ONE HD is a major let down to regional viewers
Roar Pro
By Benjamin Conkey, 3 Apr 2009 Benjamin Conkey is a Roar Pro
- Tagged:
- ONE HD
The constant reminders that Channel Ten’s ONE HD was only X number of days away was cruel. Very cruel. It was like an April Fools joke to regional viewers. When the day finally arrived, we were left with a message saying “Southern Cross Ten wishes to advise viewers that the ONE HD Channel is currently only available in metropolitan areas. We apologise for any inconvenience.”
Inconvenience. You could say that again.
Southern Cross was so secretive in the lead up to ONE HD. There were rumours on various websites that regional viewers would be unable to receive the channel until later in the year, but no official word.
What really annoys me is the excuse they’ve given.
Apart from the throw-away line about an “economic crisis,” apparently regional areas do not have the infrastructure to broadcast the HD Channel. This includes our nation’s capital, which is also under the control of Southern Cross Ten!
So what about all those times Rove was in HD, or NCIS, or any other entertainment show? What was that infrastructure? Did it just magically happen?
If High Definition is the only problem, why don’t they just broadcast it in Standard Definition?
And what about all those people that went out and bought digital set-top-boxes so they could watch their sport for free 24-hours a day?
Clearly the only thing preventing Southern Cross Ten from launching ONE HD to us hapless country folk (and Canberrans) is advertising. They specifically want local ads to appear on the channel.
Instead of a metropolitan mobile phone company advertisement, which only makes Channel Ten money, they want their own Southern Cross advertising revenue coming from one of those annoying Rivers ads or the local butcher.
So now we just have to bide our time, again. They claim it will be ready in a couple of months, but I wouldn’t count on it.
We’re used to waiting in the country. Our broadband services are rubbish, yet we still get charged the same prices.
Now when promised free sport, we still have to pay for it. Actually, sometimes we can’t even watch it at all.
About a month ago, the World Matchplay championships were only on Ten HD. So I couldn’t even watch Tiger Woods’ return to professional golf, unless I looked for an illegal loophole on the internet (I may or may not have found one).
I’ve been too scared to check next week’s TV guide to see whether the Masters is only on ONE HD. If it is, I may just throw this computer against a wall in disgust.
Please, someone tell me I can watch one of my favourite sporting events of the year. Even if it is only on analogue TV or in black and white, I don’t care.
Surely Southern Cross has the infrastructure for that?
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- Explore:
- ONE HD
Brett McKay said | April 3rd 2009 @ 7:49am | Report comment
Conks, not sure if you’ve seen them this week or not, but SCTen has started running “COMING SOON” ads for ONE HD. Of course what they don’t don’t say is whether it’s coming soon just after Easter, or whether it’s coming soon just after hell freezes over…
LK said | April 3rd 2009 @ 8:06am | Report comment
Hey Ben,
Good article. As a resident of the Nash Cap I re-tuned my set-top box last week in anticipation of getting One and all its 24hr sporting delights. But there was nothing. I was later told it might be available later in the year. I shouldn’t have been surprised, the whole digital TV change-over has been a shemozzle. If they (broadcasters, govt, whoever) want us to switch to digital they should stop the stupid Free TV ads and make channels like One readily available in regional areas. And why isn’t there more flexibility with existing sport broadacsting? Prime recently pushed back Friday night AFL to 9.30pm in Canberra. They should be allowed to broadcast on another digital channel at an earlier time (I know the current deal doesn’t allow it). Do you know how or when the IPL (SAPL?) will be broadcast?
Cheers
LK
Chop said | April 3rd 2009 @ 8:55am | Report comment
I sent an email of to SC Ten asking about One and the times the IPL would be shown on SD Southern Cross Ten, it’s been a week now with no response. As a 10+ yr Fox (and Galaxy) subscriber I was unhappy Ten took a whole lot of sport of Fox Sports because I guessed they would treat it like the sport on FTA TV now….
Unfortunately they won’t even have the opportunity to cut golf tournaments off into the sudden death playoff or delay games to suit the news or Australia’s Next young bimbo….because the non-metro places won’t even see any of it in the first place…..
As much as I dislike the expense of Pay TV, they are 100% committed to showing every moment of everything they can and that’s why I do fork out each month, to watch top level sports live with the best coverage available.
Papa Romeo said | April 3rd 2009 @ 10:04am | Report comment
So how does that computer look embedded in the wall?
Tom said | April 3rd 2009 @ 10:58am | Report comment
Personally I think One HD is more of a let down for people who do get it than don’t.
el_capitan said | April 3rd 2009 @ 11:01am | Report comment
Its an ok channel. I wouln’t complain if I didn’t have it, but the public has been misled. Perhaps a class action suit against SC10?
Michael C said | April 3rd 2009 @ 11:15am | Report comment
ah look – it’s just the start – - give’em a go. At least 10 are having a crack at providing a decent alternative. And in the present financial climate too!!!
Don’t launch legal action, just provide suitable and creative feedback. Who knows, ONeHD might be the future home of the Socceroos on FTA and overseas Australian cricket tours.
Benjamin Conkey said | April 3rd 2009 @ 11:54am | Report comment
Michael C, Yeah I don’t have a problem with Ten. Southern Cross is pretty much a completely separate company and therefore, it’s their fault as I’ve mentioned. Tom obviously I haven’t seen ONE HD…can you inform me as to what’s wrong with it? The TV guide looks solid…a lot of replays during the week, but you have to expect that with any 24 hour sports channel.
Papa Romeo, I didn’t have to throw the computer. My mate informed me that the Masters will be on ‘normal’ tv.
Tom said | April 3rd 2009 @ 12:35pm | Report comment
Really just a personal thing. I coudn’t care less about poker or pro bull riding, which is apparently what’s on tonight.
I guess if you’re into NBA or car racing, which seem to get a lot of airplay, then you’ll get something out of it.
I might watch it a bit if they show the IPL at reasonable hours.
Millster said | April 3rd 2009 @ 5:42pm | Report comment
I think the discussion of what actual sports they are showing is a clear indication that Southern Cross and the regional communities have until the 2011-13 window when the media rights renegotiations for all the major football codes occur to get this sorted.
This issue is only of relatively minor importance until such time as OneHD starts becoming the platform for some or all of the HAL, NRL, S14 and/or AFL. But when that starts approaching… watch out, its going to be an interesting time in the history of Australian sports and media.