tictac

Though many (including me) mock the fayre currently being served up by the Aussie FTA TV channels, there are positive signs that this may be about to change.

As I see it, the current viewing options are as follows:

• Free to air (7,9,10,ABC,SBS)
• Foxtel (standard + HD)
• Bittorrent (UK Nova, The Box etc etc)
• Newsgroups (alt.binaries.tv)
• iTunes (Apple TV/XBMC/Boxee)
• Tivo
• BBC iPlayer (via VPN)
• Various

ISP's attempts at IPTV (eg Iinet's English Premier League & ABC's iView

Around the corner are the following:

• Freeview to be launched in 2009 - 15 'new' channels'
• Iinet's supposed 'Tivo killer'/PVR/IPTV

The future NBN (National Broadband Network), if it ever gets off the ground (go to hell Telstra :curse promises a whole new era in digital media with touted speeds upwards of 25 Mbps.

For those who need a regular TV fix, I think things are about to get very interesting.

dave99

Something sure needs to be done, I for one cannot watch normal TV now as the adverts are just to long and frequent.

Its far easyer to download a program and then output it to TV, that way you get no adverts and get to see it when its released first in the usa

bigAPE

Nope, it's three new channels. One new HD channel from 10 and two new SD channels for 7 and 9. Under Freeview there will be the following:

• 7
• 7 HD
• 7 SD <-- new channel
• 9
• 9 HD
• 9 SD <-- new channel
• 10
• 10 HD
• 10 One HD <-- new channel
• ABC1
• ABC2
• ABC HD
• SBS1
• SBS2
• SBS HD

ABCDiamond

That's what I was thinking when I looked at the freeview website yesterday.
and that "10 One HD " is going to be 100% sport.

I already get all the others, so I am wondering exactly what freeview is all about.

ABCDiamond

I use PVR's on each TV, then skip the adverts, it trims a 2 hour movie down to 90 minutes.

bigAPE

A consortium of the broadcasters. A good thing. Hopefully it will lead to a unified EPG schema with a consistent 14 day schedule with daily deltas. Half the problem with the current system is that the channels don't want to publish their schedules for fear of the other broadcasters outdoing them on programs and advertising. Rather than standing on the strength of their scheduling and buying power they resort to secrecy which only hinders the public.

shabee

What is PVR's, ABC
x

Hutch

Personal Video Recorder. DVD-like box with a hard drive in it that records the programs so that when you play it back later you can fast forward through the ads.

Personally I use a Media PC in the living room running Vista Media Centre (without a doubt the best media centre software on the planet) and the free ad removal program Lifextender. Any programmes I record have the adverts removed automatically and with no intervention or setup from me at all.

ABCDiamond

It's a Personal Video Recorder, basically a set top box with a Hard Disk Drive inside.

It continuously records a TV channel, and you can pause and go back normally up to an hour, (but my new one does 5 hours).

You can also set it to record any length of time, and any specific programs.

If you have a Movie that runs from 8:30 to 10:30, I will start watching at 9:00, from the beginning, and then skip through the adverts (6 presses of the yellow button normally does it), and then by 10:30 I have caught up and watched a 2 hour film in 90 minutes, with no adverts

I do need to get the wife to make me a coffee etc., though, as I have no advert breaks to do it myself
I could use the pause button though

My main PVR can hold up to about 80 hours of programs, some hold 160 hours +, but I also have two that only hold 40 hours. They also record two channels at the same time.

With all those PVR's I am able to record just about every channel, at the same time

ABCDiamond

I'd like that on the PVR

dave99

The only problem with a pvr is you are still forced to watch what they put out. So you have to wait months for a new episode if they eventually broadcast it, for example NCIS was on last night but rather than put the latest episode on they put on a very old one. But the latest is available for download

You can also see things they dont show here like, terminator chronicles, the shield, knight rider, prison break, dexter, merlin (bbc), eastenders, chuck, heroes, to name just a few all at latest episodes

Downloads are the way to go

ABCDiamond

I'm not really that bothered by what I watch, I have plenty of other things to keep me occupied

I am actually happy with the restricted choice at this time of year. But dreading later when all the new programs are on and I run out of space on the PVR's, after recording things but having no time to watch them.

I transfer a lot to DVD, but still never get round to watching it !!

tictac

I download a reasonable amount of stuff with a view to watching it, but I find the find the process of burning it to DVD a tedious PITA.

Consequently, I end up with GB's of 'quality' TV which never gets watched.

Media centres are the way to go (IMO) but as a Mac user I'm limited to Apple TV which is crippled somewhat and needs to be hacked with either Boxee or XBMC to gain full value.

ABCDiamond

One of mine has a built in DVD, and it is very easy to transfer to DVD.
Select menu, select the program, press enter, select dubbing, and leave it to run.

TillyG

This Freeview thing - we already have a "set-top box" (actually have 2, one is just Standard, the other is HD) - will the few extra Freeview channels be picked up by the existing HD boxes or are they expecting us to buy another one?

I did have to giggle when I saw the "Wow 15 channels" bit on the advert... isn't the UK up to 70-odd "Freeview" channels? LOL