Options
BBC confirm development of HD for FreeSat
BBC new media chief Ashley Highfield has confirmed plans to make high-definition (HD) programmes available via the corporation's integrated media player (iMP) and free satellite platform.
As the BBC prepares to end the extended trial of iMP—which offers UK viewers a seven-day 'catch-up' window of programmes via online download to broadband-enabled PCs—Highfield told the Financial Times: "We want to be ready to move with HD on to FreeSat and I'm also very interested in getting HD on to the interactive media player."
ITV confirmed in September it was working with the BBC on the launch of a free-to-view satellite service.
http://www.dtg.org.uk/news/news.php?class=countries&subclass=193&id=1487
As the BBC prepares to end the extended trial of iMP—which offers UK viewers a seven-day 'catch-up' window of programmes via online download to broadband-enabled PCs—Highfield told the Financial Times: "We want to be ready to move with HD on to FreeSat and I'm also very interested in getting HD on to the interactive media player."
ITV confirmed in September it was working with the BBC on the launch of a free-to-view satellite service.
http://www.dtg.org.uk/news/news.php?class=countries&subclass=193&id=1487
0
Comments
Hopefully iMP will be ready in time for Spooks and they will put it up in HD format, would look great.
Does this announcement mean that it's going forward? I'd heard ITV wasn't overly keen, as they were quite happy with a dominant position on Digital terrestrial via Freeview, and didn't want to threaten that.
If you have any information on FreeSat, please post it to me at the Astra 2D Website.
I am trying to collect as much information at one place:
http://www.astra2d.com/freesat.htm
Well spotted. Interesting... note the contradiction between BBC and ITV stance.
Note too, that if/when the new Freesat goes ahead, it's EPG will be regulated, in the same way as SKy's...so there will likely be a lot of extra channels charging onto the new EPG in order to escape from Sky control.
A shame that ITV has gotten cold feet. They're undoubtedly right that they do well in Freeview homes - but they also need to worry about getting at the Sky-only sets. And as Sky seems to have found, Freeview (and the Freesat from Sky offerings) are really only first steps for the unwashed public as they move from analgue to digital.
And another five minutes of Googling has turned up a definite maybe from the BBC
"A BBC spokeswoman said there was a possibility that next year's football World Cup would be broadcast in high definition format as part of its trials."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4417202.stm
Yes I read that in what satellite magazine, They apparantly already make HD programmes for North America and Asia, but HD will be ready for the World Cup apparantly. ARD and ZDF will be broadcasting in Hi Def