[opendtv] Re: Dueling Statutes?
- From: "Barry Wilkins" <barry.barrywilkins@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 30 Mar 2008 21:06:21 +1300
Greetings:
News from Kiwi land.
Freeview HD (DTTV) is due to officially launch here on April 2nd.
Spec:
DVB-T, MPEG4/H.264, AAC+ audio. MHEG5 middleware. See Kordia website for
full spec.
This service has been actively broadcasting in various stages of completion
since December last. Covers 75% of population area immediately.
The SD satellite version operating since last year is proving surprisingly
popular and it looks like a repetition of the UK Freeview story.
The terrestrial STBs have just gone on sale in the last 2 days and were
rather expensive at NZ $599 but have dropped to as low as NZ $399 in even
that short period. There is initially a limited choice of STBs (3 or 4
brands) due to the advanced specification although Norway and France seem to
have the same general spec. Norway is I think doing MHP but that should not
prevent an MHEG5 version of the same boxes being used here.
I personally will be holding off getting one of these Freeview HD STBs until
I can be sure of obtaining a version that outputs 720p from the analogue
component outputs. The present units convert HD to SD on these outputs and
720p and 1080i is only available from the HDMI port. I only have DVI input
on my screen.
PVRs to arrive later in the year.
Analogue shut off date supposed to be some time in 2012 (if not sooner when
75% of households have DTV )
The Beijing Olympics will be broadcast in HD on TV1 via Freeview HD (720p)
More useful information at:
New Zealand's Digital TV Forum -
dtvforum.co.nz<http://www.dtvforum.co.nz/forum/>
Regards
Barry Wilkins
On Sun, Mar 30, 2008 at 7:49 PM, Cliff Benham <flyback1@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> John Willkie wrote:
> > These are the only settop boxes or receivers available? Nobody is
> forcing
> > the government cheese down people's throats.
> >
> > The NTIA process was open to the public.
> >
> > I've returned items within 15 minutes of buying something, but I had
> skin in
> > the game.
> >
> > These boxes aren't Mercedes, and they may not be fords. They're a
> > government give-away program. That's why I call it "Government Cheese"
> > which benefit dairy farmers and low-income people. Ever hear the song
> of
> > the same name? It's from circa 1986, and ISTR that the artist was "The
> > Smithereens."
> >
> It's on Youtube by the Rainmakers [audio only]
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZVPv9B-ZlM
>
> > The only people I know who are interested in the coupons either already
> work
> > in media, or -- well, I don't know anyone else interested in them, and
> I've
> > asked.
> >
> > John Willkie
>
> Most of the non-media people I know applied for coupons so they can
> still watch TV for just $20, instead of not at all.
>
>
>
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