Free-To Air multichannel 10 Bold is now broadcasting in High Definition in metro markets across Australia after the network quietly upgraded the channel late last week.
The move to improve the picture quality on 10 Bold comes as the channel prepares to become the new home W-League football with the match of the round to be screened live on Sunday afternoons from December 3.
The 10 Network was the last of Australia’s three commercial free-to-air broadcasters to create a second high-definition channel.
As part of the upgrade, 10 Bold HD is now being broadcast using the Mpeg4 format. The Mpeg4 technology allows networks to fit more channels onto their limited spectrum space. However, the format is not compatible with some older televisions.
Unlike rival networks, Channel 10 has opted not to provide a duplicate SD Mpeg2 version of 10 Bold, meaning viewers with incompatible equipment will be forced to upgrade their televisions if they wish to continue accessing 10 Bold programming.
The 10 Bold Facebook page has already received a number of complaints from viewers frustrated by the format change which was made by the network without warning.
Regional broadcaster Prime7 made a similar move with the 7mate channel in Canberra earlier this year, but was forced to reverse the decision after an angry backlash from viewers frustrated at being unable to access the channel.
At this stage, it appears unlikely regional viewers will be able to access the high-definition version of 10 Bold. Popular multi-channels 7mate and 9Gem are also only broadcast in standard definition across much of regional Australia.
Note: Due to an ongoing dispute regarding editorial independence, the 10 Network and its parent company ViacomCBS declined to provide assistance with the preparation of this content.
This is good news. Yes there will be some old TVs that can’t watch it but all those TVs are going to need to be replaced eventually, as the liberal govt did plan to legislate mpeg4 as the default for all free to all channels, to force everyone to upgrade, but the cost to the consumer was one reason why they didn’t go ahead with it.
This is the future and more and more channels will be doing this. If you have an old TV but a good broadband connection, a chromecast is a great future proof alternative (basically you are streaming all your TV). Another good alternative is a fetch box – even the fetch mini streaming only box has a free to air tuner so you can watch upgraded channels too.
If you do buy a new TV and connect it to the internet, a whole world of TV and movies awaits, even for free. 7plus and Tubi are the best places to watch free movies in Australia. Netflix not required. 7. 9, ABC and SBS all have lots of stuff on their apps that you would never see on TV, because it’s shown at odd hours or on multi channels. If you do want to dip into the world of streaming though, Amazon prime video is the cheapest at just $59 a year (works out to just under $5 a month) and you get unlimited music and books with that too as well as free shipping.
Well now I can’t watch my favourite shows. Will save a heap of time and the TV
will be off for 98% of the time.
I will now stop watching all on CH 10. Bold was my best station.
Peter bartlett
Hi Peter – have you tried retuning your television to see if you can pick it up?
Thanks for the warning…. wasted time retuning, going round and round the channels to see what was wrong. I get all other HD channels on my OLD TV…and now I get 10HD but not 12BOLD HD! I even get 15HD (ch.10 again).
People who are not working can’t afford to just buy a new TV…. what arrogance and complete lack of sustainable thinking.
So I say “goodbye”to the serials I liked to watch.
I feel for the young woman receptionist at the station when I rang to find out what was going on. She (and others like her) have probably had to deal with the ire of viewers who have lost their favourite stories/action teams, etc. I doubt the high-falutin ‘Execs will give her a bonus for dealing with their lack of engagement with their audiences.
I don’t care for endless reality TV or football replays so Goodbye to Channel 10
Hi Mala – have you tried retuning your television? Does that help?
Steve I tried retuning but nothing helped.
Hi Susan – That’s no good. Can you access the other HD channels (if they are available in your area)?
Retuned daily for days… deleted all unnecessary channels in case t h ey were blocking access, and have all other HD channels working fine. I was told I could buy a set top box or a new tv… That’s it!
Hi Mala – I understand the change wasn’t just to make 10 Bold high definition, they changed the method by which they broadcast it. Unfortunately that means you won’t be able to see it unless you buy a new set top box/PVR and/or TV.
Thanks for the information. I was totally bewildered by why I’d completely lost a channel. Appalling contempt for viewers by the network.
Disappointed
Bought a set top box $39.. still no video… audio coming through… no other noticeable change… Laser STB-7000 “Set top box HDmedia player” … ??? From BigW… I live in regional area so no easy access to techno stores … not happy!
Absolutely appauling communication and no consideration for people’s needs in this Covid World.
Well that’s just crap isn’t it? My favourite shows were on bold like NCIS etc etc, now who can afford a tv let alone a set top box, like come on please just put it back to normal so us watchers don’t go insane!
Would have been better to have been informed been going in circles trying to sort this out not everyone can afford a new TV so I guess a lot of us will just miss our favourite programs
goodbye ch 10,,, long time coming
No respect for viewers – they only had to let us know! My Panasonic says it will tune mpeg4, but a scan simply removed 10 Bold? Ch 10 – how about replaying F1GP & 4WD shows on 10? Please!
To Steve Molk,
Retune the TV…first step, as most would expect.
No TEN BOLD is a real shit, as per One.
This has just taken a major chunk out of one’s viewing.
MotoGP is on now, and is nowhere to be seen.
Shall we suggest this has been a crap result.
Regards,
AG..
Hi AG – So sorry to hear that the re-tune hasn’t worked for you. Does your TV receive and display High Definition streams (i.e. regional HD network channels)?
PLEASE BRING BACK CHANNEL 12 PLEASE
I wish to make a remark on the update of 10’s “BOLD” channel to HD, re-tuning the TV, and the update in the method to broadcast in mpeg4 and the future.
First, on Tuesday the 26th of October 2021, I was scanning the channels in the morning and observed that 10’s “BOLD” was transmitting in HD with Dolby Digital sound. Strangely 9’s Go! was also transmitting in HD with Dolby Digital sound. I said Go! not GEM which is already in HD.
In the afternoon, 10’s “BOLD” was still in HD with Dolby Digital sound but 9’s Go! resumed in SD and MPEG sound.
It was a surprise to see 9’s Go! in HD temporarily. There was a noticeable difference in picture quality.
Second, to receive the MPEG4 transmissions, your TV must be capable of decoding MPEG4 transmissions. We have a 2012 LG and 2014 Samsung and they have been capable of receiving MPEG4 transmissions. There was no need to re-tune the TV as the reception of 10’s “BOLD” from SD to HD was automatic.
Nevertheless, other brands of TV may require a re-tune.
If the re-tune does not work, a software/firmware upgrade to your TV may be required. I recall eight years ago that a software update to the LG enabled MPEG4 reception.
So a software/firmware upgrade to your TV may be required and if necessary a re-tune if necessary.
On the other hand other TV’s such as a plasma TV from the early to mid 2000s may not be capable of receiving MPEG4 full stop.
What is the solution? Purchasing a set-top box with MPEG4 capability and connecting the set-top box’s hdmi output to the TV’s hdmi input. My friend’s 2007 LG Plasma required the purchase of a set-top box. Problem solved in relation to not only MPEG4 HD transmissions, but even SD reception of some channels.
However, the problem is not solved even if your TV and/or set-top box is capable of MPEG4 reception.
Currently, FTA transmissions employ the DVB-T standard. In the future, DVB-T2 may be the method of transmission for FTA. DVB-T2 is backward compatible with DVB-T so you will be able to watch all HD and SD channels.
However DVB-T2 features HVEC-265 coding/decoding which means transmissions using the HVEC-265 codec potentially enables 4k transmissions. By potential means that the standard enables 4k transmission, but the codecs on the transmitter/receiver system may not be enabled. At the same time, more data can be transmitted than the MPEG4 standard which means that there could be more SD and HD channels.
Some TVs may well be DVB-T2 equipped. But it does not mean that a DVB-T2-equipped system means that 4k transmissions/reception will be capable and available.
So if DVB-T2 becomes the norm in the future, despite being DVB-T2 being backward compatible with DVB-T1, it does mean if a FTA channel transmit DVB-T2-exclusive content using the HVEC 265 codec, you may need to purchase a set-top box capable of DVB-T2.
Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Efficiency_Video_Coding
Unlike the stability of the analogue system’s PAL/NTSC/SECAM standards for 60 plus years, in a short time, the HEVC 265 system is evolving and previous versions of HVEC 265 have been superceded in the last 10 years, ref: https://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-H.265.
Thank you,
Anthony of exciting Belfield
Hi we can get the new 10 Bold but when you record shows it won’t let you zoom through the ads. Does anyone know of a fix? Thanks