AU analogue TV to continue to 2010
Probably sensing outrage from the populace, most of whom have no wish to either throw out their existing TV, or buy one of those fiddly set-top boxes (which rarely fit on top of the telly anyway), the Australian federal government committee overseeing such things has had a change of heart, and postponed turning off analogue TV until 2010, instead of the previous planned 2008.
Digital transmissions now reach 95% of households, but only 12% use them. To try and encourage people onto digital, they’re looking at letting commercial networks multicast from 2007. That’s what should get the punters enthused, after all, for most people a clear stereo PAL signal is all they want — give them the option of extra channels (more than ABC-2, that is) and they might start to shell out for STBs in bigger numbers.
(It’s not a done deal yet — it’s up to the Communications Minister to actually act on the committee’s recommendations.)
Remove the Watermark from digital and watch the stampede.
(Watched a US News show on SBS. The show was rebroadcasting footage from another US network. THREE Watermarks on top of each other, mooshed into some unholy hybrid! Wheee~!)
Yeah, just what I wanted, Seven-2 running reruns of Home&Away and Blue Heelers, Nine old eps of Who Wants To Be A Millionare and Here’s Humphrey, and Ten showing the OC – season 1. They’re hard-pressed to fill one channel, how are they going to do with 4?
[...] Not bad at all for £32 and it will even continue to work when we get to Australia. [...]
People won’t move until TVs come with built-in digital tuners. With set top boxes retailing for less than $100 it shouldn’t cost any more to manufacture a TV with a digital tuner instead of an analog tuner. Is there any reason why TVs aren’t being shipped with digital tuners?