely do have to crank up the volume on HD channels ...

Username03725

chrisw said:

How did ITV manage to broadcast regional programmes in HD? Did they have more money to invest than the 'cash strapped' BBC? 

(Genuine question).

PSB obligations aside ITV is a commercial organisation that generates its own income and profits (or losses) and can spend its money how it sees fit. Providing output in HD would be a largely commercial decision based on its view of whether not providing an HD service costs more than it does to offer it. And this far into the 21st century would they want to be the only major UK broadcaster not providing an HD service on their main channel?

The BBC is usually under fire from govt, from a belligerent right-wing press that would love to see it closed down, and from a vocal minority who share that view of the press. Given its obligations to provide a universal service at regional and national level, and the engineering and financial challenges involved in replacing SD with HD, and the apathy that until recently a significant majority of the viewing population had to HD, it's been a tricky path for them to negotiate. I recall a quote from back in the 1980s, when radio services were being switched from MW & LW to use FM/VHF as the primary carrier, when BBC Engineering reportedly said [in response to criticism] "What are we supposed to do? Wait until everybody listening on LW dies?" A bit like my aunt in the early 70s saying the same thing - "the govt should wait until old people have all died before introducing decimalisation."

MikeyPGT said:

Does anyone else find that with HD the sound quality is actually worse?  My kids tell me it's just because I'm old and deaf, but I genuinely do have to crank up the volume on HD channels ...

I've tried this, toggling between a number of different SD & HD services, mainly BBC but also Sky and other channels and can't hear a difference between the two either in outright quality or simple volume levels. Do you notice it on particular channels? Are you using the same source for SD & HD pictures? It's still a truism in broadcasting that you can get away with poor pictures but poor sound quality will soon annoy viewers.

Rodders53

Is / was the Sony TV a FREESAT HD certified device? If not it might account for some anomalies with the EPG/Logical Channel Numbering issues.
If it is Freesat, you have left it in standby and/or done a full freesat retune to update the changes that have happened recently.
NO freesat LCNs start with a 0xx so that's a Sony thing and best ask them?

I can confirm that on HD sets the 'converted' regions now occupy the same 948-998 LCNs and their SD equivalents did.

HD uses Dolby Digital aka AC3 sound and may be stereo or 5.1 surround.  SD is MPEG stereo PCM.  Some receivers don't match the volume level (DD is wider dynamic range and hence a lower average level). 

May be an issue with external sound bars as they will decode the DD bitstream.
e.g.  my Panny TV and my Foxsat-HDR are OK level wise, but using the Onkyo AVR is different (although I can match the variable level SD with the fixed level DD HD so channel surfing is OK

Setting sound to be stereo / PCM only may cure the levels?

BBC Engineering (Information Dept) who were public facing is a blast from my past.  

J_B

BBC 1 W Midlands is now on 101 on freesat - 106 just says 'go to 101' 

EDIT - but on freeview, it hasn't yet changed!

Username03725

The pages linked to earlier (top of this page on my view of the forum) show the specific switchover dates for Sky & Freesat i.e. satellite delivery, whereas Freeview just has a vague suggestion that it will change:

Freeview viewers will soon be able to watch their local version of BBC One in HD on channel 101 (BBC One HD). Local versions of BBC One will also continue to be available in SD at channel 1 (BBC One).   
Freeview viewers will not need to make any changes due to this update.   

facade

Bumping this.

I actually watched the West Midlands News in  "HD" on Freesat today.

The picture quality is blurry, around 480, and if someone moves all their detail goes.

Meanwhile the London feed  on 950 is pinsharp, definitely 1080

Its 2023, and the local news is 1990s webcam quality.

Words fail me.... 

Gillor

No problem here. I've been watching Midlands News on Freesat in HD ever since the changeover on 6th February.