Freeview Finally Unleashes its big secret !

Ever since Freeview was announced I like many of you have been sceptical of what new features or benefits this so called Freeview would bring to the Australian Market. During the first couple of months it was all about the extra channels. Freeview led us to believe that only if your TV or Set top box carried the Freeview logo would you be able to get these channels. Well that hasn't turned out to be true, but fear still lingers if this still goes ahead by switching from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 broadcasting, the good news is the networks have said this is still years away.

So whats the big secret ? The freeview EPG (Electronic Programming Guide). Its not your regular static epg that is provided by most TV, set top box or Personal Video Recorders (PVR for short, a set top box with a hard drive built in ) in the market. It's a dynamic EPG that updates itself automatically , so for instance if you set a recording of a tv show and it ends late your PVR in this case will automatically know that the show is running late and will continue recording until the show ends.

All this is possible due to the way your PVR and the new Freeview EPG monitor Content Reference Indicator (CRID) data, which is embedded in the broadcast signal, so it knows when a show is running late.

Most non-freeview PVRs in the market have the ability to add padding to shows, which is an extra amount of time added automatically to the start or end of show to compensate for the static EPG at the moment.

So what are the cons when buying Freeview endorsed gear ? Ad-skipping is disabled (a feature available in most PVRs in the market) and freeview PVRs will block methods to copy recordings off your PVR.

This begs the question, will you surrender to an EPG where you will be guaranteed that all your shows will be recorded in there entirety ? or would you rather skip the annoying ads and be given the freedom to do what you want with your recordings

http://www.freeview.com.au/epg/

Do TV recordings hold any sentimental value ?

Not many people would think that a TV recording would hold any sentimental value. Though like memorabilia that you keep from those that have passed away in your life, so too can a TV recording bring back memories.

Television shows of a once in a life time event, like the olympics, news coverage or seeing somebody you know on TV are greatly cherished by some in our community. It will be remembered even greater if you watched that show or event with loved ones or friends.

Would a grown man or woman cry if these shows were to be lost ? I believe so.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW TO AVOID LOSS IN THE DIGITAL AGE

With everything going digital each day sooner or later the VCR will be long gone and we will be left with either a PVR (Personal Video Recorder), which has a built in hard drive or a DVD/Bluray recorder, to record our favourite shows. Just recently more digital TV have built in hard drives too.

After having spent countless hours recording shows for the kids, partner, grand parents, etc. What would you do if the PVR unit you have recorded your shows stops functioning ? If your a TV fanatic, first your heart would skip a beat, then you would hope that there would be some way to salvage the shows on the hard drive.

Unlike computers where there are dedicated people who will recover data from your hard drive this process becomes trickier if your PVR is still under warranty as any tampering you do to the unit will void your warranty.

From my experience a PVR company will not do any data recovery during the repair process and would simply swap the hard drive for a new one.

What will this mean in the next digital TV age ?

It means that people should start sooner rather than later on creating backup plans to save recordings they will cherish for years to come.

As you've probably noticed this recording loss applies to those people would depend on a PVR and never expect anything to go wrong. I believe the people who would suffer the most are the elderly who rely on TV as their main source of entertainment.

How to backup shows when using a PVR.

Always look for PVRs that have the ability to copy content to an external USB stick or hard drive.

More and more PVR are now network ready, which means you can connect them to your home network and transfer files of them.

If you have a DVD or VCR recorder you can plug the outputs of the PVR to one of these devices and record your shows onto a DVD disc or video tape.

Final Thoughts

Always remember that things always happen when you least expect them.l Making a habit of backing up your most cherished shows now will save you lots of tears later.

5 Reasons to Take Control of your TV viewing experience

Here are some tips on how you can break free and enjoy free to air TV in Australia. In order to perform the following you will need to buy a Personal Video Recorder (PVR), which is basically a set top box with a hard drive built in.

1. Rewind live TV whenever you feel like it.

Don't you hate it when people call during a movie or while your watching a great show on TV. Thanks to the mighty hard drive we can now rewind live tav and then go back to the part we missed while we were so rudely interrupted. This is possible on all PVRs that have time shift.

2. Record up to 2 or 4 programs at the same time.

With more channels there is a whole lot of programs that you might want to record. A PVR will give you the ability to record anywhere from 2 to 4 shows at the same time. If you want to record 2 shows at a time, make sure you get yourself a TWIN tuner PVR. If you want to record four shows at a time have a look at this PVR.

http://www.smarthouse.com.au/Home_Cinema/Set_Top_Boxes/P7E6E3U4

3. Skip and remove those annoying ads

Some PVRs in the market also have the ability to edit recorded programs on the hard drive . So say if you have a huge movie and you want to watch it without any ads, you can edit the file and remove all the ads out.

4. Never miss the end of shows again.

We all know how TV stations love to make us suffer by not sticking to there allocated time slots. A growing number of PVRs will allow you to automatically add some extra minutes to the end of all your recordings . Say good bye to missed endings.

5. Watch yours shows on your computer.

Say goodbye to VCR tapes and hello to the digital file format. With a network enabled PVR you can download shows to your computer and watch them at a later date freeing up space on your recorder. If you tinker with the files some more you can then convert these files so you can play them back on your digital portable devices.

5 easy steps to make the switch to Digital TV in Australia.

Now is a good enough time to make the switch don't be caught by surprise when the switch-over occurs.

1. If you have a newer TV. Check your user manual to see if it has a Digital tuner. If you have a digital tuner you wont need a set top box .

Important note: Buying an LCD or Plasma TV does not mean you have a digital TV tuner inside the TV.

2. If you have an analog TV, or an older TV that uses an antenna to get reception you will need to purchase a set top box to get reception.

A set top box is an electronic device that makes over the air Digital TV broadcasts viewable on analog TV sets. This device is usually connected to your AV inputs on your TV.

3. If you already have a TV with a digital tuner or a set top box, make sure to perform a re-scan for new digital channels.

Some major manufacturers refer to this re-scan step as "service search" or "Service Scan" . Check your manual or contact your manufacturer if you have problems.

4. If you have reception problems make sure you have a good UHF/VHF antenna. A good roof top or outdoor antenna will always give you the best reception.

5. If you still can't get it to work :

a) check that all the cables are connected properly

b) If you are using an indoor antenna, you many need to replace it with an external antenna to
get a more reliable signal

c) Check our external antenna by contacting an antenna installer person.
d) If problems persist contact either the store or TV/Set top box manufacturer.

First podcast

Hello,

Welcome to the first podcast episode .

http://www.ourmedia.org/ia/details/ozdigitaltv_podcast_one 

Know more than the salesperson when buying a Digital Set Top Box in Australia !

Okay if you have read my previous articles you are now aware that the digital TV revolution has been with us for a while. If you still haven't jumped to the Digital TV have now fear.. I shall try to give you all the knowledge you need when you buy your digital set top box from your major retailer and make sure you an informed decision.

Lets begin by distinguishing between the different ways you can get digital TV. Most newer LCD TV now have built in digital tuners, make you ask the salesman for this feature before you buy. Another way to get digital TV is by buying a Digital Set Top Box. (STB), which you can attach to your normal TV. Then theirs the third option which is a Personal Video Recorder (PVR), which is a Set Top Box with recording capabilities to either an internal hard disk, external hard disk or DVD. 

But the fun does not stop their, you then have to look at things like how many channels you can watch at any one time. A STB or PVR with only a SINGLE TUNER means that you can only record one show at any one time. If the unit has a TWIN TUNER, then you can start to appreciate digital TV a bit more, you have the ability to record two shows at the same time, and watch a third pre-recorded show.

Just recently their has been a range of STB and PVRs that have got a FREEVIEW logo on them. What does that logo really mean ?

Freeview as you have probably seen in the ads on TV, is the product of the Major Network in Australia joining forces to provide more channels to the Australian audience. The only new thing you will get from a freeview logo based device is a new Electronic Program Guide Interface. Great more channels is always welcomed I hear you say, but do these freeview range of devices limit your viewing experience ?

YES they do . Here is what freeview devices limit you to do

1. No ad skipping
2. No way of copying your recording from the internal hard disk

Non-freeview branded PVRs will allow you to do both of these giving more power to the consumer.

Also read my previous article about difference between Standard Definition and High Definition Set Top Boxes. 

Well I  hope I have given you some more ammunition when you buy your first or next set top box. 

Futher reading  about freeview

Freeview - the 'new' digital TV

Freeview - the great Aussie TV swindle?

Do you have all the digital channels in Australia ?

Their are two types of digital TV signals.  A Standard Definition (SD) and a High Definition (HD) TV signal. The main difference between them is the resolution (amount of dots and details displayed on your TV) and the sound quality being transmitted .  An SD channel will transmit normal PCM sound, whereas HD channels have the ability of transmitting 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound.  

Most people automatically think that you need a brand spanking new High Definition LCD TV to view these sorts of digital TV signals.  Thats not the case, if you have an older TV you can view these signal as long as they have a composite (yellow, white and red) connection.   A composite analogue connection is still able to transmit a digital signal.  

If you have a wide screen LCD TV but see some fat people on your TV, you might not have a digital tuner/set top box built into your TV or you may have to adjust the aspect ratio.  Nows the time to take advantage of the quality of your screen and set aside some money to buy a HD or SD set top box.   I would recommend buying a HD Set top box as it would enable to view the full range of channels available (SD and HD) from the networks. 

If you were to buy a SD Set top box only you would only be able to pickup the Standard Definition channels.  If you already own a set top box but don't know if you have a standard or high definition one, call your manufacturer,  as you might have to re-scan your channels to receive the full channel listing available today.  If your set top box has a HDMI (cable type) output don't assume that you have a HD set top box.  HD channels are identified by the HD tag at the end of the channel name, One HD, SBS HD, etc. 

The newer your TV the more cable connections options you will have available to you.