Freeview’s HD service launched in December 2009, but it’s only now that the required set-top boxes are trickling onto the market.
The first of the bunch of Freeview HD boxes to appear, as was reported recently by our podcast boys, is the Humax Fox-T2 Freeview HD box, pictured below. On the face of it, a decent HD receiver, likely to be in demand by those keen to get a little dish-free HD action.
Here’s the rub though.
You can get a standard definition Freeview box for £25 – a standard definition box is capable of getting 50 Freeview channels.
With the new Freeview HD boxes though, you’ll get 52… the Freeview channels, plus BBC HD and ITV 1 HD (Channels 4 and 5 will be along in the next 2 years)
The cost of the new HD boxes? £180… yep, that’s £155 extra to get BBC and ITV in HD.
So, for that money, either the content needs to be awesome, or the box needs to be amazing. Perhaps the box has a built-in hard disc recorder or DVD player? Nope. And it can’t make the toast either. Sure, it does support playback of a handful of media formats if you plug in a USB hard drive, and there’s an Ether net socket to support a connection for BBC iPlayer in the future… but £180? Yee-ouch.
Add to that, only two regions can get HD at the moment – growing to 50% of the UK later this year.
Compare this to Sky… Sign up to their basic package for £18 a month and you’ll get over 200 channels (including almost all of the Freeview ones). Plus a FREE Sky+ HD box. For an extra £10 a month, you’ll get over 30 HD channels, and even if you save on the £10 HD subscription, you’ll still get BBC HD (but the box will now cost £49). Did we mention that the Sky box has a built-in hard disk recorder? Sky Offer details.
OK – You may have an objection to subscription TV, or not a fan of the Murdoch Empire, which may make you want to steer clear of Sky, but you have to admit that Sky’s HD offer’s a good one, and if you want to make the most of that HD telly, Freeview’s two channels.
So, the question is this… Freeview HD. Is it really worth the wait? You decide…
I really don’t see Freeview HD making an impact at these prices and with the lack of content. Obviously that will change with other boxes appearing, but 2 channels? Going up to 4? I have Sky HD for the HD, if not Sky, then the only other options would be freesat HD or Virgin?