The Digital Age...
I purchased a Freeview box on Friday. Why? After all, I have satellite.
Well, one day I may decide to let it go(but then again as long as I am able to afford some of the services it offers)I hope that will not be the case. My hope is that the promised joint venture by the BBC and ITV will happen and they will launch Freesat offering all BBC and ITV channels that are free to air(and I am sure that other broadcasters will come on board if the satellite offers cheaper carriage of their services than Sky charge)some people may decide to take satellite if Murdoch is not behind the venture, a reason some people have avoided Sky from the start.
Freesat would offer more choice than Freeview can at present and possibly more than it ever will be able to.
Another reason for buying a Freeview box is that some channels are duplicated for free that are already on Sky's platform so if I lost Sky I would not lose all channels and more importantly its another way to get BBC Radio which I use my Sky box for an a lot. And this could be handy when two or three channels clash in the schedule either on television, radio or both.
The main reason is that analogue transmitters are being turned off across the UK in stages and the North East though one of the last, it will happen so I will need to put up a new aerial and use Freeview. And at £22 how could I be robbed?
However...here's how statistics play into Ofcom or Government hands and can give a false reading.
When you purchase a television receiver they ask for an address at the retailers for the television licence department no doubt. So they can match up an address in case heaven forbid you watch the tv without a licence.
So when I purchased the Freeview box at Argos I was asked for a postcode an address was matched and I was asked who the licence was in the name of. In hindsight, was this so Argos have my address on their data base for their sales promotions and to find out who shops there or...for the people who bring out figures of how popular digital tv is and how many homes have a Freeview box and have gone digital?
I may have one(and be an exception)but owning one if it remains unused, means nothing, just the intention that I may. And as the transmitters are being turned off what choice is there?
Would I have been asked this question if I had bought my Freeview box in Tesco's by the checkout operator? Or would they just know thanks to all the items purchased showing up from the loyalty card? If I purchased it without the store card would they ask?
I noticed thanks to an article in a newspaper that someone at Virgin Radio was mentioned that gives you an idea where radio is heading in the UK...is it because they are investing heavily in DAB? It coincides with an announcement of Ofcom(the regulatory body on Broadcasting in the UK)of looking at alternative ways of using the AM/FM frequency spectrum, in that this person says that he would like to see the AM signal of Virgin switched off by 2010.
I seem to remember suggesting this closure of AM/FM might be a possibility as DAB takes off and may also explain the rush in promoting DAB in the UK and why we jumped into a format that is less than perfect.
Update:Thanks to James Cridland of Virgin Radio for the following information below which gives an alternative but equally valid view.
"Fru Hazlitt (the CEO), actually wants to switch off our AM transmitters as soon as possible (mostly centred around the fact that it sounds crap).
In fact, our work at Virgin Radio appears to show that the level of decline of AM listening will be such that, by 2010, it will be more economical for us to switch our AM transmitters off than to keep them going. Hurray for that, I say.However, DAB isn't the future; it's just part of it. Virgin Radio is available on Sky, Freeview, DAB, cable, and the internet; and over 28% of our listening is on new platforms (compared to 12% of all radio listening). I frankly don't care how people listen to Virgin Radio: as long as they listen. But if people continue to leave AM in their droves, as they are doing, then we look forward to putting those 1920s transmitters out of their misery.
It's the public that decides these things."
James Cridland
Well, one day I may decide to let it go(but then again as long as I am able to afford some of the services it offers)I hope that will not be the case. My hope is that the promised joint venture by the BBC and ITV will happen and they will launch Freesat offering all BBC and ITV channels that are free to air(and I am sure that other broadcasters will come on board if the satellite offers cheaper carriage of their services than Sky charge)some people may decide to take satellite if Murdoch is not behind the venture, a reason some people have avoided Sky from the start.
Freesat would offer more choice than Freeview can at present and possibly more than it ever will be able to.
Another reason for buying a Freeview box is that some channels are duplicated for free that are already on Sky's platform so if I lost Sky I would not lose all channels and more importantly its another way to get BBC Radio which I use my Sky box for an a lot. And this could be handy when two or three channels clash in the schedule either on television, radio or both.
The main reason is that analogue transmitters are being turned off across the UK in stages and the North East though one of the last, it will happen so I will need to put up a new aerial and use Freeview. And at £22 how could I be robbed?
However...here's how statistics play into Ofcom or Government hands and can give a false reading.
When you purchase a television receiver they ask for an address at the retailers for the television licence department no doubt. So they can match up an address in case heaven forbid you watch the tv without a licence.
So when I purchased the Freeview box at Argos I was asked for a postcode an address was matched and I was asked who the licence was in the name of. In hindsight, was this so Argos have my address on their data base for their sales promotions and to find out who shops there or...for the people who bring out figures of how popular digital tv is and how many homes have a Freeview box and have gone digital?
I may have one(and be an exception)but owning one if it remains unused, means nothing, just the intention that I may. And as the transmitters are being turned off what choice is there?
Would I have been asked this question if I had bought my Freeview box in Tesco's by the checkout operator? Or would they just know thanks to all the items purchased showing up from the loyalty card? If I purchased it without the store card would they ask?
I noticed thanks to an article in a newspaper that someone at Virgin Radio was mentioned that gives you an idea where radio is heading in the UK...is it because they are investing heavily in DAB? It coincides with an announcement of Ofcom(the regulatory body on Broadcasting in the UK)of looking at alternative ways of using the AM/FM frequency spectrum, in that this person says that he would like to see the AM signal of Virgin switched off by 2010.
I seem to remember suggesting this closure of AM/FM might be a possibility as DAB takes off and may also explain the rush in promoting DAB in the UK and why we jumped into a format that is less than perfect.
Update:Thanks to James Cridland of Virgin Radio for the following information below which gives an alternative but equally valid view.
"Fru Hazlitt (the CEO), actually wants to switch off our AM transmitters as soon as possible (mostly centred around the fact that it sounds crap).
In fact, our work at Virgin Radio appears to show that the level of decline of AM listening will be such that, by 2010, it will be more economical for us to switch our AM transmitters off than to keep them going. Hurray for that, I say.However, DAB isn't the future; it's just part of it. Virgin Radio is available on Sky, Freeview, DAB, cable, and the internet; and over 28% of our listening is on new platforms (compared to 12% of all radio listening). I frankly don't care how people listen to Virgin Radio: as long as they listen. But if people continue to leave AM in their droves, as they are doing, then we look forward to putting those 1920s transmitters out of their misery.
It's the public that decides these things."
James Cridland
posted by The Great Gildersleeve | 4:32 pm
5 Comments:
Gildy, I hope you enjoy the extra channels you get with your digi box.
Someone told us it was better to buy digi boxes instead of a digi TV incase they launch FreeSat.
Don't know whether that's right or not !
Good luck with your Freeview box, Gildy. I'm looking to take ours back as the buttons on the remote control have worn out in less than two years. It's handy that I bought the three years extended warranty cover.
You write... I notice thanks to an article in a newspaper that someone in the management at Virgin Radio gives you an idea where radio is heading in the UK...is it because they are investing heavily in DAB? It coincides with an announcement of Ofcom(the regulatory body on Broadcasting in the UK)of looking at alternative ways of using the AM/FM frequency spectrum, in that this person says that he would like to see the AM signal of Virgin switched off by 2010.
This "person", Fru Hazlitt (the CEO), actually wants to switch off our AM transmitters as soon as possible (mostly centred around the fact that it sounds crap).
In fact, our work at Virgin Radio appears to show that the level of decline of AM listening will be such that, by 2010, it will be more economical for us to switch our AM transmitters off than to keep them going. Hurray for that, I say.
However, DAB isn't the future; it's just part of it. Virgin Radio is available on Sky, Freeview, DAB, cable, and the internet; and over 28% of our listening is on new platforms (compared to 12% of all radio listening). I frankly don't care how people listen to Virgin Radio: as long as they listen. But if people continue to leave AM in their droves, as they are doing, then we look forward to putting those 1920s transmitters out of their misery. It's the public that decides these things.
James @ Virgin Radio
Thanks for that James...In the great scheme of things that sounds quite acceptable and I appreciate the extra information you have given and I am thankful that you are there to add some concrete knowledge to the debate.
Losing FM may be a larger problem...I think its not such a problem when tied to a pc or satellite when at home but we are losing some of the portablity of radio in the sense that portable devices unless you download material is not so good for listening to live streaming.
Thanks for suggesting that DAB may fall by the wayside in a way...
I do note that Virgin offers something like 5-6 alternative genres in high quality via Sky's platform.
I try to be fair when refering to articles I read and try to credit all sources so they can be read but equally try to avoid being accused of lifting information directly so sometimes have to say some things in a general sense but hopefully not change the inference. Then again, some press reports do not always appear as intended.
And I have added your comments into the actual posting itself as well as here.
You are always welcome.
Thanks for that.
I agree with your comments on FM - it's with us for a long while yet. It's not broken, though pirates and the lack of choice in many areas don't help.
I'm not suggesting that DAB will fall by the wayside; it's part of the multi-platform future for radio.
And thanks for spotting we offer other genres; in fact, they're all on DAB in London, on Telewest, and on the internet - try http://network.virginradio.co.uk/
Cheers!
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