BBC Interactive via FTA Beeb

Icehouse

Just wondering...BBC currently, I believe, use a proprietary interactive system from Sky, and it's main rival I think, is called OpenTV - will it be possible for BBC to broadcast some sort of hybrid, or broadcast the 2 standards at the same time so that anyone with any receiver can access their Interactive product?

Capt'n Midnight

If BBC use a transponder which does not use 22 or 27.5MHz signal rate you will NOT pick it up with a DigiBox.

If SKY do not give them an EPG number then it's a real pain to tune them in. You have to add the channel in manually in the services menu (and re add it every few months) To change channels it's simply services-6- down down down down select etc. Try it with the ITN regions - unless there is a must see film - it is a lot of hassle to do.

PS. it is not interactive unless you are paying for the phone call - otherwise you just choose which broadcast data stream you look at. I';m not too worried 'cos it just takes too long for the stuff to load (press red botton )

Tony

Originally posted by Capt'n Midnight
If BBC use a transponder which does not use 22 or 27.5MHz signal rate you will NOT pick it up with a DigiBox.

Do you mean symbol rate? This is measured im m/baud not MHz The FEC (forward error correction) is also limited on a digibox although its unlikely BBC would not use one of the FEC's available on a digibox.

Tony

Tony

Originally posted by Capt'n Midnight
PS. it is not interactive unless you are paying for the phone call - otherwise you just choose which broadcast data stream you look at. I';m not too worried 'cos it just takes too long for the stuff to load (press red botton )

Not strictly true as not all interactive features require a phone call.

Tony

icdg

Originally posted by Icehouse
Just wondering...BBC currently, I believe, use a proprietary interactive system from Sky, and it's main rival I think, is called OpenTV - will it be possible for BBC to broadcast some sort of hybrid, or broadcast the 2 standards at the same time so that anyone with any receiver can access their Interactive product?

Er... the Sky system IS OpenTV. Sky run their own system (Sky Active) on top of the OpenTV software.

The feeling at the moment seems to be that only those with Sky digiboxes will be able to access BBCi - FTA box owners won't.

Capt'n Midnight

Ta Tony

I meant Interactive in the sense that you have some control in what they are sending as opposed to the more restricive sense of interaction where you have no control over what is broadcast and can only choose what at to look at.

Re: Mhz/Mb etc. - All the transponders on Astra 2D so far seem to be on 22 Mega-thingies so as long as SKY don't do some sneaky stuff in the next SW upgrade you should be able to pick it up as an Other Channel even if they take it off the EPG.

In fact you should be able to do this with an non-universal LNB as those transponders use lower frequencies.

Anyone want to get rid of an old analog disk - with or without LNB ???

Tony

Originally posted by Capt'n Midnight
Ta Tony

I meant Interactive in the sense that you have some control in what they are sending as opposed to the more restricive sense of interaction where you have no control over what is broadcast and can only choose what at to look at.

Yes I see your point, thanks for that. Does anyone remember the ITV test that was FTA but not viewable on digiboxes? Just wondering would they do something similar.

Tony

byte

Originally posted by Tony
Yes I see your point, thanks for that. Does anyone remember the ITV test that was FTA but not viewable on digiboxes? Just wondering would they do something similar.

Tony

Are you referring to when ITV2 was FTA for some time but without a channel ID? Meaning you had to manually add PID's. Or are you referring to just before ITV went "live" on SKy?

Tony

The ITV2 Test

watty

That ITV2 was none to easy to add even on a FTA box.
I think even a Digibox needs proper tables in the stream, rather than something "broken".

Also BBC intent is that the programs should be EASIER to get than using a FTV card, i.e. no card or not even a digibox.
So on ANY Digibox where Sky "blocks it" reboot with a blank card (i.e. old cheque card) or upside down ROI card will make the BBC be on the EPG.

It is very likely that BBC won't pay to be on ROI EPG (an extra charge compared with UK FTA EPG) so it will not so much be blocked as invisible, working with reboot as above and also via "Other Channels" like BBC Parliament TV and BBC Radio does today.


Most interactive (All?) on satellite is a very slow version of DVD interactive, you only select streams already there, but worse than DVD you can't restart/rewind having to wait for the stream to loop around.

Even with phone line almost no new information is sent. Email would be biggest and it probabily received by phone not satellite. Mostly the phone is just to register a charge for a pay service (Games, betting, BoxOffice).

Satellite Red Dot stuff is littel more interactive than Teletext (You can select a page but it is not sent to you personally, all the pages are continiusly sent in schedule with most likley requested pages sent more often).

digiman

If we in ROI have to manually add the BBC channels dosent that mean that you won't be able to use the interactive as the red dot dosent appear. I used to watch programmes via add channels so the red dot dosen't appear. Not sure if this is still the case though

icdg

I've just been thinking, all to do with this interactive stuff...

BBCi Text has a "Change Channels" option. Currently only BBC ONE, BBC TWO, and the BBC NEWS Interactive screens work in ROI. Anything else freezes up the box. But when the channels go FTA, surely they will work then...

Could be an easier way to view the other BBC channels than add channels...

Maybe I've broke my own rules here, but still...

Charles Slane

What rule have you broke ?

It just sounds very clever to me.

Well done !!

Mossy Monk

Originally posted by icdg
Could be an easier way to view the other BBC channels than add channels...

it would certainly prove to be an easy way to see what is on those extra BBC channels. i can't imagine that there are many people willing to watch tv on a tiny screen as is the case with BBCi