• TVs
  • Stories
  • Freeview EPG won't be compatible with current TVs

Freeview EPG won't be compatible with current TVs

By Ty Pendlebury on 03 February 2009

Freeview will be coming to a television near you from March this year, but the organisation's head has said that you may need to buy a new TV to get the most out of it.

A Freeview education campaign is due to launch on all channels in the next couple of weeks, but Freeview CEO Robin Parkes said that the Electronic Program Guide (EPG) due to launch at the end of 2009 would not work with existing televisions: "It's not backwards compatible".

Parkes said Freeview was in talks with equipment manufacturers to have "co-branded equipment" available from April onwards to indicate which would be compatible with the new service and the EPG.

If customers have equipment that can receive digital broadcasts now then it will continue to work once the service goes live, said Parkes.

LG's category manager of TV, Warren Kim, said it was possible that current TVs could be upgraded to receive the new EPG via firmware. He also said Freeview hadn't spoken to him about specifications. "We'd prefer if they made comments after speaking to us. We have a lot of customers approach us and ask if we're compatible with Freeview and we can't say."

He said while some of the smaller players in the market could be able to offer Freeview-branded products by April, LG may miss the deadline as its new range of televisions (due in May) are already in production.

Freeview is the new catch-all term for digital television in Australia, and will boast 15 channels in metropolitan areas, most of which have been broadcasting for some time, with new channels such as Ten's ONE HD set to broadcast in the coming weeks.

Each metropolitan channel — ABC, Seven, Nine, Ten and SBS — will offer three channels each: two standard-definition channels and a high-definition channel, with the opportunity to offer different content on each.

"The channels will start rolling out with the new content from March through to June. It will be a progressive launch every couple of weeks with a new channel," Parkes said.

Controversially, Ten will convert its existing Ten HD channel to ONE HD in March and lose all of its current non-sports HD content, and instead broadcast it in SD. The third channel will be an SD broadcast of the ONE channel.

Parkes said the enigmatic campaign designed to promote Freeview wasn't well-received by the general public.

"It has caused some confusion and concern. We just wanted to let everyone know that it was coming, it's something we're working on. Those ads have now finished. They were just to say: 'Stay tuned, something's coming'."

LG's Kim agreed that the lack of information could be confusing for people unsure of what Freeview was and when it would be available: "There hasn't been much of a roadmap for customers apart from marketing hype".

However, Parkes said that a new campaign is about to start that should allay some customers' concerns:
"In the next few weeks, once we start finalising what date the product will be in-store with the manufacturers, then we're running a new campaign which will be much more educational about what you have to do, what you have to have to get it and how you'll get the channels."

In July 2007, the commercial stations announced the first free EPG, which is still in effect, and in some cases also required new equipment to operate.

Topics: compatible, digital, freeview, epg, hd, not, tv, tuner, lg, sd

Related Articles

Comments (28)

  • geriatrixcomputerix commented on 26/01/2010 17:03

    What exactly is EPG?

    It needs to be more than an on-screen version of the printed TV-Guide in most newspapers.

    And if I want to record a certain movie, it is the movie I want.
    Not the last 20 minutes of footbrawl that goes over time and 'pushes' the movie.
    And I want the whole movie, I don't want to miss the last 20 minutes, just because the footbrawl went over time.

  • tvfoe commented on 19/05/2009 22:57

    why is there no info on freeview site about epg availability?

  • Pedant commented on 06/05/2009 02:57

    How many channels?
    *Different* channels.
    -Not the same content transmitted on several channels.

  • murray commented on 23/02/2009 21:09

    i work night shift. does freeview mean i dont have to be insulted with home shopping at 2am ? please give us late night tv.

  • max commented on 22/02/2009 20:47

    i think it's a joke i live in cairns and can't get any HD channels at all this new look freeview is a waste of time will it be just like pay tv watch one show and watch again on the same network but different channel

  • newuser commented on 16/02/2009 15:03

    Channel 10 really need to take a hard look at them selves if they think they will make Australias happy by removing popular HD tv shows and replacing it with sport.... LOL channel 10... Australia will officically hate you when this commences well done.

  • L Fiers commented on 12/02/2009 02:11

    What the hell!? NO MORE 10HD!? NO MORE HOUSE IN HD? NCIS IN HD!? All those shows are going to be DOWNGRADED BACK TO SD!? F&*% THAT! After all the bragging that dam channel 10 networks did about "The world is better in HD" and all that, and after only after what seem like barely a year they are gonna SCRAP IT FOR 24 hour sports!? GRR!!! Thats just wrong, id like to use many many expletive and curse words right now but... Grrr. We should boycott this STUPID FREEVIEW IDEA!! What a scam... I for one, am against it if what i have read and heard is true!

  • Oldfashioned stickler for punctuality. commented on 07/02/2009 12:40

    Two situations:
    1. I want to watch a program. I switch on, on time. Is the program on time?
    2. A program is on while I cannot watch. I set my VCR to record, on time. Is the program on time?

    Do we have/get a solution to these two scenarios?
    If so, *then* we can start thinking about more complicated problems.

  • Patrick commented on 07/02/2009 11:17

    Yet another reason I will avoid going digital before the analogue signal is turned off. I've had to put up with shows not running to schedule and so-called "reality TV" crap for several years (Big Brother being the worst offender), I can't see any problem in waiting for another 4 1/2 years to make the switch.

  • Zyoidburg commented on 06/02/2009 23:56

    First thing who uses the grandpa of EPG'S the G CODE what a marketing disaster that was i mean no show in history runs on time and starts on time for years tv networks have programs that start at 7:30 or 8:30 or 9:30 advertised then you don't see it start until 5 sometimes 10 minutes pass the 30 minutes. I believe one concept is to blame REALITY TV at PRIME TIME HOURS. What a money spinner for the networks get you to hang around for a few minutes so your tempted to watch the next television show.
    Digital TV is really not Digital TV i mean a set top box on a old television thats not true digital.
    SD is really just normal television in my books not much better then analogue to be honest.
    HD is promising but still new technology again TV networks and Governments are to blame for such a slow intake. TV will be better but in reality with the future of television the equipment and technology to produce a tv show may be totally expensive i mean depending on the financial crisis in this country networks will be scared to produce new shows in HD due to financial costs then really what benefits are their for the end consumer.
    To be honest Free View sounds like a gimmick but the real question is our televisions new products are being built will they be outdated before their is no more analogue then people who have the stuff today may wish they never bought the damn things.
    Is it confusing Yes if you haven't got access to the new type of television cause you don't know weather you should by now or buy when it comes to the crunch.

    TV networks should really give a damn about its viewers but then again their only after money its a business not entertainment.

Post your own comment

You must read and type the 6 chars within 0..9 and A..F

You must read and type the 6 chars within 0..9 & A..F

Submit

Enter your personal information to the left, or sign in with your Facebook account by clicking the button below.

Connect

The Explain Series

Must read

Popular Phones & Plans

Powered by WhistleOut

1) Apple iPhone 3GS 16GB30 plans 1%
2) Nokia N9743 plans 5%
3) HTC Magic16 plans 1%
4) Nokia E7149 plans 1%
5) Apple iPhone 8GB42 plans 1%
« 1 of »
1) Apple mobile phones 1%
2) Nokia mobile phones 3%
3) HTC mobile phones 3%
4) Blackberry mobile phones 2%
5) Sony Ericsson mobile phones 1%

Mobiles | Broadband | Credit Cards

CNET Australia Partner Services