From Tuesday December 6 ABC’s primary channel will be available in High Definition.

New Year’s Eve fireworks will be the first major event in High Definition.

Here’s all the details you will need, including retune info, thanks to ABC:

Viewers with HD compatible TVs (with MPEG-4 functionality) will be able to experience ABC in spectacular HD, including this year’s New Year’s Eve fireworks.

Viewers without an HD compatible television will still be able to continue to watch ABC in standard definition on channel 2 and 21.

To accommodate the HD upgrade there is a minor change which will impact ABC News 24. ABC News 24 will change from HD to SD (whilst remaining on channel number 24). So viewers who previously couldn’t receive ABC News 24 (because they didn’t have an HD TV set) , will be able to watch ABC News 24 following this change in December.

You may need to re-tune your TV sets to be able to receive ABC HD and ABC News 24.

As part of this update we have changed ABC News 24 to a standard definition playout. This remains on channel 24, but because it converted from the old HD to SD, some viewers who previously couldn’t access it will now be able to do so.

ABC stays on 2 and 21 and stays in standard definition format.

ABC HD is new on 20 in the new HD (MPEG-4) format

ABC2 stays on 22 and stays in standard definition format.

ABC ME stays on 23 and stays in standard definition format.

ABC News 24 stays on 24 and will now be in standard definition format.

You may need to retune your TV to get ABC HD.

All TVs are different. Your TV instruction manual will give you specific instructions on how to retune.

Usually it’s as simple as the following process:

Turn on your TV

On the TV remote control, click on the MENU button

On your TV screen look for the SET UP, CONFIGURATION or TUNING option and select it

Then look for AUTO TUNE or RESCAN option and select it. Then wait for it to fully initiate

The retune process should take about 4 – 5 minutes to scan for all available channels

After the retune, you will find all ABC channels in the same place, but you should additionally find ABC HD when you go to channel 20.

If channel 20 isn’t appearing or appears faulty (audio only), it means your TV isn’t HD MPEG-4 compatible.

ABC News 24 is HD broadcast using MPEG-2, where the new ABC HD will be an upgrade to the HD and uses MPEG-4. If you can see ABC News 24 before the change, but can’t see ABC HD on channel 20 after retuning your television, this probably means that your TV is not MPEG-4 compatible.

Most TV sets, set top boxes, PVRs and Freeview devices purchased from 2009 onwards will be compatible.

Foxtel:

At this stage ABC HD will be available for cable customers only. It will be on Foxtel channel number 202.

Phone 1300 222 4388 for more help.

Refer: ABC is changing to HD

Related