Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards has said the UK regulator has drawn up a plan that would allow up to four HD channels to be broadcast on the DTT system.
Speaking to the Broadcasting Press Guild, he explained the plan had not been greeted with universal enthusiasm by the public broadcasters, which had been seeking gifted capacity after digital switchover.
“We believe that you can make very significant progress through more efficient use of the spectrum that DTT has. By looking at how those muxes are organised, which we can do under our duty to promote the efficient use of the electromagnetic spectrum, we believe we can change the order of the muxes so that HD can be provided within the existing capacity.”
Richards explained that such a scheme would also be more cost efficient because there would not be the additional build out expense associated with the introduction of a seventh multiplex. It would also be available in some areas by around 2009, rather than waiting to build a seventh multiplex in 2012, following the completion of digital switchover in the UK. “The whole point is that we can use spectrum space more efficiently.”
Richards is not proposing a wholesale shift to either MPEG-4 or DVB-S2, but these technologies could be used for new services. “There is a debate about how much you can squeeze in, we’ve got a view, but we have commissioned some independent research which we will make public in due course. We genuinely believe that you can get four HD channels.” He hinted that after initial scepticism, some broadcasters were now coming round to Ofcom’s proposals.
Richards said the question of whether the DTT system should carry HD broadcasts was related to the reach and impact of public service broadcasting. “We are very clear that we are in favour of HD on Freeview,” he added, countering the perceived view that Ofcom has been driven by the desires of the treasury. “We think it is important both for reasons of universality and for competition. People have the choice of three main platforms, they certainly do if they are in a cable area, and we want to keep that choice in the future. We are not yet convinced by the HDforAll lobby that the consequences of that observation is that we should hand over large chunks of spectrum for free.”
Richards pointed out that from over 750 responses to Ofcom’s Digital Dividend Review only a few were actually arguing for HD over DTT. Instead, there were arguments for other services including rural broadband and mobile TV.
There would be commercial implications from Ofcom’s proposals to reshuffle the existing line-ups – sharing MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 in a single multiplex would not be efficient use of the spectrum – though the Arqiva acquisition of National Grid Wireless would presumably smooth any potential contract issues where a third party broadcaster had purchased capacity in a particular multiplex. “You might see this as us versus the broadcasters, but we have a duty to use the spectrum efficiently, if they came up with a compelling argument tomorrow we would listen to them. There is an opportunity here for a step change in the efficient use of the spectrum in this area,” said Richards. “It’s not easy and I don’t take for granted that it can be achieved, but the efficient benefits that we can achieve are very substantial.”
Addressing the current public service broadcasting review, Richards said the study would look at the importance of plurality in the multichannel world. “Over the last few years there has been a dramatic shift towards the BBC as the overwhelming dominant provider of original British children’s programmes.” He said that future funding models needed to be considered, such as the commercial model as exercised by Channel 4, or the institutional BBC.
Richards’ view is that there should be no differentiation between public service broadcasting and public service content when programmes were now being distributed over a variety of different platforms. “We do have to think about these issues in the context of the Internet, we do have to think about public service broadcasting and its purposes, and the ability to have reach and impact to deliver against those purposes not just in the context of linear television but in the context of interactive, on demand and broadband.”Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards has said the UK regulator has drawn up a plan that would allow up to four HD channels to be broadcast on the DTT system.
Speaking to the Broadcasting Press Guild, he explained the plan had not been greeted with universal enthusiasm by the public broadcasters, which had been seeking gifted capacity after digital switchover.
“We believe that you can make very significant progress through more efficient use of the spectrum that DTT has. By looking at how those muxes are organised, which we can do under our duty to promote the efficient use of the electromagnetic spectrum, we believe we can change the order of the muxes so that HD can be provided within the existing capacity.”
Richards explained that such a scheme would also be more cost efficient because there would not be the additional build out expense associated with the introduction of a seventh multiplex. It would also be available in some areas by around 2009, rather than waiting to build a seventh multiplex in 2012, following the completion of digital switchover in the UK. “The whole point is that we can use spectrum space more efficiently.”
Richards is not proposing a wholesale shift to either MPEG-4 or DVB-S2, but these technologies could be used for new services. “There is a debate about how much you can squeeze in, we’ve got a view, but we have commissioned some independent research which we will make public in due course. We genuinely believe that you can get four HD channels.” He hinted that after initial scepticism, some broadcasters were now coming round to Ofcom’s proposals.
Richards said the question of whether the DTT system should carry HD broadcasts was related to the reach and impact of public service broadcasting. “We are very clear that we are in favour of HD on Freeview,” he added, countering the perceived view that Ofcom has been driven by the desires of the treasury. “We think it is important both for reasons of universality and for competition. People have the choice of three main platforms, they certainly do if they are in a cable area, and we want to keep that choice in the future. We are not yet convinced by the HDforAll lobby that the consequences of that observation is that we should hand over large chunks of spectrum for free.”
Richards pointed out that from over 750 responses to Ofcom’s Digital Dividend Review only a few were actually arguing for HD over DTT. Instead, there were arguments for other services including rural broadband and mobile TV.
There would be commercial implications from Ofcom’s proposals to reshuffle the existing line-ups – sharing MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 in a single multiplex would not be efficient use of the spectrum – though the Arqiva acquisition of National Grid Wireless would presumably smooth any potential contract issues where a third party broadcaster had purchased capacity in a particular multiplex. “You might see this as us versus the broadcasters, but we have a duty to use the spectrum efficiently, if they came up with a compelling argument tomorrow we would listen to them. There is an opportunity here for a step change in the efficient use of the spectrum in this area,” said Richards. “It’s not easy and I don’t take for granted that it can be achieved, but the efficient benefits that we can achieve are very substantial.”
Addressing the current public service broadcasting review, Richards said the study would look at the importance of plurality in the multichannel world. “Over the last few years there has been a dramatic shift towards the BBC as the overwhelming dominant provider of original British children’s programmes.” He said that future funding models needed to be considered, such as the commercial model as exercised by Channel 4, or the institutional BBC.
Richards’ view is that there should be no differentiation between public service broadcasting and public service content when programmes were now being distributed over a variety of different platforms. “We do have to think about these issues in the context of the Internet, we do have to think about public service broadcasting and its purposes, and the ability to have reach and impact to deliver against those purposes not just in the context of linear television but in the context of interactive, on demand and broadband.”
