In the biggest shake up of broadcast TV in the UK for a generation, the communications regulator Ofcom has announced a plan to implement the launch of three (eventually to become four) High Definition channels on Freeview.
The chief executive of Ofcom, Ed Richards main address had been concerning the regulators intentions to auction of the surplus bandwidth spectrum created by the digital switchover from analogue between 2008 and 2012. The BBC, ITV and Channel 4 had lobbied Ofcom for exclusive use of a portion of the spectrum once on stream. The provision of the new High Definition channels through Freeview will go some way to placate these channels following Ofcom's decision to hold an open auction for the extra bandwidth.
The BBC, ITV and Channel 4 have already signaled their intentions as to how the upgrade to Freeview will be utilized. The BBC is committed to upgrading its existing Freeview service to the more efficient MPEG 4 coding in preparation, and the service will be able to carry 4 High Definition channels and 20 Standard Definition channels as a result.
The first three HD channels are likely to be versions of the BBC's existing High Definition trial channel (a mixture of BBC1, BBC2 and BBC sport content), along with core ITV1 and Channel 4 channels.
By 2012 every household in the UK will see some sort of Freeview HD programming, and parts of the country could see such programming as early as 2009. The one drawback for consumers is that a new set top box will probably be required to access the new HD Freeview services.
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