Expressions of Interest sought in providing content for Digital TV

Galen · 16-02-2011 11:25AM #1

http://www.mayotoday.ie/index.php/browse-mayo-news-by-category/digital-life/item/2365-expressions-of-interest-sought-in-providing-content-for-digital-tv.html

Pat Carey, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources has signed an Order directing the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) to seek expressions of interest from broadcast content providers and other interested parties in providing content for the Digital Terrestrial Television Platform in Ireland.

The Expressions of Interest will be sought by the BAI in the coming weeks. The BAI will make a report to the Minister on this in April.
RTÉ is planning to launch SAORVIEW in May 2011. SAORVIEW will operate alongside the existing analogue terrestrial TV network until the analogue network is switched off in late 2012. The switch-off of the analogue TV network will release additional spectrum for commercial purposes which is expected to produce a significant benefit to the Exchequer.
Minister Carey said, “This Order clearly shows that the momentum for digital switchover and analogue switch off is being maintained. It represents a major opportunity for broadcasters and indeed other interested parties to become a part of digital terrestrial television in Ireland”.

The Cush · 16-02-2011 11:46AM

Dept press release

Broadcasting Authority of Ireland to Seek Expressions of Interest in Providing Content for the Digital Terrestrial Television Platform

Dublin 16th February 2010

Pat Carey, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources has signed an Order directing the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) to seek expressions of interest from broadcast content providers and other interested parties in providing content for the Digital Terrestrial Television Platform in Ireland. The Expressions of Interest will be sought by the BAI in the coming weeks. The BAI will make a report to the Minister on this in April.

RTÉ is planning to launch SAORVIEW in May 2011. SAORVIEW will operate alongside the existing analogue terrestrial TV network until the analogue network is switched off in late 2012. The switch-off of the analogue TV network will release additional spectrum for commercial purposes which is expected to produce a significant benefit to the Exchequer.

Minister Carey said, “This Order clearly shows that the momentum for digital switchover and analogue switch off is being maintained. It represents a major opportunity for broadcasters and indeed other interested parties to become a part of digital terrestrial television in Ireland”

http://www.dcenr.gov.ie/Press+Releases/Broadcasting+Authority+of+Ireland+to+Seek+Expressions+of+Interest+in+Providing+Content+for+the+Digit.htm

Ministerial Order

S.I. No. 67 of 2011

BROADCASTING ACT 2009 (SECTION 26(5)) (CONFERRAL OF ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS — BROADCASTING SERVICES) ORDER 2011

Notice is hereby given that an Order entitled Broadcasting Act 2009 (Section 26(5)) (Conferral of Additional Functions — Broadcasting Services) Order 2011 (S.I. No. 67 of 2011) has been made by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Pat Carey, on the 10th February, 2011.

This Order confers additional functions on the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland which include conferring with RTÉ on the amount of spare capacity on the RTÉ multiplexes and seeking expressions of interest from broadcasters interested in providing broadcasting services over digital television multiplexes in Ireland.

The Order also requires the Authority to report and make recommendations to the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources in this regard.

Dated this 15th day of February, 2011.

AIDAN DUNNING,
Secretary General.

Does this mean the extra channels planned by RTÉ in the Nov consultation have not been given approval? or does this relate to Mux2 and/or possible pay DTT services?

May also be in reaction to the concerns raised by the NNI last year in relation to public service broadcasting, RTÉ and associated commercial activities.

This was the BAI's position on pay DTT last August, the plan at that time was to seek expressions of interest in the provision of commercial DTT later in 2011.

The Authority now considers that it will not be feasible to introduce commercial DTT as originally intended until after Analogue Switch Off (ASO) at the earliest. The position will be reviewed towards the end of 2011 and the Authority may seek expressions of interest in the provision of commercial DTT at that point. A competition could potentially be held during 2012 with a view to commercial DTT being operational in 2013.

http://www.bai.ie/about_news_art023.html

Edit: After reading the SI it would appear the additional content includes the 2 RTÉ multiplexes, so I would guess we're looking at FTA content. Planning may be underway for the second mux. Could the expressions of interest include RTÉ, TV3 etc to launch RTÉ 1 and TV3 HD.

watty · 16-02-2011 12:26PM

It might mean the outgoing Government has given up on Pay TV.

What to they mean by doing this weeks before leaving Government?

Why did Minister Ryan never sign a date for the final ASO? He should have picked a date in late 2012 and signed the Order between July and November 2010.

This outgoing Government has been rubbish at all aspects of Regulation, Financial, Electricity, Gas, Phone, Broadband and Broadcast.

I heard the content is expected to be approved. Only a Rumour.

jamescc · 16-02-2011 02:10PM

should just scrap all the talk shows that they have on. then see what they have on and it would save them alot of money in paying the likes of pat kenny or what ever his name

ftakeith · 16-02-2011 03:43PM

jamescc wrote: »

should just scrap all the talk shows that they have on. then see what they have on and it would save them alot of money in paying the likes of pat kenny or what ever his name

new fta DTT tv channels are
city channel
Setanta sports ireland before going bust

jamescc · 16-02-2011 05:27PM

i think that city channel is only on upc but am not certain about that

tonymayo · 16-02-2011 05:43PM

This outgoing Government has been rubbish at all aspects of Regulation, Financial, Electricity, Gas, Phone, Broadband and Broadcast.

Well said.
As have all Governments over the past 25 years at least.
I can recall explaining to a Government spokesperson in the Seanad on Communictions in the early nineties the need for a digital tv service in Ireland and how Sky would roll over us like a wave if we didn't stake our claim.
He hadn't a clue what I was talking about - or much less cared!
17 years later and we're playing catch up with the rest of the world.
I hope we're not about to elect another load of wallies with no interest, passion for, or understanding of their particular brief.

FREETV · 16-02-2011 06:07PM

tonymayo wrote: »

Well said.
As have all Governments over the past 25 years at least.
I can recall explaining to a Government spokesperson in the Seanad on Communictions in the early nineties the need for a digital tv service in Ireland and how Sky would roll over us like a wave if we didn't stake our claim.
He hadn't a clue what I was talking about - or much less cared!
17 years later and we're playing catch up with the rest of the world.
I hope we're not about to elect another load of wallies with no interest, passion for, or understanding of their particular brief.

Yes we are definitely going to be under the thumb of an other group of clueless idiots, qualified to do nothing but tell lies before they are elected, promise great change and afterwards accomplish virtually nothing and one doesn't need to be a psychic or clairvoyant to see that one coming! Maybe they will add some extra ppm of fluoride to the water supply to dumb us down futher and make our bones more brittle!

The digital tests started in nineteen ninety five! Never believe a word of the verbal diarrhea which spews out of the mouths of any politician. They really couldn't care less about our opinions or concerns, we are just sheeple, statistics. We are a backward society unfortunately and well behind most countries in the EU, particularily with broadband rollout. Maybe their hands may be tied and we are under the control of a shadow government, who knows. Watty always makes sense and has his head screwed on. Well said the both of you! We should all avoid the blood sucking vampire that are politicians, they are a cancer!

Joe7 · 16-02-2011 07:39PM

FREETV wrote: »

. . . verbal diarrhea which spews out . . .

No sense of irony, have we?

The Cush · 18-02-2011 08:59AM

Article on this in today's Irish Times

Still scrambling for DTT providers
Fri, Feb 18, 2011

THE BROADCASTING Authority of Ireland was directed this week, by Minister for Communications Pat Carey to see if anyone is willing to provide content for the digital terrestrial television (DTT) service that is due to start transmitting from May.

It’s hard to imagine that there will be a queue around the block for this one.

DTT has been in the offing for several years. The old Broadcasting Commission of Ireland ran an elaborate process that resulted in Denis O’Brien’s Boxer consortium getting the nod to run a commercial service in parallel to the terrestrial one that RTÉ will operate.

That was before the economy went splat and subsequent fruitless negotiations with RTÉ, which has built the transmission network, resulted in O’Brien walking away from the project.

A consortium involving cable TV operator UPC also passed.

Eircom then sought to fill the void as a means of being able to offer customers a triple-play of phone, broadband and TV.

UPC is currently eating Eircom’s lunch, thanks to its investment in triple play.

Eircom eventually gave up, citing excessive financial demands from RTÉ as the reason for it pulling the plug.

Late last year, Eircom chief Paul Donovan told me that it was now too late for a commercial DTT service to be set up, regardless of the cost.

UPC sources tell me that the company is unlikely to be interested in a new process.

And O2 Ireland’s new boss Stephen Shurrock told me this week that his company would have no interest in DTT, even though triple-play is the holy grail in terms of the residential phone market.

Might Sky be interested? This seems unlikely, given that it has its own satellite platform, with more than 630,000 subscribers.

DTT is most likely to be popular in rural areas, where cable is generally not available and customers might prefer a cheaper option to Sky.

The authority has until April to report back to the Minister on its trawl of the market.

By then, a new minister will be in place.

Given the state of the economy and the strong market shares already held by UPC and Sky, making a case for a commercial DTT service here won’t be easy.

We might just have to make do with a handful of terrestrial channels on DTT instead.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2011/0218/1224290132962.html

Galen · 18-02-2011 10:46AM

I live in a rural area, quite honestly Pat Carey can stick it where the monkey stuck the nuts! because anything these businesses come up with, will cost an arm and a leg. I had enough of paying Sky 400 euro per year for one lousy show per week and damn re-runs.

The Cush · 18-02-2011 11:00AM

Galen wrote: »

I live in a rural area, quite honestly Pat Carey can stick it where the monkey stuck the nuts! because anything these businesses come up with, will cost an arm and a leg. I had enough of paying Sky 400 euro per year for one lousy show per week and damn re-runs.

The content on the RTÉ multiplexes will be FTA. It's possible that there could be some FTA/FTV stuff on the commercial muxes if it ever happens.

tonymayo · 18-02-2011 11:05AM

Freesat plus Saorview with the potential for additional services such as catch-up TV like RTEplayer over the net is surely enough quality TV for anyone - other than insatiable sports fans.

I recently got a Humax HDR Fox T2 for Saorview which has media streaming from my PC for films and box sets. If this Freeview box gets Saorview accreditation I couldn't recommend it more highly.

There's no need for DTT pay TV in this country.

watty · 18-02-2011 11:15AM

Even possibly Freesat + Saorsat

tonymayo · 18-02-2011 11:26AM

Even possibly Freesat + Saorsat

That would be the perfect solution - all in the one box.

Galen · 18-02-2011 01:56PM

I just hope that RTE doesn't encrypt Saorsat like they have dtt.

pa990 · 18-02-2011 02:57PM

Galen wrote: »

I just hope that RTE doesn't encrypt Saorsat like they have dtt.

DTT is fta
no cam, no card, no encryption.

glimmerman123 · 18-02-2011 03:11PM

Out of interest how many muxes are available at the moment on the dtt infrastructure that RTENL have built?Is it two or are there more and if so will they be used for fta tv in the future if pay tv does't take off?

The Cush · 18-02-2011 03:20PM

glimmerman123 wrote: »

Out of interest how many muxes are available at the moment on the dtt infrastructure that RTENL have built?Is it two or are there more and if so will they be used for fta tv in the future if pay tv does't take off?

Officially we don't know but up to 13 main sites may have been upgraded for 4 muxes before Boxer withdrew from the process in April 2009. Since then maybe some equipment may have been moved to other sites now that pay DTT is not happening for the foreseeable future.

The Broadcasting Act allocates 2 muxes to RTÉ for FTA DTT services. The other 4 are to be awarded by the BAI for commercial DTT.

Galen · 18-02-2011 05:37PM

My recording of Irish dtt do seem to be encrypted, while stuff I recorded off fta satellite isn't.

swoofer · 18-02-2011 05:53PM

you should have started your own thread but you have me intrigued. IRISH DTT is FREE.

Its off the aerial, not a sat dish. What box are you using? make model, etc. Is it a foreign box?

Are you uisng scart or hdmi etc etc. The more you say the easier to answer.

Ah read again and you may be referring RTE etc via the SKY pakage ie satellite. SAORSAT will have its own dish and so weak it wont reach wales never mind all of Ieland so no need to encrypt.

gb--

dmm1000 · 18-02-2011 06:48PM

Galen wrote: »

My recording of Irish dtt do seem to be encrypted, while stuff I recorded off fta satellite isn't.

you sure you're not using a non mpeg4 or mpeg2 only set top box to watch and record Irish DTT in which case you'd get "sound only" thus giving you the impression that it has been encrypted ?

Are you using the required MPEG4 capable box to watch Irish DTT ?

Galen · 18-02-2011 08:22PM

You're right of course, it isn't encryption because I can hear the sound when I play the file on my computer. I recorded that file with a Mvision HD300 combo dtt fta box. I think I need to repackage the ts files and see what I get.

Galen · 18-02-2011 09:09PM

Handbrake encoded without audio and Avidemux can't even determine the file's aspect ratio and halts. Anyone got any ideas?

watty · 18-02-2011 10:23PM

You do have a suitable codec on the PC?

Read carefully.
http://www.mpeg4ireland.com/saorview-dtt-on-a-pc
http://www.techtir.ie/node/1003625

Galen · 18-02-2011 10:58PM

As far as I can tell, I have all the right codecs (kubuntu + ubuntu Linux user). I can create mp4 files without any bother.

so far I tried Handbrake - no joy but it does a perfect job at ripping dvds to mp4.
avidemux works fine with mp2 off sat but loses sound with dtt.
ffmpeg just pops up the following message multiple times in a list;

[NULL @ 0x934d0b0]non-existing SPS 0 referenced in buffering period
[NULL @ 0x934d0b0]non-existing PPS referenced

STB · 19-02-2011 02:25AM

None of that is encryption. Its a raw transport stream

It is data that needs to be corrected. Simple PID removal.

Run it through TS-Doctor. And use a decent PC media player like VLC to play.

Galen · 19-02-2011 08:16AM

Thanks STB, I'll check it out later today.

Galen · 19-02-2011 10:14AM

STB wrote: »

None of that is encryption. Its a raw transport stream

It is data that needs to be corrected. Simple PID removal.

Run it through TS-Doctor. And use a decent PC media player like VLC to play.

Thanks STB, TS Doctor fixed the file, it found 3 '"PES errors: SizeMismatch". All I have to do is resync the audio with the video with avidemux

STB · 19-02-2011 12:56PM

Are you just watching on a PC ?

VLC has a toggle bar for resyncing. Its immediate. Rather than remuxing.

Galen · 19-02-2011 05:01PM

STB wrote: »

Are you just watching on a PC ?

VLC has a toggle bar for resyncing. Its immediate. Rather than remuxing.

If I want to play it in smplayer I'll have to resync it first but I'm now able play it in VLC after fixing the file first with TS-Doctor. Thanks all.

Expressions of Interest sought in providing content for Digital TV

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