FreeviewHD content control – don’t panic

Some of the most significant complaints about the content control system on FreeviewHD have been from the open source movement, who feel that they’ll be unnecessarily locked out of making equipment.

I must say that I think some of the quotes have been rather over-eggging the pudding, suggesting that there’s an army out there of people who are modifiying existing equipment to provide things like extra services for the deaf, for instance. And I don’t think it’s really terribly helpful to try and conjure up scenarios that many people will instantly think are far-fetched.

As some will know, I run a website for Topfield PVRs. That’s one of the most user-modifiable digital TV recorders on the market at the moment, and looking at the various statistics from the website, I’d hazard a guess that the majority of people don’t even bother tweaking that unit. Of those that do, only a tiny minority ever delve into the programming side of things – which is true of many systems. Much is made of the open source nature of Linux, but it’s a tiny fraction of the community that ever gives anything back.

Now, that’s not an argument for saying that standards shouldn’t be open, or that the open source community should be locked out of things like Freeview HD, but I do think that it’s necessary to keep a reasonable perspective on these things – some of the reports about content control gave the impression that if only it weren’t for this, an army of people would be attacking set top boxes with soldering irons and modifying them. I know that’s not an accurate representation, and you probably do too, but in talking up the consequences too much, I think goodwill can be lost.

Don’t panic

And, in any case, I don’t think that – for the next few years at least – this is a major issue, certainly not on Freeview HD. Firstly, the control mechanism is the same as for Freesat, and open source projects like Myth have successfully managed to work out how to decode the Freesat EPG.

Even if that were impossible on Freeview HD, for technical or commercial reasons – a company might not want to be seen to have reverse engineered the Huffman tables that are being used, for example – it’s not the end of the world.

That’s because of the nature of what’s actually on Freeview HD, and the fact that the EPG data for the standard definition broadcast isn’t changing at all. Right now, Freeview HD offers BBC HD, ITV1HD and Channel 4HD. Later this year, BBC One HD will be joining, and in 2012, there may be a fifth channel. That could be Five HD, or it could be something else, but it’s likely to be something from one of the PSBs, and I suspect it may well be an HD version of an existing channel.

Where does that leave us? Well, in the short to medium term, since I don’t think anyone else will launch HD channels until sometime after 2012, of the four channels on Freeview HD, three will be simulcasts of their SD equivalents. And the EPG data for those will be broadcast in the usual way, complete with series link information, and accurate recording triggers. And since it’s a simultaneous broadcast, wouldn’t it be pretty simple for software to just take the EPG data from the standard def channel, and use it for the HD one? About the only thing you’ll miss out on is the extra information that indicates if a channel is broadcast using surround sound or not.

That leaves the BBC HD channel, and it’s fairly easy to get an EPG feed for that from the internet, especially for an open source project. Of course, you won’t necessarily have the series link information, or accurate recording triggers, which is a pity. Some of that, perhaps, may be possible to recreate where a programme on BBC HD is simulcast with one of the other SD channels. Accurate recording triggers are handy, but with the advent of BBC One HD, I suspect there will be fewer instances where programming on the HD channel is likely to ‘slip’ due to overrunning events like tennis matches.

3View

Incidentally, this EPG issue is also one that’s been vexing people regarding the 3View box, with people worrying about availability of HD channel EPG information, should they not be able to use the official broadcast one. 3View reports that they do have agreement to use it – while boxes with the FreeviewHD logo have to have the Huffman tables in it, the reverse doesn’t apply; you just have to agree to play by the rules to get access to the tables necessary to unpack the EPG. And, even if that weren’t the case, for the reasons I’ve outlined above, I really don’t think this need be a major issue, at least in the next few years.

That may change, of course, if lots of other HD-only channels launch after switchover is complete, and a bit more openness never goes amiss, but right now, I don’t think there’s any  great cause to panic, or to believe that there will be no way that open source projects can display an EPG for Freeview’s HD channels.

i-Can EasyHD to get FreeviewHD surround updates

ADB, the makers of the i-Can Easy HD receiver that came out top in the group test I did for Register Hardware, tell me that they’re working on updating the box for Dolby Digital output.

This is likely to happen in two stages, with the first update in around six weeks to give two channel Dolby output, and then another update later in the year to give full 5.1 Dolby Digital surround.

More info when I have it.

Buyer beware: Freeview HD bargains aren’t always what they seem

Freeview HD is a brand new technology and like most of those, it comes with a price tag attached; when I recently looked at set top boxes, most came in at over £100, with some costing up to £170. When you’re used to the incredibly low prices that a standard definition Freeview box can be found for, it’s not surprising that many people are hunting for bargains, or complaining that the price is too high for HD.

It’s instructional to remember that when the first Freeview (or OnDigital as it was then) boxes appeared, they cost an awful lot too, until OnDigital joined Sky in giving away free boxes with a subscription. Now a better featured receiver is much, much cheaper those those first boxes, and the same will happen with HD – probably even faster.

Not everyone can be patient, and it’s no surprise that people are turning to sites like eBay in search of bargains. And having seen questions on AVForums regarding one potential bargain, I though it prudent to remind people to check carefully what they’re spending their money on.

A quick search for ‘Freeview HD’ on eBay turns up plenty of products. Some of them are indeed what you’ll be looking for, but there are equally plenty that won’t, and that you need to be careful about.

Check the specs

First, there’s the problem of what you search for. Type in ‘Freeview HD’ and you’ll see plenty of TV sets turn up with that in the description; look more closely though and they’re ‘Brand X Freeview HD Ready TV’ – and you really need to imagine a comma between ‘Freeview’ and ‘HD Ready.’ As I’ve mentioned before, ‘HD Ready’ means that a set can display an HD picture, from an external source, and these are typically HD Ready sets, that have a Freeview tuner, which will only be standard definition, rather than a built in Freeview HD tuner.

Worse still, I found two auctions for products described as ‘Freeview HD’ which clearly are not.

One was a Philips DTR 5010 set top box, and the other was a TV tuner for in car entertainment systems. Both can indeed decode high definition pictures that use the H.264 codec. But what neither will do is tune in to the UK’s high def broadcasts in the first place, because they don’t have the DVB-T2 tuners necessary.

That, in short, is what you need to check for; the UK Freeview HD system uses brand new DVB-T2 technology, not the DVB-T that’s used for HD in other countries. If you don’t see it on the specification sheet, then it almost certainly isn’t there, and the receiver will only pick up HD channels in other European countries that use the older system.

Another thing you can check for, if you want to be sure, is the ‘QAM’ types listed on a spec sheet, which is one of the parameters of the digital broadcast; standard def services in the UK use QAM16 and QAM64; sometimes the number is listed before, like 16-QAM. Freeview HD, as part of the DVB-T2 system, uses QAM256. No mention of either DVB-T2 or QAM256 is pretty much a dead giveaway that the product you’re looking at is not capable of receiving Freeview HD, and you should walk away because it’s not the bargain that you were hoping for.

And while I have your attention, remember that there’s no such thing as an HD aerial.

TVs vs set top boxes, and an erratum

Having looked at both Freeview HD TVs and set top boxes for RegHardware, it’s interesting to note that there is a marked difference in the audio capabilities between the two types of product.

When I looked at set top boxes, of the eight products I’d played with and evaluated, only two were able to produce any sort of Dolby Digital output from Freeview HD, which is a pretty poor showing, frankly, for reasons that have been done to death on the blog over the last six weeks.

However, when it comes to TV sets with Freeview HD built in, the situation is almost entirely reversed – of the six sets tested, all but one (the Panasonic) were able to produce a Dolby Digital signal.

In the original review, I said that the LG set that I tested, the 42LE5900, could not produce Dolby Digital from the HE-AAC broadcasts on Freeview. I’d like to correct that, having taken it out and checked again, after noting that it’s in the list that What Hifi have of working equipment. You can indeed get a Dolby Digital signal – but only if you first turn off the built in speakers via the menus. If you leave them turned on, then the optical connection simply outputs a stereo PCM signal. I’ve updated my own list of tested equipment accordingly.

So, that’s two out of eight set top boxes that do provide Dolby Digital output, and five out of six TVs. Clearly, at the moment, the chances are probably a bit better with a TV, but even so, you would still be well advised to do your research carefully before parting with any cash.

Not quite so simple

You may notice that I said “any sort of Dolby Digital” signal above. That’s because things are rarely as simple as they seem, and some of the equipment that is creating a Dolby Digital signal from Freeview may only be creating it with two channels, rather than the full 5.1 channel surround mix.

Right now, my AV processor doesn’t tell me the number of channels it has in its Dolby Digital input, so I can’t comment on each product, unless I happen to have it hooked up when the BBC is broadcasting the test signal. I’m looking for replacement kit, and when I have found something suitable, I’ll be able to provide more information with the test results.

EPG gallery – FreeviewHD

For your delectation and delight, here’s a little gallery of images, showing the EPG (Electronic Programme Guide) on fifteen different Freeview HD products. This is what you’ll be using to find what you want to watch, unless you’re still buying a printed TV guide. Perhaps, with some of these, you probably should…

From the Bush set top box; you'll find the same guide in the Linsar and other boxes made by Vestel - look for 'T8300' in the sticker on the bottom

Digital Stream's twin tuner recorder - which seems to take a little while to fill up the EPG

Goodmans set top box; expect the Grundig to look similar - same box, different brand

Humax HD-FOX T2. Their recorder will probably look very similar

iCan's EasyHD - Editor's choice in my roundup for RegHardware

The Icecrypt T2200 - actually made by Topfield

LG's TVs use this guide - not the best use of screen size, perhaps?

Taken from the FreeviewHD recorder, but the Panasonic TV's also have those adverts in their guide

The Philips set top box is actually designed by Pace, who license the name

Sagem's Freeview HD recorder

This is the guide from Samsung's Freeview HD set - another RegHardware winner

Sharp's FreeviewHD set top box

Sharp's Quattron FreeviewHD set - but it's test firmware; there's no Freeview HD logo

The EPG on Sony's TV set

Toshiba's EPG. You can even change the colour coding

FreeviewHD website surround information updated

The astute observer will see that the Freeview website has now been updated, with better information about surround sound. If you click the ‘Freeview HD’ section of the site, and then the ‘Why HD’ tab, you’ll see that the diagram of the 5.1 speaker system has gone, and along with it the heading about surround sound.

That’s a good start – it means that surround sound is not being pushed as much as it was, which should help ensure that people don’t assume that they will get it, in the way that many have so far.

The first FAQ on that page still – at the moment – refers to 5.1 sound from an AV amplifier, which is only accurate if you have the right equipment, but I suspect that will be updated shortly.

Why do I think that? Well, partly because of the feedback I’ve had from Freeview, about which I’ll write more later in the week. But also because when you click the ‘More FAQs’ link at the bottom of the page, there’s another ‘Can I get 5.1 surround sound’ question at the bottom of the list. You’ll find the answer to that one here. It’s a much more accurate summation of the situation, and should go a long way to making sure that readers are better informed. There’s even a link back to one of the articles on this site, too, as well as to the recent BBC blog on the subject.

Content control on FreeviewHD

Register Hardware has just published a news story I wrote about content control on Freeview HD. What does this mean for the punter?

Well, in real terms, I suspect very little. As you can see from the story, there won’t be any restrictions on your ability to record if you have a Freeview HD PVR. So, you won’t suddenly find that someone has decided you cannot record a film to watch later.

Where there will be restrictions is in making copies of programmes in High Definition, but the guidelines that have been laid down suggest that you will always be able to make at least one copy – and where a programme has already been broadcast in high definition elsewhere in the world, without restrictions, then it shouldn’t be restricted in the UK. That seems to me a tacit admission that, in terms of preventing piracy, if a show’s been broadcast elsewhere then the cat is already out of the bag.

The one area that did cause a lot of concern during the consultation was with regard to open source software, like MythTV. For those who aren’t in the know, that’s a piece of software that runs on standard PC hardware, and is based on Linux. It provides all the features you would expect in a digital TV recorder, and quite a few more. And a major worry was that systems like Myth could be locked out of recording Freeview HD by the licensing requirements for the Freeview EPG.

One of the conditions that’s been laid down by Ofcom is that the necessary information should be available on a royalty free basis, which will certainly help. But there are some within the open source movement who are vehemently opposed to any sort of content control or ‘Digital Rights Management.’ That’s an entirely principled stance, but I hope that some way can be found to accommodate software like MythTV within the new content management system for Freeview HD.

With the decision only announced today, I’ve not had time to contact too many people for responses, but when I hear more I shall post again. And in the meantime, if you are involved in projects like MythTV, feel free to add your comments below.

The full Ofcom statement is here, for those who like reading such things.