Your questions on watching HD channels on Freeview answered by our UK podcasting team.
High definition channels on Freeview?
There are currently four channels of HD available over Freeview via a TV aerial.
At the moment, BBC One HD, BBC Two HD, ITV 1 HD and Channel 4 HD are available to most of the UK.
Your Freeview HD questions answered:
What HD channels are on offer on Freeview?
BBC One HD, BBC Two HD, ITV 1 HD and Channel 4 HD are live now.
When will the Freeview HD channels become available?
Freeview HD is now available UK-wide, It was phased in between 2009 and 2012. Here’s the HD timetable:
- Granada Region and London – 2009
- Wales, Scotland and West Country regions – 2010
- Yorkshire, Central, Anglia and Meridian regions – 2011
- Tyne Tees and Northern Ireland Regions – 2012
Will my existing Freeview box or TV be able to get Freeview HD?
Freeview’s HD service will make us of a technology called DVB-T2, and use MPEG-4 encoding (not the MPEG-2) used with Freeview at the moment. This means that existing Freeview boxes, and TV sets with Freeview built-in, will not be capable of receiving Freeview HD.
Existing Freeview receivers will still be able to get the Standard Definition channels
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Humax HD Fox-T2 – The first UK Freeview HD box
Features: 8 day EPG, HDMI in, 2 x SCART, Ethernet socket, USB for xVid, MP3 and JPEG playback. Priced around £170 from Argos.co.uk , |
Alternatives? Sky’s offering a free Sky+HD box – over 50 HD channels and a built-in recorder. Details on Sky’s HD site
What do I need to get Freeview HD?
You will need a receiver capable of getting the HD service. These require a slightly different technology to the existing Freeview receivers. The first receiver, the Humax Fox HD T2 appeared in February 2010.
As well as a suitable Freeview HD receiver, you will need to be in a Freeview HD reception area, and have an HD-ready TV set.
Is there a subscription cost?
No. Unlike Sky and Virgin’s HD service, there is no subscription cost for Freeview HD service.
Do I need a satellite dish to get Freeview HD?
No – Freeview’s HD channels are available via a TV aerial. If you want HD via a satellite, there’s Sky+ HD (offering over 50 HD channels), or the more limited selection offered by Freesat
Got a question on Freeview HD TV that we can answer in our next podcast?
Call 020 8133 4567 or send us a message