Freeview

[dtv]

Why didn't IceTV bid for the Freeview RFP? Seems like a perfect match.

[dJOS]

what RFP???

im not sure that ice tv is exactly flavour of the month with the FTA BC's. case in point Nein suing ice over EPG's!

[tonymy01]

He is not asking what an RFP is, he is asking about what RFP that you claim Freeview had put out there?

[dJOS]

Exactly.  8)

[pvogel]

Here's an entertaining extract from Hansard:

Senator LUNDYâ€"What are you doing about having a TV program or TV guide that has ABC2 in it? At
the moment it is guesswork.
Mr Scottâ€"A few things. It is up to basically the newspapers to decide which channels they are going to
print a guide to, and we do ask them to run ABC2. One of the features of digital television, though, is an
electronic program guide that comes with the set-top box, or comes with the set, which gives you an indication
as to what is happening that night and what is coming up.
Senator LUNDYâ€"It is not the same as having a scrappy bit of paper folded up, stuffed down the side of
the couch, though, is it?
Mr Scottâ€"I understand that.
Senator LUNDYâ€"Not that I am an analog person or anything.
Mr Scottâ€"No, I would be the last to say that, because I was going to say we have the full program guide
on line. But also, if you look at what is happening around the world, the world is moving to electronic program
guides. I know that a feature of the Freeview set-top box that the ABC is involved in with SBS and the
commercial networks will be a set-top box which makes it easier for people to experience digital television,
and part of that will be an electronic programming guide.
Senator LUNDYâ€"Sure. Let me have one more go at you on this one: you are trying to attract people to
ABC2â€"
Mr Scottâ€"Yes.
Senator LUNDYâ€"but you are making it harder for them because they are not used to finding out about the
new TV station in digital format. Why don’t you make it easier for them by doing more? I appreciate it is not
your decision.
Mr Scottâ€"It is actually the newspapers’.
Senator LUNDYâ€"Yes. I take that point.
Mr Scottâ€"We will have to badger the newspaper editors together, Senator.
Senator LUNDYâ€"But surely it would help promote what you are doing on ABC2.
Mr Scottâ€"It would. We would be delighted. Maybe we can approach them together.
Senator MINCHINâ€"Do the editors wish to speak to you?
Mr Scottâ€"One or two. I can talk to those who still speak to me. We can go and see the Canberra Times
together, Senator.
Senator BIRMINGHAMâ€"Those that have not been retrenched.
Senator LUNDYâ€"All right. We will do that. Thank you.

[Matt at IceTV]

Freeview are currently talking to the various set-top-box manufacturers about their upcoming marketing drive for 2009. From what we understand, they are trying to convince each manufacturer to produce a product that meets their various "Freeview specifications & requirements". If successful, they will slap a "Freeview badge" or logo on that product and include them along with others in the massive amount of advertising and promotion they intend to do (& have already started to do).

But of course having said this, all devices out on the market capable of receiving digital free-to-air signal will be able to access all of the newly branded "Freeview" channels, regardless of whether there is a sticker on the box.

We certainly tried to throw our hat into the ring... but because of the hardware related features that the devices we support currently have, we are simply not able to meet the requirements set out by the various TV Networks and Freeview as a whole. This of course with other well publicised matters did not help our cause.

Hardware features like the 30 second skip and fast forward speeds of greater than 60x are not exactly in the interest of the TV Networks and Freeview will not give their official stamp of approval to any devices that have them.

With the PVR devices that currently support IceTV Interactive... we think you will get the best of both worlds. Not only will you continue to get to use features like these (mentioned above) on a daily basis, you have the ability to access unique EPG related features such as remote recording, keyword based series recording and more via IceTV Interactive.... as well as get instant access to all 15 channels that Freeview promises to deliver next year.     

We believe there will be many "Freeview branded" devices out in the market in early 2009, but all of these (regardless of what brand) will come with the same feature-set as per the Freeview requirements.. Then you will have devices like TiVo, that meet all the hardware related specifications of Freeview as a PVR/DVR, but then offer other software related features and content on top.

Finally, there will be devices that come with all the features a PVR should come with (like the above) and that give you instant access to all the free-to-air channels ("Freeview") by default. These devices will also enable you to take advantage of all the user-benefiting features IceTV has to offer with IceTV Interactive and with forms of downloadable content to come. It will be these types of devices that will give you total control and freedom of how you watch, record and ultimately enjoy your favourite shows on television. As independent companies that are not directly tied into a TV Network, IceTV and the manufacturers we work with have the advantage of always putting the consumer first and therefore look to offer as many features as possible to choose from.

We will be putting some more information up about Freeview on our website shortly.

Regards,

mattk

[dJOS]

Hi Matt, are you aware of any nefarious attempt by the "freeview" mob to use something other than unencrypted EIT to provide the EPG for "Freeview" boxes?

[Matt at IceTV]

Hi Matt, are you aware of any nefarious attempt by the "freeview" mob to use something other than unencrypted EIT to provide the EPG for "Freeview" boxes?

If you look at what happened in NZ with Freeview as well as obviously Freeview in the UK and beleive the rumours that are floating around here... then 'Yes'.... Freeview will use MHEG as an encrypted format or something similar to deliver it's EPG information to Freeview boxes. So boxes that dont support MHEG will go without... unless of course the TV Networks are nice enough to continue to deliver unencrypted EPG data via the EIT(a full 7-days that is). But then why would you buy a Freeview box?

Regards,

mattk

[Matt at IceTV]

I have just been shown an interesting thread over on the DTV Forum by one of our forum members (Peter Gillespie -aka 'download') regarding Freeview, MHEG and their EPG;

http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?showtopic=73117.

Regards,

mattk

[dJOS]

yep, been following that one too - even posted your comments over there linking back to this topic. :)

http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?showtopic=73117&view=findpost&p=1214747