Freeview HD now broadcasting

[Wozza]

BBC HD and ITV HD are now broadcasting on Freeview out of Crystal Palace and Winter Hill (covering 20% of the population apparently).

But.... the DVB-T2 decoding hardware required to view Freeview HD isn't going to be publically available until into next year.

I reckon there's going to be a lot of anger/confusion when hundreds of thousands of people who have bought an HDTV with integrated Freeview realise they'll have to upgrade again, or add an external box, to watch the World Cup and other HD content for free.

 

[Curious Orange]

Well, they should have done better research then shouldn't they - I've been deliberately holding off getting an HD TV precisely because I knew HD Freeview was around the corner and that it'd need a new tuner... that and because my old IDTV is pretty good with the current SD stuff anyway (a good cathode ray tube is still the best way to watch most TV in my opinion).

 

[Storer68]

who neeeds HD anyway.

 

[REDLAND]

who neeeds HD anyway.

I do, its blumming lush !!!

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

I don't think the anger and confusion is going to be that great. People are well used to having to use external boxes to view things on. This will be no different.

When I'm sure that I'll be able to get freeview HD in Hove I will probably take the opportunity to replace my freeview PVR which is a little old now.

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

Doesn't look like Brighton will get it until 2012, unless some clever people can get the Crystal Palace signals?

http://www.freeview.co.uk/freeview/content/download/2800/16413/file/Freeview20HD%20roll%20out.pdf

 

[adrian29uk]

In the end I ditched Freeview. So sick of the aerial being battered by the winds. No chance of the Newhaven reciever getting it any time soon, so I decided to install Freesat HD.

I then decided to do the whole lot and also set up LNB's for Foreign channels. It took me a week of messing around but I got there in the end.

So I have gained HD on Freesat out of it

I can now watch Eurosport free of charge on the German channel, instead of paying sky. I know its German but I dont need to understand when watching football or cycling.

The other bonus should I need to, is that If I really wanted Sky, I just need to get a sky box and swap it for the freesat box as the LNB points at Astra 28.2.

Again If want Freesat+ HD which is exactly the same as SKY + I just need to replace the LNB on the far left with an LNB that has up to four outputs.

Plus loads of other channels.

 

[lighthouse]

Plus loads of other channels.

 

[beorhthelm]

Well, they should have done better research then shouldn't they

bit harsh considering all the publicity has focused around getting Freeview, alongside publicity for HD. people shouldnt have to research TV technology. i hadnt a clue they where to need different kit, not that i see much point to HD anyway (we aint the US with their piss poor quality)

i understand theres plenty of areas not even covered by Freeview yet, so they really shouldnt be mucking about with HD yet imo.

 

[Wozza]

People are well used to having to use external boxes to view things on.

A lot of people bought HDTV with integrated Freeview precisely because they don't want external boxes everywhere....

 

[Brixtaan]

In the end I ditched Freeview. So sick of the aerial being battered by the winds. No chance of the Newhaven reciever getting it any time soon, so I decided to install Freesat HD.

I then decided to do the whole lot and also set up LNB's for Foreign channels. It took me a week of messing around but I got there in the end.

So I have gained HD on Freesat out of it

I can now watch Eurosport free of charge on the German channel, instead of paying sky. I know its German but I dont need to understand when watching football or cycling.

The other bonus should I need to, is that If I really wanted Sky, I just need to get a sky box and swap it for the freesat box as the LNB points at Astra 28.2.

Again If want Freesat+ HD which is exactly the same as SKY + I just need to replace the LNB on the far left with an LNB that has up to four outputs.

Plus loads of other channels.

How hard was it getting the other channels on your Freesat box? What do i need to do?

 

[Curious Orange]

bit harsh considering all the publicity has focused around getting Freeview, alongside publicity for HD. people shouldnt have to research TV technology. i hadnt a clue they where to need different kit, not that i see much point to HD anyway (we aint the US with their piss poor quality)

I don't see how that is a harsh comment, it isn't like people just go into Comet and buy a random TV - they'll generally take a look at the picture quality and the technical spec first. A lot of the TVs on display will be tagged 'HD Ready' too - you'd think that people would realise from the previous round of 'Digital Ready' labels (before ITV Digital launched) that this doesn't mean the set will show HD out of the box without an HD source of some description.

 

[Adam Virgo's Shirt]

I want a new tv, but I'm reluctant to buy now as I heard 3D tv is coming shortly. I don't want to spend out now only for 3D to launch in 6 months or so. Does anyone know how far in the future it will launch?

Also, my mum used to have freeview about 7 years ago and it worked fine. However she rang the helpline postcode checker and it said her area can't have freeview so she unplugged it, not realising that they weren't telling her she wasn't allowed it, despite me trying to explain!

Anyway, we recently plugged it all back in and tuned it, but she couldn't receive a signal. I've bought her a new tv for xmas which comes with integrated freeview. If I buy a super strength indoor aerial, would that give her more chance of receiving a freeview signal? Or does it have to be the roof aerial that gets enhanced? I'm wondering if it is the recent transmitter changes that have caused the non reception?

 

[Curious Orange]

Anyway, we recently plugged it all back in and tuned it, but she couldn't receive a signal. I've bought her a new tv for xmas which comes with integrated freeview. If I buy a super strength indoor aerial, would that give her more chance of receiving a freeview signal? Or does it have to be the roof aerial that gets enhanced? I'm wondering if it is the recent transmitter changes that have caused the non reception?

You'll need a high-gain aerial (I got one recently that can be mounted either inside (the roof) or out. I think that the recent transmitter changes may have meant the loss of some channels in some areas, but not all of them.

 

[beorhthelm]

I don't see how that is a harsh comment, it isn't like people just go into Comet and buy a random TV - they'll generally take a look at the picture quality and the technical spec first.

thats just it, most people do rock up to Comet buy a TV or most other things at random. if they didnt, half the brands and models wouldnt be there as the reviews always highlight the same few models. They'll buy a Sony because it is, they buy a Samsung because they support Chelsea, they buy a Bush because its the cheapest 40" in the shop at the time. Picture quality in shops is typically rubbish either way.

i had no idea that Freeview HD was different to Freeview + HDTV quality TV, and i did research up on TVs when i brought new one 3 years ago. seems that the powers that be have f***ed the consumer in the arse, no doubt TV manufacturers have lobbied hard to push out the first wave of Freeview and not worried then someone changed the specs for the HD component at a later date. TV shouldnt be this complicated, average person is going to be out of pocket and disgruntled all for the sake of "progress" that was unnecessary.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

In the end I ditched Freeview. So sick of the aerial being battered by the winds. No chance of the Newhaven reciever getting it any time soon, so I decided to install Freesat HD.

I then decided to do the whole lot and also set up LNB's for Foreign channels. It took me a week of messing around but I got there in the end.

So I have gained HD on Freesat out of it

I can now watch Eurosport free of charge on the German channel, instead of paying sky. I know its German but I dont need to understand when watching football or cycling.

The other bonus should I need to, is that If I really wanted Sky, I just need to get a sky box and swap it for the freesat box as the LNB points at Astra 28.2.

Again If want Freesat+ HD which is exactly the same as SKY + I just need to replace the LNB on the far left with an LNB that has up to four outputs.

Plus loads of other channels.

Is that a 80cm dish ? Looking at the LNB's are you picking up channels from Astra at 19E and Hotbird at 13E ?

 

[fatbadger]

a good cathode ray tube is still the best way to watch most TV in my opinion.

Not just your opinion, but the right opinion.

 

[adrian29uk]

Is that a 80cm dish ? Looking at the LNB's are you picking up channels from Astra at 19E and Hotbird at 13E ?

That is an 80cm, and yes I am picking
Astra 28.2 this is for freesat
Astra 19.2 this is for mainly for Eurosport
Hotbird 13 this gives me Italian channels and load of other rubbish

The bracket I bought is great. All I did was adjust the LNBs a certain distance from the centre point to pick up the sats.

 

[Curious Orange]

thats just it, most people do rock up to Comet buy a TV or most other things at random. if they didnt, half the brands and models wouldnt be there as the reviews always highlight the same few models. They'll buy a Sony because it is, they buy a Samsung because they support Chelsea, they buy a Bush because its the cheapest 40" in the shop at the time. Picture quality in shops is typically rubbish either way.

i had no idea that Freeview HD was different to Freeview + HDTV quality TV, and i did research up on TVs when i brought new one 3 years ago. seems that the powers that be have f***ed the consumer in the arse, no doubt TV manufacturers have lobbied hard to push out the first wave of Freeview and not worried then someone changed the specs for the HD component at a later date. TV shouldnt be this complicated, average person is going to be out of pocket and disgruntled all for the sake of "progress" that was unnecessary.

That's a fair enough comment. Three years ago they were still umming and ahhing about whether they'd do HD on Freeview, and it was only a couple of months ago that the DVB-T2 standard was released to the manufacturers. Your current TV will still receive Freeview for years yet, so the only decision you really have is whether you want to add a set-top box to receive an additional four channels in HD.

I've had mates banging on at me for about two years to replace my old (its only 6 years old btw) CRT telly with an HD one, and have repeatedly told them that there wasn't any point because there wasn't any HD channels to watch on it and generally they weren't as good yet on standard definition pictures as a good cathode ray tube. I think that High Definition on Freeview could well be the "killer app" that tempts me away.

 

[Wozza]

Daily Mail: The Freeview HD 'con'