TV aerial to watch freeview ?

[DaveSwan]

Interesting development! 

I wonder if the Freeview multicast streams will be unencrypted as the BT Preview/Netflix/Prime barkers are? 

Clearly a deviance of BT’s terms of service, but I read a while back about someone who’d isolated the multicast url streams of the barker channels and was able to play them back within VLC and  an IPTV app.

Obviously, the paid-for channels are locked away, but if like Virgin Media, some of the Freeview services remain in the clear, I wonder if they could be opened independently too. Purely for academic purposes, I might add.

Having had Sky Q Mini in the bedroom before switching to BT TV, adding Freeview over multicast would at least give me more reasons to use the service away from the main TV. 

SD

[DaveSwan]

Here's a new one - whilst the mods may have stopped the call centre telling customers that they don't need an antenna, the terms and conditions they send during the order process on Live Chat, makes pretty clear it's already in place - but don't rely on it.

'To watch Freeview you'll need to connect your BT TV box to a working rooftop or loft aerial – the TV box does have wireless freeview capability but not all channels are available'

Surely if it's being included in terms and conditions, it's got to be close?

They're calling it 'wireless Freeview' but I'm guessing they're unlikely to create multicast streams for every shopping channel going.

My guess would be that this has already started and the rollout is dependent on a device update that they're using internally.

Interested to see which channels make the cut, and what influence BT had in delivery to their network, bitrates and compression etc.

[DarrenDev]

Current plans suggest it's months away rather than weeks - possibly this summer. Plans can change though.

[ozsat]

Perhaps tied in with the COM7 closure at end of June? Let's hope so in that channels loosing space can continue on BTtv.

[DaveSwan]

I did a bit of digging and I’ve found a list of the channels that’ll be included when it does launch.

Originally this feature was designed to offer an enhanced experience for uses in Freeview Lite areas. It’s great to see broadcasters are using this as a way of including HD versions of their channels. So it’s a win win for users who can already receive all of the Freeview services too.

It looks like many broadcasters have taken the opportunity to roll out HD versions of their channels rather than simply offering the SD. I’m fact, it’s perhaps one of the strongest selling points of of it.

Similarly to Sky Glass, BBC Parliament HD is there, as are the BBC services from COM 7, including BBC Four HD and BBC News... plus a very long list of regionals.

There’s also a few nice surprises from ITV, with all of their services upgraded to HD on multicast - this includes ITVBe as well as the full spread of regional opts ITV.

I wouldn’t expect to see anything from Sky on there in HD, the only services included are Challenge and Pick (alas, in SD too).

Here’s what is currently running…

CBS Drama SD

CBS Justice SD

CBS Reality SD

Horror SD

BBC Alba HD

BBC Four

BBC News HD

BBC One East HD

BBC One East-Cambridge HD

BBC One London HD

BBC One Midlands East HD

BBC One Midlands East HD

BBC One Midlands West HD

BBC One N East and Cumbria HD

BBC One N Ireland HD

BBC One North-Lincs and Humbs HD

BBC One North-West HD

BBC One North-Yorks HD

BBC One Scotland HD

BBC One South East HD

BBC One South HD

BBC One South-Oxford HD

BBC One South-West HD

BBC One Wales HD

BBC One West HD

BBC Parliament HD

BBC Scotland HD

BBC Three HD

BBC Two England HD

BBC Two Northern Ireland HD

BBC Two Wales HD

CBBC HD

CBeebies HD

4Music SD

4Seven SD

C4 London HD

C4 Midlands HD

C4 North HD

C4 Scotland HD

C4 South HD

C4 Ulster HD

E4 SD

Film4 SD

5Select HD

5Star HD

5USA HD

Channel 5 HD

Paramount Network HD

DMAX SD

Food Network SD

HGTV SD

Quest HD

Quest Red SD

Really SD

CITV HD

ITV1 Central West HD - Central East

ITV1 Central West HD West Country

ITV1 Central West HD - West

ITV1 Central West HD

ITV1 Granda HD - Border England

ITV1 Granada Border Scotland

ITV1 Granada HD

ITV1 London HD

ITV1 Meridian East HD - Anglia East

ITV1 Meridian East - Anglia West

ITV1 Meridian East - Meridian North

ITV1 Meridian East - Meridian South

ITV1 Meridian East HD

ITV1 UTV ND

ITV1 Wales HD

ITV1 Yorkshire West HD - Tynes Tees

ITV1 Yorkshire West HD - Yorkshire East

ITV1 Yorkshire West HD

ITV2 HD

ITV3 HD

ITV4 HD

ITVBe HD

S4C HD

Challenge SD

Pick SD

STV1 Aberdeen HD

STV1 Edinburgh HD

[ozsat]

The ITV list seems to show the current Freeview HD regions and not the full HD regions.

So here in Merdian South we only get SD version - HD version on Freeview in South is actually East - which seems the same on this list.

Looks the same in for some other Freeview regions who still don't get their own HD sub-region.

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@DaveSwanwrote:

I did a bit of digging and I’ve found a list of the channels that’ll be included when it does launch.

Originally this feature was designed to offer an enhanced experience for uses in Freeview Lite areas. It’s great to see broadcasters are using this as a way of including HD versions of their channels. So it’s a win win for users who can already receive all of the Freeview services too.

It looks like many broadcasters have taken the opportunity to roll out HD versions of their channels rather than simply offering the SD. I’m fact, it’s perhaps one of the strongest selling points of of it.

Similarly to Sky Glass, BBC Parliament HD is there, as are the BBC services from COM 7, including BBC Four HD and BBC News... plus a very long list of regionals.

There’s also a few nice surprises from ITV, with all of their services upgraded to HD on multicast - this includes ITVBe as well as the full spread of regional opts ITV.

I wouldn’t expect to see anything from Sky on there in HD, the only services included are Challenge and Pick (alas, in SD too).

Here’s what is currently running…

ITV1 Meridian East HD - Anglia East

ITV1 Meridian East - Anglia West

ITV1 Meridian East - Meridian North

ITV1 Meridian East - Meridian South

ITV1 Meridian East HD

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[DarrenDev]

Anything can happen between now and launch. Whilst it's nice to get a peek at what the channel line up might look like, please don't treat this list as official.

[David500]

@DarrenDev Can you say if this new feature will be on the new Pro box only or will it also be available on the older youview boxes as well?

[DarrenDev]

Whilst the new Pro box may look the same as previous boxes, it has an entirely new operating system beneath it. Thus new features, including this, won't be made available on the older boxes.

[gomezz]

If and when the box detects a poor Freeview signal and switches to the multicast stream I assume it will stick with that from then on until the user changes channel?

What are the implications for recordings if the source switches part way through?