"when" being the keyword. HDTV is currently not designed for the market that freeview appeals to: which is basically one step above the mimimal tv broadcast. Its basically a way of shifting everyone from analogue to digital, and nothing more. Don't ever expect any real bells and whistles, if you want a HD service, you're going to have to pay for it from a proper provider.
But yes, if it ever happened (say.. 2050?) you'd need a new box.. freeview uses mpeg2 and the bandwidth is at breaking point as it is, a HD signal requires a lot more than a SD signal using that codec, so you'd lose about 5/6 of the channels if everything went HD.
Plus you'd need a HDTV to get any benefit from it, and generally those paying for HDTV can afford a subscribed service.
2050? Test broadcasts of HDTV on DTT start this summer. Whether they come to DTT full time depends on whether the Government allocates some frequencies for the extra muxes, but my guess is that they will and HD on DTT will start to roll out in 2009/10 being nationwide by 2013.
CC Dude
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But yes, if it ever happened (say.. 2050?) you'd need a new box.. freeview uses mpeg2 and the bandwidth is at breaking point as it is, a HD signal requires a lot more than a SD signal using that codec, so you'd lose about 5/6 of the channels if everything went HD.
Plus you'd need a HDTV to get any benefit from it, and generally those paying for HDTV can afford a subscribed service.