... For a one of payment, usually from as little as £30 you can purchase a Freeview receiver which will connect to your current TV as long as it has a scart socket and a good analogue reception. Freeview can currently be received by an estimated 74% percent of UK homes and this figure is the ... Read review
Advantages: More Choice, Better Quality, Radio & Interactive Services Disadvantages: Only covers 74% of the UK
...£30 you can purchase a Freeview receiver which will connect to your current TV as long as it has a scart socket and a good analogue reception. Freeview can currently be received by an estimated 74% percent of UK homes and this figure is the maximum capacity which can be achieved until DSO is complete in 2012 when the government estimates that 98.5% of UK homes should be able to receive Freeview. The best way to determine whether or not you should ... .... You can purchase Freeview receivers from all good electrical retailers and hardware stores. I found that setting up Freeview was quick and hassle free, connect to the TV and aerial and the box will automatically scan for and tune the reasonably sized selection of free to air channels.
Since the introduction of TV in the late 1930's here in the UK we have been restricted to a small number of channels which has slowly increased from ... more
**Introduction**
Whether you like it or not you will soon have to accept that we are indeed living in a digital age where analogue is slowly becoming a thing off the past. If you have watched TV over the last few months then you'll probably be aware of that little something called "digital switchover". What is it? I hear you say. Digital Switchover (DSO from here in) is a government initiative to switch off all analogue TV signals in the UK by 2012 in order to provide enhanced digital services. It could also mean free to air high definition TV from the BBC by the time of the London Olympics. Are we really all that aware as a nation? Probably not. Did you know that for some, DSO has already begun? Yes here in the UK. And the next phase is as early as next year? If you live in Ferryside in Wales then DSO is already complete and in October of next year Whitehaven will have completed its DSO.
However, its not all that scary. Digital Television is not about confusing buttons, dialogues and hefty remotes; in fact there is no need to be scared - Digital Television can truly be as simple, if not simpler than your current analogue television. For a one of payment, usually from as little as £30 you can purchase a Freeview receiver which will connect to your current TV as long as it has a scart socket and a good analogue reception. Freeview can currently be received by an estimated 74% percent of UK homes and this figure is the maximum capacity which can be achieved until DSO is complete in 2012 when the government estimates that 98.5% of UK homes should be able to receive Freeview. The best way to determine whether or not you should be able to receive Freeview is checking whether or not you have a decent analogue reception on channel 5 and by typing in your postcode on freeview.co.uk . You can purchase Freeview receivers from all good electrical retailers and hardware stores. I found that setting up Freeview was quick and hassle free, connect to the TV and aerial and the box will automatically scan for and tune the reasonably sized selection of free to air channels.
Since the introduction of TV in the late 1930's here in the UK we have been restricted to a small number of channels which has slowly increased from the days of just bbc1 and 2 too include both channel 4 and most recently Five. This choice has ruled for decades but with the introduction of Freeview in 2002 we finally have choice. And choice is what we the public want. The main advantages to the viewer over the old analogue system is increased picture quality and a larger selection of channels - there are over 30 free to air TV channels - many of which provide quality offerings - the select few however are dross. You'll also have access to interactive services and over 20 of the the best digital radio stations - effectively you'll be killing two birds with the one stone, as you wont have to buy a DAB radio with the stereo quality offerings from Freeview.
** What channels are available?**
BBC 1 BBC 2 BBC 3 BBC 4 BBC Parliament BBC News 24 CBBC Cbeebies BBCi ITV 1 ITV 2 ITV 3 ITV 4 CITV ITV Play Channel 4 E4 E4 +1 More 4 Film 4 Film 4 +1 Five Five US Five Life Sky Three Sky News Sky Sports News FTN ABC1 Smile TV S4C Tele G (Scotland) The Hits TMF UK TV Brightideas Community Channel Teachers TV QVC Ideal World Pricedrop.tv Bid TV
I'm sure you'll agree that this is a fairly impressive offering and best of all its free. With so much choice over your standard analogue TV, there are a number of channels which I'd recommend. My personal favourites include E4 - showcasing top entertainment programmes including Friends, My Name Is Earl and Lost. Film 4 is also another strong offering showcasing some of the best films from both independent film makers and blockbusters too. If your into the paranormal then you'll love FTN which airs the hugely successful Most Haunted featuring Derek Acorah & Yvette Fielding. Occasionally Most Haunted Live is simulcast from Living TV which is not to be missed. Another of my personal favourites is Five US broadcasting some of the most successful US series including Pimp My Ride and CSI.
As the saying goes "you don't get something for nothing". Along with the decent free offerings there are a number of poorer offerings. These include the seemingly increasing range of Quiz and Games channels including Quiz Call & ITV Play. Quiz Call, owned by 4 has been put up for sale suggesting that they realise that these channels are failing and they are making a quick exit. Will ITV follow suit?
As well as the larger range of channels you'll be able to access some interactive services. These include games, digital subtitles, digital teletext and multi-screen news casts from the BBC. Not all boxes are "digitally interactive" - it should tell you on the box before purchasing. However it most likely will be as this feature is becoming increasingly standardised. Another bonus of being digitally interactive is that you'll be able to to use the "pay as you go" services such as live SPL football from Setanta Sports for around £11 a match. If your into sport you'll be pleased to know that Setanta Sports has recently signed a deal to go live on a pay monthly basis on DTT using all boxes with a card slot - and it'll be 24 hours a day.
Most Freeview boxes will now be able to benefit from a 8 day TV Guide. Other than replacing the need to buy weekly TV guide this feature will also help when recording your programmes to VCR just set up the timers and you'll be ready to go. Albeit not the easiest method to record digital TV, the other methods, such as one button recording, are not yet available on standard Freeview boxes.
But what about the disadvantages? To be honest, its hard to discredit a service which is free other than the standard TV License and one of fee. Some people may niggle at the timeshared broadcasts of certain channels: i.e. BBC 3 doesn't air until CBBC ends. But with the limited bandwidth available on DTT what can we realistically expect? The main disadvantage for most people is probably the slightly limited coverage meaning that those out of range may still have to go out and pay for Sky, Cable or the increasing video on demand services over a broadband Internet connection.
** Freeview VS Freesat **
In the blue corner we have Freeview and in the red corner we have Freesat from Sky.
Round 1 - Choice Of Channels
Freeview offers over 30 of the best free to air channels and over 20 digital radio stations. Freesat, in the red corner offers a deceptively large choice at over 120 digital channels and 80 radio stations. Through first glance it may look like Sky's Freesat is the best offering. But then we must consider the quality of the offerings. With Freeview we have access to some of the best free to air offerings including E4, More 4, Film 4, FTN, The Hits & TMF. Freesat has a larger range, however in order to view Freesat content, including Channel 4 and Channel 5 you are required to purchase a Freesat viewing card for £20.
Round 1 Winner - Freeview
Round 2 - Price
The initial outlay for Freesat is at the time of publishing costs £150 including box, minidish, viewing card and standard installation. Freeview costs from as little as (officially £40) but they are available even cheaper. Hidden costs for Freeview might include a new aerial if it is not strong enough to receive Freeview.
Round 2 Winner - Freeview
Round 3 Installation
Installation of both kits are easy. Freesat is installed free of charge by an engineer so you shouldn't incur any problems. Freeview is as simple as hooking up your standard aerial and connecting the scart lead to your TV then performing an auto scan for channels.
Round 3 Winner - Freeview (because no engineer was required)
Overall Winner - Freeview
** Are their any other ways I can receive Freeview? **
Yes! The Freeview technology is available in a number of forms.
Via a Freeview PVR. PVR's (portable video recorders) almost certainly feature twin tuners, allowing you to watch and record two different channels at the same time, as well as access the benefits of Sky + including the ability to pause, rewind and then fast forward live TV. Via an IDTV. The latest TV's include integrated digital TV tuners allowing you to watch digital channels without the need for an extra box. This is my recommendation for all new TV's you purchase as digital TV is a requirement for future TV viewing. Via your computer. You can now buy USB Digital TV tuners so you can watch Digital TV on your PC - most will allow you to use PVR functions too. PCMIA cards are available for laptops. Ex On Digital / ITV Digital Boxes are capable of receiving a Freeview signal.
My Recommendation? If all you want is too watch TV without thrills then a standard box is all you'll need. But for that little bit flexibilty I would personally go for a PVR (all new ones will conform to a "Freeview Playback Specification"). This allows you to record your programmes with the press of a button and keep a library for future viewing, on cold rainy day. It'll also give you Sky + like functions like the ability to pause live TV.
** The Future Of Freeview?**
My personal guess is that until DSO the line up probably wont change tremendously - perhaps the addition of a E4 music channel (pure speculation), UKTV offering (again speculation) and quite possibly more radio stations. Hopefully some of the quiz channels will be replaced in the process. By 2012 their will be more bandwidth and hopefully an influx of new digital channels (just maybe), and perhaps the free to air services from BBC HD will become available as well as a free video on demand service from the BBC. This will probably, at a guess, mean further TV license increases though.
**Conclusion**
The Freeview spectrum is the easiest and quickest way to receive free Digital TV channels. There is a quality and growing line up of channels with programming to suit every taste with the possibility of addition services in the future. The future of the service is bright and its still young - Freeview will be the standard way of receiving a TV signal for many people from as early as next year and with that they'll be looking to increase the line up for customer satisfaction and their own viability as a company.
Advantages: Just one up-front cost. No subs. Extra channels. Proper widescreen output Disadvantages: Needs a good aerial. A limited list of subscription channels muddies the waters somewhat.
...well documented.
I guess Freeview could be called 'son of On', but with a few major changes. One, there were less channels, which gave the launch of Freeview a boost in picture quality allowing them to adopt a more robust but verbose digital data-stream, the idea being to bring Freeview to a wider audience than merely those who had previously received 'On' without a hitch. Estimates seemed to indicate that one million more viewers would be able ... ...This started life limited on Freeview as the 'What's On Now & What's On Next' facility, which for programming a timer to catch stuff whilst you're on holiday was about as much use as a chocolate teapot. For this to be of any use at all, it needed the next 7-8 day's-worth of programming, plus some 'every week' settings and links for continuing dramas like '24', as currently supplied to Sky Digital boxes. These upgrades happened in dribs and drabs, ...
BNibbles 03.11.2003 (23.04.2008)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Freeview
Advantages: More channels and a good picture at minimal cost Disadvantages: Need a good aerial
So. Freeview - not convinced yet? Let me try to enlighten you a bit!!
DIGITAL versus ANALOGUE
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Firstly, let’s go right back to basics. Traditionally, television has been broadcast in an analogue format. Freeview is different, as it is a digital TV service. On a digital TV system, TV signals are converted into a digital format by the broadcaster, transmitted, and then decoded again back into pictures and sound by your receiver. ... ...FREEVIEW’S CHANNELS
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The Freeview offering is not for the serious TV junkie. It doesn’t (and will never be able to) offer as many channels as satellite or cable. In addition, it is a free service, so you can’t expect the same programming as on expensive subscription packages. That said, there is a fairly solid offering on Freeview, you can get some of the popular pay channels if you like, and of course, many of those hundreds ...
AlexWales 16.04.2003 (22.02.2005)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Freeview
Advantages: CHEAP WITH LOTS OF GREAT FREE CHANNELS Disadvantages: DEPENDS ON LOCAL SIGNAL & MAY REQUIRE AERIAL UPGRADE
...WHAT IS FREEVIEW?
Freeview in its simplest form is digital television that comprises of many more channels than those found on regular terrestrial television in the UK (BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, Channel 4 and Channel 5).
As Freeview doesn't offer any premium channels (though there are some receiver boxes that allow subscriptions to such channels) there is only one payment to pay - and that is when you buy your Freeview receiver box. The boxes are actually ... ...Before investing in a Freeview receiver, it is advisable to check that Freeview reception is good in your area. Even if it is broadcast in your area, you may still have to upgrade any existing aerial that you have so it is a good idea to check first!
To check that your area supports Freeview reception, go to:
www.freeview.co.uk
Once there, you click on the 'Coverage Check' tab and then enter your postcode and house number - it should then tell ...
ultrafrosty 31.01.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Freeview
Advantages: a one off payment for extra entertainment Disadvantages: youll still struggle to find anything worth watching at times
...of tv mostly on my freeview in my room as for some reaon I am uncomfortable sitting in the house main lounge watching the Virign media package my Dad shells out for monthly. So I sit in my room watching the freeview or my fish tank but the fish are not the topic of this review so back to the tv.
Most areas of the UK can still recieve a terrestrial signal giving you the standard 5 channels (though over ten years after its launch some areas still ... ...off price to buy a Freeview box on which depending on the box you can view around 100 channels, though often you will also get several digital radio stations as well.
The box I bought around 12 months ago cost me slightly under £20 and works simply by plugging in to the aerial socket at home, if you dont have a 'plumbed in' aerial if the signal is good enough they will work through a stand alone aerial but this does need a strong signal or in areas ...
scuba_angel 03.02.2008 (16.05.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Freeview
Advantages: Provides choice, Premieres of new shows, No Sub Fee Disadvantages: A lot of crap
...& Order and more.
Freeview is a consumer alternative to Sky. If the idea of paying upwards of £18 a month for extra channels doesn't grab you then maybe you should consider this new alternative. Freeview gives you extra channels through an extra receiver box. It offers better sound and picture quality than terrestrial and the great thing is you only have to pay for the box and nothing else.
At present there are over twenty additional channels available ... ...have missed such as Lost. Freeview also offers an additional E4 channel that is basically the same but runs an hour behind.
With Five the only thing you'll get on Freeview is the chance to see the channel as clear as day. This is the only way I can watch Five as the terrestrial signal is incredibly poor. As I mentioned earlier the channel has got incredibly strong in reent years and is probably my favourite TV channel. Their American imports are ...
utero 29.08.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Freeview
Advantages: Cheap way of getting a freeview recorder Disadvantages: On demand content is limited and could be updated/added to more often
BT Vision is BT's attempt to grab a market share into the digital tv sector. It is an add on service to BT Broadband
Basicly the Vision box is a freeview reciever with a 80 hour hard disc recorder built in. It also has on demand features alowing for pay per view tv when you want it.
The freeview side obviously needs to be in a freeview area. If not then this side of the box will not work. The box has 2 tuners built into it. This is so that the built in hard drive can record one channel while you watch another. It is also possible to record 2 channels at the same time but you are limited to watching either or of the 2 or playing back a previous recording. The recording side is good, the tv guide is easy to follow and select the programs you want to record. Series links can be set so that the box will record the series each day ...
jegb 02.02.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of BT Vision
Further to my reviews of the content of the Freeview box. The Hits channel hear are some facts taken from the website Wikipedia. The Hits is a TV channel owned by EMAP, showing a mix of Pop music and other genres of music. The channel's current Freeview rival is TMFUK (also available on Freeview), a subsidiary of the MTV group of stations.
THE FACTS
AVAILABILITY
Terrestrial: Freeview channel 18.
Satellite: Sky Digital channel 358.
Cable: NTL channel 910, Telewest channel 32.
It can also be seen via many UK cable services, and through the British Forces Broadcasting Service.
THE LOGO
The channel also seems to have a new identity annually. Its original identity was very basic with the 'BigCity' logo above the words "The Hits", and this identity was used to launch the channel. After some changes the on ...
Advantages: ability to record one channel while watching another without tapes/dvd Disadvantages: only good if the coverage in your area is strong
i have the thompson 250gb model which can record about 180 hours., topup tv is a add on service which compliments freeview by adding a selection of extra channels at a cost of between 10 & 15 pound per month based on the package you choose when you buy the product., Packages currently available are tv favorites, picturebox & sentata sports.
picturebox offers 28 movies a month to watch while tv favourites offers a huge mix of comedy, factual, documentery., cartoons & drama all available to watch when you're ready as topup tv boxes use a download feature which means the channels/programmes are downloaded to your box over night so that they are ready to watch the following day & are viewed like a dvd so you can watch them when you want to & even pause the program if the phone rings (very handy)
apart from the channels added by topup tv you ...
colin1110 23.06.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of TopUp TV
