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.
2:55 PM
paul yes i have got bbc hd on 102,bbc 1 hd 101,itv hd 103 and channel 4 hd on 104 on my panasonic-blu ray dvd recorder
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3:44 PM
Sandown
have done retune, hd channels still on channels 50 to 54, nothing on 1o1 1o2 1o3 1o4, am on the rowbridge transmitter any ideas. steve h
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steve's: mapS's Freeview map terrainS's terrain plot wavesS's frequency data S's Freeview Detailed Coverage
John: There are two differing objectives of the postcode system employed by Freesat and that of any proposed for Freeview.
For Freesat, as you identify, all signals come from the same point, which is the satellite. All signals (for all regions) are available in places where the satellite can be received. Entrance of the viewer's postcode is simply so as to select the regional programming designated for that postcode.
You say that viewers "expect" to receive programming relevant to their area and this is true. If that is the object of a Freeview postcode system then clearly some will not only be disappointed, but without reception unless they resort to manual tuning which is something that I thought that postcode system was meant to alleviate!
In the real world, reception from a particular terrestrial transmitter requires there to be a good enough path from it to the base (receiving) location. Whilst Winter Hill may be clear-cut in your location, in others it is not so. Simply "wanting" a particular regional variant is not enough.
Some people receive regional programming that they do not consider relevant to their area because they cannot receive from a transmitter which broadcasts their designated regional output. In some areas, one house may be on one transmitter and another house on another, both of which are in the same postcode, and this may be because it is a poor reception area. Some may have a local obstruction such as a tree, building or land formation. As I say, the Royal Mail does not deliver RF signals.
If a Freeview postcode system were be put in place, then presumably each transmitter would broadcast the postcodes that it serves. This would mean that relays would broadcast the same postcodes which means that areas where relays and their parents (or multiple relays) overlap may have to manually tune. Thus the issue that you experience would still be so for some. However, it would mean that the "wanted" region would be selected even if it were being received from a transmitter other than that for which the aerial faces.
It is possible to select the correct region now and this appears as if it would produce the result you are looking for. But it is down to the design of the set-top box as to whether this is available. Every transmitter belongs to a Region/Network for which some receivers present the user with a list of those found. This achieves the same objective that you seek.
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5:13 PM
Hi
I am having problems receiving the TV channels on UHF channel 28 (i.e. Film 4 etc...)from the Rowridge (IOW) transmitter. I have decent 'digital' aerial and have positioned it to receive the strongest reception for all channels, but UHF channel 28 appears to be so weak. Anyone else experiencing this problem and is there a workaround?
Many thanks
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HD Channels do not appear to have moved on the Sudbury Transmitter as of 18:00.
Are they REALLY moving or is this another red herring?
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Mark G: Turn your aerial for vertical polarisation.
Rowridge uses mixed polarisation. PSB channels are 200kW vertically and horizontally whereas the COMs are 50kW horizontally and 200kW vertically.
There is no such thing as a "digital" aerial. In some cases a replacement aerial is required to receive digital (almost always the COM channels).
For Rowridge this isn't generally expected* to be necessary. By switching to vertical polarisation should benefit you will be expected to be taking advantage of the 200kW signals for all six multiplexes.
Rowridge uses only Group A channels and wideband yagi aerials have less gain on those channels. For this reason, a wideband yagi aerial is not advised and a Group A yagi may be the better bet. See here for more information:
Rowridge Transmitter
One final thing, the COM channel don't have as good coverage area. Small relays don't carry them, and of those that do, some viewers will only be expected to receive PSBs. See which predicts that around one third of Rowridge viewers will be PSB-only:
The commercial multiplex after switchover: ArqA, ArqB and SDN | ukfree.tv - 10 years of independent, free digital TV advice
Unfortunately the powers that be won't release the radiation patterns of the transmitters. This indicate how much signal is thrown out in each direction.
We had a report from someone a few miles south of Rowridge who lives in a dip and therefore can't "see" the top of the transmitter. He could receive the PSBs well but couldn't get anything on the COMs. We can only speculate as to whether this is because the COMs are severly restricted to the south, probably so as not to interfere on the Continent.
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9:38 PM
Bishop's Stortford
have any problems been identified with Freeview in Bishops Stortford? We've had poor or no reception for about 24 hours now - tried rescanning, and there have been no changes to the aeriel or any other equipment.
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Chris's: mapC's Freeview map terrainC's terrain plot wavesC's frequency data C's Freeview Detailed Coverage
10:52 PM
My wife turned on the TV for the first time today (all was working perfectly last night) at 2130 to be greeted with a message about a 'reschedule' taking place at 0900 today. It was quite a lengthy message and had gone before I could get to read it fully but she thinks it mentioned retuning. The Humax box offered the autotune option (which has always worked flawlessly) but the retune came up with no channels at all - nada! The transmitter in question is from the Beary Peark transmitter, Isle of Man. The last retune in September was fine so what could have gone wrong this time?
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11:18 PM
Newcastle Upon Tyne
just done further retune but lost channel 10 itv3 the programme listing shows it now on channel 804 but trying that shows this channel is unavailable,or scrambled.We get our services from Pontop pike in the north east,Anyone got the sam problem or can help me
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malc.'s: mapM's Freeview map terrainM's terrain plot wavesM's frequency data M's Freeview Detailed Coverage