It was announced today by regulator Freeview that by next year, in some parts of the country, Freeview viewers will be able to watch high definition TV channels.
Space will be freed up for four Freeview HD TV services using new technology and through a reorganisation of the way channels are allocated on digital terrestrial television spectrum.
Three will be open to a competitive bidding process overseen by Ofcom among the commercial public service broadcasters, including ITV, Channel 4, Channel Five and Welsh language channel S4C. One of them will be reserved for the BBC.
In November last year the UK's main terrestrial broadcasters announced a joint blueprint, agreed among themselves, for the rollout of HD TV services on Freeview.
But the regulator said an industry-led approach "would not allow for an open and transparent process of allocating what is valuable capacity on a public service multiplex".
Ofcom also warned that it would not take "full account of the level of regulatory intervention" that was still required and increased the risk that the new HD channels would be delayed.
"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to upgrade digital terrestrial television," said the Ofcom chief executive, Ed Richards.
"It offers benefits for broadcasters - who will be able to launch new services without using any new spectrum - and viewers - who will have access to new channels and services on free to air."
Viewers who want to watch the new channels will have to buy a new set-top box incorporating the superior MPEG-4, rather than MPEG-2, compression technology.
As digital switchover takes place in the north-west of England and subsequent regions from 2009, the first three HD channels will be available for those regions to watch. All four HD channels should be available across the country by the time digital switchover is due to be completed in 2012.
Broadcasters that bid to run one of the three commercial HD services will be judged on three criteria: efficient use of the spectrum; contribution to public service broadcasting; and contribution to the range and diversity of television services in the UK.
Today's Ofcom announcement concludes a consultation process on the Freeview HD proposals which was begun last November. They still require government approval to go ahead.
The regulator said the spectrum for the new channels had been freed up by efficiency improvements and an increase in capacity in DTT following digital switchover.
MPEG-4 is twice as efficient as the MPEG-2 standard, while a new European transmission standard, DVB-2, will increase capacity by 30%.
The regulator will also reshuffle the six multiplexes on which DTT is broadcast. Channels will be moved off multiplex B, one of three multiplexes used for public service broadcasting, on to spare capacity on other multiplexes, freeing up space for HD and other new Freeview services.
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