Sky drops VC-1/WMV9 for MPEG-4 AVC on HDTV

[bond]

About BSkyB's HDTV plans:

· Sky's HDTV system will support both 720p and 1080i picture formats. Broadcasters will be able to choose the format which is most appropriate to their individual requirements.

· Sky will use the advanced compression coding system MPEG-4 for its HDTV broadcasts...http://digital-lifestyles.info/display_page.asp?section=distribution&id=1978
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/article/ds19616.html
http://www.sky.com/

[SeeMoreDigital]

This is most welcome news!

I had an awful feeling a few months ago that BSkyB and Micro$oft would have joined forces in a horrendous attempted plot for high-def "world media domination"... but they haven't... which is nice!

So Sky are going to provide 720p and 1080i HDTV broadcasts... Wow, even using Mpeg4/AVC, this is going to take up a serious amount of transponder/bandwidth space...

I wonder how well they are going to cope with live outside broadcast events when relying on satellite up-links and down-links?

Interesting stuff

[Ishan]

What I fear about is we'll have to buy yet another DVB card to receive those MPEG4/AVC channels. I eard somewhere they gonna use another standard like DVB-s2 or yet another modulation system.
Looks like digital cable are going this way too (honestly.. I can't wait :) )

and what about decoding power needed buy HD AVC stream? SD stream are already pretty cpu time consuming :|

The same goes for recording and the like. I've a pretty bad feeling about some broadcast flags and crap like that...

No one can answer but it's good to ask some questions :)

[thegeby]

What I fear about is we'll have to buy yet another DVB card to receive those MPEG4/AVC channels. I eard somewhere they gonna use another standard like DVB-s2 or yet another modulation system.
Yes and Yes
and what about decoding power needed buy HD AVC stream?
ASIC's for this are developed now. I think SKY has commissioned Thompson (or maybe only DirecTV did) to deliver the boxes at first.
broadcast flags and crap like that
Your guess is as good as mine. Sky did choose the HDMI/DVI/HDCP rout, but has lately indicated that connection via component (at ? quality) would be possible.

[Ishan]

I was talking about AVC decoding on a PC, maybe we'll see the return of those dvb card with integrated decoder (for AVC this time).