BBC HD “better than ever”

Chris Forrester ©RapidTVNews | 03-12-2009

Graham Plumb, acting controller/distribution, BBC Operations Group, speaking at a BBC Freeview HD event, said the BBC's new 9.5 Mb/s transmission bit-rate for HDTV resulted in images that were as good, if not better than when a 16 Mb/s was used. There has been considerable negative comments in the UK in regard to HDTV image quality.

Mr Plumb advised viewers not to be focused on the bit-rate used but to the improved power of the encoding devices now being used (and believed by Rapid TV News to be Thomson's Grass Valley units). Plumb said the new encoders being used by the BBC permitted a lower bit-rate while not affecting image quality.

The BBC has launched a terrestrial HD service for viewers in Manchester and London using DVB-T2 transmission, and with typical 9.5 Mb/s bit-rate but using statistical multiplexing permitting greater flexibility as far as transmission was concerned.

© Rapid TV News 2009

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