Headlines - Freesat: BBC and ITV launch free HD service

[HEXUS]

The BBC and ITV have today launched a free-to-view television service across the UK.

Read more.

[Brewster0101]

Problem is a lot of people interesting in this will be tied into Virgin or other packages. I myself have BT vision and although the thought of Free HD tv is great what about on demand content!

Free HD content on its own is not worth £150 , wait till Freeview goes HD seems a better option. Think ITV and the BBC are kidding themselves if they think they will get a huge amount of demand for this at £150 and no demand content or any other perks that we get from modern set ups...

[Funkstar]

When terrestrial Freeview goes partially HD (limited to 4 HD channels) you will need a new decoder anyway. This will start off being the guts of £100 i would imagine.

[jimbouk]

Freesat from sky is a one off £100 payment, it's a shame the BBC and ITV are charging more. Hopefully they'll be some reasonably priced boxes for people already with dishes.

[Brewster0101]

Freesat from sky is a one off £100 payment, it's a shame the BBC and ITV are charging more. Hopefully they'll be some reasonably priced boxes for people already with dishes.

Freesat is only normal digital TV not HD so not really a good comparison....

I believe the BT vision box can handle future HD Channels. I understand that it worked with the BBC HD trials.

[directhex]

Freesat from sky is a one off £100 payment, it's a shame the BBC and ITV are charging more. Hopefully they'll be some reasonably priced boxes for people already with dishes.

£150 according to freesat from Sky - A new way to get free digital satellite TV

and yes, there are - freesat receivers start at about 50 quid iirc

[TAKTAK]

Freesat is only normal digital TV not HD so not really a good comparison....

freesat comes in a HD flavour aswell.....

[walibe]

freesat comes in a HD flavour aswell.....

Freesat from the BBC and ITV yes, Sky Freesat no.

[mightynimrod]

It'll be a good but im going to stick with the dreaded Sky until they offer a comparible service

[Brewster0101]

It'll be a good but im going to stick with the dreaded Sky until they offer a comparible service

Do Sky offer ondemand content yet like BT vison and Virgin Media?

[TAKTAK]

Freesat from the BBC and ITV yes, Sky Freesat no.

oop, i thought he was on about BBC/ITV freesat (just reread it) but he wasn't

[Funkstar]

I just remembered something about the Freesat spec while reading about the new Humax box.

Freesat has provision for two way interactive content over broaband. The full spec boxes have an ethernet work for connecting to your home network.

So in time we could see some very clever boxes out there. Freesat PVR with a twonky media server built in? Freesat PVR with iPlayer support?

Or how about a Freesat/Freeview hybrid PVR? So you get all the HD channels over satellite and all the missing channels (like Dave) over Freeview. There is no technical reason why you couldn't do this, just add a DVB-T decoder (which the manufacturers already have from their Freeview boxes) and add to the boxes software. 90% of the work is already there.

[dave87]

£150 according to freesat from Sky - A new way to get free digital satellite TV

Currys have been selling it for £75 for sometime now - I looked at it for my parents who have ****e terrestrial reception and loathe to give any money to Murdoch. Oh, and no Virgin either

[dangel]

Ah something to hook up to my old Sky+ dish. excellent.

[slypie]

I wonder why channels like Dave and UK History are missing from freesat?

[directhex]

I wonder why channels like Dave and UK History are missing from freesat?

because they're encrypted, which means they're a sky exclusive - and dropping that encryption is very expensive (since it means sky pay a LOT less for the right to use your channel)