Never mind the login …what about iview HD?
New iview features as part of its login are unable to extend HD due to ABC funding.
- Published by David Knox
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- Filed under News, Top Stories
Much is being debated about a mandatory login for iview from July.
Amongst the new features are personalised Watchlists and Recommendations, a Viewing History, and the ability to pick up a show where you left off on another device.
Managing Director David Anderson recently told a Senate Estimates committee, “We’re asking for people to provide an email, postcode, their year of birth, and gender, and that certainly helps us. People don’t have to use their real name, they can use a pseudonym for this. If they’ve come in through Google or Facebook, they can opt out of having those details shared with Google or Facebook.”
He added, “Yes, it’ll be an immediate inconvenience. But the benefit that sits on the other side of this is we can at least match, if not be better than, the benefits that you get with all other streaming services.
There’s a sea of content out there. I think people are quite accustomed to logging into somewhere, having an account with it, knowing that they’ll get a benefit back on the other side.”
Anderson is right about logins being standard for subscription and advertiser-based platforms.
A login has been optional for iview since May 2020 and has been mandatory at SBS on Demand since November 2016, with little of the same blowback. Similarly, 9Now requires a login. 7plus and 10Play require a login for catch-up, but not Live, content.
Yet while questions may linger around privacy or the mandatory aspect -given ABC has no advertisers- little is being asked about other upgrades to iview, such as High Definition.
While ABC was first to market with iview, it has been slow to upgrade from SD, largely due to budget constraints. It wasn’t until mid-2019 iview moved to a “maximum of 720p” for catch-up, which is classified as HD (albeit not true HD 1080p).
In November 2020, all state-based Live streams of ABC’s primary channel also moved from 576p to 720p. ABC also maintains low renditions to service Australians with relatively poor internet connections, particularly in rural areas, at (288p for Live and 188p for On Demand).
But this still leaves some catch-up titles at less than 720p as well as Live streams of other ABC multichannels below par.
By comparison SBS on Demand is 720p, 7plus is 720p, 9Now is up to 720p and 10 Play, concerningly, confirmed SD quality (presumably 576p) with plans to shift to HD “in the future.”
“The ABC is always looking to improve the quality of the content and features we offer”
An ABC spokesman told TV Tonight, “The ABC is always looking to improve the quality of the content and features we offer audiences on ABC iview. In line with this commitment, from next month ABC iview account holders will enjoy the benefits of features such as watchlists and program recommendations.
‘We have also improved the quality of the resolution of programs on ABC iview in recent years, including updating all state-based variants of ABC Main Channel live streams from 576p standard definition to a maximum of 720p high definition in November 2020.”
“We will continue to improve ABC iview in line with our budget”
The costs in further HD remains an issue for all broadcasters, and while ABC has undergone ‘funding freeze’ under the Coalition it isn’t part of the refresh in July.
“We will continue to improve ABC iview in line with our budget and the needs and expectations of our audiences, while ensuring that our content remains accessible to all Australians, particularly those with limited internet connections,” said the spokesperson.
17 Responses
Logging in is also a way to monitor the typical audience watching ABC streaming and their program preferences.
Most recent Smart TV’s have new AI processors that upgrade SD or 720p broadcasts, these are not full HD but are a lot better than images seen on older TV’s, it’s also essential considering the TV’s technology is optimised for 60Hz 1080p and 4K UHD.
Broadcasters have been notorious catching up with technological advances especially recent video formats, meanwhile global streamers are showing the way offering HDR10 and Dolby Vision.
Having a login to access any streaming service is quite normal. The BBC have required one for several years now, I don’t see why the ABC should be any different.
The BBC have started UltraHD streaming on iPlayer, showing programs like; Blue Planet II; Hi Dark Materials; A Perfect Planet, among others. I believe the BBC also have trialed 4K sports broadcasting as well.
Im still confused as to why they are down converting interlaced 1920×1080 to 720 progressive?
I suspect it’s mostly a budget-driven compromise – 720p gives you a decent bump over SD but doesn’t increase your hosting/bandwidth costs as much as going to 1080p as your “top” quality stream. The internal debates in the early days (and admittedly I’ve been out of the loop for a few years now) were always about how to keep up with the increasing CDN bills as iView ramped up beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. ABC budgets have decreased in real terms since then and iView has gotten even more wildly popular, so costs go up each year with no advertising/subscription revenue to compensate, which then leaves less money to actually make content and so on and so on …
maybe they could afford it if they hadn’t spent money on those pointless puppets. Don’t get me wrong i like a good puppet lol, but those promos are just cringeworthy & rather pointless imho.
Agree. Why did Sam Simmons agree to those ads? Irritating and not funny
It’s a pretty sad state of affairs here when TV networks across most of the developed world have been able to provide 1080p since more than a decade ago and are now increasing releasing content in 4K, while the networks here are barely able to offer 720p online right now.
Maybe it’s the way it’s encoded (and the limited bandwidth for FTA), but the ABC News Channel on iView appears to be much sharper in PQ compared to the over-the-air broadcast.
I’m calling bullshit on this one ,a law unto themselves ,even with more money they’ll still complain.
There’s no complaint from ABC on iview HD, it was me putting questions to them. Not sure what you’re calling bullshit on…
The HD aspect ,it would be interesting to know what the actual cost would be to go to full HD for the Iview or even HD across all the FTA channels ,on another note am I looking forward to more logins and my personal details given out sans my name for Iview ,no not really.
Make up a username and create a gmail to use for sign ups. Tell them you’re 90.
You don’t have to give over your real details.
Or ABC withhold HD to try and blackmail the Coalition into giving it more money. The ABC has spent more on above the set public service pay rises and defamation settlements than it would cost to switch on HD.
I am quite happy wtfh the quality of all the ABC’s TV programming.
Me too , no issue here 😁
Me too. I remember as a kid in country WA that WIN and SBS were always the less clear channels(late 90’s analogue, picture was a bit grainy/fuzzy ) and we were happy just to get it at all lol. I appreciate the great picture quality of tv these days, SD is better than what many of us used to get.