Freeview birthday unwraps IPTV promise
Industry gathered for Freeview's first birthday last night to hear that viewers will get the presents.
- Published by David Knox
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Freeview is celebrating its first birthday with a new commercial to air on Sunday, flagging its overdue Electronic Programme Guide and signalling the launch of an IPTV hub later next year.
Industry gathered last night for a Freeview event, attended by network executives, Government representatives, manufacturer and retail partners and suppliers. Attending celebrities included Dr Chris Brown, Justine Schofield, Tom Williams, Salvatore Coco and Diarmid Heinreich, Ed Phillips, Sandra Sully and Les Murray.
Freeview Chairman Kim Dalton said, “We’re also preparing for the next stage of Freeview’s evolution, with the launch next year of the Freeview electronic program guide, and plans in the not-too-distant future for much of our content to be available on-demand, online and via new and emerging platforms.”
Freeview’s Robyn Parkes said of its IPTV plans, “We haven’t finalised all the details yet, but you may go to the Freeview [online] portal or [TV screen] icon and it might shoot you out to Yahoo!7 or ninemsn or ABC to view the catch-up episode.”
A new television spot will go to air this Sunday, 29 November, at 6.29pm across all free-to-air networks.
“Our new marketing campaign, called ‘More for Me’ will enhance consumers’ understanding of Freeview as the free-to-air digital platform in Australia and encourage viewers to go to their local retailers or visit the Freeview website to find out more about switching to digital,” Ms Parkes said.
Source: smh.com.au
21 Responses
Poor Stan living in a coastal metropolis where everything is handed to them on a silver platter.
More for me??? We were promised 15 channels in all areas by the end of the year. Prime have yet to launch 7TWO, HD which did offer break away programming is now gone except for ONE which came in 3 months after the original launch.
So tell me freeview where are my promised 15 channels? In Newcastle there is 25 channels…out of that, the only extra channels are ABC 2, ABC3, SBS2, ONE and GO! which only makes 10. Seems to be 5 channels missing
I’d avoid all ‘freeview’ branded devices like the plague, since they’re actually crippled to disallow ad-skipping etc.
But my (non-freeview) Panasonic HD-DVDR already has a ‘single view of all channels in an EPG grid’. It’s just an optional setting for its EPG; either grid style or 1 page per channel.
I can’t understand why all the fuss about freeview’s M-HEG EPG?
I really like the idea of Australia’s very own Hulu! Of course, we all know that iView will provide most of the programming.
Also, I’m sick of Prime-land viewers making it sound like they live in Burma! It’s not that bad, so move on please.
Guys: The Freeview EPG will be provided using MHEG-5, as opposed to the EIT guide we currently get. What this means is that Freeview Stage 2 STBs/PVRs which (will) have MHEG-5 capability built in, will all be able to display a consistent, Freeview branded EPG.
Freeview has said previously that the EIT guide we currently get will continue to be provided — but having said that I would not be surprised if it got phased out in the future, maybe a couple of years down the track.
@ David Knox – Do you mean the EIT EPG will be broadcast on every channel, for every channel? In other words, if I am watching ABC1, it will also receive the data for SBS1, SBS2, Seven, GO, etc?
The finer detail we don’t yet know. Copyright on EPGs is a huge legal minefield and I hear part of the reason for the delay. It means there will be a single view of all channels in an EPG grid. Whether you get that while watching ABC1 or you switch to somewhere else to get it I not know yet.
What is the Freeview EPG supposed to be anyway? We already have EPG information on our digital TV’s and set top boxes, so how will the Freeview EPG differ from that?
You will be able to see all the channels in one grid. Instead of channel by channel. A bit like a Foxtel guide. Good idea. Worth buying Freeview branded equipment just to get it? Not really.
We might actually get excited about a Freeview EPG if it meant that shows that end up starting at 8.40 were indicated as such rather than saying 8.30.
Who cares.Foxtel is my number 1 choice
If any sort of online video system gets set up, it Needs to be unmetred like iView is on certain ISPs. Regardless of if it is IPTV or streaming video, very few people will be able to use it much without going over their download limit.
I seriously hope the current channels get put up as IPTV. That would solve all my reception issues, and would also mean I could watch 7TWO.
Prime viewers: I can almost see the ad… Freeview, more for me, with Go!, One, ABC3 SBS2 and S(bleeped out).
But I’m still waiting for a guarantee, that there should be variety, with a local voice.
It better not air on Prime!
IPTV is not the same as streaming television shows through your browser. Wikipedia has a fairly good explanation of IPTV and its difference from internet television.
Whether it’s Freeview’s error, the Sydney Morning Herald’s or TV Tonight’s, there is a duty to not further confuse people by using the wrong term.
IPTV is in no way the same as shows on demand on various network websites. iView is not IPTV and neither is Hulu in the US.
IPTV is another means of delivering television content like over-the-air, cable or satellite. It still requires a receiver of some kind, even though that might just be a piece of software. It is completely different to a website that allows viewers to catch up on missed programming.
While I fully support the idea of such a website in Australia (having experienced the joys of Hulu), calling it IPTV is just another way Freeview will end up confusing the marketplace rather than helping it move forward.
I wonder if Freeview has ever thought of which city has the highest Pay TV users per capita? I’m tipping it’s the Gold Coast…
I think the whole Freeview thing of classifying 7, 9, 10, ABC, and SBS together has just confused people. They would have been better off saying “Free To Air TV is going digital. This is why… This is what you need to do….this is why it’s better….” Job done, we can all go home. Rather than saying “Freeview is coming with 15 channels” etc etc…I think they misread the Australian landscape comapred to the UK and NZ where the Freeview campaign has already been rolled out.
Hahha I haven’t heard or seen anyting from Salvatore Coco and Diarmid Heinreich in like a decade! I guess they must have been in Underbelly last season or something.
“with the launch next year of the Freeview electronic program guide”
woaaah, slow down egg head… we’ve had DTV STB’s with full EPG capabilities for like 5 years or more since DTV came to Australia… How on earth can it take so bloody long to utilise the technology?
“much of our content to be available on-demand, online and via new and emerging platforms.”
Well, I have to say this is a giant leap forward, albeit behind schedule, especially compared to our US counterparts from which most of our TV comes from.
Let’s hope that Kim Dalton has enough influence to encourage all networks to use ABC-esque DRM free capabilities for downloads and streaming.
‘More for Me’-except when you live in a regional area and still don’t have a definite answer as to when 7Two launches
The EPG is a joke when compared to PayTV, slow and out of date a lot of the time when networks do changes, it’s electronic why can’t any changes be sent through when programmers make late changes?
Yes TV as we knew it has changed a lot over the last year of so we new channels but given the still constant late programming changes they still have a lot to learn about viewer loyalty.