DVB-T2 switch-on scheduled for June 2011

It's a waste of time we should all use DVB-S2. If you consider Freesat (UK), VAST (Australia) & Tivù Sat (Italy). Sooner or later the D.O.C has to consider that they have to provde tranmission to outlying areas and building and maintaining towers in rural areas is costly. If you consider that the BBC & ITV used the Freesat program to launch their HD channels and VOD Services on FreeSat set top boxes & not the DTT Freeview (UK), one can consider the tecnological advantages to satellite over DTT. Cost is one this could save Sentech millions each year and finally make use of its FTA Vivid service. It will also drive the prices of DVB-S2 STB down. If Top Tv can launch a no frills DVB-S2 box at R300.00 how can they expect there DTT boxes to fetch around R800.00 ? Its insane ! CAM Modules will have to be inplace as the SABC Tv License Dept will have to collect so I would believe one would need a Tv License Smart card registered to the TV license holder.
 
IdlePhaedrus said:
Rolling on floor in hysterics.. Thanks Roux that is the best laugh I have had today. :D
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We're so used to that. :D

No Roux, interactive internet protocol television (IPTV) is the future. Not one way satellite with some added compression technology. :D
 
genetic said:
We're so used to that. :D

No Roux, interactive internet protocol television (IPTV) is the future. Not one way satellite with some added compression technology. :D
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I gave up paid television in the middle of last year. I would rather read or re-read an interesting book or download something I want to watch (am reading quite a lot on my Samsung Galaxy S at the moment including Darwin's theory of evolution :)).

Neither DSTV or TopTV (let alone SABC or e.TV) has anything I would like to watch or haven't seen before. SABC's news is biased and their content is stone age and riddled with advertising, TopTV's content is generally ancient and repeated adnausium (sp), and while DSTV's content is newer it is too expensive. F@ck em, there is more interesting stuff on-line, both html and video.

Dinosaurs!

I suppose in this instance, the issue is how to deliver television to the masses after the analogue signal has gone, which it will, because that spectrum is much sought after.

I think the government is about 10 years behind the times.

One interesting question remains. Say there is some cataclysmic disaster, nuclear, natural, religious eruction (http://www.yourdictionary.com/wotd/eruction), whatever. How does one communicate with the people out there? Digital is just not going to work. Fun one hey :D

What to do?

I think I will take my dog for a walk on the beach tomorrow and save a couple of other ones from the crappy humans that own them. Do my best to oppose the fracking in the the Karoo and give the ANC a good bollocking whenever I can.
 
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genetic said:
We're so used to that. :D

No Roux, interactive internet protocol television (IPTV) is the future. Not one way satellite with some added compression technology. :D
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FYI just in case you didn't get the memo... Your living in S.A ! IPTV or FTTH in S.A is a pipe dream. So put down your crack pipe :-)

Ask your self who dose DTT serve ? Is it viable when DVB-S has been tried & tested for years & is so much more cheaper to run ? You don't need a vast netword of towers scattred around S.A, all you need is a reliable satellite & start a consortium with the the relevent players. One of the contributors to the uptake in payed satellite tv here is crappy terristerial tv reception. In that respect DSTV scores R20p/m for the privlage whilest FTA Sentech STB's are no where to be found...
 
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somnambulist said:
FYI just in case you didn't get the memo... Your living in S.A ! IPTV or FTTH in S.A is a pipe dream. So put down your crack pipe :-)
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We're talking about the future here - not the current situation.

We're involved with a company that is in the process of rolling out IPTV in SA. There's another that is planning to do the same in the very near future. It's only a matter of time.
 
The only way we would get IPTV is if there was more access to high speed internet. Kinda makes sense now if you look at my comment with regards to using terrestrial for data services only.

For TV you don't need low latency bi-directional communication, a tin can in space is perfect for that. Why spend millions on rolling out a network of repeaters and what not if you could just hire some capacity on a satellite? Its been known to work for DStv, TopTV and Vivid.
 
Rouxenator said:
The only way we would get IPTV is if there was more access to high speed internet. Kinda makes sense now if you look at my comment with regards to using terrestrial for data services only.

For TV you don't need low latency bi-directional communication, a tin can in space is perfect for that. Why spend millions on rolling out a network of repeaters and what not if you could just hire some capacity on a satellite? Its been known to work for DStv, TopTV and Vivid.
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Digital Satellite does what it does very well. It has a large footprint, goo capacity for numerous channels - however, it's capacity is often limited. The data rate per channel on satellite is often under 10Mbps - even for HD channels, with some lower end channels only broadcasting around 2 - 4Mbps.

Digital terrestrial broadcasting obviously can be picked up anywhere - in the car, at home, on mobile devices, at the office etc just with a small antenna. DVB-T/2 also offers much higher bitrates (up to 30 Mbps per channel) than satellite.

IPTV has the advantage of video-on-demand, home networking, full bi-directional interactivity, but is still a long way off before it'll make ground.
 
Quantum Theory said:
If they are planning to have 100% population coverage by 2013, why are they installing new analogue transmitters in rural areas, 2 years before the analogue switch-off?
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the analogue transmitters are already digital capable, they were going to do the migration, by replacing analogues with digital capables and then switching them over at the appropriate time.

D
 
damian24 said:
the analogue transmitters are already digital capable, they were going to do the migration, by replacing analogues with digital capables and then switching them over at the appropriate time.

D
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I'm afraid not. They are installing brand spanking new, strictly analogue transmitters in some rural areas (e.g. Northern Cape). There is not a chance that there will be 100% coverage by 2013, as stated by the Minister, according to the article. I will get some more info and come back with the facts.
 
In Prieska (Northern Cape) they had no terrestrial coverage, the town bought 3 DStv decoders (SABC1, 2 and 3) and hooked them up to a analogue transmitter to cover the town. Now this was back in 2007 so things may have changed but it does prove that DVB-S is superior. If you look at how cheap the STBs have become then I see no reason to throw money at DVB-T.
 
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