Freeview (New Zealand)

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Freeview Limited
Type Digital television provider
Founded 2007; 5 years ago (2007)
Headquarters Auckland City, New Zealand
Website www.freeviewnz.tv

Freeview is a non-profit organisation providing free-to-air digital television and digital radio to New Zealand, . The organisation is a joint venture between the country's major broadcasters - Television New Zealand, TVWorks (owners of TV3, FOUR and C4), Māori Television, and Radio New Zealand. The Freeview service consists of a high definition digital terrestrial television service, branded Freeview|HD, to around 86% of the population in the major urban and provincial centres of New Zealand, and a standard definition digital satellite television service covering the whole of mainland New Zealand and the major offshore islands. Freeview uses the DVB-S and DVB-T standards on government provided spectrum.

The Freeview service started in May 2007, introducing free-to-air digital television to the country and preparing for analogue switchoff, which will begin on 30 September 2012 and be completed on 1 December 2013a[1] In May 2011, it was estimated that 77% of New Zealand households have at least one digitally-equipped televevision set (including Freeview, Sky and TelstraClear),[2] with Freeview making up approximately 45% of the digital television share.

Freeview-certified set-top boxes and IDTVs, as well as PVRs, are available at most major New Zealand retailers. Uncertified equipment can also be used to receive the service, which may have advantages (cheaper, extra features, international channels) and disadvantages (no/limited EPG, no auto-retuning) over certified equipment.

Contents

[edit] History

Former logo

It was announced on 15 June 2006 that Freeview's free-to-air digital TV service would be available via satellite (DVB-S) from mid-2007 and terrestrial transmissions (DVB-T) from mid-2008. Freeview's marketing campaign began on 23 April 2007 through a website and four TV advertisements shown on Freeview's shareholders' TV channels, using the slogan "Make bad reception a thing of the past", showing people using proverbial substitutes for rabbit ears for receiving TV reception.

Freeview's satellite service began on 2 May 2007. Initially, there were five television channels: TV One, TV2, TV3, C4, and Maori Television. Freeview's first digital-only channel, TVNZ Sport Extra temporary channel from TVNZ, began on 18 May 2007, providing coverage of the V8 Supercar racing. The channel has since ceased broadcasting.

The Freeview terrestrial service, named Freeview|HD, officially launched on 14 April 2008. The service initially served areas surrounding Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Napier-Hastings, Palmerston North, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin.

[edit] List of channels

As of 2012 the Freeview platform has 17 television channels and 4 radio stations. TVNZ, MediaWorks, the Maori Television Service, Parliament TV, CUE (Southland TV) and Radio New Zealand currently provide content.

Up to 18 channels will be available, with six each assigned to TVNZ and MediaWorks, and the balance to other networks.[3] Given that TVNZ's and MediaWorks's current free-to-air channels will be available on Freeview, there will be eight extra channels in total, between the two.

Prime became part of Freeview from Monday, 17 August 2009[4].

Stratos TV ceased broadcasting on Friday 23rd December 2011 at 12.00pm,

Choice TV will join the Freeview |HD platform from April 2012

Freeview has its own eight-day electronic programme guide, named Freeview EPG; TVNZ's Teletext service is also available.[5] On Freeview the EPG is transmitted in both EIT and MHEG5 formats. On Freeview HD only EIT Now and Next are transmitted but a full MHEG5 EPG is transmitted[6]

[edit] General

Numbera Channel name Satellite Terrestrialcd HD Widescreen Broadcasting hours Notes
1 TV One Yes Yes Yes[7] Yes 24 hours
2 TV2 Yes Yes Yes[7] Yes 24 hours Dolby 5.1 surround sound
Audio description
3 TV3 Yes Yes Yes Yes 24 hours Dolby 5.1 surround sound on terrestrial [8]
4 FOUR Yes Yes No Yes 24 hours
5 Maori Television Yes Yes No Yes 24 hours
6 U Yes Yes No Yes 24 hours
7 TVNZ 7 Yes Yes No Yes 06:00 - 00:00 To include advertising from July 2012
8 TV3 +1 Yes Yes No Yes 24 hours Timeshifts TV3 by one hour
9 C4 Yes Yes No Yes 24 hours Commercial Free
10 Prime Yes Yes No Yes 24 hours
11 Trackside No Yes No Yes 12:00 - 00:00
(Weekdays)
11:00 - 00:00
(Weekends)
12 ChoiceTV[9] No Yes No Yes 24 hours Launches April 2012

[edit] Specialist

Numbera Channel name Satellite Terrestrialcd HD Widescreen Broadcasting hours Notes
22 Parliament TV Yes Yesc No Yes When the New Zealand House of Representatives is sitting
23 Cue Yes No No No 24 hours
24 Te Reo Yes No No Yes 20:00 - 23:00
25 Shine TV Yes Yese No Yes 24 hours
28 Chinese TV8 No Yesc No No 24 hours
29 TV9 No Yes No Yes 24 hours

[edit] Regional

These channels can only be accessed in certain regions with Freeview approved devices. None of these can be accessed on satellite[10].

Numbera Channel name Region HD Widescreen Broadcasting hours Notes
30 tvCentral Waikato and Bay of Plenty No Yes 24 hours
31 TV Rotorua Rotorua No No 24 hours
32 Info Rotorua Rotorua No No 24 hours
33 TV33 Auckland No No 24 hours
35 Channel North Whangarei No Yes 24 hours

[edit] Radio

Radio channels are incapable of broadcasting a picture.

Numbera Channel name Satellite Terrestrial Shows commercials Broadcasting hours Notes
50 Radio New Zealand National Yes Yesc No 24 hours
51 Radio New Zealand Concert Yes Yesc No 24 hours
70 George FM Yes No Yes 24 hours
71 Base FM Yes Yesc Yes 24 hours

[edit] Notes

  • ^a Channel numbering on uncertified equipment may differ
  • ^b HD is only available on some terrestrial channels - all satellite channels are 576i (excluding non Freeview channels)
  • ^c This channel is only available in the following regions: Auckland, Waikato, Wellington, Palmerston North, Napier, Hastings, Bay of Plenty, Christchurch and Dunedin. Service is provided by Kordia.
  • ^d This channel is only available in the following regions: Rotorua, Taupo, Whanganui, Gisborne, Masterton, Whangarei, New Plymouth, Nelson, Timaru and Invercargill. Service is provided by JDA.
  • ^e This channel is only available in the Auckland region, by the independent VoiceTV.

[edit] Upcoming channels and events

[edit] April

  • ChoiceTV will commence broadcasting on terrestrial channel 12.

[edit] Other broadcasters

Freeview will be open to other free-to-air broadcasters if they want to join.

According to Kordia there is space for approximately only 20 channels on the two satellite transponders that Freeview leases as of 2011. However at 22.5 Msps with a FEC of 3/4 one transponder can only accommodate either eight SD MPEG-2 QPSK channels or four HD H.264 8PSK channels while maintaining an optimal bit rate.

MediaWorks had confirmed it would launch one extra channel each in 2007 and 2008 targeting a niche market.[11] However they actually launched their first one, "TV3 Plus 1" in March 2009. MediaWorks launched their second digital-only channel, a 24-hour music channel called C42, in May 2010, C42 later became C4 in February 2011 as a 24 hour commercial free music channel.

Since MediaWorks will not use all six channels allocated to it, it may sub-lease the spare capacity to other broadcasters.[12]

[edit] Quality

Satellite transmissions are broadcast in 576i, but the satellite transponder is high-definition capable; in the short term it is unlikely that any satellite services will be broadcast in HD on Freeview.[original research?] However, terrestrial transmissions can be broadcast in high definition, and the government lets the broadcasters decide whether to broadcast in high definition or to continue in standard definition. Three channels currently broadcast in high definition: TV ONE, TV2 and TV3 in 1080i[7]. Freeview satellite broadcasts have declined in quality since the service launched as TV1 is now being broadcast many times to provide region-specific advertisements; this reduces the bandwidth available to other channels that transponder.[citation needed] The TVNZ transponder currently has eight SD channels while the MediaWorks one has ten TV channels and 5 radio channels with one of the ten being blank from when Triangle TV discontinued their Stratos service on Freeview at the end of 2011. This causes certain TV channels on the MediaWorks transponder to have a low bit rate.

[edit] Technology

UHF terrestrial broadcasting using DVB-T MPEG4 (also known as DVB-T HD)[13] (originally March 2008), and currently covers 75 percent of the country's population. Freeview's terrestrial transmissions will be broadcast from Kordia's existing transmitter towers.[14]

Freeview uses the DVB-T standard for terrestrial transmission, as established in 2001 with NZS6610:2001, to avoid the multipath problem caused by New Zealand's rugged topography. ATSC, a rival standard, cannot handle multipath well, so it was not chosen.[15]

Terrestrial Freeview|HD is broadcast in H.264/MPEG-4 AVC. This meant that people who took part in the Auckland digital trial using terrestrial DVB-T MPEG2 receivers needed to change their receivers to DVB-T MPEG4 in order to receive terrestrial Freeview. DVB-T MPEG4 is also known in some countries as DVB-T HD. MHEG-5 is used for the electronic programming guide.

Freeview Satellite uses the Optus D1 satellite to broadcast, on two transponders, leased from Kordia. The satellite transmissions are in DVB-S MPEG2. Freeview cannot easily move to MPEG4 broadcasting in the future as the codec is unsupported by the installed base of Freeview Satellite receivers. Unlike the terrestrial service, the satellite service broadcasts a traditional EPG alongside the MHEG-5 EPG.

Freeview is discussing with Telecom about the provision of IPTV over ADSL.[16]

[edit] Certification

Freeview certifies set-top boxes but does not sell them; they are marketed by electronics retailers.[3] Freeview certification centres the localisation of multimedia data, primarily for the electronic programming guide (EPG). This data is broadcast over DVB using the MHEG-5 standard. At the moment this is only used to transmit EPG data.

MyFreeview certification of digital video recorders is similar to Freeview certification, but also includes eliminating any practical means to skip over ad-breaks in the recordings or extract copies of recordings from the device. As of Feb 2011, there are no certified MyFreeview Satellite receivers but there are many uncertified options are available, these include the Topfield TF6000PVR ES, Ultraplus X-9200HD PVR, Ultraplus 980HD Micro PVR, Ultraplus 900HD Micro PVR, Ultraplus 700HDMI PVR and the Vu+ Duo. None of these uncertified receivers are limited with regard to ad-break skipping or extracting copies of recordings from the device.

The exclusive usage of an MHEG-5 EPG for terrestrial broadcasts means there are few models of uncertified terrestrial receivers on the market able to display the Freeview EPG. No uncertified terrestrial PVR on the market can access the MHEG-5 EPG. However The Hyundai AH-3110 can use the EIT EPG (Satellite) to schedule recordings from the DTT Service.[17]

Freeview certification requires set-top boxes to disallow high definition video output over connections that do not support HDCP. In practice this means nearly all HD CRT televisions sold in New Zealand and many early flat screen televisions can only receive high definition from an uncertified set-top box; which can output high definition over HDCP-free connections like component cables or on HDMI without HDCP.

[edit] Terrestrial Transmitters

Freeview|HD, as of July 2011, transmits from the following transmitters. Frequencies of channels can be found at Television channel frequencies.

Freeview HD high-power sites[18][19][20]
Area Site Channels (A,B,C)
Auckland Waiatarua 29, 33, 45H[21]
Sky Tower 28, 32, 40V[21], VoiceTV 50V
Waikato Te Aroha 46, 48, 50H[21]
Tauranga Kopukairua 49, 51, 42V[21]
Rotorua Pukepoto 31, 35, 37V[21]
Taupo Whakaroa 33, 35, 37V[21]
Taranaki Mt Egmont 32, 34, 36H[21]
Hawke's Bay Mt Erin 33, 35, 37V[21]
Manawatu Wharite 48, 50, 59V[21]
Kapiti Ngarara 35, 33, 37V[22]
Wairarapa Popoiti 33, 35, 37H[21]
Wellington Kaukau 48, 50, 59H[21]
Baxters Knob 51, 53, 57H[21]
Fitzherbert 51, 53, 57V[21]
Nelson Mt Campbell 31, 37, 39V[21]
Christchurch Sugarloaf 47, 49, 50H[21]
Timaru Cave Hill 33, 35, 37V[21]
Dunedin Mt Cargill 43, 45, 53H[21]
Invercargill Forest Hill 32, 34, 36V[21]
Freeview HD low-power and infill sites[18][19][20]
Area Site Channels (A,B,C)
Whangarei Parahaki 32, 34, 36V[21]
Auckland Pinehill 28, 32, 40H[21]
Remuera 28, 32, 40V[21]
Waiheke Island 28, 32, 40V[21]
Waikato Hamilton Tower 49, 51, 47V[21]
Gisborne Wheatstone Road 33, 35, 37H[21]
Parikanapa 32, 34, 36H[21]
Hawke's Bay Napier Airport 48, 50, 59V[21]
Whanganui Mt Jowett 33, 35, 37H[21]
Wellington Haywards 51, 53, 57V[21]
Nelson Kaka Hill 38, 40, 42H[21]

[edit] Finance

Freeview is the second digital TV system attempted by the government. The first, in 2000, cost NZ$6.8 million.

The government will pay up to NZ$25 million and provide free radio spectrum, estimated to be worth up to NZ$10 million during the transition to digital,[23] the companies involved will pay the remaining $50 million. Canterbury TV estimates it will need to pay NZ$1 million a year if it joins Freeview.[24] The government claims a NZ$230 million benefit to the economy.[23]

[edit] Competition

SKY had a "free-to-air" package where channels similar to the ones available on Freeview were available for a monthly fee of NZ$18.29, plus an installation fee of NZ$99.[25] Around 90,000 people use this service, generally those who cannot get a high quality signal from analogue terrestrial television.[26] SKY has been relatively unaffected.[27] Because both services use Optus D1, a SKY dish can be used to receive Freeview, but a separate set-top box is required.[26][28]

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^a The actual final switchoff will occur in the early hours (2:00am) of Sunday 1 December 2013. However, the two hours in December are not significant so a November 2013 date is given here.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Coleman, Jonathan (10 June 2011). "Digital switchover dates confirmed - beehive.co.nz". New Zealand Government. 
  2. ^ "ALMOST EIGHT OUT OF TEN KIWIS NOW WATCHING DIGITAL TELEVISION". Going Digital. 5 May 2011. http://www.goingdigital.co.nz/uploads/downloads/Digital%20tracker%20release.pdf. Retrieved 22 June 2011. 
  3. ^ a b Maharey, Steve et al. (2006). Free-To-Air Digital Announcement video (Press conference). http://digital.tvnz.co.nz/. 
  4. ^ "Prime is due to be released onto freeview on Monday 17th August, 2009". 2009. http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/prime-goes-freeview-did-kordia-sweeten-deal-107538. Retrieved 2009-08-16. 
  5. ^ "FreeView Digital Broadcasting Information Summarised FAQ". Free-To-Air Digital Television - TVNZ. 2006. http://digital.tvnz.co.nz/faq.html. Retrieved 2006-06-15. 
  6. ^ "EIT EPG on DVB-T". http://www.freeviewshop.co.nz/forum/index.php/topic,1243.msg5179.html#msg5179. 
  7. ^ a b c "News". http://www.freeviewshop.co.nz/news-i-14.html. Retrieved 9 November 2011. 
  8. ^ "TV3 - Contact Us - HDTV". 2008. http://www.tv3.co.nz/ContactUs/FAQs/HDTV/tabid/719/Default.aspx. 
  9. ^ "ChoiceTV channel cooming to Freeview this Autumn". 2012. http://www.throng.co.nz/choice-tv/choice-tv-channel-coming-to-freeview-this-autumn. 
  10. ^ "Freeview channels". http://freeviewnz.tv/tv_channels_and_listings/channels. Retrieved 25 December 2011. 
  11. ^ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named herald2; see Help:Cite errors/Cite error references no text
  12. ^ Drinnan, John (2006-08-04). "Media bytes: Sub-leasing on Freeview". The National Business Review. 
  13. ^ "about freeview". freeview solutions. 2008. http://www.freeviewsolutions.co.nz/about%20freeview.html. Retrieved 2008-02-26. 
  14. ^ Eventually, terrestrial transmission may reach 92 percent of the population.
  15. ^ "Transmission Platforms". Digital Television Discussion Document 2001. http://www.med.govt.nz/templates/MultipageDocumentPage____9390.aspx#P126_25725. Retrieved 2006-07-07. 
  16. ^ Pullar-Strecker, Tom (2006-07-24). "Sky watches broadband move". Stuff. http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3740872a28,00.html. 
  17. ^ "Hyundai Ah-3110 Combo Satellite Terrestrial HD Recorder". http://www.freeviewshop.co.nz/hyundai-combo-satterrestrial-recorder-p-495.html. 
  18. ^ a b "Reception FAQ - Freeview New Zealand". http://www.freeviewnz.tv/setup_support/questions_answers/category/reception. Retrieved 2009-01-16. 
  19. ^ a b "New Zealand television transmission stations in operation as of 31 March 2008 - North Island". Kordia. http://www.freeviewnz.tv/images/uploads/pdfs/north-island-all-freq.pdf. Retrieved 25 July 2011. 
  20. ^ a b "New Zealand television transmission stations in operation as of 31 March 2008 - South Island". Kordia. http://www.freeviewnz.tv/images/uploads/pdfs/south-island-all-freq.pdf. Retrieved 25 July 2011. 
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac "Digital Terrestrial". http://www.freeviewshop.co.nz/digital-terrestrial-i-8.html. Retrieved 5 October 2011. 
  22. ^ "Changes to digital television frequencies affecting Freeview HD viewers in Kapiti – Radio Spectrum Management". Ministry of Economic Development. http://www.rsm.govt.nz/cms/policy-and-planning/projects/digital-terrestrial-television-frequency-restacking. Retrieved 29 August 2011. 
  23. ^ a b "Free-to-air digital TV to begin roll-out" (Press release). New Zealand Government. 2006-06-15. http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00270.htm. Retrieved 2006-06-15. 
  24. ^ "Alt TV changes its tune (yay)". The New Zealand Herald. 2007-08-02. 
  25. ^ "Can I temporarily disconnect SKY when I'm away on holiday?". Sky TV frequently asked questions. http://www.skytv.co.nz/index.cfm?pageid=445&script=faqmodule&faq=grp&gid=9&nrcontent=0&pid=445. Retrieved 2006-06-20. [dead link]
  26. ^ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named herald; see Help:Cite errors/Cite error references no text
  27. ^ Poland, Owen (Reporter) (2006). Freeview TV to hit Sky hard (TV-News). TV ONE. http://tvnz.co.nz/view/video_popup_windows_skin/750634. 
  28. ^ "TV viewers may need two boxes". Stuff. 2006-07-03. http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3718577a28,00.html. 

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