FreeHD Canada Delays Launch Date

Sadie

CRTC is familiar with the implemented restriction but require a champion for the cause. I am not within shouting distance of their offices (which I believe is required). That is why someone in Ottawa would be ideal with a nationwide group lending its weight. With Sun TV news channel getting the go ahead yesterday CBC would probably be more receptive to change recommended by anyone but the Conservatives. Maybe your own Mr. Dexter would be a respected voice for rural Canadians. Delays for non-urban (<300,000 is hardly limited to rural) communities in the change over add to the argument for Canadians getting direct access to their own news.

It really isn't right that a channel like CBC Newsworld is not available on FTA. Then again, perhaps the cable companies and dish companies pay CBC for the signal?

The fact that this is a cable channel makes it worse. The signal is obviously up there already since it is distributed all over the country. All they have to do is unscramble it.

CBC encrypts their feeds to protect their and others copyrights. The do sell some programming abroad, carry some US programming, and NHL hockey. CBC NewsNow (current name of Newsworld), is scrambled exactly because it is a cable channel., yes which the providers pay for, even though it is in basic packages.

classicsat said:

CBC encrypts their feeds to protect their and others copyrights.

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I didn't know copyright could be protected by having a secondary distributor deliver the signal in its entirety. I have a cursory familiarity with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office, can you point to the website where I can get up to speed on this? How does PBS handle it? This would also indicate the tax for CBC should be collected by the designated distributors (those not blocked by VideoGuard) in areas not covered by OTA and the rest of us should have to fend for ourselves with the tax money we save.

classicsat said:

CBC NewsNow (current name of Newsworld), is scrambled exactly because it is a cable channel., yes which the providers pay for, even though it is in basic packages.

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If CBC NewsNow is a cable channel with distribution rights restricted to corporate interests than those interests should pay for it without a taxpayer subsidy (or the use of seriously undervalued CBC resources) and collect for it in their billing. Treating it as a commercial product should result in a profit not a tax without benefit for those that can't afford it. Every corner store collects taxes on products purchased (not just available for purchase) so there is a great model already in place.

It boggles my mind as to why their signals are allowed to scramble.

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then Americans could steal our Simpsons reruns and Wheel of fortune.

kidding aside, they can scramble it because satellite bandwidth isn't free. The most the government could do is make them offer a free-$5/month subscription for CBC only.

Conky said:

they can scramble it because satellite bandwidth isn't free. The most the government could do is make them offer a free-$5/month subscription for CBC only.

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Bell must scramble their transmissions for the service to exist as a business. Encryption of CBC signals on Anik F1R at 107.3°W is what I am questioning.

i had read an email reply from cbc on this topic some months ago and their position on encryption dealt more with sports blackouts. not sure why they cant simply encrypt the feed for the sporting events but that was their reply.

crackt out,.

crackt said:

i had read an email reply from cbc on this topic some months ago and their position on encryption dealt more with sports blackouts. not sure why they cant simply encrypt the feed for the sporting events but that was their reply.

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If CBC is only using encryption for blackouts surely only blackouts would be encrypted.

Can it be that a couple of sports franchises protecting local markets for occasional and seasonal broadcasts control entirely the availability of a nationally funded network? That's pretty fantastic considering the size of the country, diversity of interests and distribution of taxpayers.