ohhh, but its seems everyone missed the most IMPORTANT point.
a 3rd party available DVB-T PCI/USB2 box that can do mpeg-4
AVC decoding
(not just your old mpeg-4
ASP [divx/xvid] or the old outdated mpeg2 only).
"
Pay-TV battle
Sky will replace its three
existing DTT channels with four new 24-hour streams
using the more efficient Mpeg4 compression technology.
The company hopes a range of set-top box manufacturers will start making receivers with compatible software once the service has launched. The announcement came on the same day that Sky's cable rival NTL/Telewest relaunched under the name Virgin Media. "
that means MPeg-4
AVC/H.264 to be made available to the DVB-T transport steam, and in doing so makes it far more likely and helpful to the hope that the Hi-Def BBC trials will become available country wise.
once again making NTL's opting for the outdated and far more wastful Mpeg2 codec look even more short sighted and flat earth thinking
thats were the 4 new AVC channels into the 3 old mpeg2 channels space works great, as AVC is far smaller yet has as a lossless mode.
i assume the 3rd partys DVB-T box makers will also include all the abilitys they learned from the DVB-T/DVB-S(2) HD bbc trials, mbaff etc in the new boxs? not that they need use them to start with but its always wise to include all your future profit making/hardware usability options inside the initial prototype board for others to licence and copy for everyones benefit later.
all we need than is some good PCI and USB2 PC cards that can also take the DTT subscription slot/card and we are ready to tap directly into the transport stream for a far better quality PC playback that your average stand alone SD cable/sat box (as they dont have anything but analogue out) .
anyone know of a current DVB-T card or USB box that takes the DTT cards as these id assume would be the first to offer the new AVC (mpeg-4 part10) 3rd party kit?.
in combination with something like this
http://www.ruckuswireless.com/produc...iaflex_router/ your really starting to rock with end user content options.
to see how good AVC can be just look at some of the AVC encoded trailers etc here
http://www.zudeo.com/az-web/content/...edContent.html
and gont get fobbed off by salesmen that try and sell 'mpeg4' as the term, remember to ALLWAYS ask but
does it do AVC/H.264
rememeber mpeg-4 asp IS OLD divX/Xvid [Mpeg-4 part2]
the new MPeg-4
AVC is what you want [Mpeg-4
part10] (along with mpeg2 and VC-1 if you must).
No contest really, you have to admire SKY, as Virgin Media gives you masses of flashy adverts and a rebranding but no new end user usability or innovation (thats liberate software boxs for you).
SKY gives you a potential new DVB-T innovation with real AVC content that can only grow better as 3rd partys are allowed to give end users what they want to pay for, unlike the current closed cable network that could be so much better if 3rd partys were allowed access to users cable ends.
and dont forget if sky does DVB-T AVC then the other broadcasters are sure to follow, as it then makes it easy to take off the old digital mpeg2 channels and replace them with far more AVC DVB-T channels, and thats before they even start to think about the old alalogue turn off and all the extras that will possably enable if they give some of the released spectum back to the broadcasters use.