Ofcom gives the OK to BBC HD
Wednesday, September 19th, 2007Regulator approves high-def Beeb channel
Ofcom has given the BBC the go ahead to relaunch its HD channel, which trialled successfully in May last year. The channel, which broadcast the critically acclaimed 2005 version of Bleak House, Heroes and The Proms along with maligned Doctor Who spinoff Torchwood, and er, the Eurovision Song Contest in HD during its trial run will undergo extensive technological upgrades before broadcast, to ensure that everyone with a Freeview box can receive the service as per the PSB remit.
IPTV operators, chiefly BT and Tiscali aren’t too happy about the idea that HD content is slated to be made available on the BBC iPlayer – HD downloads are bandwidth hungry, and this could compromise the quality of their subscribers services. The BBC have received more than a fare share of criticism over their iPlayer, which is as of yet unavailable to non-Windows users. Ofcom have recommended that the BBC invest in a way of compressing the size of HD downloads so that they do no adversely affect others in the marketplace.
The Ofcom report said: “The BBC HD channel is likely to deliver consumer benefit through increased take-up of HD. This positive impact is likely to be spread across the major TV platforms, including DTT, satellite and cable.” Currently, plans for the channel involve broadcasting a 9 hour burst from 3PM to midnight if enough airwave spectrum is available.
