New Australian digital free-to-air channels

A couple of new digital channels have started airing over the last week - 7mate and gem... 7mate is supposed to be a 'blokes' channel and gem is airing old school movies etc (?) ...Anyway about 2 weeks ago I noticed that my TV tuner card wasn't picking up 7HD anymore while all the other channels were still working properly. So I did a channel rescan and found 7HD again, along with their new channel 7mate and everything was all good once more. 7mate was scheduled to start it's regular program airing yesterday and since then all I am getting on 7HD is what's playing on 7mate Does anyone know whats going on there, is 7HD going the way of 10HD?

Yeah I found the same thing. I think they either stuffed up or it's another way of promoting the channel to anyone who might have missed the info. I don't think they know what they want, or it depends o the licensing from the govt.

I had read about GEM but didn't see any ads for it on Ch 9. Can't really understand why they put it on 9HD

Unfortunately 7HD and 9HD are no more until at least 2013. 7HD is now 7mate and 9HD is now GEM. I believe they are only allowed to have one HD channel each until 2013.

What I can't understand is, even though I've rescanned the channel tuner, whenever I press the info button on the remote it still says 70 & 90 are HD...

It seems ch 90 is now GEM, and in HD. Which is good for repeats of Getaway at least ...

Had a look through the guide for 7mate and it is totally crap. Would way rather be able to see the channel 7 babes in HD, but instead they're showing re runs of crap tv shows that no one watches. And for some reason in the 6am slot they will be showing CBS news or something.... Why do we need an American morning news show broadcast in HD over our own and why do we need to see an American morning news show in the first place? They have no clue..

Hey guys, i read something about this yesterday. Yes it is true that 7HD and 9HD are no more and that there is a limit on the number of channels a network can have. However 7mate and GEM are not HD channels either or atleast theyre not broadcasted in HD. SBS is the only remaining network with a HD channel. As Rutzie said in his post this may change after 2013 when the analogue signal is turned off freeing up space and resources for more channels.

So as far as ive heard, no more HD content till 2013+

So basically we are going backwards?

Yep. The Gyngell/Leckie networks have decided in their wisdom to broadcast their own locally produced HD content downscaled to SD on the main channels (7 & 9) and use their HD quota for repeats, cartoons, sport and general American programs (more often than not in letterboxed 4:3). Amazing. Channel 10 must be giggling at this admission . . . .

Looks like old analogue brains just haven't caught up with the new digital world to me.

Hang on, GEM and 7mate *ARE* in HD. Yes 7mate has a lot of old crap but I was glad to see that they will be airing Caprica ... in HD.
Sci Fi in HD has been neglected for far too long...

Widescreen wrote:Hang on, GEM and 7mate *ARE* in HD. Yes 7mate has a lot of old crap but I was glad to see that they will be airing Caprica ... in HD.
Sci Fi in HD has been neglected for far too long...

Agreed! I'm obviously the Lone Ranger around here in that I'm glad that 7mate is HD given some of the programmes they're going to be showing, like Caprica. I'd rather watch quality sci-fi series in HD with 5.1 Dolby Digital sound than all the Home & Away, the "all new" Australian prime-time soaps (which are all always police dramas), reality-TV & dancing, cooking & singing C-grade celebrities. Personally, I spend more time watching GO! & 7mate than 9 & 7.

I think Channel Sandra's the one that's being the most disappointing. I think ONE is a great idea but it's a waste of an HD band. I'd rather they made it SD & used the HD band for a channel like GO! or 7mate. Do we really need to see Latvian toad racing in HD? At least then they might've allowed us to see the remaining episodes of Torchwood (now on ABC2), Battlestar Galactica, Supernatural & (the rather unfortunate) **Stargate: Universe.

EDIT: **

SKaVeN wrote:

Widescreen wrote:Hang on, GEM and 7mate *ARE* in HD. Yes 7mate has a lot of old crap but I was glad to see that they will be airing Caprica ... in HD.
Sci Fi in HD has been neglected for far too long...

Agreed! I'm obviously the Lone Ranger around here in that I'm glad that 7mate is HD given some of the programmes they're going to be showing, like Caprica. I'd rather watch quality sci-fi series in HD with 5.1 Dolby Digital sound than all the Home & Away, the "all new" Australian prime-time soaps (which are all always police dramas), reality-TV & dancing, cooking & singing C-grade celebrities. Personally, I spend more time watching GO! & 7mate than 9 & 7.

I think Channel Sandra's the one that's being the most disappointing. I think ONE is a great idea but it's a waste of an HD band. I'd rather they made it SD & used the HD band for a channel like GO! or 7mate. Do we really need to see Latvian toad racing in HD? At least then they might've allowed us to see the remaining episodes of Torchwood (now on ABC2), Battlestar Galactica & Supernatural.

And all the good stuff they have on one is on late at night, whilst in prime time they are showing fishing or something shithouse when they could be showing Arsenal or Liverpool tv, NBA, NFL... Its the most frustrating channel going around. I hate having to stay up so late to watch the premier league matches when at a decent hour they are showing nothing but shit.

OK so if mate and gem are broadcasting in HD then can ppl with non-HD set top boxes/tvs still be able to view the channels? if yes then how? if some programs are broadcast in HD then the standard def digital folk wont see them. Can someone clear this up for me? I thought the new shows on ten, nine, gem, mate, seven and 72 were HD but just scaled down and broadcast in SD digital for everyone...

Foxtel are listing their rebroadcasts of both of these new channels as HD only and have put them into the range of channels only accessible by HD subscribers.
I can view them on through the FTA broadcast only through the HD receiver in my TV and both are showing as full HD 1080 res input even when showing old programs that are barely SD (e.g. The Virginian, McHale's Navy)

Rutzie wrote:Unfortunately 7HD and 9HD are no more until at least 2013. 7HD is now 7mate and 9HD is now GEM. I believe they are only allowed to have one HD channel each until 2013.

Channel 10 have a new channel called he11o (11) entering the list shortly and I think it might be 1080i http://eleven.com.au/ ...So channel 10 get two HD channels and the rest 1 until 2013?

Got thirteen channels of shit on the T.V. to choose from. Pink Floyd 'Nobody Home'

You can look up each station on Wikipedia & it tells you there what channels they have coming, what they're going to be called, HD or SD, etc.

Dv8 wrote:

Rutzie wrote:Unfortunately 7HD and 9HD are no more until at least 2013. 7HD is now 7mate and 9HD is now GEM. I believe they are only allowed to have one HD channel each until 2013.

Channel 10 have a new channel called he11o (11) entering the list shortly and I think it might be 1080i http://eleven.com.au/ ...So channel 10 get two HD channels and the rest 1 until 2013?

Got thirteen channels of shit on the T.V. to choose from. Pink Floyd 'Nobody Home'

Currently Ten have ONE as their HD channel and their second SD channel. I'm pretty sure 11 will be taking over the SD simulcast of ONE, which means ONE will be a HD only channel.

...don't forget channel 11 launches tomorrow with their 1st program to air at 11am