North-Central Victoria switchover area
Switchover period 1 January – 30 June 2011
juLY 2010
Canberra
Purple Building
Benjamin Offices
Chan Street
Belconnen ACT
PO Box 78
Belconnen ACT 2616
T +61 2 6219 5555
F +61 2 6219 5353 / Melbourne
Level 44
Melbourne Central Tower
360 Elizabeth Street Melbourne VIC
PO Box 13112
Law Courts
Melbourne VIC 8010
T +61 3 9963 6800
F +61 3 9963 6899 / Sydney
Level 5
The Bay Centre
65 Pirrama Road
Pyrmont NSW
PO Box Q500
Queen Victoria Building
NSW 1230
T +61 2 9334 7700
1800 226 667
F +61 2 9334 7799
© Commonwealth of Australia 2011
This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced
by any process without prior written permission from the Commonwealth. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction
and rights should be addressed to the Manager, Editorial Services, Australian Communications and Media Authority,
PO Box 13112 Law Courts, Melbourne Vic 8010.
Published by the Australian Communications and Media Authority
acma | ii
Contents (Continued)
Content
Executive summary 4
North-Central Victoria switchover area 6
Overview 6
Coverage evaluation 8
The ACMA’s CEP methodology 8
Digital channel plans 8
Implementation plans 9
Survey planning 9
Field survey measurement program 9
Conclusion 10
Appendix A 12
North-Central Victoria switchover area 12
Appendix B 13
Transmission sites in the North-Central Victoria switchover area 13
Appendix C 14
Licence areas overlapping the North-Central Victoria switchover area 14
Appendix D 15
Measurement locations in the North-Central Victoria switchover area 15
Appendix E 16
Urban centre/locality-specific results for the North-Central Victoria
switchover area 16
Executive summary
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (the ACMA) performed field survey measurements as part of its coverage evaluation program (CEP) across the North-Central Victoria switchover area in October and November 2009. Based on the available information and the evidence gathered through prediction modelling and survey measurements, all planned digital services in the switchover area that have been rolled out are, in general, achieving the same level of coverage and potential reception quality in digital mode as is provided by existing analog television services (same coverage policy objective)[1].
However, while the ACMA has determined that licensed broadcasters in the switchover area are generally meeting their coverage obligations, it is likely that a number of households in marginal or signal deficient areas will experience poor analog and digital reception. These localities are (with population in brackets) Barham (1,132), Koondrook (802), Lascelles (114), Manangatang (265), Mathoura (653), Pyalong (269), Turriff (140), Woomelang (195) and Wycheproof (815).
The ACMA has also identified other locations where analog and digital coverage inconsistency may cause some minor reception problems (see Appendix E for area-specific details). The ACMA predicts that a comparatively smaller percentage of households may experience analog and digital reception difficulties in these locations.
There are a number of towns within the switchover area that are not expected to receive the full suite of services licensed to the area. There are no national analog services available from the Hopetoun transmitter and correspondingly no planned digital national services. The Hopetoun-Beulah translator (which falls outside the market area but within the relevant licence area) only provides ABC analog services and correspondingly has only planned ABC digital services. The Cohuna self-help facility currently provides ABC analog services and has no planned digital services (commercial or national), while the self-help facility at the Balranald site provides analog SBS services but has no planned corresponding digital service.
A number of households in areas along the south eastern border of the switchover area are currently attempting to receive fortuitous reception (weak distant signals) from transmitters located in the adjacent Melbourne TV1 licence area. Melbourne TV1 licensed services are not planned or intended to serve these areas. The ACMA’s CEP does not focus on fortuitous reception where households are actively seeking to receive weak services that are not planned for their area.
The ACMA has received implementation plans (IP) for the majority of planned services listed in the digital channel plans (DCPs) for this switchover area. The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy has approved all expected IPs for ABC and SBS (national services). The ACMA continues to liaise with Prime and Southern Cross Media (SCM) in relation to outstanding IPs for services at Balranald and Hopetoun, while all other IPs for planned commercial services listed in the DCPs for this switchover area have been approved.
According to the ACMA’s records, all planned national services listed in the DCPs have been rolled out in the switchover area. Prime, SCM and WIN have DCP planned services yet to roll out at Balranald and Hopetoun.
In addition to the abovementioned service rollouts, there are a number of broadcaster-proposed services at Barham, Birchip, Charlton, Koondrook and Wycheproof that are planned outside the DCP process and are as yet to roll out. Broadcasters are not legislatively obliged to submit IPs or rollout these services at any given point in time. However, the ACMA would expect the services to be rolled out in order for broadcasters to ensure that an extension of digital terrestrial coverage is available to viewers in these locations.
Further to broadcaster-operated services planned within and outside the DCP process, there are two analog self-help facilities, one each at Balranald and Cohuna. On 11May 2010, the government announced that broadcasters will convert a substantial number of existing analog self-help retransmission facilities to digital, as well as establish a number of new ‘gap filler’ sites, which will provide terrestrial digital television coverage to a number of areas.
North-Central Victoria switchover area
Overview
The North-Central Victoria switchover area is located within the Western Victoria TV1 and Regional Victoria TV1 licence areas and overlaps a significant area of the Victoria/New South Wales border (refer Appendix A). The switchover area borders the Melbourne TV1 licence area to the south, the south-west switchover area to the south and south-west, the Mildura Sunraysia switchover area to the north-west, and the Goulburn Valley and upper Murray switchover area to the east. The switchover area is bordered by and overlapped slightly in the west and northern areas by the Remote Central and Eastern Australia Remote TV1 and TV2 licence areas (refer Appendix C).
The switchover area covers approximately 59,542 square kilometres and, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006 Census data, has an estimated population of 289,567. For the purposes of the ACMA’s coverage assessments, a total of 126 urban centres/localities were identified within the switchover area.[2]
The switchover area is served by two main transmitter sites—Bendigo (located at Mt Alexander) and Murray Valley (at Goschen). In addition, there are three broadcaster-owned and -operated translator sites, one hybrid site (a split of broadcaster-operated and self-help services), one analog site and one digital self-help retransmission site. Tables 1–3 outline all sites in the switchover area and provide a summary of services and switchover characteristics.
Table 1 Broadcaster-owned and -operated sitesArea served / Switchover solution / ABC / SBS / Net. 7
(Prime) / Net. 9
(WIN) / Net. 10
(SCM)
Bendigo
(Main transmitter) / Broadcaster-converted—DCP planned, IP required, same coverage obligation / A:ABEV1
D:ABEV48 / A:SBS29
D:SBS28 / A:AMV32
D:AMV31 / A:VTV35
D:VTV54 / A:BCV8
D:BCV51
Murray Valley
(Main transmitter) / Broadcaster-converted—DCP planned, IP required, same coverage obligation / A:ABSV2
D:ABSV58 / A:SBS44
D:SBS59 / A:AMV47
D:AMV62 / A:VTV50
D:VTV60 / A:BCV10
D:BCV65
Hopetoun (Vic.) / Broadcaster-converted—DCP planned, IP required, same coverage obligation, not all services in analog or digital / A:AMV62
D:AMV28 / A:VTV65
D:VTV36 / A:BCV32
D:BCV33
Hopetoun-Beulah / Broadcaster-converted—DCP planned, IP required, same coverage obligation, not all services in analog or digital / A:ABSV56
D:ABSV34
Seymour / Broadcaster-converted—DCP planned, IP required, same coverage obligation / A:ABGV55
D:ABGV53 / A:SBS67
D:SBS66 / A:AMV61
D:AMV60 / A:VTV58
D:VTV57 / A:GLV64
D:GLV63
Note: A/D indicates analog or digital transmission; letters designate service call sign; numbers designate radiofrequency channel. The call sign is in bold text if the service has not yet rolled out.
Table 2 Hybrid site
Area served / Switchover solution / ABC / SBS / Net. 7
(Prime) / Net. 9
(WIN) / Net. 10
(SCM)
Balranald / Broadcaster-converted (ABC and commercials)—DCP planned, IP required same coverage requirement.
Part government-funded retransmission conversion of SBS—not DCP planned, no IP required, no same coverage objective. / A:ABN39
D:ABN4 / A:SBS45 / A:AMV61
D:AMV37 / A:VTV64
D:VTV56 / A:BCV42
D:BCV41
Table 3 Self-help retransmission sites
Area served / Switchover / ABC / SBS / Net. 7 / Net. 9 / Net. 10
Cohuna / Community-funded analog—not planned in DCP, no IPs, no same coverage requirement.
Not on broadcaster candidate list for conversion. / A:ABV68
Broadford
(digital retransmission.) / Government-funded, community-licensed digital retransmission—on-air—not planned in DCP, no IPs, no same coverage requirement / D:ABEV68 / D:SBS67 / D:AMV61 / D:VTV58 / D:BCV64
Coverage evaluation
The ACMA’s CEP methodology
Figure 1 Methodology for the ACMA’s CEPFigure 1 outlines the multi-layered methodology for the ACMA’s CEP. This program seeks to assess whether the same coverage objective has been met by relevant broadcasters in a particular switchover area.
The CEP also seeks to determine the boundaries of digital terrestrial coverage, identify areas of marginal or inconsistent digital terrestrial coverage, and verify the planning technical specifications and assumptions provided by broadcasters in their implementation plans. In addition, the program provides essential feedback on the accuracy of the ACMA’s initial desktop propagation modelling.
Digital channel plans
To facilitate the introduction of digital television, the ACMA developed national and commercial DCPs in line with the Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting Planning Handbook and its obligations under the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 (BSA). DCPs determine which channels are to be allotted to each area, the assignment of channels to each broadcaster in that area and the technical characteristics of those channels.
DCPs are developed to give broadcasters the maximum envelope in which to plan their digital transmission coverage for an area, in order to achieve the same coverage policy objective.
Both national and commercial DCPs for the North-Central Victoria switchover area were completed in December 2001, and varied in July and August 2004 to facilitate the addition of technical specifications for various repeater sites throughout the switchover area.
Implementation plans
In accordance with the national and commercial television conversion schemes prepared by the ACMA under Schedule 4 to the BSA, commercial and national television broadcasters are required to prepare IPs relating to the conversion over time of the transmission of their services from analog to digital mode. IPs are a commitment by individual broadcasters to provide a television service in digital mode from specified sites, to cover defined areas by specified dates. This is done to achieve the same coverage in standard definition television digital mode as that service provides in analog mode. This objective is to be achieved as soon as is practicable after the simulcast period begins.
The ACMA has received IPs for the majority of planned services listed in the DCPs for this switchover area. The minister has approved all expected IPs for ABC and SBS (national services), while the ACMA is currently assessing IPs for WIN services at Balranald and Hopetoun. The ACMA is continuing to liaise with Prime and Southern Cross Media (SCM) about outstanding IPs for services at Balranald and Hopetoun, while all other IPs for planned commercial services listed in the DCPs for this switchover area have been approved.
As previously mentioned, there are a number of broadcaster-proposed services at Barham, Birchip, Charlton, Koondrook and Wycheproof that are planned outside the DCP process and are as yet to roll out. There is no obligation for broadcasters to submit IPs to the ACMA for these services.
Survey planning
As part of its methodology for assessing same coverage and potential reception quality, the ACMA undertakes desktop coverage modelling of a switchover area. This takes into account terrain, complaints to the ACMA from viewers within the area and, where possible, technical specifications of transmission facilities as outlined in implementation plans provided by broadcasters.
At the time of writing this report, a total of 13 complaints and three ministerial responses were initiated by households in the North-Central Victoria switchover area. The issues are mostly reception-related. In addition, a total of 76 ‘Out of Area Direct to Home’ satellite applications were approved within the switchover area.
The findings of the desktop modelling process inform the ACMA field survey measurement program. The North-Central Victoria switchover area planning report provided guidance to the ACMA’s field staff on where field measurements within the switchover market should be conducted. This includes predicted or potential reception-deficient areas and other information relevant to transmission facilities in the area.
Field survey measurement program
The ACMA’s field survey measurement program enables it to acquire technical and signal data associated with analog and digital TV coverage and reception quality within a switchover area. The program is part of the ACMA’s wider CEP (see Figure 1). The program seeks to verify the information provided by broadcasters in their implementation plans and the assumptions made as part of the ACMA’s initial desktop propagation modelling.
The ACMA’s CEP performed field survey measurements at 90 locations throughout the North-Central Victoria switchover area in October and November 2009 (see Appendix D).
The measurement results have been analysed and compared against the most appropriate coverage prediction models for the area. Field survey results align closely with predicted coverage findings and provide the ACMA with a high level of confidence in its CEP methodologies. Based on these results, the ACMA concludes that the same level of coverage and potential reception quality is, in general, being achieved in this switchover area (see Appendix E for breakdown of locality-specific results). That said, the ACMA is yet to receive a number of IPs, as outlined above, and there are also a number of services yet to be rolled out (including a number of planned services outside the DCP process). The ACMA is in ongoing discussions with broadcasters on these issues and will continue to monitor IP and rollout progress across the switchover area.