I gave my last update on our HD services in May 2015. Since then, we have continued to try to find ways to address gaps in the HD portfolio.

I’m pleased now to be able to follow up with some news on our progress towards an all-HD future. We in the Distribution & Business Development team have been working with colleagues in ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Research & Development and in the Nations, who earlier this year upgraded their playout facilities to support HD, to help plug one of those gaps: ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Two HD variants in the Nations.

ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Two Wales HD will be launching on ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ iPlayer, on digital terrestrial (Freeview and YouView) and on the digital satellite platforms Sky and Freesat, while ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Two Northern Ireland HD will be launching on ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ iPlayer and on digital terrestrial (Freeview and YouView) - both towards the end of November.

For satellite viewers in Wales, ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Two programmes will become available in HD at EPG position 102 – next to the existing ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ One Wales HD at 101.

As you might be aware, Ofcom recently gave approval for the launch of ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Scotland’s new TV service. To enable the launch of the new channel, in 2019 we’ll be closing ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Two Scotland on all platforms. In its place, satellite and cable viewers will receive the standard version of ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Two. As a consequence, this means that on certain platforms ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Two in HD will be in the most prominent position available – 102 – next to ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ One Scotland HD.

We are working with colleagues in ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Scotland on their launch plans for next year, and on the details of where you will be able to find the new channel.

I should explain a little about how we’ve been able to launch these additional HD services on satellite. We have been able to improve the performance of our HD encoders – and when combined with a small increase in capacity on our HD satellite transponders are able to introduce one additional HD service per transponder.

For the more technically-minded, the capacity increase will be realised by applying a different Forward Error Correction parameter in the standard DVB-S2 transmission mode. Extensive field measurements confirm there will be no material change to viewers’ satellite reception.

However, we have identified a reception issue with the new satellite transmission mode, and in very particular reception and installation conditions, which affects a small number of TVs and PVRs from certain manufacturers with built-in satellite (Freesat) tuners.

Further information can be found here on our Reception Advice pages. This does not affect SD reception. All Sky, Freeview and cable viewers will be unaffected, and the vast majority of Freesat viewers will also be unaffected.

We are not in a position at this point to provide all of our regional feeds in HD, owing to lack of broadcast capacity and native HD broadcasting capability across the majority of the English regions. However, we continue to look at ways in which we can deliver further HD services within the constraints we face. For now, we’re pleased to be able to take another step on our journey towards an all-HD future.

EPG numbers: ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Two Wales and NI HD

Platform	Wales	Northern Ireland
Freesat	102 (106)	n/a  (102)
Sky	102 (802)	n/a  (102)
Freeview/YouView	102 (2)	102 (2)
Virgin Media	[tbc]	[tbc]

For any non-HD devices, only the SD service will appear in the guide and at slot 2 or 102. In the table above, the SD variant listing on HD boxes is shown in brackets. 

* - available to viewers with HD equipment only; not available on BT Vision

** - subject to commercial agreement

*** - Virgin Tivo customers will have access to event coverage via the as well

In addition to finding the channels in the EPG, we are working hard to make sure you get easy access to all the coverage of a particular event, including what’s on ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ One, ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Two or ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Three at that time, available behind the Red Button service, which you will be able to get as usual by pressing red on any ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ channel. You may find that what you see looks a bit different from what we have done in the past. That’s all part of our experimental approach and we are interested in your feedback on it to help inform what we do in future.

The first coverage to be broadcast on the HD stream will be on 13 June. The additional SD streams will come into service on 24 June. However, the different streams on different platforms have already begun to become visible with placeholders and the rest will appear in the next few days. So here’s what to do to make sure you can watch the streams that will be accessible to you, depending on which platform you use to get your TV:

• If you have , or your receiver may well pick up the changes automatically but you will likely need to do a retune if you don’t have an HD receiver. gives advice on how to retune.
• If you have , you should not have to do anything. If you do have a problem receiving any of our channels, you can try turning your Sky set top box off at the mains, waiting 30 seconds and turning it back on again. If that doesn’t resolve your problem you can find more help at .
• If you have the new streams should appear automatically. If you do have a problem receiving any of our channels, you can find more help at . For Virgin TiVo users the broadcast Red Button streams will still appear in the 980s while the Red Button application on our TV channels will take you to additional coverage on the Connected Red Button service. 
• If you have and you do not pick up the new channels automatically, you may need to put your digital box or TV into standby for 30 seconds and then switch it back on again. If the channels are still unavailable then carry out a 'Freesat channel retune'. Full instructions can be found in the manual for your digital TV or box. Further help with retuning can be found at or by calling the Freesat customer support team on 08450 990 990.

So whether your preference is , or I hope you enjoy it in front of some excellent summer entertainment courtesy of ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Red Button.

is Director, ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Distribution.

UPDATE, Wednesday 26 June 2013, 11.00am

Commenting on the About the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Blog closes automatically two weeks after publication. This morning however, we have re-opened comments for this post. I wanted to explain why I have arranged this.

First, I think it is important that we offer a space to comment on live issues so that we can hear what you think, and given that many of you were still commenting on Monday it was a pity to have the conversation end at that point.

Secondly, we are continuing to fix minor bugs in the applications delivering the additional streams on the various platforms. Your comments provide us with valuable feedback about your experiences and help us know when we have resolved issues.

Alix Pryde.  

What will I have to do?

In short, you should not need to do anything other than note the new channel number.  Your series recordings should all carry on working and if you have set ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ ALBA as a favourite that will also work straight away with the new channel number.

* * *

Hopefully you’ll continue to find ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ ALBA easy to reach and enjoy the unique programmes it has to offer. Best wishes, or maybe should that be “Gach deagh dhùrachd” ?

In most cases, ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Two HD will use the same channel number as ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ HD. However, Sky HD viewers will see that we are moving to two new numbers, which allows us to put ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ One HD and ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Two HD next to each other. (We will also move  to 143 on Sky so that it is grouped with other ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ channels.)

If for some reason you do have a problem, here’s what you should do, depending on which platform you use to receive your HD channels:

• If you have  or  your receiver may well pick up the changes automatically but you may need to do a retune.  gives advice on how to retune.
• If you have , you should not have to do anything. If you do have a problem receiving any of our channels, you can try unplugging your SkyHD set top box, waiting 30 seconds and plugging it back in again. If that doesn’t resolve your problem it’s best to contact Sky on 08442 411 653
• If you have  ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Two HD should appear automatically.
• If you have  and you do not pick up ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Two HD automatically, you may need to put your digital box or TV into standby for 30 seconds and then switch it back on again. If the channels are still unavailable then carry out a 'Freesat channel retune'. Full instructions can be found in the manual for your digital TV or box. Further help with retuning can be found at or by calling the Freesat customer support team on 08450 990 990.
• If you have  it may take a while for the channel logo to update on your electronic programme guide from ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ HD to ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Two HD, but the channel itself should be ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Two HD.  You can find more help and assistance .

 

How will my ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ HD series recordings be affected?

I want to say a few words about what happens to any series recordings you may have set up on the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ HD channel. I’ll take this in two parts – series recordings of programmes that are commissioned for ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Two, and series recordings of programmes that are commissioned for other channels (ie, ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Three, ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Four, CBeebies and CΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ).

 

ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Two series

ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ HD currently broadcasts a number of ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Two shows and so you might already have series recordings for some ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Two programmes in HD set-up via the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ HD channel.  For most people these will continue to work after ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Two HD launches.  If you have series links for programmes on ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Two SD you might like to replace them with bookings for the show on ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Two HD (although they will take up more recording space).

However, because we have to make a small change, Virgin Media viewers should be aware of the following:

• If you have a Virgin Media TiVo box then you don't need to worry about the change, your series should continue to be recorded as normal.
• If on the other hand you have a V+HD box then you’ll need to set up recordings for the following series again after 26 March (other series will not be affected): , , ,  and .

 

 

Other series

Most ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Three and all ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Four series that are shown on ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ HD will come to an end before ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ HD closes, so you’re unlikely to be in the situation of missing the end of the series if you have chosen to record it in HD, but please do check to be on the safe side. The two exceptions are  and , for which you will need to set up recordings on ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Three in order to catch the end of the series. I’m afraid that, until we are able to broadcast ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Three and ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Four and the children’s channels in HD, you’ll need to record programmes in standard definition after 26 March.

If you are worried about your series recordings, the safest thing to do after 26 March is to check that your series recordings are still picking up new episodes of your favourite shows.

* * *

I’ve spent a fair bit of time above talking about how to deal with issues you may encounter, or explaining why we aren’t able to offer more programmes in HD at this point. I hope you find this blog helpful as a result.

But I also don’t want to detract from what I see as a positive step forward in the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ’s HD journey. We are proud to be reaching this milestone of bringing our second most popular channel into a fuller HD existence. So while we wish a fond farewell to ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ HD and thank it for a job well done, I hope you will enjoy saying hello to ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Two HD. 

 

Alix Pryde is Director, ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Distribution

2012 is set to be the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ's greatest year of broadcasting. In ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Distribution, we are currently making preparations for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee followed closely by the London 2012 Olympic Games, not to mention the Euros, Wimbledon, the European Championship Athletics, The Scottish Open ... and many other great events.

Most of these events will be brought to you by the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ using our existing services, but for the Olympics we have some special changes planned, as readers of will know. In preparation, I wanted to give you some more detail of the changes we will be making to our TV and radio services to bring you the best possible Olympics experience.

• ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Three's hours will be extended on all platforms
• 24 Olympics sports channels will be launched on Sky, Freesat and Virgin Media, available in both HD and SD
• A high definition ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Red Button video service will be launched on Freeview
• ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Red Button video service 302 on Freeview will return
• 5 live Olympics Extra will launch on DAB
• The Space will bring the Cultural Olympiad to Freeview

ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Three Extended Hours

ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Three will be one of the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ's flagship channels for the London 2012 Olympic Games and so for the first time we're going to be making the channel available during the morning and afternoon. On satellite we will be doing this using some recently vacated capacity on our existing Astra 1N Transponder 45. On Freeview, whilst Parliament is in recess, we will use ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Parliament's capacity. This means that for Freeview viewers, ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Parliament will be off-air during the Olympics, which was also the case during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Parliament will continue on satellite and cable platforms with its usual summer schedule.

All satellite, cable and terrestrial viewers should be able to enjoy the extra sports coverage on the extended ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Three without needing to do anything to their TV or set-top-box.

24 Live Streams of Olympics Coverage

As Roger announced on his we are going to add 24 SD and 24 HD channels to Sky, Freesat and Virgin Media to allow you to watch sports from every venue from first thing in the morning until last thing at night. The ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ channels will be part of the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ's Red Button service but will also appear in the EPG along with full schedule information to allow you to record any events you might otherwise miss. You won't need to do anything to receive these ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ channels and they will be free, but you will need an HD box to view the HD ones. The streams will be launched just before the Olympics in time to carry the very first events on 25 July 2012. I know some of you want to know exactly which satellite transponders will be carrying these services and we will publish that information nearer the time alongside our existing satellite frequency information on the Reception Advice .

Some Freeview HD receivers will also be able to access the 24 live streams over an internet connection using the for connected TVs.

High Definition ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Red Button on Freeview HD

Freeview HD may be only just over 2 years old, but already 5 million TVs and digiboxes have been sold in the UK. Thanks to a lot of hard work and the ingenuity of ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Research & Development and our technology suppliers, there is now capacity on Freeview HD for a fifth HD channel, alongside ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ One HD, ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ HD, ITV1 HD (STV HD for viewers in Scotland) and Channel 4 HD (Clirlun for viewers in Wales). We are currently working hard on finding a permanent use for this 5th slot. In the meantime, to make the most of this valuable asset during the Olympics, the fifth slot will be used to give viewers an HD ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Red Button stream on Freeview channel 304. The channel will show the same content as is available on ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Red Button video service 301 but it will be native HD. As with 301, the channel will be scheduled and listed in the EPG to enable you to book recordings but the primary method of access will be via a simple ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Red Button application which we will enable on our HD channels.

Thanks to the clever way that most Freeview HD receivers work, viewers won't have to re-tune because the service should appear automatically in the EPG. But if you find that you don't have anything at channel 304 by the middle of July then you should re-tune your receiver.

The Return of ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Red Button 302 on Freeview

No doubt many of you will remember that on Freeview we used to have a second ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Red Button video stream which appeared in the EPG on channel 302. Well, it is making a brief return to Freeview for the Olympics. Because ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Three is becoming a 24hr service on Freeview using ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Parliament's capacity, ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Three doesn't need to share capacity with CΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ during the Olympics. This means that we can use CΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ's off-hours (from 7pm) to broadcast ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Red Button 302. The 302 channel was made available in the EPG from 26 April nationwide. You can check if you have it or not simply by trying to tune to channel number 302. If you see our message you are good to go, otherwise you will need to re-tune your digital TV or box to pick it up. I've included a link to some helpful advice on how to do this below.

Note for CΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ viewers in Northern Ireland and North-East England: By the summer there will be just two parts of the UK still to go through digital switchover: Northern Ireland and North East England. For viewers in these areas we are making an additional change to move CΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ to a different channel number - but just for the period of the Olympic Games. This is to do with the way that ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Three and CΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ usually share capacity. So just for viewers in these two areas, CΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ will temporarily move from channel 70 to channel 73 on Freeview.

Viewers in Northern Ireland and North East England will need to re-tune between now and the Olympics to carry on watching CΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ, but the benefit of that re-tune is that you will gain access to our additional ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Red Button service 302 (see above). During the Olympics, CΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ's usual channel number, 70, will show a message to remind viewers to go to channel 73. If you live in one of these areas you should be able to see channel 73 once you've done a re-tune. The good news is that the temporary channel number means that you will not need to do a second re-tune when the Olympics finish in August in order to get CΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ back at channel 70. Given that switchover this autumn will require you to re-tune your Freeview TV or box twice, we thought that viewers would appreciate our removing the need to re-tune an extra time.

This change doesn't impact Freeview viewers across the rest of the country, who can continue to watch CΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ at channel 70. Nor does it affect satellite or cable viewers where CΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ will stay on its current channel number.

ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 5 live Olympics Extra on DAB

In order to offer additional listening choice as well as viewing choice during the Olympics, we will be launching a special Olympics radio channel: 5 live Olympics Extra. If the service hasn't appeared automatically on your DAB digital radio by 23 July, then try retuning.

The Space

Finally, in support of what promises to be an amazing summer of culture we will be carrying 'The Space' which is an experimental service developed by The Arts Council England in partnership with the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ. The service launched on 1 May at as a browser based service accessible on connected TVs, tablets, mobiles and computers. It will give arts and culture organisations the opportunity to experiment and engage with new and existing audiences in a completely new digital environment. The Space uses your broadband connection to deliver free content, such as plays from Shakespeare's Globe, live dance from Sadler's Wells, a virtual recreation of John Peel's home studio and rare archive content from the BFI.

Viewers who have certain Freeview HD TVs or boxes and are able to plug them into their broadband connection can access The Space on channel 117. If the channel doesn't appear automatically for you it's best to do a re-tune. When you tune to channel 117 The Space will tell you if you have a compatible digital TV or box and will help you connect it to your broadband if you haven't done so already. The Space keeps a list of devices which are known to work with the service on its and as the project progresses it expects to add to this.

You can read more about the Launch of The Space on the and on the .

Viewer Support

We have thought very carefully about the way we have organised our channel changes to minimise the interventions that our audiences will need to make.

Viewers on satellite and cable should not need to take any action because the changes to ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Three and the extra ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Olympics channels should appear for you automatically. ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Parliament and CΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ will not be affected.

Viewers on Freeview who don't currently have channel 302 in their EPG will need to re-tune to watch all our services during the Olympics. CΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ viewers in Northern Ireland and North East England will need to re-tune to pick up CΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ in its temporary home of channel 73. If you need help with re-tuning, an excellent place to go for advice is which provides detailed instructions for many different makes and models of Freeview receiver.

As with changes we've made in the past we'll also be putting information up on our website and on ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Red Button p9991 on Freeview. Nearer the time we will be reminding Freeview viewers to re-tune using pop-up messages onscreen as well as a reminder on the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Red Button bridge.

I trust that this information helps you understand the changes we are making in preparation for the London 2012 Olympic Games along with anything you need to do in order to enjoy all our new and extended services. I hope you can see that we've thought really hard about how to get the most out of our capacity and how to make it as easy as possible for you to enjoy the full range of this amazing summer in the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ's greatest year of broadcasting.

Alix Pryde is the Director of ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Distribution

Earlier in the Summer, I led a team which delivered our first live 3D broadcasts to homes around the UK. We wanted to get this year's Wimbledon finals out to everyone who has so far bought a 3D set (and the glasses that go with it) and so we used the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ HD channel to show the matches - free of charge - on Freesat, Freeview, Sky and Virgin. As well as testing to see if what seemed possible in the lab could be delivered in practice, and trying to ensure that we could offer really high quality 3D in production terms, we also wanted to understand what people really think about seeing television content that they are familiar with in 2D in 3D. By doing so we hoped that we could make better-educated guesses about where 3D and television might go in future, and plan what the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ's response to developments should be.

It seems obvious that in the end it is you - television viewers - who will decide whether 3D TV sinks or swims. There's a long history of technology innovations that haven't made it, because the public just hasn't wanted them. 3D may or may not be one of them. But there's been little if any research so far to understand how people relate to 3D pictures, so we wanted to start to fill that gap in understanding.

We focussed work on the Men's Final, and having invited people in to watch our 3D coverage at a number of cinemas around the UK, we asked them for their thoughts. We also provided people who came to our London screening with the opportunity to watch on the most up-to-date 3D televisions which you can find for sale at electronics shops now. And of course we looked for ways to find out what people who were watching in the comfort of their own homes thought.

People found the 3D very different from watching in 2D - and it provoked a mixed response: a lot of them loved it, and some loathed it. On Twitter, people said "it's like you are there as a line judge", "much better lower angle dynamic shots", "looks awesome... probably as close to courtside view as I can get", but there were also reports that "my head went fuzzy", and a certain frustration that because the cameras offered a courtside seat, it wasn't always possible to track the ball right across the court and see exactly where it landed. 60% of people said that their expectations were either met or exceeded, and a third of those who had never seen 3D before gave the experience 10 out of 10.

Most people we surveyed wanted to watch Wimbledon in 3D because they love Wimbledon, and they hoped that seeing it in 3D would make them feel more a part of the action. Of those who attended the screenings we held, 76% said that the 3D view did make them feel as if they were more involved in the match and many of the cinema screenings had people applauding, hushing others, and gasping at individual points as if they were really sitting in SW19.

Quite a few people told us that they had been sceptical about 3D television, and thought it was a bit of a gimmick, but that our coverage of Wimbledon had persuaded them otherwise - but another important message to emerge was that even for those who enjoyed the 3D, it's "good old-fashioned HD" (as one viewer put it) that really matters and adds to the television experience. We will be doing more - not least the final of this year's Strictly Come Dancing in December. And we'll be using these further experiments to try to understand more about the potential extra value that 3D can add for you as viewers. We want to understand the part 3D should play in the future of what we offer to licence payers, and my conclusion from our analysis of Wimbledon is that at the moment the jury is still out.

If you are interested in understanding more about how we filmed Wimbledon in 3D, the film tells the story of the production and the partnership behind it.

Danielle Nagler is head of HD and 3D at the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ

• You'll find a number of interesting blog posts about 3D TV - mostly of a more technical nature.
• Danielle is also a regular contributor to the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Internet blog. Read all of her posts .

Friday It's been sometime since but I have tried to be as active as I could on the existing ones. I read all the posts and my thanks go to who has listed many of just to prove I do exist! I try to answer points raised in the blogs but unless there is a specific issue, I just can't answer each post individually. Because there's a lot to say, I thought it would be better to serialise this blog over the next week with each episode covering a different topic. I will make no apologies for the titles and many thanks to the memory of

Over at the , Danielle Nagler has posted a fascinating piece which not only gives an insight into the daily tasks facing the Head of ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ HD, but also attempts to give a flavour of the range of current issues for the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ and HD. These include: picture quality; HD programmes and schedule; navigation, Freeview HD and ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ HD Strategy. For the full post head over to .