The Radio Times heading for Smithsonian says

Smithsonian [57]
F'view (HD only) 57 F'sat 175 Sky 171 Virgin 276

(actually the [57] is a square box).

What do you reckon "(HD only)" means? I would have assumed it meant you
needed a T2 decoder (as used to be the case for Talking Pictures TV,
even though it was only SD) [yes I know that's not the case now], but
I'm watching it on a non-T2 set (at least, it can't get channel 101).

My guess is that RT have just got it wrong.
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

Someone once said that scientists and prostitutes get paid for doing what they enjoy. - Prof Stepehen Hawking in RT 2013/12/7-13

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On 11/06/2022 15:47, J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:

The Radio Times heading for Smithsonian says

Smithsonian [57]
F'view (HD only) 57 F'sat 175 Sky 171 Virgin 276

(actually the [57] is a square box).

What do you reckon "(HD only)" means? I would have assumed it meant you needed a T2 decoder (as used to be the case for Talking Pictures TV,
even though it was only SD) [yes I know that's not the case now], but
I'm watching it on a non-T2 set (at least, it can't get channel 101).

My guess is that RT have just got it wrong.

The Smithsoian Channel is on COM 5, in good old 1990s spec DVB-T

RT have it wrong, probably because the Freeview website is wrong too

https://www.freeview.co.uk/get-freeview-play/channels/smithsonian-channel

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"Mark Carver" <mark.carver@invalid.invalid> wrote in message news:jgjpp7Fhp8rU1@mid.individual.net...

On 11/06/2022 15:47, J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:

My guess is that RT have just got it wrong.

The Smithsoian Channel is on COM 5, in good old 1990s spec DVB-T

RT have it wrong, probably because the Freeview website is wrong too

https://www.freeview.co.uk/get-freeview-play/channels/smithsonian-channel

The Freeview site is out of date. In 2019, Smithsonian SD was on LCN 99 on
COM7 so would have needed a T2 ("HD") receiver.

It is now on LCN 57 on COM5 which is a T1 mux and so can be received with a T1-only receiver.

I'm not sure when the change occurred - only that it was some time between
when I last did a scan from Bilsdale, before we moved house, and the other
day when I did a scan from Belmont where we now receive from after moving house.

Maybe someone should tell Freeview, but I doubt whether they will act on the information because the people staffing the help desks probably don't have
the technical knowledge to understand the distinction between T1/T2 and
SD/HD.

I've emailed them, so let's see if that change happens...

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On Sat, 11 Jun 2022 at 16:45:49, NY <me@privacy.invalid> wrote (my
responses usually FOLLOW):

"Mark Carver" <mark.carver@invalid.invalid> wrote in message >news:jgjpp7Fhp8rU1@mid.individual.net...

On 11/06/2022 15:47, J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:

My guess is that RT have just got it wrong.

The Smithsoian Channel is on COM 5, in good old 1990s spec DVB-T

RT have it wrong, probably because the Freeview website is wrong too

So I was right.

https://www.freeview.co.uk/get-freeview-play/channels/smithsonian-channel

The Freeview site is out of date. In 2019, Smithsonian SD was on LCN 99
on COM7 so would have needed a T2 ("HD") receiver.

I did wonder if that had been the case.

It is now on LCN 57 on COM5 which is a T1 mux and so can be received
with a T1-only receiver.

I don't remember ever seeing any actual publicity about Smithsonian; I
just saw it was there in the RT one day, at some point in the last year
or five.
[]

Maybe someone should tell Freeview, but I doubt whether they will act
on the information because the people staffing the help desks probably
don't have the technical knowledge to understand the distinction
between T1/T2 and SD/HD.

Indeed.

I've emailed them, so let's see if that change happens...

Oh, thanks - I thought about doing it (well, the RT), but didn't bother.
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

(please reply to group - they also serve who only look and lurk)
(William Allen, 1999 - after Milton, of course)

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What has probably happened is that the sd one which was using spare capacity
on the hd mpxs, is now moved to an sd one and so is receivable on almost anything.

Brian

--

--:
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...
briang1@blueyonder.co.uk
Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"J. P. Gilliver (John)" <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote in message news:S0vkKhk2rKpiFw6a@a.a...

The Radio Times heading for Smithsonian says

Smithsonian [57]
F'view (HD only) 57 F'sat 175 Sky 171 Virgin 276

(actually the [57] is a square box).

What do you reckon "(HD only)" means? I would have assumed it meant you needed a T2 decoder (as used to be the case for Talking Pictures TV,
even though it was only SD) [yes I know that's not the case now], but
I'm watching it on a non-T2 set (at least, it can't get channel 101).

My guess is that RT have just got it wrong.
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

Someone once said that scientists and prostitutes get paid for doing what they
enjoy. - Prof Stepehen Hawking in RT 2013/12/7-13

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"Brian Gaff" <brian1gaff@gmail.com> wrote in message news:t877hu$j7u$1@dont-email.me...

What has probably happened is that the sd one which was using spare
capacity on the hd mpxs, is now moved to an sd one and so is receivable on almost anything.

Yes: Smithsonian (SD) moved from a T2 mux (COM7) to a T1 mux (COM5). Anyone
who had previously been able to receive Smithsonian with T2 equipment must
be in an area that transmitted COM7 and which will therefore transmit COM5 which can be received on "SD-only" (T1) equipment.

The only people who still won't be able to get it are those people who
receive from a Freeview Lite (sic - yuk!) transmitter which only transmits PSB1, 2 and 3, but not any of the COM muxes.

I wish I could meet the person who invented the name Freeview Lite for the service provided by relays, and grip him warmly by the... throat. It's
spelled "Light" FFS ;-)

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On Mon, 13 Jun 2022 13:15:47 +0100, NY <me@privacy.invalid> wrote:

I wish I could meet the person who invented the name Freeview Lite for the service provided by relays, and grip him warmly by the... throat. It's spelled "Light" FFS ;-)

Mr William Wright has claimed that. Whether true or not, I have no idea.

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On 15/06/2022 12:49, Paul Ratcliffe wrote:

Mr William Wright has claimed that. Whether true or not, I have no idea.

I don't think it has ever been an official name so difficult to stop and
most people do not understand the difference. Even some supposedly knowledgeable people on here have been convinced that BBC News HD, BBC
Four HD etc had national coverage.

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On 15/06/2022 13:04, MB wrote:

On 15/06/2022 12:49, Paul Ratcliffe wrote:

Mr William Wright has claimed that. Whether true or not, I have no idea.

I don't think it has ever been an official name so difficult to stop
and most people do not understand the difference.  Even some
supposedly knowledgeable people on here have been convinced that BBC
News HD, BBC Four HD etc had national coverage.

Take your argument to its logical conclusion, and no TV or radio channel
has national coverage, or mobile phone network, or supermarket chain....

If you aggregate DTT, D-Sat, Cable, and on line delivery, then both BBC
News HD and BBC HD do have pretty well national coverage

(DTT isn't the only platform you know)

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On 15/06/2022 13:16, Mark Carver wrote:

Take your argument to its logical conclusion, and no TV or radio channel
has national coverage, or mobile phone network, or supermarket chain....

I was just commenting on people who should know better often saying to
watch BBC News HD on Freeview and not understanding that it is not
available everywhere on Freeview.

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On 13/06/2022 13:15, NY wrote:

I wish I could meet the person who invented the name Freeview Lite for
the service provided by relays, and grip him warmly by the... throat.
It's spelled "Light" FFS ;-)

Should be light*weight*.

--
Max Demian

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On 15/06/2022 12:49, Paul Ratcliffe wrote:

On Mon, 13 Jun 2022 13:15:47 +0100, NY <me@privacy.invalid> wrote:

I wish I could meet the person who invented the name Freeview Lite for the >> service provided by relays, and grip him warmly by the... throat. It's
spelled "Light" FFS ;-)

Mr William Wright has claimed that. Whether true or not, I have no idea.

I was the first to use it, in an article in What Satellite. I also
invented the expression,'men in suits'.

Bill

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On 15/06/2022 17:39, Max Demian wrote:

On 13/06/2022 13:15, NY wrote:

I wish I could meet the person who invented the name Freeview Lite for
the service provided by relays, and grip him warmly by the... throat.
It's spelled "Light" FFS ;-)

The name Freeview Lite(©) was intended to convey the impression of
'cheap and shoddy', or at the least 'lacking important ingredients',
like most products called 'something lite'.

Bill

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williamwright <wrightsaerials@f2s.com> wrote:

On 15/06/2022 17:39, Max Demian wrote:

On 13/06/2022 13:15, NY wrote:

I wish I could meet the person who invented the name Freeview Lite for
the service provided by relays, and grip him warmly by the... throat.
It's spelled "Light" FFS ;-)

The name Freeview Lite(©) was intended to convey the impression of
'cheap and shoddy', or at the least 'lacking important ingredients',
like most products called 'something lite'.

In a similar way to 'something pro' which means lacking essential
everyday useability but overburdened with eye candy and useless
features.


--
~ Liz Tuddenham ~
(Remove the ".invalid"s and add ".co.uk" to reply)
www.poppyrecords.co.uk

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On 16/06/2022 07:41, Liz Tuddenham wrote:

williamwright <wrightsaerials@f2s.com> wrote:

On 15/06/2022 17:39, Max Demian wrote:

On 13/06/2022 13:15, NY wrote:

I wish I could meet the person who invented the name Freeview Lite for >>>> the service provided by relays, and grip him warmly by the... throat.
It's spelled "Light" FFS ;-)

The name Freeview Lite(©) was intended to convey the impression of
'cheap and shoddy', or at the least 'lacking important ingredients',
like most products called 'something lite'.

In a similar way to 'something pro' which means lacking essential
everyday useability but overburdened with eye candy and useless
features.

... which you have to pay through the nose for to avoid being nagged
(like Avast).

--
Max Demian

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On 16/06/2022 07:41, Liz Tuddenham wrote:

The name Freeview Lite(©) was intended to convey the impression of
'cheap and shoddy', or at the least 'lacking important ingredients',
like most products called 'something lite'.

In a similar way to 'something pro' which means lacking essential
everyday useability but overburdened with eye candy and useless
features.

Yes!

Bill

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On Mon, 13 Jun 2022 at 13:15:47, NY <me@privacy.invalid> wrote (my
responses usually FOLLOW):

"Brian Gaff" <brian1gaff@gmail.com> wrote in message >news:t877hu$j7u$1@dont-email.me...

What has probably happened is that the sd one which was using spare >>capacity on the hd mpxs, is now moved to an sd one and so is
receivable on almost anything.

Yes. But RT continuing to say "HD only" in their listing for it is
incorrect since that move.

Yes: Smithsonian (SD) moved from a T2 mux (COM7) to a T1 mux (COM5).
Anyone who had previously been able to receive Smithsonian with T2
equipment must be in an area that transmitted COM7 and which will
therefore transmit COM5 which can be received on "SD-only" (T1) equipment.

Same (I think) as Talking Pictures TV (which I think has always been SD
only, but was initially only on a T2 multiplex). I don't know which
moved to T1 first; I wasn't aware the Smithsonian channel _existed_
until some time after it did.
[]

I wish I could meet the person who invented the name Freeview Lite for
the service provided by relays, and grip him warmly by the... throat.
It's spelled "Light" FFS ;-)

Along with the person who spread "HD" as meaning "T2". (And as for "HD
ready" or whatever the horrible phrase was [for 720 resolution],
throttling's far too good for him/her ...)

[Yes, I know for practical purposes T2 and HD were _almost_ synonymous
as implemented in the UK, and easier for the great unwashed to
understand, but not entirely [as shown by the two channels we're
discussing], and it's - one of many, many - inaccuracies that are
propagated on the public.)
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

Advertising is legalized lying. - H.G. Wells

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