Freeview channel number changes to go ahead: HD, Adult move on 17 October 2012
Brian Butterworth published on UK Free TV As first reported earlier in the year, Freeview channel numbers change on September 19th 2012 , some of the channel numbers used by Freeview are being moved to make way for more 'general entertainment' numbers.
However, Sky News and an adult channel appealed, and so the renumbering was put on hold. However, today:
"Both appeals have been considered in accordance with DMOL policy. Having independently reviewed the evidence put forward, the chair of DMOL does not consider that either party has presented a sufficiently compelling case that the moves should not go ahead. The original decisions will therefore stand."
This means that on 17th October 2012, the HD an Adult channels will move, thus:
HD channels move to 101-120
The "normal" order of channels is restored to HD:
101 BBC One HD; 102 BBC HD [or BBC TWO HD]; 103 ITV1 HD or STV HD; 104 Channel 4 HD; 105S4C Cirlun.
Note that S4C Cirlun is due to close on 1st December 2012, replaced by Channel 4 HD in Wales (see Channel 4 HD will replace S4C HD in Wales on Freeview HD on 1 December 2012 ). BBC ONE HD will have regional versions for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in late 2012. BBC TWO HD is planned to replace the BBC HD channel at some point in 2013.
Adult channels move to 171-198
The "adult" channels on Freeview move up from 92-99 to start from 171. Channel 170 and 199 will be "bookend" pages to note the presence of the adult channels for those who flick up and down the channels.
171 Television X; 172 smileTV2, 173 smileTV3, 174 Babestn, 175 PARTY, 176 Blue, 177 Babestn2, 178 Playboy.
The Children's and News channel numbers will move on the Wednesday that follows 16 weeks after LCN 65 is allocated (ie when the General Entertainment genre nears full capacity). In the event that the move date falls during a change freeze then the move would take effect on the Wednesday that follows the end of the change freeze.
News channels move to 131-150
131 BBC NEWS, 132 BBC Parliament, 133 Sky News, 134 Al Jazeera 6-8, 135 Al Jazeera Eng, 136 Russia Today, 137 Community.
Children's move to 121-130
121 CBBC; 122 CBeebies, 123 CITV.
12:19 PM
Freeview is great but why can`t we have a HD movie channal like Film 4 ?
And why can`t freeview have a decent music channal that is 100% music
When I look at the current music lineup on freeview in the eveing its everything but music
freeview needs chartshow tv and Bliss and Film 4 HD to win the Freeview / Freesat Battle
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1:04 PM
I'm on the Sutton Coldfield transmitter and have lost Challenge frkm ch 46. Retuning does not help. Where has it gone?
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1:23 PM
Ever since the last retune we have lost some channels and even after countless retunes still having major problems Blackhill transmitter in Scotland .Awaiting to be ripped off by tv engineer
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11:50 AM
just done the retune,all gone smooth,no probles at all
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11:52 AM
Are there going to be many more changes from crystal palace transmitter I am in north Kent some parts of this village also get meridian
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12:46 PM
Here we go again! :-)
For the vast majority of people using the Winter Hill transmitter, it isn't just a "simple retune", it's a full time manual tune so as to avoid getting the Welsh language channels instead.
With all the updates Freeview has had, I would have thought this relatively simple BUG could have been corrected by now - FreeSat had the sense to ask for my Postcode!
Why has this BUG never been corrected? Simple answer - because those responsible for Freeview aren't affected!
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John: The principle of a receiver tuning to a neighbouring transmitter existed in the days of analogue as well.
No tuner will ever be totally infallible to this. However, it is really down to the tuner's design as to whether it tunes to the first signals it finds or some other method that is particularly prone to choosing the "wrong" signals.
It is the case that the design of some receivers leave a lot to be desired. They have evidently only ever been tested in a lab when presented with signals from one transmitter. Every receiver should offer manual tuning which is particularly useful in situations where automatic tuning doesn't produce the correct result.
You blame Freeview yet it is your aerial system which is picking up the Welsh signals. I am not sure what you think Freeview should do put up an iron curtain between England and Wales to ensure that RF signals do not carry further? If your aerial system if picking up Welsh signals then you could of course filter them out, and indeed filter out all but Winter Hill. But this would only prevent them from being found in the first place. Manual tuning would appear to work around the issue for much less cost.
Freesat asks for your postcode so as to provide the regional programming associated with that postcode.
It is absurd to suggest that a sensible step is that the Freeview system should ask for the viewer's postcode. This is because the Royal Mail does not deliver RF signals!
At any one postcode there may be viewers with aerials facing different transmitters, this being particularly the case in areas of poor reception on more than one transmitter, but where no one single one is good.
Also, the fact that there is now "Freeview Lite" where many small relay transmitters carry only Public Service channels means that some people will wish to tune to a full-service transmitter that isn't as good a signal as the local relay.
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2:06 PM
FreeSat asks for my Postcode is is thereby able to pick the right channel - and those channels are all coming from the same "aerial" (ie the satellite).
Why is it sensible for FreeSat to ask for the Postcode in order to provide regional programming but would be "absurd" for FreeView to do the same?
Yes, people point to repeaters and the like but the fact remains that users should normally expect to receive programming relevant to their area (Postcode). If they wish to receive something "out of the ordinary", it is they who should expect to manually retune - not the vast majority.
I actually do know a little bit about RF and have as a directional an antenna as is reasonable to get. The problem is that I can virtually see the Moel-y-Parc mast and, at 235m, it's coverage extends way outside its supposed footprint.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w…tion
I don't really understand your comment about tuner design. Even with a highly directional antenna AND an adjustable 20dB attenuator, my Humax box still finds the MP transmitter stronger than Winter Hill, so it uses it. FreeSat is intelligent enough to know that I want the North West signals not the Welsh ones (regardless of signal strength).
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2:11 PM
Has anyone else only got bbc hd on 102 and itv hd 103, with no bbc one hd or c4 (on 101 and 104)?
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2:42 PM
Are the news and children's channels really changing logical channel numbers on Freeview today? When I tried retuning my Panasonic DVD recorder breakfast time this morning (shipping condition followed by full retune) the kids' channels were still in the 70s and news channels in the 80s after the retune.
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