Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Will Irish DTT be delayed again?

Options
  • 10-03-2009 3:39pm
    #1
    mrdtv
    Closed Accounts Posts: 456 ✭✭


    After a long absence I am just wondering if the economic climate is once again bad news for the rollout of Irish DTT:

    a) The disastrous state of the economy in ROI makes it a very unhappy place to invest in.

    b) Political instability in NI is a tragic backcloth again.

    c) Boxer have failed to sign the licence. Their business model is shortcircuited by the availability of Freesat and the continued baleful watch of Sky,increasingly Boxer reminds me of Quiero and ITVDigital.

    d) The technology requirements are bespoke to the Irish market: MPEG4 and MHEG5. This is out of step with mainland EU markets and the future UK DVB-T2 system which could itself fail commercially. Ireland is a VERY small market.

    e) The catastrophic failure of commercial TV will hit RTE and TV3. The UK commercials are in dire shape and TF1 in France has been downgraded to BBB status.

    This is a recipe for a perfect Celtic storm in which a commercially viable Irish DTT service is no longer possible, looking like a replay of 2000/2001.


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    TheDriver
    Registered Users Posts: 12,404 ✭✭✭✭TheDriver


    seeing as the equipment is set up and ready on most of the main transmitters, I don't see why it would be delayed switching it on, maybe the commerical side could be delayed however I can see RTE waiting in the corridor for boxer to mess up so they can take over the licence.


  • Options
    #3
    watty
    Registered Users Posts: 32,417 ✭✭✭✭watty


    MPEG4 is IN step. The UK system is obsolete and they are too early for T2. Not doing HD would be better.

    We don't have 56" to 72" screens like USA.


  • Options
    #4
    Mossy Monk
    Closed Accounts Posts: 28,128 ✭✭✭✭Mossy Monk


    mrdtv wrote: »
    d) The technology requirements are bespoke to the Irish market: MPEG4 and MHEG5. This is out of step with mainland EU markets

    Not entirely true. Some parts of Europe use MPEG4 already


  • Options
    #5
    lawhec
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,757 ✭✭✭lawhec


    mrdtv wrote: »
    After a long absence I am just wondering if the economic climate is once again bad news for the rollout of Irish DTT:

    a) The disastrous state of the economy in ROI makes it a very unhappy place to invest in.
    Certainly has to be considered in terms of a roll-out of coverage at least.
    mrdtv wrote: »
    b) Political instability in NI is a tragic backcloth again.
    I'm not entirely sure what the political situation up here has to do with a DTT roll-out in the Republic.
    mrdtv wrote: »
    c) Boxer have failed to sign the licence. Their business model is shortcircuited by the availability of Freesat and the continued baleful watch of Sky,increasingly Boxer reminds me of Quiero and ITVDigital.
    That may balls up a Pay DTT service all right. It should not stop a PSB DTT rollout, even if its only one multiplex.
    mrdtv wrote: »
    d) The technology requirements are bespoke to the Irish market: MPEG4 and MHEG5. This is out of step with mainland EU markets and the future UK DVB-T2 system which could itself fail commercially. Ireland is a VERY small market.
    MPEG4 is now the codec of choice for any country now launching a DTT service. MPEG2 is only being used by those countries that were early adopters of the technology. MHEG5 is fine for most "interactive" DTT applications, has proven to be reliable in the UK and has been adopted in Hong Kong, New Zealand and is also being used for Freesat. The specifications made actually are very close specified for New Zealand. I personally cannot see DVB-T2 failing in the UK as its introduction is being timed to coincide with the introduction of HD programming in the UK in places where DSO is taking place from November this year. The UK risks standing out as an early adopter of DVB-T2, but it was also an early adopter for DVB-T. In any case the DVB group are advising countries not to jump straight from ASO into DVB-T2. http://www.dvb.org/technology/dvbt2/
    mrdtv wrote: »
    e) The catastrophic failure of commercial TV will hit RTE and TV3. The UK commercials are in dire shape and TF1 in France has been downgraded to BBB status.
    Downturn in advertising revenue will have the ability to affect a DTT rollout in the Republic, but it'll be a delay and no more if it comes to that. A question of when, not if. Remeber that under international agreement Ireland loses its protection for analogue services from 2015. The only other option is to completely shut down the terrestrial network and rely on satellite & cable/MMDS which would be politically unthinkable at this stage.
    mrdtv wrote: »
    This is a recipe for a perfect Celtic storm in which a commercially viable Irish DTT service is no longer possible, looking like a replay of 2000/2001.
    Some would say that even say two or three years ago a Pay-DTT platform would struggle to stay afloat.

    If Boxer never happens and the runners up are in no position to fill the gap, RTÉNL could just use the spare transmitter that are in place to transfer them to some of the major relay sites quicker than first planned. It's the only other option compared to letting them sit there to rust.


  • Options
    #6
    The Cush
    Registered Users Posts: 15,495 ✭✭✭✭The Cush


    Irish (FTA) DTT won't be delayed this time because of the looming analogue swith off (ASO) deadline 2012 (EU recommended) or Jun 2015 (ITU GE-06). As has been said the equipment for the main transmitters has been purchased and installed, a recent tender was published for DTT equipment at 11 transposer sites, so its full steam ahead for FTA DTT.

    Commercial DTT is a different story no licence yet agreed / signed with the BCI (that we know of), RTENL contract not yet returned.

    Regarding MPEG-4 most countries that have launched DTT since 2006/07 have implemented MPEG-4 encoding, Sweden and Denmark are transitioning from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 and MHEG-5 has been pre-installed in the majority of IDTVs sold around Europe.

    Regarding DVB-T2 it dosn't have to succeed commercially, starting later this year and by the end of 2012 it will be available from every main transmitter and relay to every UK household as part of the PSB 3-Mux plan. The Crystal Palace transmitter is currently being used for HD DVB-T2 tests.
    The DTG published on Mar 5th the 6th edition of the 'D-Book', the detailed interoperability specification for UK DTT. The latest edition has been updated to incorporate the specification for next-generation DVB-T2 services, which will enable the launch of four free-to-air HD channels by late 2009.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #7
    mjsmyth
    Registered Users Posts: 1,108 ✭✭✭mjsmyth


    Just from a quick search, the following countries are using or will use the same standards as Ireland for DTT:

    Estonia
    Hungary
    New Zealand
    Norway
    Poland
    Portugal
    Slovenia
    South Africa

    That,s just a quick search and does not include countries who are currently upgrading their systems. It doesn't look like RTE are out of step at all...

    As for the commercial viability of DTT in Ireland, well to a large extent that is not an issue for RTE.

    Because of the ASO, RTE has to go on DTT. It has no choice. Whether there is a pay system alongside them is out of RTEs control at the moment. Boxer were meant to start a commercial DTT service here in Ireland, but as of yet, have not. Should Boxer fail to start, this will not stop RTE pusing ahead with their DTT service.

    mj


  • Options
    #8
    watty
    Registered Users Posts: 32,417 ✭✭✭✭watty


    Terrestrial Pay TV has never been viable since MMDS & cable launched.

    Satellite is nail in coffin on it.

    They have been looking for a Commercial PayTv operator since 2000! It'll be no surpirse if Boxer doesn't launch, though they have progressed further than "It's TV" of 2001.


  • Options
    #9
    icdg
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 11,516 Mod ✭✭✭✭icdg


    watty wrote: »
    Terrestrial Pay TV has never been viable since MMDS & cable launched.

    Satellite is nail in coffin on it.

    Very few countries have ever made terrestrial pay-TV work. In the analogue era France and New Zealand were virtually the only major countries to do it. Both those operators (Canal Plus and Sky Television (NZ)) both migrated to digital satellite platforms rather than DTT systems.

    My own opinion is that if the UK, with its lower percentage of homes passed by cable, no MMDS, and a section of the population with an adversion to putting up a satellite dish, still couldn't manage to make a DTT pay-TV service work, then Ireland hasn't a hope. DTT will have to start with zero subscribers (a situation Sky was last in 1989 and cable in 1970!) and try to undercut two players who are well established and both able, for technological reasons, to offer far greater numbers of channels than it will ever be able to.


  • Options
    #10
    ixtlan
    Registered Users Posts: 1,209 ✭✭✭ixtlan


    One would expect from an economic point of view that there are very strong arguments in favour of rolling out DTT as soon as possible.

    Since the transmissions are already being made, we are only talking about an advertising budget (pretty much free for RTE if their current add purchases are down) and a co-ordinated approach to the sale of STBs and compatible TVs.

    From RTE's point of view they will surely get some people who will drop Sky when they can get perfect reception of the Irish channels in addition to the free satellite ones. Not sure how many, but some, which might have a marginal positive effect on their advertising.

    From the governments point of view any person who drops Sky will be retaining a little money inside the country for other expenditure. Does Sky pay Irish VAT now? I know they didn't but did the call centre in Cork change that?

    Sky will be the main loser, I think, as long as the rural reception is reasonably widespread.

    As for the commercial add-on channels... Yes I think that's going to be a tough sell.

    Ix.


Advertisement