What is Freeview?

 

Freeview is digital TV received via a TV aerial. If you're in range of a Freeview transmitter, chances are your existing aerial is able to get Freeview.

 

Freeview offers nearly 40 digital TV channels, including the main 5 channels, plus channels like ITV2, BBC3, E4, Dave, Virgin 1, Five US, Sky Three, plus news, music and kids channels.

 

By the start of 2008, Freeview already in 14 million homes. Reception issues mean that only around 75% of the population are covered by a Freeview transmitter

Freeview's the cheapest way of getting digital TV. You can get 40 channels by buying a Freeview set-top box that connects to your TV via SCART. These are available for a one-off cost of about £25, and there's no subscription

 

Getting Freeview

 

Freeview is available subscription-free via a TV aerial. You need to be in a Freeview reception area though. More on coverage below.

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There are a number of ways to get Freeview. If your TV has a spare SCART socket, a Freeview set-top box may be your best bet. Here are the ways that you can get Freeview:

 

• Standard Freeview set-top box - Available for upwards of £20 from the likes of Dixons and Comet
  
  
• Digital TV set - Known as an IDTV, these are TV sets with a built-in Freeview receiver
  
  
• PVR - a personal video recorder - Basically a set-top box with a built-in Freeview receiver and a hard-disk for recording Freeview programmes. More
  
  
• BT Vision - If you're with BT Broadband, or you fancy swapping providers, BT will give you a free digital TV set-top box that receives Freeview programmes and lets you watch on-demand films, TV, sport and kids TV over broadband. More
  
  
• Top Up TV Anytime - A Freeview receiver that gets extra programmes downloaded onto a hard-disk overnight. Based on the feedback from our site visitors, we can't recommend Top Up TV Anytime as good value for money, or for reliability. More
  
  

Freeview coverage

 

At the moment, Freeview isn't operating on full power in the UK. This is partly so that it doesn't interfere with normal analogue telly, and partly as some transmitters have not been converted to digital. At the start of 2008, around 25% of the UK isn't in range of a Freeview transmitter, but this will improve as we get closer to switch. To check if you're in a coverage area, enter your postcode into the Freeview Postcode Checker. This will tell you if you're meant to get Freeview where you are.

 

For more, see our Freeview Coverage FAQ