ACMA - ACMA media release 23/2007

13 March 2007

ACMA assigns channels for commercial digital television services in remote areas of Australia

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has allotted and assigned digital channels for commercial television services in Remote Central and Eastern Australia and Remote and Regional Western Australia.

The areas in Remote Central and Eastern Australia are Mount Isa, Alice Springs and Katherine. The areas in Remote and Regional Western Australia are Albany, Broome, Carnarvon, Central Agricultural, Esperance, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, Karratha, Manjimup, Narrogin, Northam, Port Hedland, Roebourne, Southern Agricultural and Wagin.

In each of these areas, ACMA has also identified unassigned digital channels that may be used for other purposes

ACMA has also identified one additional channel in each of the abovementioned areas which are reserved for a possible third commercial television service to operate in digital mode only.

‘In making these decisions, ACMA weighed up a number of important factors. These include the aim of spectrum efficiency, the need to minimise any changes that viewers will have to make to their existing reception equipment to receive digital broadcasts and the desirability of broadcasters being able to use their existing infrastructure to broadcast their digital television services,’ said Giles Tanner, ACMA General Manager, Inputs to Industry Division.

‘ACMA has at all time given the interest of viewers a high priority. However, these plans may some impact on the use of VCRs and set top boxes. Fortunately, only relatively minor disruption to viewers are expected as, in most cases, retuning of television sets and VCRs will be all that is required.’ said Mr Tanner. "Public information and education campaigns will be established to deal with and provide timely advice for viewers on how to retune devices and alternative connection methods before any changes take place.’

The decisions are contained in explanatory papers and commercial digital channel plans, released today. Tables summarising the assignment of digital channels, including the unassigned channels and the reserved channel, are provided in the attached backgrounder.

The explanatory papers and commercial digital channel plans for Remote Central and Eastern Australia and Remote Western Australia are available on the ACMA website, or by calling Freecall 1800 226 667.

Media contact: Donald Robertson, ACMA Media Manager on (02) 9334 7980.

Backgrounder

ACMA was required (by Schedule 4 of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992) (the Act)) to formulate legislative schemes for the conversion of commercial and national television broadcasting services from analog to digital mode.

The Commercial Television Conversion (CTC) Scheme and National Television Conversion (NTC) Schemes were formulated in 1999 and varied in December 2000 and January 2003.

Under the CTC and NTC Schemes, ACMA is empowered to develop and vary digital channel plans for areas throughout Australia. The digital channel plans determine which channels are to be allotted to each licensee for the purposes of transmitting services in digital mode and the technical characteristics of those channels.

In developing and varying digital channel plans, ACMA objective is to plan channel allotments to enable broadcasters to plan their digital transmission coverage to achieve the same level of coverage as with its analog coverage and ensure other policy objectives in clauses 6(3) and 19(3) of the Act are met.

Impact on VCRs and pay-tv set top boxes

Channels 36, 37 and 38 have often been the default radio frequency (RF) output channels for VCRs and ancillary devices, such as pay-TV Set Top Boxes (STBs). Devices such as VCRs can be connected to a television in a number of ways, one of which is to use a RF output channel. In the past manufacturers of VCR’s and STBs have typically preset the RF output channel to 36, 37 or 38 although since the advent of digital television channel 69 has increasingly become the default channel.

Use of these channels for broadcasting services can result in interference to the television’s reception of the VCR or ancillary device output. However, in some instances, ACMA needs to utilise these channels for digital television services to achieve the best possible overall outcome for the public. Such interference can be overcome reasonably simply, and at no cost, by viewers following the instruction manuals for the VCR (or other ancillary device) and television to tune in an alternative channel or by connecting the television to the VCR through the audio and video (A/V) connections.

This potential interference problem has significantly reduced over the last few years as many newer VCRs and STBs default to channel 69 or use non-RF connections.

Tables

The following tables list the assignment of channels for the digital television repeater services in the variation to the digital channel plans for Inland and North Coast NSW, Regional Queensland, Tasmania and the Northern Territory.

Remote Central and Eastern Australia

Mount Isa

Area Served	Mode
Mount Isa		ABIQ	ITQ	SBS	IMP	Reserved	Unassigned
	Analog	6	8	29	32	-	-
	Digital	7	9	9A	31	10	11	28

Alice Springs

Area Served	Mode
Alice Springs		ABAD	IMP	SBS	QQQ	Reserved	Unassigned
	Analog	7	9	28	31	-	-
	Digital	8	9A	6	10	11	29	30

Katherine

Area Served	Mode
Katherine		ABKD	IMP	SBS	QQQ	Reserved	Unassigned
	Analog	7	9	58	61	-	-
	Digital	8	9A	6	10	11	57	60

Remote and Regional Western Australia

Albany

Area Served	Mode
Albany		ABAW	SSW	SBS	WOW	Reserved	Unassigned
	Analog	7	10	40	43	-	-
	Digital	8	9A	41	6	44	47	50

Broome

Area Served	Mode
Broome		ABW	SBS	WAW	WOW	Reserved	Unassigned
	Analog	8	29	11	6	-	-	-
	Digital	9	9A	12	7	10	28	31

Bunbury

Area Served	Mode
Bunbury		ABSW	SBS	SSW	WOW	Reserved	Unassigned
	Analog	5	30	3	39	-	-	-
	Digital	36	34	40	37	30	44	47

Carnarvon

Area Served	Mode
Carnarvon		ABCNW	SBS	WAW	WOW	Reserved	Unassigned
	Analog	7	12	10	9	-	-	-
	Digital	6	11	9A	29	8	30	32

Central Agricultural

Area Served	Mode
Central Agricultural		ABCW	SBS	SSW	WOW	Reserved	Unassigned
	Analog	5A	47	50	44	-	-	-
	Digital	45	48	51	39	42	33	36

Esperance

Area Served	Mode
Esperance		ABEW	SBS	VEW	WOW	Reserved	Unassigned
	Analog	10	28	7	31	-	-	-
	Digital	9A	9	12	32	30	29	35

Geraldton

Area Served	Mode
Geraldton		ABGW	GTW	SBS	WOW	Reserved	Unassigned
	Analog	6	11	29	32	-	-	-
	Digital	41	9A	42	48	45	43	46

Kalgoorlie

Area Served	Mode
Kalgoorlie		ABKW	SBS	VEW	WOW	Reserved	Unassigned
	Analog	6	28	8	11	-	-	-
	Digital	9A	7	9	12	10	29	30

Karratha

Area Served	Mode
Karratha		ABSW	SBS	WAW	WOW	Reserved	Unassigned
	Analog	54	66	57	60	-	-	-
	Digital	53	65	56	59	52	62	63

Manjimup

Area Served	Mode
Manjimup		ABW	SBS	SSW	WOW	Reserved	Unassigned
	Analog	57	54	60	63	-	-	-
	Digital	58	55	66	64	61	67	68

Narrogin

Area Served	Mode
Narrogin		ABW	SBS	SSW	WOW	Reserved	Unassigned
	Analog	57	54	60	63	-	-	-
	Digital	58	55	66	64	61	67	68

Northam

Area Served	Mode
Northam		ABW	SBS	SSW	WOW	Reserved	Unassigned
	Analog	56	53	59	62	-	-	-
	Digital	57	54	66	63	60	67	68

Port Hedland

Area Served	Mode
Port Hedland		ABPHW	SBS	WAW	WOW	Reserved	Unassigned
	Analog	7	42	11	9A	-	-	-
	Digital	8	6	12	10	9	41	43

Roebourne

Area Served	Mode
Roebourne		ABRBW	SBS	WAW	WOW	Reserved	Unassigned
	Analog	9		6	31	-	-	-
	Digital	9A		7	10	11	30	36

Southern Agricultural

Area Served	Mode
Southern Agricultural		ABAW	SBS	SSW	WOW	Reserved	Unassigned
	Analog	2	28	9	31	-	-	-
	Digital	11	29	12	33	32	36	37

Wagin

Area Served	Mode
Wagin		ABW	SBS	SSW	WOW	Reserved	Unassigned
	Analog	8	29	6	32	-	-	-
	Digital	38	28	35	41	31	43	46

ACMA media release 23/2007 - 13 March