Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: On Telly, Telly Off

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  • Tony Siu,

    The Freeview "Chinese" channel is basically CCTV 6, 4 and their news channel feed; with two weeks delay.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2008 • 82 posts Report

  • Idiot Savant,

    Analogue switched off in PN the other day, and I didn't notice. I haven't even bothered wiring up the cast-off freeview box I got a couple of years ago because there's no point. My TV is just a monitor for stuff I get off the internet. Even with news, broadcast is rarely worth the effort. Its just background noise.

    Palmerston North • Since Nov 2006 • 1717 posts Report

  • Bevan Shortridge,

    Rabbit ears aerials don't seem to pick up TV3 or FOUR on Freeview, unfortunately.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 122 posts Report

  • Danielle,

    Attachment

    Vintage pink rabbit ears I keep on my desk at home, obsoletely. Seemed an appropriate thread contribution. :)

    Charo World. Cuchi-cuchi!… • Since Nov 2006 • 3828 posts Report

  • Bevan Shortridge,

    And went to watch the "This Is New Zealand" segment at nzonscreen and saw in the comments someone answered my 2010 query about the segment (the last time I watched it)!

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 122 posts Report

  • Brent Jackson,

    Unless you live in a non-coverage area, your Freeview terrestrial signal will look and sound better than the old analogue broadcast did. It’ll quite probably be fine on rabbit ears. No ghosting, and I’ve actually never experienced rainfade on a terrestrial signal.

    I'd like to take exception to your anecdata. I live one suburb closer to the CBD than you, and we have continual problems with the Kordia Mux (Prime, Maori, et al), rainfade, and pixellation. Never a problem with analogue. Bought a brand new, freeview recommended, aerial but it hasn't solved the problem, which I think is the next door neighbour's two large palm trees between us and the sky tower. So I've oriented the aerial to Waiatarua, which is LOS for us. It's better, but we still lose signal about once a month.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 620 posts Report

  • Raymond A Francis,

    Poor old Tim, we seem to have had digital in the South Island for ever, I certainly didn't hear of any old folks/fogeys not getting their fix because they were not up to speed with the new technology

    45' South • Since Nov 2006 • 578 posts Report

  • GemmaG,

    Thanks Russell! You make my job easier ;-)

    This is one of my favourite NZ On Screen titles. Neil Roberts wandering around Otara/Mangere and then Howick/Pakuranga, observing these two very different South Auckland areas in 1982. I was just a wee thing living in Papatoetoe when this was filmed, so it goes deep for me, being able to see my backyard in this way. How it's all changed. Bring on Te Papa North!

    And over here in New York, I have a couple of pals who regularly - like, every weekend - screen Miss New Zealand 1973 to their American friends, always to appreciative fascination (with the accents, rather than the swimsuits).

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 45 posts Report

  • David Hood,

    We have never had a satellite dish of any sort, and are within very clear line of sight of the main tower in the area. With a new powered antenna we get occasional dropouts, and the signal is petty marginal in the rain. But to be honest, we are largely a post-broadcast TV household, so it doesn't matter much.

    Dunedin • Since May 2007 • 1445 posts Report

  • Rich of Observationz,

    I'm wondering how long broadcasting a few dozen pre-chosen sets of non-interactive programming using expensive wireless bandwidth will continue. The bandwidth/quality/availability thing is fast dying out - look at the technical quality of some Youtube videos today.

    I reckon 10 years and TV will be a bit retro, 20 and we'll wonder what those strange towers on hillsides were ever for. Maybe they'll make the one on Mt Vic into some sort of museum. They could even have a goggle-eyed prole in a glass box, glued to a TV set showing repeats through the ages on an endless loop.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report

  • Chris Waugh,

    Promising a new Ferrari that is prone to breaking down randomly is not as appealing as a dependable Datsun Sunny for many, no matter how shiny the badge.

    Well, on that point at least I agree with him.

    As each region has gone digital, there must have been people for whom TV just ceased. What did they do?

    Took up bridge? Lawn bowls? It's not like there are no other options, even for the most hardcore luddites.

    Wellington • Since Jan 2007 • 2401 posts Report

  • Chris Waugh, in reply to Tony Siu,

    The Freeview “Chinese” channel is basically CCTV 6, 4 and their news channel feed; with two weeks delay.

    Well that is majorly disappointing news. Even if you stick with only CCTV they've got so much more variety on offer. Or is there nobody in NZ who could be interested in keeping up with their favourite CSL or CBA teams, or in watching the myriad forms of Chinese opera, or....

    And two weeks delay?! Why bother?

    Wellington • Since Jan 2007 • 2401 posts Report

  • Julian Melville,

    My Dad still complains about the imposition of UHF aerials...

    (btw Russell I think you've marked up an extra para at the end of Tim's bit that's actually back to you talking: "I'm not sure how many CRT sets" etc.)

    Auckland • Since Dec 2006 • 200 posts Report

  • Graham Dunster,

    I'm starting to hope that the resurgence of the Labour Party could lead to PSB again, fool that I am.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2009 • 184 posts Report

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Julian Melville,

    (btw Russell I think you’ve marked up an extra para at the end of Tim’s bit that’s actually back to you talking: “I’m not sure how many CRT sets” etc.)

    Gah! Thanks.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Brent Jackson,

    I’d like to take exception to your anecdata.

    Happy to be corrected. Perhaps God is having his revenge on Grey Lynn.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Martin Brown,

    Around $10 million Govt ad spend - plus the Freeview budget of say another 9 or so over three years - they shouldn't have missed anyone.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2013 • 137 posts Report

  • kiwicmc, in reply to Danielle,

    Those vintage rabbit ears are awesome! Alas nothing on trademe....

    Auckland, New Zealand • Since May 2008 • 88 posts Report

  • Paul Campbell,

    So they're selling off all the soon to be unused TV spectrum - where's the money going? to fund more NACT tax cuts? in the US they at least used some of the revenue from the sale of spectrum to pay for set top boxes - everyone got a $50 voucher.

    I'm still hoping that they're setting aside a goodly chunk of spectrum, free for all of use to use, something bigger and better than the microwave oven ghetto that became wifi

    Sadly I doubt our politicians can see beyond the immediate $$ signs to plan for the future

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report

  • B Jones, in reply to Martin Brown,

    they shouldn't have missed anyone

    Not if they did it right. But you'd need a hands-on, low tech communications strategy tightly geared towards older viewers - going viral on twitter won't reach them.

    The degree to which this will inconvenience people without a lot of other cheap accessible entertainment makes me uncomfortable, even as one of the likely beneficiaries of better cellphone signals. I'm probably in one of the many Wellington pockets of bad signal, so I don't stand to benefit from the TV signal.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 976 posts Report

  • paynter,

    As each region has gone digital, there must have been people for whom TV just ceased. What did they do?

    What did we do? Read books. Talked. A bit of coding. Watched 7days and John Stewart and Lorde online. I might even finish the weekend paper this week.

    Coincidentally, we just joined the local DVD shop. The DVD player still works, after all.

    We're just kind of waiting to see if there's anything on TV we want to watch anymore. Nothing so far.

    Since Nov 2006 • 29 posts Report

  • "chris", in reply to Russell Brown,

    Perhaps God is having his revenge on Grey Lynn.

    Jesus he was evil...?!

    location, location, locat… • Since Dec 2010 • 250 posts Report

  • slarty,

    Gave up on Telly in 2003. Haven't missed it whatsoever. Occasionally I have a moment where I don't get a reference (e.g. the cobblers about dog-napping a few weeks back).

    Must confess I hope it will contribute to the end of the 50 year experiment that was broadcast TV.

    Since Nov 2006 • 290 posts Report

  • Myles Thomas,

    The really bad news is that none of the new frequency space created as a result of DSO is to be set aside for PSB. We did have at least one non-commercial regional channel (triangle in Auckland used it) but even that's going ( and so is triangle). Meanwhile the main broadcasters get space for up to 9 channels for each of their old analog one. It's a huge bureaucratic and governmental cockup which I'm just getting to the bottom of.

    Auckland • Since Apr 2011 • 130 posts Report

  • Tim Michie,

    As I've had past periods without TV and can do without, have a dying CRT (bought on the cusp of LCD becoming affordable) and am expecting some inflation on units in December, I'm experimentally keeping the analogue running to see if anyone hijacks some frequesncy. Just to see what there is to see and report even if it's nonce. As I don't download, pressure to buy won't strike until Christmas discounts.

    Auckward • Since Nov 2006 • 614 posts Report

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