Prime 7 HD is here!

[prl]

Well, at least in Canberra and Newcastle. Rolled out for the Winter Olympics?

I can't see any press release about it on Prime's Web site.

[kbosward]

It's been up a few days in Wollongong, just in time for the Australian Open!

Ken.

[prl]

I don't understand why Prime isn't shouting it from the rooftops.

[vader1111]

Any update as to when IceTV will be updated to reflect this change?

I remember it happening on the same day, back when the other networks' primary channels went HD and when SBS started broadcasting Viceland in HD.

[Daniel Hall at IceTV]

We are definitely taking this one a bit more cautiously as 7 (and Prime) have been known to switch around HD channels based on sporting events.

Without any official announcement from Prime we will have to see whether this channels sticks around after the Tennis finishes on Sunday, if it does then we will create the new channel so that Prefer HD and other options work.

Until then it looks like a direct replacement of LCN 60 (including the actual broadcast information) so if you have Prime7 set to either "All" or "60" the guide data will show up.

[vader1111]

We are definitely taking this one a bit more cautiously as 7 (and Prime) have been known to switch around HD channels based on sporting events.

Without any official announcement from Prime we will have to see whether this channels sticks around after the Tennis finishes on Sunday, if it does then we will create the new channel so that Prefer HD and other options work.

Until then it looks like a direct replacement of LCN 60 (including the actual broadcast information) so if you have Prime7 set to either "All" or "60" the guide data will show up.

I can understand your reluctance.  There's also speculation on the Beyonwiz forum that the change was made ahead of the Winter Olympics.

My issue isn't with the Guide Data, given that the programming on Prime 7HD is exactly the same as Prime 7 (SD).  My issue is what LCN the timers are sent with. 

I have set my "Guide Settings" to only send data for LCN 60.  Unfortunately, the Timers/Reservations are still being sent with LCN 6 (which corresponds to one of the SD channels).

[Daniel Hall at IceTV]

If you set the LCN to 60 only you might need to refresh guide on the PVR to ensure the mapping is correct, however we don't specify a LCN in a timer, just an IceTV channel id. If the timer is newly set it will be assigned to the mapped channel (in this case it would be 60), but any timer from the past will still be on 6.

[prl]

We are definitely taking this one a bit more cautiously as 7 (and Prime) have been known to switch around HD channels based on sporting events.
...

I just rang Prime7 Canberra, and I was assured that Prime7 HD would be broadcast in HD on a continuing basis. I'm still puzzled why Prime isn't making a big thing of this.

I was also told, though, when I asked about whether 7mate had reverted to SD that it would continue to be broadcast in HD, though "some older material" would be in SD. None of that seems correct to me. 7mate is currently showing a replay of the Australian Open final, which is less that 24 hours old, and my Beyonwiz is reporting that it's being broadcast in SD (720x567i).

It may be worth checking the status of both Prime7 HD and 7mate with Prime corporate.

[MD]

This was Prime's last communication with me when I asked for triplet info.  Every other broadcaster gave them out.  So I doubt I'll get much help!!

Good Morning Colin,

Prime are declining your request for the triplet data at this time.

Regards
LYNDON COX
BROADCAST SERVICES MANAGER
 

[prl]

Daniel, I can send you what little triplet information I have. It looks like they've simply changed LCN 60 from SD to HD without changing the triplet. That's certainly the case for Canberra Black Mountain.

For the other regions I have scan data for (Albany WA, Ballarat, Newcastle, Orange), they've simply switched one of the Prime7 SD simulcast services from SD to HD without changing its triples (and presumably, since I think Prime7 HD is uniformly on LCN 60), it was the that LCN that was changed over. I don't have the triple->LCN mapping for any of those regions.

[raymondjpg]

This was Prime's last communication with me when I asked for triplet info.  Every other broadcaster gave them out.  So I doubt I'll get much help!!

Good Morning Colin,

Prime are declining your request for the triplet data at this time.

Regards
LYNDON COX
BROADCAST SERVICES MANAGER

What does this dodger think he's going to achieve, other than the kind of notoriety enjoyed by King Canute?

[MD]

It takes me back to when Ch9 sued us for copyright infringement.  Then, what they really wanted to do was to break us, and I'm sure they still bear the scars of our win (Pyrrhic though it may have been!). So Prime being difficult make IceTV's life harder, hoping we'll go away.  But what do we do except make watching FTA easier? Ah - must be the destruction of primetime as we encourage timeshiftimg, and ad-skipping (for which I just used to press mute on the remote anyway). So hello OTT which is a real "watch what you want, when you want, and no ads" for a small (ish) sub.  Or... FTA excepts timeshiftimg because the shows then get watched and makes the agencies produce ads we can bear to watch.  Or even ads we even want to talk about, just like a good TV show (I dream!)...

[raymondjpg]

Ah - must be the destruction of primetime as we encourage timeshiftimg, and ad-skipping (for which I just used to press mute on the remote anyway).

I think it does have something to do with that, and cannot but bemoan the fact that we have such lousy content to ad ratios because the audience just doesn't demand anything better. Very Occasionally I watch live TV, for example the Tour Down Under, and spend a considerable proportion of my "viewing" time shouting insults at the broadcaster for relentless promotions and interminable boring advertisements. But that is just me. There has to be a proportion of the viewership that relishes the advertisements, like some people look forward to junk mail. otherwise how would the broadcasters get away with it? Many years ago I sent a thinly veiled protest note to the equivalent of ACMA asking if there was a maximum proportion of broadcasting time that could be used for advertisements, and whether it was policed. I received no reply, which told me that if there was some "watch dog" on duty, it was like so many other "watchdogs" in Australia, asleep.

[prl]

... Many years ago I sent a thinly veiled protest note to the equivalent of ACMA asking if there was a maximum proportion of broadcasting time that could be used for advertisements, and whether it was policed. ...

Summary of the rules.

[prl]

...
What does this dodger think he's going to achieve, other than the kind of notoriety enjoyed by King Canute?

Poor old Cnut, subject of one of the most often misunderstood fables ever.