NEWS: Londoners will enjoy 2012 Olympics in high definition – for free
The digital TV switchover will be timed so that Londoners will be able to watch the 2012 Olympics in high definition - for free.
Regulator Ofcom announced on Friday that it will happen in time for new free-to-air high-definition channels to be launched on the Freeview service.
Greg Bensberg, principal advisor on broadcasting for Ofcom, confirmed that the digital switchover for London is now scheduled for 2011 – with a licence that guarantees it to be completed by April 2012.
This will allow enough time for the new free-to-air HD channels to be launched on Freeview, well in advance of the start of the sporting action.
At the 2008 summit of the Digital TV Group (DTG) on Friday, held at BAFTA in Central London, Bensberg laid out an overview of the switchover, which has already begun with a successful switchover to all-digital TV in Whitehaven. Selkirk will be next this November, with Wales and the West Country to follow next year.
- Dominic Dawes's blog
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Does that mean that the whole country will be switched over by April 2012, or is some poor place out in the sticks going to be stuck with analogue until later than expected so that London can get HD in time?
What equipment will be needed to decode the HD Freeview content?
Wonder what channel will be broadcasting this free HD programming - surely the BBC wouldn't take such a London - Centric approach.
Also if it is a channel that is also available on FreeSat or Sky then surely then the output on those platforms should be broadcast in HD too.
Why should London have High Def on freeview first?
London gets everything -there are other parts of the country so why should the rest of the country have to wait?
It should be rolled out across the country at the same time.
The BBC has already said it will show the 2012 Olympics in HD on (free)Sat and Virgin (or what ever it's called by then).
Still why do Londoners get everything 1st? Surly people in Scotland should get it 1st as it's further for them to get to! If a Londoner wants to see the Olympics in it's full glory buy a ticket!
Just a thought
Don't worry! Most of the country will have switched over by then, so if your area has switched, you should get the Olympics in HD on Freeview.
According to the people at the DTV (Digital TV Group), the point is that the London switchover will happen just in time for the Olympics. But all the areas already switched over should get HD on Freeview, too. So as it stands, the only areas likely to lose out are Tyne Tees and Ulster... sorry guys.
In other news, it seems the BBC is looking to utilise new-fangled technology coming out of Japan, by showing the Olympics on huge screens across Britain using 'Super Hi-Vision'.
Details on Super Hi-Vision are sketchy, but apparently it's 33 times more detailed than high-def, and is based on 'research into human vision'. Hmm. More intriguingly, the Japanese are hoping to usurp HD and begin broadcasting in Super Hi-Vision by 2025.
Will it ever end?
In a word..... no.
I completed the Ofcom survey about this. I said they should stop selling Freeview equipment now & get a move on with the HDFreeview switchover as you will need to get a "NEW" Freeview set top box in order to watch HD Freeview. They didn't respond to that. However, my ISP (Orange) has just told me that they're launching their own digital service which I'll get for free with my package so I'm waiting to see what set top box they send me & what services are available.
BBC showing the Olympics on huge screens across Britain? How much of the millions generated by the licence fee gets wasted on unnecessary tosh like this?
To the head of the BBC: Stop wasting cash on rubbish and put more into making decent programmes. Thank you.