News - BBC to cut back on Red Button services in preparation for Freeview HD

[HEXUS]

Two of the three existing interactive Red Button streams to be turned off tomorrow, October 27.

Read more.

[shaithis]

All in the proce of progress!!

[cheesemp]

Couldn't they just switch off analogue to get the extra bandwidth... Sorry forget they need to do that pointless phased switch over. Those who want digital have - those who don't won't unless forced too. What difference does it make today or waiting a year.

[Vimeous]

Couldn't they just switch off analogue to get the extra bandwidth... Sorry forget they need to do that pointless phased switch over. Those who want digital have - those who don't won't unless forced too. What difference does it make today or waiting a year.

They could - and loose millions of viewers who havn't yet bought new methods of viewing.

TV is so central to our way of life that many households will need to replace more than one. In a time when many families struggle to meet their monthly bills it would be irresponsible to suggest they simply replace all their equipment or buy umpteen extra boxes only to provide what they already have.

A staged switch-off gives a little time for replacement to occur naturally or peeps to plan their finances.


That said I will certainly miss the red button - I've been using it increasingly over the last year or so and will miss its flexibility.
However if the Beeb transfer more of their live services to iplayer then at least some customers will still be able to get to the content.

[Michael H]

As long as it doesn't affect f1 free practice or the f1 forum

And what about sky/virgin? Will these lose the extra feeds as well?

[Brewster0101]

As long as it doesn't affect f1 free practice or the f1 forum

And what about sky/virgin? Will these lose the extra feeds as well?

Sky and Virgin don't have this issue with bandwidth so I believe they will continue with the service. The items will still be recorded by the BBC as these are also shown on the web and mobile web, but only Sky and Virgin will bother to air on TV...

I think its stupid, being able to watch the news headlines any time is great... Another stupid idea from the BBC. The day the TV license is axed and the BBC has to fend for its self will be a good day!

[capt_cornflake]

Sky and Virgin don't have this issue with bandwidth so I believe they will continue with the service. The items will still be recorded by the BBC as these are also shown on the web and mobile web, but only Sky and Virgin will bother to air on TV...

I think its stupid, being able to watch the news headlines any time is great... Another stupid idea from the BBC. The day the TV license is axed and the BBC has to fend for its self will be a good day!

So you think that the BBC dropping a service is bad, and axing their main funding stream will help with that how?

It's not so much an issue with the BBC as with Freeview (and OFCOMs decision on how the old analogue spectrum should be used).

It does seem a bit odd that they should be doing this already though, when they still haven't agreed on the spec for DVB-T2 boxes yet...

[Knoxville]

I think its stupid, being able to watch the news headlines any time is great... Another stupid idea from the BBC. The day the TV license is axed and the BBC has to fend for its self will be a good day!

The day the TV license is axed the BBC will essentially have to become ITV, which would lead to product placement, advertisements and overall a lower quality of television not to mention what would happen to the radio network. If I have to pay an annual fee to keep one of the last bastions of quality programming intact then so be it, I'd rather that than have another channel that's schedule consists of nothing but reality television, strictly-come-xfactors-got talent clones and other such drivel that speaks to nobody with an IQ over 95.

[Funkstar]

The day the TV license is axed the BBC will essentially have to become ITV, which would lead to product placement, advertisements and overall a lower quality of television not to mention what would happen to the radio network. If I have to pay an annual fee to keep one of the last bastions of quality programming intact then so be it, I'd rather that than have another channel that's schedule consists of nothing but reality television, strictly-come-xfactors-got talent clones and other such drivel that speaks to nobody with an IQ over 95.

Add in that TV advertising spend if down significantly. I think it would be very hard to draw in enough advertisers and enough revenue to run the BBC at anywhere near the level of quality and service it currently runs at.

[Bluecube]

TV is so central to our way of life that many households will need to replace more than one. In a time when many families struggle to meet their monthly bills it would be irresponsible to suggest they simply replace all their equipment or buy umpteen extra boxes only to provide what they already have.

My heart bleeds. Perhaps if people didn't have so many TVs in the first place they would have some money to pay their bills. Why the hell do people need TVs in every room anyway? TV these days is crap - there's nothing worth watching, HD or not. Better off reading a book or actually doing something instead of slobbing in front of the TV, letting their brains turn to mush. Far better to turn off all the TV channels as well as the Red Button stuff.

[Knoxville]

My heart bleeds. Perhaps if people didn't have so many TVs in the first place they would have some money to pay their bills. Why the hell do people need TVs in every room anyway? TV these days is crap - there's nothing worth watching, HD or not. Better off reading a book or actually doing something instead of slobbing in front of the TV, letting their brains turn to mush. Far better to turn off all the TV channels as well as the Red Button stuff.

Not if the book they choose is Katie Prices autobiography or something equally vacuous, which it inevitably would be for the majority of the population if you whipped the T.V's from their living rooms and bedrooms and told them to "go read".

People might not NEED T.V's in every room but Vimeous is right it's become such a central part of our culture over the last however many years that they want one in every room where it would be convinient and why shouldn't they if they can afford it? Regardless of the numerous negative effects you could say (and I'd probably agree) T.V is the root of it's not the device itself or the people watching it that are at fault.

How about old folk sat drawing a pension with nobody else in the house to keep them company? T.V is a much needed lifeline to the outside world for many old people and on their pension I'd wager many can't afford a brand spanking new T.V or set top box without an awful lot of time to save up first. If a certain percentage of the great unwashed couldn't afford a new T.V on time I wouldn't be all too sympathetic but for the elderly at least I feel the drawn out switch over period is worth it's weight in gold.