The ITV High-definition service launches on Satuday 7th June 2008, exclusively on Freesat. Euro 2008 will be available in high definition. ITV HD will be available via the Red button on Freesat.
More on Freesat at frequencycast.co.uk/freesat.html.
News from the online radio show covering UK digital TV and technology
The ITV High-definition service launches on Satuday 7th June 2008, exclusively on Freesat. Euro 2008 will be available in high definition. ITV HD will be available via the Red button on Freesat.
More on Freesat at frequencycast.co.uk/freesat.html.
Show 27 of FrequencyCast, the UK’s TV and Tech podcast, is online now. Here’s what we cover:
You can download Show 27 direct to your MP3 player, listen online or view the show notes at http://www.frequencycast.co.uk/cast27.html. You can also get us via iTunes.
If you’re thinking of getting Freesat, and haven’t got a satellite dish, here’s an interesting loophole.
With Freesat, if you don’t have a dish, it’ll cost you £130 to get Freesat working (£50 for a basic box, and £80 for installation).
Sky Digital are offering something called “Pay Once, Watch Forever“, which offers over 200 channels, for just £75 including installation and a Sky Digibox. You also get four months of Sky’s pay-TV channels as a trial.
So, here’s what you do:
Get “Sky’s Pay Once, Watch Forever” - dish and box for £75 (versus £130). Watch the 200+ free channels plus the Sky subscription channels for 3 months, then tell Sky that you don’t want to subscribe after the trial.
You can still use the Sky box for the free-to-air channels. If you fancy moving to Freesat (for their HD service), then you’ve already got a dish installed suitable for Freesat, and a spare satellite receiver. You can only apply if you’ve not had a Sky contract before.
Until end of May 2008: There’s 10% off “Pay Once, Watch Forever” at Dixons using code SKY10 at the checkout. Click here.
A new UK digital TV service has just launched - quietly. Freesat, offering 80 channels of digital telly and radio launched on 6th May 2008. We’ve got our hands on a rare receiver and put together a quick Audio Update. We’ll have a more complete look at Freesat in the next show, but here are our initial findings. Go to http://www.frequencycast.co.uk/freesat.html
Freesat, the BBC and ITV service, finally launched today, the 6th of May.
Freesat offers 80 channels TV and radio without subscription. To get the service, you’ll need a satellite dish and a special Freesat receiver.
Channel lineup offers few surprises. Many of the channels available on Freeview are present, including Channel 4, E4, More 4, ITV2, ITV3, BBC3, BBC News, CBBC and CiTV. Five, Fiver and Five US are missing from the lineup, but are apparently expected soon. Other channels include Film 4, True Movies, Movies4Men, Euronews, Men & Motors, Wedding TV, Chart Show TV and Al-Jazeera. You can find the full list here.
High Definition: Freesat is also offering HD content. At the moment, this is the BBC HD service, but this will soon be joined by the ITV’s new HD service. Irritatingly, ITV’s HD content won’t be available to Sky’s almost half-a-million HD customers, and Channel 4 HD won’t be available to Freesat customers.
The cost: To get Freesat, you need a dish pointing in the direction of the Sky Digital satellite (Astra / Eutelsat). If you don’t have a suitable dish, installation costs £80. As for boxes, there are two types at present - a Standard Definition box (from £49), and a High Definition box (from £120). A receiver with a built-in recorder (to rival Sky+) is reportedly due in July this year.
Launch “issues”: Today’s the official launch day, but no-one’s able to actually get a receiver. There are four authorised retailers selling boxes, but anyone looking for one today may be out of luck. After a ring-around, here’s what we found:
Alternatives? Free-to-view satellite TV’s been around for a while. If you fancied Sky, but not their hefty monthly fees, they also offer Freesat from Sky with 200 channels for a one-off £150. Sky also had their Sky Pay Once, Watch Forever service - 200 free-to-view channels and free hardware for a one-off £75. Neither offer free HD though
We’ll be following Freesat with interest, and covering this in our next show - don’t miss out - sign up for show alerts.
Show 26 of FrequencyCast, the UK’s TV and Tech podcast, is online now. Here’s what we cover:
You can download Show 26 direct to your MP3 player, listen online or view the show notes at http://www.frequencycast.co.uk/cast26.html. You can also get us via iTunes.
Later this year, we can expect to see FreeSat launch in the UK. This is a joint free-to-view satellite TV service that’s due to offer 80 free TV channels, plus some high-definition content.
It’s due in “Spring 2008″. What we know so far can be found on our FreeSat UK page.
Want 200 TV channels without a subscription? Sky has launched Sky Pay Once.
Available exclusively from Dixons online, this costs £75 and includes the box and installation.