Good news for those who thought they might have to rely on an expensive subscription service (like Sky) to get their eyes on HD programming. A report from media regulator Ofcom concluded yesterday that "BBC HD" - Auntie's proposed high definition TV channel - won't have any significant negative market impact.

It's not all good news though. BBC Trust have been conducting their own assessment and are questioning the value of BBC HD for licence fee payers, owing to the limited late-night programming that would be the only thing on offer via the digital terrestrial TV service Freeview in advance of the launch of Freesat.

In this classic chicken-and-egg situation, Ofcom report that a BBC HD channel would deliver consumer benefit through increased takeup of HD across the UK, including via the new Freesat digital satellite service being planned by the corporation and ITV.

But until Freesat is launched (current predicted date March 2008), the only delivery vehicle for BBC HD is Freeview, where the BBC says it can only launch a four-hours-a-day HD channel between 2am and 6am because of the lack of capacity on the digital terrestrial TV service.

The Freeview HD channel service could be extended to nine hours a day, but not until after digital switchover is completed in 2012.

So on the one hand the availability of an HD service is expected to drive demand for HD and yet on the other hand BBC HD can't meet that demand, unless you want to be watching TV in the very early morning. Sales of HD PVRs will rocket!

Once the service is up and running properly, via Freesat, DTV and cable, the BBC plan to show nine hours of programming a day although initially at least, 95% of the schedule will comprise HD versions of existing corporation shows. [via MG]

This story (and other HDTV-related news and views) is also available on our sister site HDTV UK.