Channel 4 HD to start on Freesat
Brian Butterworth published on UK Free TV Channel 4 and Freesat today announced that Freesat HD viewers will soon be able to enjoy Channel 4 HD when the channel launches on the subscription free satellite TV service in April.
Channel 4 HD becomes the fourth HD channel on Freesat joining BBC One HD, BBC HD, and ITV1 HD.
Freesat Managing Director Emma Scott said: "This is fantastic news for Freesat. C4HD is a high quality channel and we're sure it will prove popular with our discerning viewers.
"The addition of a fourth HD channel makes Freesat an even more attractive offer for savvy TV viewers looking for quality TV without monthly bills."
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Sunday, 3 April 2011
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NottsUK1:20 PM
George Buchanan: Can you try something. Select Channel 4HD then go into menu and select signal condition. There you will get the signal strength and signal quality readings. On my Panasonic Freesat receiver the signal strength is about 9 out of 10 and the signal quality is 5 out 0f 10. The most important one is signal quality. If your signal quality is very low then this will result in your stuttering picture. The only way around this is to have your dish re-aligned to improve the signal quality. Also do this check will BBC One HD. If you are getting a maximum of signal strength and signal quality on this then your dish can be slightly re-aligned to improver the signal quality on Channel 4HD without losing hardly any signal quality on BBC One HD.
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George Buchanan4:26 PM
NottsUK: The signal info of the transponder at frequency 10607 V symbol rate 27500, which is from where C4 HD is transmitted I believe, is 70% and the quality is 68%. BBC HD is 68% strength and 88% quality. The quality on C4 HD is plainly lower than that of BBC1 HD but quality is greater than your figures, which would seem to suggest the problem lies elsewhere. Maybe not. But the point remains about C4 choosing this delivery method that will cause trouble for some. I don't expect the aerial installers will do anything about it, even under warranty.
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NottsUK4:58 PM
George Buchanan: Unfortunately I cannot think of anything else for you to try. As Freesat will be using this transmission for when Channel 4HD arrives on the Freesat platform I assume you will still be having the same problem with it. If many more Freesat viewers have the same problem then Freesat could be in line for a lot of complaints.
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George Buchanan5:25 PM
NottsUK: Yes, time will tell, I suppose, if my experience is fairly isolated or widespread. Right now, I'm not willing to pay to have the dish checked just for one channel, most of which is not HD anyway. I might try phoning the installers but I'm not optimistic as those who deal with the calls have no idea about the technicalities of this and they are encouraged to bounce as many calls as possible. Oh well...
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David5:55 PM
George, like me I think you should wait untill Freesat puts CH4 HD on their EPG, then we can tell Freesat AND CH4 that CH4 HD have got a transmission problem.
I'm 99.9% certain that I have nothing wrong here.
Any one like me got a Panasonic Freesat TV?( particulary a 2008 model.).
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NottsUK6:23 PM
George Buchanan: Doing a bit of research on the internet there seems to be a difference in the video format between ITV1 HD, BBC HD, BBC One HD and Channel 4HD. The video format for ITV1 HD, BBC HD and BBC One HD is (AVC, High @ L4.0), whereas Channel 4 HD as a video format of (AVC version 2, High @ L4.0). Could it be that your Freesat equipment doesn't recognise AVC version 2 and that is why you get a stuttering picture. If this is so then your equipment manufacturer will have to bring out a software update. AVC = Advanced Video Coding. This I beleive is the way the signal is chopped into bits before it is transmitted and the correct codec is needed in the receiver to put the bits back into the right order.
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George Buchanan8:09 PM
NottsUK: Interesting... My receiver isn't Freesat but what seems to be loosely called 'generic satellite' (Fortec Star). Are we perhaps now seeing Freesat channels being limited to Freesat branded receivers? That's a first (amd a restrictive one) because I can get every other free channel on Astra/Eurobird that's available to Freesat boxes. What of David (above) and the fact that his Freesat TV gets nothing on C4 HD? very mysterious...
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George Buchanan8:36 PM
This is what the specification states:
MPEG AVC/H.264 HP@L4
I'd have to ask Fortec Star about this AVC version 2. Surely not only the Fortec Star boxes will be affected? Or is this just a way of disabling these boxes? Again, it's back to C4 choosing a fussy delivery method regardless of who loses out.
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NottsUK9:42 PM
George Buchanan: I have a Fortec Star Innovation receiver, so when Antiques Roadshop finished I switched the Freesat receiver off and connected one of the cables from the 50cm satellite dish to the Innovation. As you say the picture at times does become jerky. It is as though someone keeps pressing the pause button. Watching Country House Rescue it tended to happen when the camera was scanning the grounds of the country house. It seems to be a Fortec Star problem, so I would suggest you send Fortec Star a email telling them the problem. I am sure that Fortec Star will look into the problem and bring out an update to resolve it.
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