HD on Freeview

Chie · Mon 16 Feb, 2009 04.17

My dad wants to buy a full HD television with a digital Freeview tuner built-in. He's found a Sony Bravia model which he likes, but the digital tuner is MPEG-2. When I pointed this out to him, he said the bloke in Curry's told him it will be capable of receiving HD.

I was under the impression that only an MPEG-4 tuner will be able to decode the HD signal once the service is up and running. Is this correct?

Netizen · Mon 16 Feb, 2009 08.40

That's correct, you will need a DVB-T2 box to get HD. Currys are as usual, stupid at best and lying at worst.

Gavin Scott · Mon 16 Feb, 2009 09.29

The Bravia *is* capable of receiving HD, but not through its internal tuner, rather external source via the HDMI input.

So he wasn't "lying" per se, he just wasn't very clear about from where the screen could receive an HD source.

Netizen · Mon 16 Feb, 2009 10.15

I think it's fair to say that most people hear 'receiving' and associate it with receiving a broadcast, rather than anything you can plug in.

i.e. you would receive Freeview HD, but you wouldn't receive a Blu-ray. That just sounds odd. Unless it comes through the post.

marksi · Mon 16 Feb, 2009 10.25

One other thing worth mentioning - it's by no means certain that Freeview HD will be 1080p, more likely to be 720p. Therefore if he's insistent on "full HD" (not actually necessary IMO dependent on the size of the screen) then he'd need an HD satellite receiver.

Chie · Tue 17 Feb, 2009 22.57

Thanks for the information.

I ordered the TV for him this afternoon. Not quite sure what to do about HD programming. Freeview looks like it's going to be a long wait regardless, Sky+ is far too expensive and I resent paying for a load of extra channels we'll probably never watch anyway, and Virgin Media only offers one HD channel.

Gavin Scott · Tue 17 Feb, 2009 23.05

Freesat?

Stuart* · Wed 18 Feb, 2009 00.05

Gavin Scott wrote:Freesat?

I may be as clueless as you there, as I only want an HD TV with Freesat built-in. My iDTV came with Freeview as a bonus when I bought it, which comes in handy when the Sky-box is busy recording 2 things at 7pm (so I watch the 'One Show' on BBC One DTT).

I don't want to pay £10 to watch HD fom Sky, but I probably need an HD TV sooner or later.

Actually, ask me in 10 years!

Alexia · Wed 18 Feb, 2009 18.28

If you want a TV with Freesat built in, you have to buy a Panasonic Viera

Ebeneezer Scrooge · Thu 19 Feb, 2009 09.28

Alexia wrote:If you want a TV with Freesat built in, you have to buy a Panasonic Viera

...which are beautiful devices.

marksi · Thu 19 Feb, 2009 10.47

A TV with Freesat built-in is all very well but will you not want some kind of PVR? And you'd want a dual tuner one. So you have to ask if you'd actually be using the built-in tuner that you have paid extra for.

There is a Humax Freesat PVR, that's about £300 plus installation.

I HATE to say it but at the moment the Sky option is better. I have Freesat (single tuner receiver only) and I get BBC HD, ITV HD (though it's only there when there is an HD broadcast and via the red button on ITV1) and Luxe HD, which has nothing on you'd sit and watch, it's just a channel of Nice Things To Look At.

I've just registered to get into the queue for Sky HD. 3 months wait list they tell me, though the suggestion from others is that it's not that long. If you want multiroom then it's £49, if not then it's £79 though if it's your first Sky contract you probably get the installation free. You'll have a 12 month contract then, of probably £25 per month for the basics plus HD. You'll also have a lot more HD content than is on Freesat.