View Full Version : TV FreeView TV? – Anyone know anything about it
crows98
27 Apr 2008, 22:26
I was talking to a friend who asked me if I had every heard of a television system called ‘FreeView’ TV and I had never heard about it.
Apparently you can get it in the UK and all you need is a set top box. Some also say it will come to Australia as a viable option to rival Foxtel (Foxtel is Murdock so I doubt that)
Anyone? :confused:
DonMania#5
28 Apr 2008, 19:58
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeview_%28United_Kingdom%29
Johnny_Segment
28 Nov 2008, 17:13
Seems as though a bit of a bump is in order. They are advertising this pretty regularly now. 15 interactive channels in operation in 2009. Anyone have any more info on this?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeview_(Australia)
Just another company showing the free to air channels.
TigerCleavage
28 Nov 2008, 19:49
I was talking to a friend who asked me if I had every heard of a television system called ‘FreeView’ TV and I had never heard about it.
Apparently you can get it in the UK and all you need is a set top box. Some also say it will come to Australia as a viable option to rival Foxtel (Foxtel is Murdock so I doubt that)
Anyone? :confused:
It won't rival foxtel because most of the new channels will just be alternates of existing channels (abc2 for example).
I'm looking forward to its arrive but you may want to hold onto your pay tv subscription.
ManWithNoName
28 Nov 2008, 20:18
It's designed purely to make people get the f--- on with it and switch over to digital already.
tandino
29 Nov 2008, 00:05
It's for marketing purposes, really.
Apart from ABC and SBS, the only extra, seperate channel which will come about next year so far is Channel 10's new 24/7 sport channel.
The fact that I can now watch the exact same program on three different channels does not fill me with excitement.
Hard Ball Get
29 Nov 2008, 11:05
It's designed purely to make people get the f--- on with it and switch over to digital already.
I'm quite happy the way things are.
ManWithNoName
29 Nov 2008, 11:25
I'm quite happy the way things are.
If you're not already on digital you deserve to be left behind.
Hard Ball Get
29 Nov 2008, 11:45
If you're not already on digital you deserve to be left behind.
I'm still living with the folks. The TV in the lounge is with Foxtel Digital.
Every other TV in the house is standard.
I have no aspirations to change. The change really isn't that necessary.
Mr Eagle
29 Nov 2008, 15:00
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeview_(Australia) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeview_%28Australia%29)
Just another company showing the free to air channels.
Not even another company - it IS the FTA channels. Freeview is their combined marketing platform/brand for trying to encourage people to take up digital channels and remind everyone how smelly and not nice pay TV is.
crows98
29 Nov 2008, 15:15
Not even another company - it IS the FTA channels. Freeview is their combined marketing platform/brand for trying to encourage people to take up digital channels and remind everyone how smelly and not nice pay TV is.
It’s just an alternative to TiVo.
ManWithNoName
29 Nov 2008, 15:42
It’s just an alternative to TiVo.
How? TiVo records things? FreeView is NOTHING. It's just a new way of marketing digital TV.
crows98
29 Nov 2008, 15:46
How? TiVo records things? FreeView is NOTHING. It's just a new way of marketing digital TV.
Oh didn’t know that. It sounds like a waste if you already have a built in tuner for the HD channels or just an expensive set top box for your TV.
ManWithNoName
29 Nov 2008, 16:10
Oh didn’t know that. It sounds like a waste if you already have a built in tuner for the HD channels or just an expensive set top box for your TV.
The set top boxes are for if your TV doesn't have an inbuilt digital tuner.
tandino
29 Nov 2008, 16:10
Oh didn’t know that. It sounds like a waste if you already have a built in tuner for the HD channels or just an expensive set top box for your TV.
Not really, Freeview is just FTA, you would be able to pick it up with any set top box or digital tuner because there is nothing special about Freeview, apart from EPG's, and even then you will be able to pick it up with your current equipment anyway.
mad-saint-guy
29 Nov 2008, 21:47
They're blabbing on about having 15 FTA channels and a tv guide available, which I already have (in fact I'm pretty sure there are more than 15 channels, most of which get absolutely no use by the station).
So is this FreeView thing adding anything or just a new label for digital tv?
tandino
29 Nov 2008, 22:32
So is this FreeView thing adding anything or just a new label for digital tv?
Not really. Having a set standard which all channels will conform to might assist EPG's and DVR's, but it's just marketing really.
Admiral Afterworld
29 Nov 2008, 22:58
I've been fully digital for some months now. There's no way I'm ever going back to analogue, the picture is just too variable!
tandino
29 Nov 2008, 23:06
It's probably something I'll "get around to"
I probably own the worst television built this century, so I don't think going digital will make much of a difference until I bite the bullet and upgrade.
So I'll wait out until I can get a DVR on the cheap, weather it is TiVo, PS3 or something else. I'm banking on a retailer going out of business during this economic downturn.
Cousin Jed
30 Nov 2008, 10:38
So is this FreeView thing adding anything or just a new label for digital tv?
Its just a label.
http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2008/11/freeview-unites-networks.html
The_Young_Gun
30 Dec 2008, 22:43
Channel Tens new HD channel will be called channel "One"...
It will be an all sports channel which has around 3 NBA games a week, 3 NFL games, I think 6 MLB games and plenty of American College hoops and ball...
If I can find the link to this again I'll post it...
Just browse through the freeview.com.au site and you'll find it... It's not easy to find though.
ManWithNoName
30 Dec 2008, 22:49
Channel Tens new HD channel will be called channel "One"...
It will be an all sports channel which has around 3 NBA games a week, 3 NFL games, I think 6 MLB games and plenty of American College hoops and ball...
If I can find the link to this again I'll post it...
Just browse through the freeview.com.au site and you'll find it... It's not easy to find though.
This has been known for a good 6 months now.
The_Young_Gun
30 Dec 2008, 23:00
This has been known for a good 6 months now.
More like 33 days... ;)
All channels still wont be released till April now... also TenHD, channel 1, will be pretty much terminated january 1st.. so that pretty much means no doco's or Nascar or anything appart from NFL till april now... Its like channel 10 have taken a big step backwards now.
DoubleO7
30 Dec 2008, 23:04
I'm happy.
More sports to watch.
Looking at that Wiki article, it appears regional viewers won't get 10's sport channel. ****! :thumbsd::thumbsd::thumbsd:
Howard Littlejohn
2 Jan 2009, 09:33
Does that fact that its being advertised so heaily here mean regional aras will finally get programming on the extra commercial channels instead of just endless promo loops with the occasional simulcast program that's on the main channel?
Apparentl not 10s sports channel, so I suspect nothing is going to change.
Cotchin 9
2 Jan 2009, 13:36
Channel Tens new HD channel will be called channel "One"...
It will be an all sports channel which has around 3 NBA games a week, 3 NFL games, I think 6 MLB games and plenty of American College hoops and ball...
If I can find the link to this again I'll post it...
Just browse through the freeview.com.au site and you'll find it... It's not easy to find though.
http://www.tencorporate.com.au/library/documents/Network%20Ten%20announces%20new%20sports%20multi-channel%20ONE%20-%2028%20October%202008.pdf
Read it then, sounds awesome.
crazyman27
2 Jan 2009, 13:52
Only change I've noticed is the '8 day guide' actually works for each channel now.
The_Young_Gun
1 Feb 2009, 17:49
NBA starts tomorrow on TenHD at 6:30 am...
Cleveland vs Detroit...
A Living God
1 Feb 2009, 18:49
So you have the old FTA channels and their HD counterparts
Ten (+ Ten HD)
Seven (+ Seven HD)
Nine (+ Nine HD)
ABC 1 (+ ABC 1 HD)
SBS (+ SBS HD)
With new(ish) channels
One (+ One HD)
ABC 2
SBS world news
Do 7 and 9 intend to have a second channel anytime soon?
Cousin Jed
1 Feb 2009, 18:51
not anytime soon - no.
Howard Littlejohn
1 Feb 2009, 19:09
So you have the old FTA channels and their HD counterparts
Ten (+ Ten HD)
Seven (+ Seven HD)
Nine (+ Nine HD)
ABC 1 (+ ABC 1 HD)
SBS (+ SBS HD)
With new(ish) channels
One (+ One HD)
ABC 2
SBS world news
Do 7 and 9 intend to have a second channel anytime soon?
Seven and affiliates have three (pure simulcast) channels in some markets, as they initially set up for SD multi-channelling because they were the one commercial network that wanted it to be available.
We get:
ABC
ABC2
ABC (waiting for ABC3)
ABCHD
SBS
SBS2 (almost always just simulcast of main SBS channel)
SBS World News
Prime
Prime view 1, view 2, view 3 (simulcast of Prime)
Prime HD (occasionally something different, often just simulcast of the SD channels)
Southern Cross Ten
Southern Cross Ten HD (rarely, and when something other than promo loop is showing its simulcast of the main channel - usually "reality" crap)
MyTalk (was a text/ad hybrid, but is just Ten simulcast)
WIN
WIN HD (rarely, when something other than promo loop is showing its simulcast of the main channel - except we did get Melbourne Footy Show and Footy Confidential on WIN HD)
No Ten sports channel on the way, none of the HD only programming, nothing.
The Master88
2 Feb 2009, 10:58
No Ten sports channel on the way, none of the HD only programming, nothing.
The good news is that regional viewers will get Channel TEN's new sports channel ONE HD when it starts in April. :)
The good news is that regional viewers will get Channel TEN's new sports channel ONE HD when it starts in April. :)
How do you know? I hope you're right.
The Master88
2 Feb 2009, 12:48
How do you know? I hope you're right.
http://www.mediaspy.org/report/2009/01/southern-cross-ten-to-carry-one-hd/
Very good. Thanks. :thumbsu:
The_Young_Gun
2 Feb 2009, 22:27
Channel "One" is coming sooner, now in early march...
On TenHD, Andy Maher announced today during the superbowl that channel one will be coming in march.. :thumbsu:
Rambo Stallone
4 Feb 2009, 03:24
I was talking to a friend who asked me if I had every heard of a television system called ‘FreeView’ TV and I had never heard about it.
Apparently you can get it in the UK and all you need is a set top box. Some also say it will come to Australia as a viable option to rival Foxtel (Foxtel is Murdock so I doubt that)
Anyone? :confused:Yeah there isn't much to talk about it by the looks of it.
stevothedevo
15 Feb 2009, 20:29
After reading this thread and doing some of my own research it does sound like that "Freeview" is simply a fancy name for the digital commercial television channels that I'm already watching. Looks like they're trying to get the people who still rely on analogue to make the switch.
I will say that I'm somewhat interested in the 24hr sports channel. Maybe some alternative sports could be shown here. Snow/surf/skate. But yeah. In reality we'll probably get golf.
The whole "Freeview" label does remind me of when commercial networks were trying to kill off the old video store in the 80's. They started to use the term "Blockbuster" when referring to their Friday & Sunday night movies which they'd always shown anyway. Apart from a big advertising campaigne they actually didn't do anything different.
The_Young_Gun
15 Feb 2009, 22:09
After reading this thread and doing some of my own research it does sound like that "Freeview" is simply a fancy name for the digital commercial television channels that I'm already watching. Looks like they're trying to get the people who still rely on analogue to make the switch.
Freeview is more like a Tivo sort of thing... The company is just manipulating the fact that 5 Television stations are starting up 10 new High Def channels FTA!
Little advise... Don't even bother with any freeview products.. just buy a cheap HD set top box and you'll be laughing! (and missing out on nothing)