Ofcom to push ahead with HD “migration” plan

Media regulator Ofcom will next month unveil a controversial plan to convert Freeview broadcasts from their existing transmission format to another, more efficient method. The change, from the DVB-T MPEG2 standard (in use in the UK since the launch of ONdigital) to the new DVB-T2 MPEG4 system, will require viewers to buy new set-top boxes in order to continue receiving services. The plan follows Ofcom’s insistence that there is no need to free up more capacity for the launch of additional SD and HD services, thus enabling them to auction-off more frequencies to the highest bidders.