The Digital Age

I have touched on this before. Going digital may have some advantages to both broadcasters and viewers/listeners to television and radio. The reason being that you can be offered more choice(you can decide if that just spreads an audience more thinly and whether because the budget available(from advertisements, subscription, pay per view etc...) means that we are better off.

However, in the UK very little publicity is published(it is there for anyone who wishes to look for it)but the ordinary guy in the street who comes home at night and switches the TV or radio on to be entertained isn't going to really give the reasons why we are going digital, its happening, so whether you want it or not you are going to get it.

This may mean adapting or purchasing new equipment. For some it means getting rid of perfectly good equipment that probably still has a lot of life left in it and could've lasted years.
More importantly, the Government's Broadcasting regulatory body is proposing and will be selling off the analogue frequencies freed by "Going Digital" to other businesses and the millions of pounds this sale will raise is probably the real driving force behind the decision to make the public accept the change.

Now, the BBC as much as anyone has been given the task of promoting and informing the public of the digital age(and considering that though you can argue that the public service broadcaster in the UK has commercial interests)to all intents and purposes it is not a commercial broadcaster in the UK. They have different services and ways of financing their products and channels across the world but in those markets they are not really a public service so its perhaps understandable that they try to raise revenue by any means possible.

Another way of promoting digital broadcasting(and though I see radio as very important in broadcasting)television does drive change and is what the public thinks of first when you talk of broadcasting, it gets the largest audiences and the lion's share of revenue, whether commercial or via a licence/subscription/pay per view.

The latest thing to drive digital interest is High Definition television. Which in this country sees the picture increasing in quality as originally in the 60's our pictures were made up of 405 lines, increased to 625 lines and now with HD we're going into one thousand and something. Naturally, you need more bandwidth and a high quality signal and a decent way to receive that signal. I've seen demonstrations in retail outlets but they are playing back(usually)a specially produced promotional package or channel showing the very best. I have to say it looks fantastic. It can in some instances look as though its three dimensional.

Some people are buying the new televisions now, ready to receive these great new services that we are being promised.

But just like the selling of frequencies, what is available to present broadcasters is in danger too. As it would appear that when the television frequencies are agreed in the near future and made available I think it was assumed that the five main free to air terrestrial services supplied by the BBC, ITV, C4 And C5 would automatically have enough bandwidth to offer High Definition services. So even those who do not want Satellite or cable services could at least enjoy the quality of this new form of broadcasting.

It turns out that Ofcom have turned round and said that when the frequencies are made available(I understand broadcasters will have to bid for the space available)so in reality there is no guarantee that our traditional, free to air and somewhat protected broadcasters will find their place secure. I say broadcasters have to bid because Ofcom plans to auction the radio spectrum necessary to launch HD services on the Freeview digital terrestrial platform.

Again, as the BBC has been used to push digital broadcasting it does seem a strange decision.
What is forgotten is that in the UK once we have gone digital, to receive a television signal you have to use either a Freeview box, cable(if available)or a satellite service. Not knowing what other technology may come along in the future to deliver our TV and radio.

The idea of Freeview was that it would be a way for the public to continue to receive free to air channels but already some channels have pulled their services and decided to charge(scramble)the service but from what I understand they are not being asked to give up the frequencies to allow another broadcaster to come along and offer a service and therefore the number of channels has been reduced on the system.

So perhaps the best solution and I have a feeling this is what is driving the idea...is that the BBC in partnership with commercial broadcasters are planning on launching their own satellite delivered service to be known as Freesat. The clue is in the name. It would be an alternative to Sky which is the main satellite broadcaster here who have had things pretty much to themselves. I suspect it could be very attractive to viewers and listeners getting their programmes from basically a service that does not require a monthly subscription fee and does not go into a communications empire run by Rupert Murdoch who does divide public opinion quite strongly.

If the Freesat could also offer commercial broadcasters space on their system at a lower price for carrying their services, they may even decide to join the new "kid on the block"
If the BBC and commercial free to air broadcasters have their own Satellite system, they will at least have the bandwidth they require to give their programmes in High Definition quality.
Even respected people in the industry are unhappy with Ofcom's plans(both broadcasters)and those manufacturing the equipment required to view this new format, they include representatives of ITV, BBC, C4, C5, Sony, Toshiba, Sony, Samsung Electronics and retailers such as Comet.

Of course there will be some personal reasons for their interest, not least of all being commercially driven