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Is Freeview HD worth it?
[Deleted User]
Posts: 15
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From what I've read there will only ever be a handful of HD channels on Freeview, so is buying a Freeview HD enabled TV really worth it? I know they will soon be the standard for all new TVs, but right now they cost a little more than those with standard Freeview.
We''ve still got one old TV that we'll need to do something about come the DSO, and I might replace it with a new LCD TV instead of just adding a set-top box, but is there any real need to pay slightly more for a Freeview HD TV?
We''ve still got one old TV that we'll need to do something about come the DSO, and I might replace it with a new LCD TV instead of just adding a set-top box, but is there any real need to pay slightly more for a Freeview HD TV?
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If it is your main TV then buy the full monty, LCD and HD tuner.
If it is not the main TV, get a £20 set top box and when that TV goes wrong all TV's of say 25" and above will be HD as standard, I guess in two years time, you will not have to pay a premium for a HD TV.
If the TV brakes down before that it has only cost you £20 to keep it going so not a large loss.
eddie
If you're buying a new TV anyway, it's worth getting a Freeview HD one. Not least because it's highly likely that more muxes will migrate over to DVB-T2 eventually, and you'll be in the same position again.
The only time I think the internal tuner is worth more attention is when the tv is used as a standalone device.
If you plan to keep using it for more than, say, five years, an HD tuner - whether built in or as a separate tuner - is a must. In that period at least one more MUX will be converted to DVB-T2. As early as 2013 there could be two more - one of the existing SD muxes and an additional one from the "600MHz band sale". (They are clearing the UHF band from 31 to 39 for this), Not every station may be HD but full conversion to DVB-T2 is inevitable in time - Kenya has already decided to go directly to that standard.
In saying that, I'll probably end up heading for the sales (possibly even BEFORE Christmas) and buying a new TV. The PVR is another issue, I've already got a Humax PVR, and will really have to think about upgrading that in the next year or so too...
If your spare set has a SCART socket, you might conisder splashing out £50 rather than £20. Comet are currently doing a Freeview HD box for that tho it will probably become the typical selling price for a basic box early next year.. That way you can use it (although only viewing in SD) until you change sets, then get a cheaper one as they may well be selling off non-Freeview HD televisions cheaply.
GG
You would be able to see the channels if you have a Freeview HD set top box, regardless if the TV is HD or not and as long as the box has a scart port. The box doesn't know what display its outputting to.
Most of then are confused at the best of times, so nothing new there.
Just for the lack of pixelation and compression alone !
The difference of Saturday Night 'sparkly' shows for example where basically SD becomes a blocky mess is worth a HD box in its own right.
Freeview SD is shocking.
If it is worth it, well no one can tell you if it is or not. If I decide to go for Freeview Hd, I want to see it first before I spend out £250 or more on a HD PVr. Different people have told me different things. some say it is ok, some say it is great, other say that it is not as good as it could be.
I seen BBC HD on Freesat, I was not that impressed to be honest,I thought the picture quality was very soft and out of focus.
I'm sure others will disagree!!!!
Via which Freesat unit did you view the soft 'out of focus' BBC HD?
GG
Funny, I can't receive any HD channels at all on my SD Freeview box and tv.
So if the SD channels on Freeview are scrapped, I won't (and most Freeview viewers won't) receive any tv at all.
Is that improved picture quality?
-rapido
Pretty sure it was a Sagecom or what ever they are called these days. could have been the T.v I suppose, but that is a Panasonic.
All your life? so today you die.
It is a stupid thing people say, all their life, they can't say that until the day they are dying.
HD is nice, well the Blu-ray version of HD is nice, certainly on nature stuff. It don't always make a difference to films.
I got my sister and her hubby into HD, they came up here, watched a bif of my planet earth in Hd and went and got a HD T.v and upgraded their Sky to HD.
They forget about that, a lot of people still out there with normal CRT T.V. so they go without T.v then?
I can never understand why we change from 405 lines TV to 625.
I can’t tell the difference.:rolleyes: