BBC Three to return in January 2022 as broadcast channel

[Owen Smith]

We've been watching iPlayer on the Amazon firestick 4k and it gives a much superior picture although the iPlayer on the TV is pretty good. Haven't watched iPlayer on the T2 for ages, so slow anyway.

I don't have a device that can do streaming in 4k. Nor do I have a 4k TV. With the equipment I already own, after Blu Ray the best picture quality comes from Freeview HD.

Does iPlayer streaming in 4k provide 5.1 sound?

 

[Owen Smith]

Re BBC3, more junk

I really enjoyed the BBC3 branded Fort Salem season 1 shown late nights on BBC1 during the first year of covid. Season 2 is on iPlayer, but I'm waiting in the hope it will be shown on BBC3 linear when the channel returns. I have an RS auto recording filter set for Fort Salem.

 

[EEPhil]

So why bring it back? Don’t people watch the online stuff?

$SET CONFUSED_RANT/ON/QUESTION=RHETORICAL
The reason I made that point - I am trying to get my head around the government trying to get rid of the TV Licence. The "preferred solution" is supposedly a subscription model. How would that work? Parts of "Freeview" would no longer be free. My TV and various Humaxes don't seem to have any obvious way to add a decryption unit. So, an external bolt on using broadband? I don't have fast, unlimited broadband (can't afford it, and other people can't get it). The BBC keeps pushing iPlayer. I have seen (can't find the reference) mention that their eventual aim is to shut down broadcast and put everything on line. Then they put BBC Three back on terrestrial TV. . Talk about mixed messages.
$SET CONFUSED_RANT/OFF

 

[RobH1]

I don't have a device that can do streaming in 4k. Nor do I have a 4k TV. With the equipment I already own, after Blu Ray the best picture quality comes from Freeview HD.

Does iPlayer streaming in 4k provide 5.1 sound?

I don't have a 4K TV either but the picture is definitely better. I'll check the sound out when I next use it. I don't use 5.1 but have have a l,r and centre speaker setup.

 

[MikeSh]

I seem to recall there is a quality setting in iPlayer. I don't notice any particular difference between it and the Freesat HD I usually watch broadcast on. (Haven't watched on the Freeview FOX for months as that's all SWMBO's stuff.)

One good thing with iPlayer is that the subtitles behave

 

[Owen Smith]

The reason I made that point - I am trying to get my head around the government trying to get rid of the TV Licence. The "preferred solution" is supposedly a subscription model. How would that work?

The decision to bring back BBC3 as a linear channel was made long before Nadine Dorres become the minister for culture and hence in control of the licence fee. Nadine Dorres is a hardened BBC hater so an attack by her on the BBC was inevitable. Luckily the current Royal Charter for the BBC and the licence fee settlement run to 2027, by which time it is highly unlikely Dorres and indeed Boris will still be in their current posts. I'd say it's also moderately unlikely the Conservatives will still be in power since there's a General Election due in 2025 at the latest and if the tories win that would be an unprecedented sixth term in power for one party. So there's half a chance of Labour in power, and a high chance of different people in charge, by the time this actually needs to be decided.

On top of that Nadine Dorres has already rowed back a little on saying this is the last licence fee settlement. She's now saying it needs to be investigated. I suspect that like last time it will in the end be decided that retaining the licence fee is the "least worst option".

 

[Owen Smith]

My TV and various Humaxes don't seem to have any obvious way to add a decryption unit.

My Sony TV can take a smart card, and I think the HDR Fox T2 can in the slot in the back of the case which has a big rubber bung in it. ON Digital and Top Up TV were both subscription based with smart card decryption so we know such a scheme could work on Freeview.

 

[Owen Smith]

The BBC keeps pushing iPlayer. I have seen (can't find the reference) mention that their eventual aim is to shut down broadcast and put everything on line

The BBC have seen the writing on the wall. Mobile broadband keeps insisting it must have all the spectrum in the world otherwise the earth will stop turning on its axis. First we lost 800Mhz band and then 700Mhz band. The UK is in a weak position here because we have a lot more terrestrial TV than the rest of the world, so most of the world doesn't give two hoots about the spectrum being re-allocated to mobile. When we were in the EU they were obliged to negotiate to keep that spectrum for TV on our behalf, but we've thrown away that support we used to get.

And at the same time as Freeview spectrum is decreasing, the BBC want to start broadcasting in 4k. Even with the HEVC video codec that needs twice the bit rate of 1080i using AVC. The BBC have to go to 4k, if they don't eventually they will become irrelevant as all cable and satellite goes 4k. But Freeview is never going to provide the spectrum for 4k channels, even a DVB-T2 mux can probably only fit two or at most three 4k channels in. And such muxes would be incompatible with existing TVs and STBs, and we've seen with the slow HD rollout just how long it takes to get all the old TVs and STBs replaced. There are still loads out there that can't even receive DVB-T2 muxes. It would be foolhardy of the BBC to propose another incompatible change. So all they are left with is streaming for 4k.

 

[RobH1]

Does iPlayer streaming in 4k provide 5.1 sound?

Looked this morning, shows PCM on the amp. Changing the Firestick output from 'best available' to Dolby Digital results in no sound (probably my equipment as advised on the 'stick).
Music soundtrack quality sounds adequate to me, and the dialogue enhancer works, although I do use subtitles.

 

[Owen Smith]

Sound quality sounds fine to me too on iPlayer. My issue is it is only stereo and I have a surround sound system. Freeview HD provides 5.1 discrete sound on most channels (except ITV) for programmes that are made with it, which is a lot of them these days.

 

[RobH1]

We had surround until we moved but found no room for 5.1 hence the compromise 3.0 system. The Onkyo TX-SR608 amp has a myriad of settings to cater for film or speech, but we find the Theatre-Dimensional setting covers our needs and gives surprisingly good effects without the need for a subwoofer.

 

[sine24]

Does iPlayer streaming in 4k provide 5.1 sound?

No

 

[sine24]

Parts of "Freeview" would no longer be free.

They are not free now.

 

[Owen Smith]

We had surround until we moved but found no room for 5.1 hence the compromise 3.0 system. The Onkyo TX-SR608 amp has a myriad of settings to cater for film or speech, but we find the Theatre-Dimensional setting covers our needs and gives surprisingly good effects without the need for a subwoofer.

I actually have a 5.0 system, I don't have room for a subwoofer and my main left and right speakers are large floorstanders so pretty good at bass anyway.

 

[prpr]

I'm sure you're all hugely excited to know I've already got BBC THREE (and HD) on my dev. T2 box!

 

[Owen Smith]

I'm sure you're all hugely excited to know I've already got BBC THREE (and HD) on my dev. T2 box!

Test broadcasts presumably.

 

[prpr]

Yes.

Come Wed., 47 will be Film4+1 and 49 will be 4seven, both owned by Channel 4. Anyone want to take bets that they'll swap LCNs in the not too distant?

 

[Owen Smith]

Do we know which transmitters have test broadcasts of BBC3?

 

[prpr]

All of them.

 

[Owen Smith]

All of them.

So anyone retuning will see it, or do you need to do something special?