New FTA digital boxes!

That would make sense, each extra MPEG-2 decvoder would add more expense on the end of Pace - they cannot sell these at a loss - it is not viable, so they will execute all possible shortcuts.

I havn't seen it on the news - i was busy at work - i will watch the news at 10 and see if it is on there. I just hope that they (pace) have the manufacturing ability (which they should) to build enough boxes for launch - i have a feeling it has the potential, with enough marketing, to be very much in demand.

Only one problem - people with no scart socket, i guess they will need a new TV

I'd like this situation by 2010 (and I don't think its unlikely); 4 multiplexes with 6 channels each... (starred channels pay the main company rental for being allowed on their multiplex)

BBC Multiplex
1 - BBC One
2 - BBC Two
3 - BBC Three
4 - BBC Four
5 - BBC News 24
6 - BBC Politics Plus (BBC Parliament but with a wider base)

ITV Multiplex
7 - ITV1
8 - ITV2
9 - ITN News Channel
10 - Channel 4*
11 - E4*
12 - FilmFour*

Sky Multiplex
13 - Sky One
14 - Sky News
15 - Paramount Comedy Channel*
16 - Nickelodeon*
17- MTV*
18 - VH1*

UKTV Multiplex
19 - UKGold
20 - UKHorizons
21 - UKStyle
22 - UKDrama
23 - UKFood
24 - UKPlay

There's already six http://www.dvb-t.co.uk/multiplex.html and the likelyhood is there will be many more as the years go by. There's probably enough space for around 20 MUXs to broadcast, so let's say on average a MUX could transmit 5.5 channels (let's say the 0.5 could be used for text services and other interactive features) - that's 110 channels. More than plenty in my opinion to cater not only for a good FTA package of say 20-25 channels, but also a whole host available via subscription.

But then, some people will never be happy with the idea of having to pay for better choice...

I suspect that it will be possible to buy and use an external RF modulator (as is already the case with Playstation 2s etc) to interface the Set top box with a Scart-less TV if need be. I would imagine this will cost a small amount extra, but less than a replacement Scart equipped TV.

Hmm... No guarantee that the UHF spectrum freed up by switching off analogue TV transmissions will be made available for digital television. There has certainly been no statement by the government to indicate this is likely (or unlikely). However given the relatively poor commercial success of ITV Digital it is unlikely that the government will expect to generate much more revenue by auctioning/franchising the freed off UHF spectrum for Pay TV purposes...

However, there is a very strong argument for using extra spectrum capacity freed by analogue ceasing to increase digital TVs coverage.

At one point both the BBC and IBA (as was) had a legal duty to continue to increase the coverage of analogue TV (and I think in the BBCs case, radio) as much as was practically possible.

At the moment this is not the case, to my knowledge, with digital terrestrial television. We may never have a digital TV service to equal the coverage and accessibility that we currentl have with analogue.

Mich, I really don't think this is competition for Sky.

Realistically, Sky were never going to take over the TV market and become the dominant market player, if only because of the impracticalities of it. They will still have subscribers but these subscribers will not be joining because they have to upgrade to digital, they'll be joining because they want more choice and a wider range of channels.

The thing is, and I might be totally wrong here, but from the little I have read about it (have been too busy to read a lot about it) I gather that this is going to be linked to the ITVD platform, am I right? Surely this is not a totally fab idea. You're going to create one giant TV supplier - ITVD. What if this goes bust in some way, or has a legal investigation into it and ceases to be, you leave 90% of the population without TV...?

BTW, while we're on the subject of all things digital, what about digital radio? It's currently available via Sky Digital, but when is fm/mw/lw to be shut off? It might be a good idea to upgrade everyone to digital radio at the same time as you're pushing for an upgrade to digital tv...

Did any eagle-eyed viewers spot News 24 showing some old Sky News graphics today? 1997 era, shown during the business reports. It looked so much better then...

c@t - the Pace box is a FTA DTT/digital terrestrial receiver. It is designed to receive the FTA channels broadcast on digital terrestrial. These are mainly on the BBCs Multiplex 1, ITV/C4s (not ITV Digitals) Mux 2, and the SDN Mux A (I think it's A)

The box is not specifically designed to receive the encrypted channels on the ITVDigital muxes B,C,D and E etc. (It is likely that you will need to obtain - from ITVD - a Conditional Access Module and smart card to receive and subscribe to the pay tv ITVD channels, in much the same way as you do currently with many of the DTT IDTVs)

Whilst it is using the same basic transmission system as ITV Digital - it is not directly tied into the commercial operation, and is not dependent on ITV Digitals multiplexes for most of the FTA channels.

It is a pity that this box has taken so long to appear - I know a LOT of people who have been waiting to be able to buy a DTT box so that they can receive the analogue terrestrial channels but in widescreen, and want the extra BBC and ITV FTA digital channels (ITV2, BBC News 24, Choice, Knowledge etc) they are paying for in terms of a licence but have until now been unable to purchase a set top box for.
(Until now the only method of getting subscription free digital telly has been to get a FTV Sky digibox or buy an IDTV - the former requiring a dish which not everyone wants or can accommodate , the latter considerable capital outlay)

Yes, Cat, I am rather baffled why you think the FTA digital receiver package is connected to ITV Digital.

Pace Micro Technologies are one of the providers of the FTA service.

Boxco (the consortium of BBC and ITV) will provide a similar offering, with a different channel choice.

They are completely independant of ITV Digital services.

Noggin is right, ITV-D do not own all of the MUXes. B through D were awarded to ITV-D when they were beening sold to the highest bidder. If ITV-D do go down the pan, they will be taken over by someone (they would have to be - they are assets that ITV-D would have to sell should they go into liquidation).

I think should ITV-D disappear, there will be someone willing to take over the pay channels, with the revised communications white paper, Sky may be able to. With these new 'no thills' boxes, there would not be as much of cost for the hardware.

Going back to reception, indeed the BBC and IBA (as it was) did have to actively improve the analog reception. Should it be turned off, then reception would have to be improved by some company.

They are already testing how much higher they can output the digital signal without interference to analog, without analog, it could go even higher, and the digital bandwidths are less subject to local interference, so recpetion should be too bad.

The reception on DTT is never going to be great until Analogue is shut off. I am intrested in one of these new boxes for my bedroom, we have Sky Digital downstairs. I wonder what the goverment will use the old UHF frequencies for, will there be anythink on UHF? Wether people like it or not they are going to have to go over to some form of Digital TV, the problem for a lot of people who don't know a lot about the way all the different systems work, these people are confused. And when will Analogue Cable be turnt off, SKY removed all their channels off Analogue Satelite ages ago, most of the things on there now are foriegn channels.
So at the moment we have
Cable Digital
Sky Digital
ITV Digital
FTA Digital

Err - by definition the FTA services on Digital Terrestrial are those which are not encrypted. Pace are not really providing the FTA service - they are just providing a cheap receiver, in the same way that Sony and other TV manufacturers have been providing FTA only IDTVs for a couple of years.

Those channels available on a Pace FTA box, an IDTV with no conditional access module, a possible Boxco FTA box, and probably an ITVD IDTV or STB with no smart card inserted, will be the same. They will be the un-encrypted channels on the Digital Terrestrial multiplexes.

The BBC channels (1,2,Choice, Knowledge, 24, Parliament audio) and ITV / ITV 2 / C4 / C5 are all currently FTA on DTT, and receivable on FTA IDTVs. (You can prove this by taking out your ITV Digital card whilst watching the Beeb or ITV, though not ITVDigital, channels! NB This is not the case on Sky Digital - where the channels are not FTA they are FTV and encrypted for use with a non-subscription card to prevent viewing in mainland Europe)

There is a suggestion that the Boxco consortium may try to arrange for E4, UK Gold and a few other currently pay-ty channels to move to FTA transmission. (This would require them to be un- encrypted so that the FTA and FTA IDTVs can receive them without extra conditional access hardware)

BBC912 has a point - at which point will analog cable be switched off?

I have a feeling it never will - because the entire network would need rplacing - and this causes a huge capital outlay. So there will always be analog cable, just like BT's network will always be analog. They can piggy back a digital signal onto it, but it will never be purely digital.

When the government refer to the 'analog switch off', thay only mean the termination of analog television, if they turned of all analog, then the police would be screwed, most taxi firms would be also.