Freeview shackles digital TV

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PDFFreeview shackles digital TV

15 December 2008The Federal Government last week passed legislation for a timetable to switch off the old analogue TV transmitters that are being replaced by digital technology.

Digital TV was introduced back in 2001, but takeup has been slow because the benefits have not been obvious to most consumers, and some need help with the technology. Recently the free to air TV networks launched Freeview, which is a marketing campaign that aims to help consumers make the switch to digital TV.

On the face of it, there's nothing wrong with Freeview, which appears as simply an information campaign. But it is funded by the industry, and works by steering consumers towards buying 'approved' TV receivers and set-top boxes, which carry the Freeview badge. Manufacturers conform to a set of specifications to earn approval.

The reality is that it is just as much about limiting what the technology can do, in order to protect the revenues of the commercial TV networks.

Permanent URLhttp://apo.org.au/node/15889
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