BBC Local Radio on Freeview

Will the World Radiocommunication Conference be the death of Freeview?

In just over a week, an important conference in Geneva, Switzerland is being held. One of the many things under discussion will be the future of free-to-air television up to 2030. Will the mobile broadband operators be able to get agreement to close down the UHF television band for reuse as 4G internet connections? Digital UK and other TV bodies are very concerned.

25 comments “Chris Shaw: But they will probably get better - and sometimes it depends what network your on. Last summer, my family was on holiday in the far north ”- MikeB

New and improved Freeview radiation patterns

I'm very pleased to announce that the list of the radiation patterns - the diagrams that show the power levels for each direction from a transmitter - have returned in an improved format. In addition UK Free TV now has 528 new patterns received in the last month from Ofcom under a Freedom of Information Act request.

4 comments “David Watters: There has been no recent engineering work at Redruth in the last couple of weeks so nothing to suggest that anything has changed at the”- StevensOnln1

ITV4 now on Freeview Light transmitters: retune needed for all Freeview homes

We have seen very few changes to the channels that homes that only get the public-service "Freeview Light", so it pleasing to see ITV4 added to the list.

2 comments “It is long overdue that those who have to suffer freeview light have a say in what we get, ie scrap the advert channels and give us Drama and ITV 3”- nick

Connected Freeview comes a step closer today

For several reasons, YouView has not set the UK on fire in the way that Freeview has. So, Freeview have a new idea, current called "Freeview connected TV" that provides just what the customer wants: straightforward access to on demand Freeview, and low cost by using international standard HbbTV.

13 comments “Vic:Here, Here. I totally agree having just moved from a rural area that can t get a reliable internet service and certainly not one that achieves”- MikeP

3 Freeview HD channels will start 2009

The BBC, ITV, Channel 4, five and Ofcom are set to announce Freeview HD today.

44 comments “Briantist: DVB-T2 etc. Thank you for confirmation that this is STILL in the melting pot . Terminology has never been my strong point - for Re-orga”- Geoff. Dixon

Been missing the Digital Switchover? Good news! There is going to be another

Ofcom have come down - as I rather thought they would - on the side of mobile broadband. So, if you have been missing all the retuning and occasional fitting of a new aerial, it looks like another round a Freeview changes is ahead.

44 comments “So what happens to Viewers that s on Channel group C/D moving it to B or A will cause alot of problems and CO-Channel interference between transmitter”- Rob

Freeview gains ITV Be, Motors TV channels this week - and Spike next year

We have not reached the top with the Freeview line-up as ITV brings a custom channel to the place the UK loves to watch TV.

17 comments “Thanks Mike...I have got location 71 but there s no point in me getting the wireless dongle as my broadband is too slow. I won t get a speed upgrade f”- Syd Wall

A bakers dozen of changes: Freeview channel number changes from 3 September 2014

Because of the increase in the number of General Entertainment channels, Digital UK will change the numbers on Freeview for those channels in the Children's and the 24 hour News sections.

90 comments “Christopher Millward: Are you sure you ve tuned to the correct transmitter. If your suddenly getting a poor signal strength, when it was fine before, ”- MikeB

Really to replace Dave Ja Vu on Freeview

A new channel is coming to Freeview. Yes, Really.

75 comments “Janet Pope: Unfortunately these channels are carried within the same groups of channels - multiplexes - as channels you probably do want. There are so”- Mike Dimmick

InView EPG death - boxes

If you have a Digifusion, Inverto, Thomson or Sony box, you may no longer have a Freeview EPG.

65 comments “Mark: if you mean they ve all had the InView electronic programme guide and it s stopped working, that s very bad luck (or poor selection of equipment”- Mike Dimmick

Travel Channel and Film4+1 comes to Freeview, Film4 to Freeview Light

Two welcome developments for Freeview today. The popular Travel Channel (already on Freesat 405 and Sky 251) starts an evening service, and Film4 moves to all UK transmitters, bringing more choice to homes with the limited Freeview service.

37 comments “Colin: Film4 is moving from COM6 multiplex to PSB2.At present it is carried on both albeit that the COM6 stream has a message about retuning super”- Dave Lindsay

Are we going to get BBC local radio on Freeview in England?

If you have Freeview in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland you have always had two extra BBC radio stations. Do tests in the West Midlands perhaps mean that we will we soon get local radio in England? I hope so.

39 comments “J Peter Wilson: As a fellow Yorkshireman I agree.I watch BBC Look North (Yorkshire) which carries stories and OBs from Whitby, Northallerton, Kirk”- Dave Lindsay

UKTV's Drama to be on Freeview 20

Drama, which starts on 8 July 2013, will be on Freeview channel 20.

43 comments “John Grainger: Do a manual scan of the UHF channel (frequency) of the COM4 (SDN) multiplex, on which Drama is carried, this being that of your designa”- Dave Lindsay

Update on transmitter radiation patterns (BBC FOI request)

The BBC have responded to my request for an update to the sites that they have provided the "radiation patterns" for.

18 comments “ron brown: Your switchover was in September last year - have you had problems since then?Can I assume you ve had a qualified aerial installer/engi”- Michael

Freeview round up - BBC HD, Local TV, Al Jazeera HD

As I have been away for a few weeks, this is a quick update with some Freeview news.

54 comments “Nick Anderson: No it does not.London Live will broadcast only from Crystal Palace, so all its relays won t carry it. It will also be radiated at l”- Dave Lindsay

Freeview "balloons" advert

View the new advert for Freeview

36 comments “john voisey: I sympathise with your predicament. The commercial operators were invited to broadcast from more sites and declined.The BBC is quite ”- Dave Lindsay

Updated - changes to Freeview channel numbers this week on September 19th 2012

This week you will need to retune your Freeview box or television set to get the latest changes to the channel number line-up.

124 comments “Ken Collyer: In response to your comment but it s not on this page : which is why the text you quoted is followed by a colon and a hyperlink to the pa”- Dave Lindsay

Freeview channel changes

Challenge changes and Jewellery Channel launches.

69 comments “Gordon Nicol: Many people who use Crystal Palace HD has experienced this problem, and which is caused by Sandy s MuxA having on 31st of August started”- jb38

Freeview channel numbers change on September 19th 2012

Following a consultation earlier in the year, from lunchtime on Wednesday 19th September, you will have to retune to get the new numbers allocated to some Freeview channels; in particular those used for News, Adult, Children and high definition services.

118 comments “G.S.CLARKE: I already replied to the earlier posting you made under the heading of Updated - changes to Freeview channel numbers this week on Septembe”- jb38

Freeview channel number changes to go ahead: HD, Adult move on 17 October 2012

DMOL, the DTT Multiplex Operators co-ordination organization has today announced that appeals by Sky News and an adult channel operator have been rejected.

75 comments “Terry: Probably because they haven t retuned? Does GOLD comes up on channel 20?”- Michael

Ten more HD channels on two new Freeview HD multiplexes on air from 2014-18

Ofcom has recently suggested that BBC, Channel 4 and Arqiva plan for an interim Freeview HD service, before a new HD switchover in 2018 - to free up more space for 4G mobile broadband - could be put into service.

76 comments “John H Williams: Well the commercial broadcasters can t afford to put the extra 3 multiplexes on the 1000 relay transmitters in the country, so the si”- Michael

Freeview modes - a simplified explanation

How is it possible to broadcast high definition television or more standard definition services on the same physical wavelength?

109 comments “IanR: Is this the problem?:http://www.digitaluk.co.u .pdfThe London Live multiplex has a negative offset, C29-, meaning that its frequency is”- Dave Lindsay

Two new Freeview channels - almost everywhere

A nice match between the BBC and Arqiva will provide two full time Freeview channels.

216 comments “R. Mays:It would be best to ask BT TV that question.This website is not connected with any broadcaster so does not determine what services a”- MikeP

EXCLUSIVE More Freeview capacity coming 2012-2016

Good news for Freeview - seven new frequencies could be providing up to 35 new Freeview HD channels from the main 80 transmitters within a few years.

94 comments “Sandra Newport: There are more channels, and most are still not in HD (although you might need an HD tuner to get them). Sorry, but HD is the way of t”- MikeB

More Freeview capacity - COM7, COM8 and COM9 - in the 600MHz band

Ofcom has announced provisional plans to reuse part of the television spectrum that was saved at digital switchover for ... more digital television.

69 comments “Ofcom have now published an Arqiva planning study considering how we can clear the 700 MHz band: http://stakeholders.ofcom .pdf . It doesn t completel”- Mike Dimmick