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Freeview V Freesat
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I've had Freeview for quite a while now and there doesn't seem to be a lot of decent channels lined up or much happening in the way of HD.
My parents recently asked me to look at helping them get ready for digital switchover. As they get their signal from a local transmitter in the valleys not Wenvoe, they are unlikely to receive the full range of Freeview. I therefore started looking into Freesat (they do not want to pay a subscription so Sky is out). I was quite surprised at the range of channels and the HD offering.
Personally I'm coming to the end of my tether with Freeview and am seriously looking at Freesat myself as an alternative. Does anyone have both and could comment on the pros/cons.
My parents recently asked me to look at helping them get ready for digital switchover. As they get their signal from a local transmitter in the valleys not Wenvoe, they are unlikely to receive the full range of Freeview. I therefore started looking into Freesat (they do not want to pay a subscription so Sky is out). I was quite surprised at the range of channels and the HD offering.
Personally I'm coming to the end of my tether with Freeview and am seriously looking at Freesat myself as an alternative. Does anyone have both and could comment on the pros/cons.
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The signal strength on Freeview (Wrekin - 12 miles) is so low that picture break-up is common! The DAB signal varies day by day!
I have a Panasonic 42" Plasma with Built-in FreeSat!
Brilliant!
I think that says it all!
HTH
With Freeview boxes from around £15, provided you have a suitable aerial, I would get both. In fact that is what I did ten years ago (On Digital days). See them as complimenting each other not competitors.
I wasn't aware of the limited HD content on Freesat. I would certainly miss Dave and Sky Sports News so I guess if I do get Freesat it's a case of keeping the Freeview box as well.
Today is fairly typical, and starts at 1605, ending at 0100. That's five minutes short of nine hours, of which the first 1h55 are for kids, leaving 7 hours for grown-ups.
As for the original poster's comment that "not much is happening in the way of HD" on Freeview, I'm not really sure what they mean.
There is a clear, well laid out plan to roll out Freeview HD starting with the Granada region at the end of this year. That's been the plan for quite a while. It's not suddenly going to leap forward by months, and nor is it suddenly going to be cancelled.
Just because there isn't HD available right now doesn't mean that nothing is happening. There are test transmissions, equipment being designed, plans for the startup of the service and necessary rearrangement of channels, and it won't be that long before equipment starts being tested.
What he was saying was that you can get BBC HD from 4 until 1, which is correct.
Rgds.
Les.
which is rather out of date.
Rgds.
Les.
....There are more (quantity wise) channels on freesat, as well as HD channels, I find the picture more stable, and the prospect of Iplayer style things (all freesat stb's and tv's have a LAN socket)
But freeview has better quality channels, sky 3, dave/ja vous, sky news (available in non-freesat mode), sky sports news, fiver, live life.........
also better bit-rate on some channels apparently, and cheaper stbs.
I've got a TV with both freesat and freeview built in, and I really do find it's the best of both worlds!
Rgds.
Les.
Yes, the new ones have sod all on them on, just one SCART and one F connector, that's the lot
In the trade it's called "a cost improvement".
I actually installed my own sky dish which I bought off ebay and had a spare sky box from my mother.
But, I have now got rid of the sky box in favour of a Bush freesat HD box (£67 in Argos!)
I am finding the HD quality just great - although there hasn't been much in way of programming in the last couple of days that I have had it (I'm going to let my 2 yr old watch Waybaloo in hd at 4pm - for her benefit, of course!)
I have had my Humax freeview pvr for a while and have no intention of getting rid yet, but it is unlikely I will get freeview hd but it depends on content.
I have kept freeview so that I can still see some channels such as Dave, Fiver, five us and Sky Sports News.
If you are a Sky News watcher, you can add this manually to a freesat box
Firstly, airspace exists for only 4 HD channels on Freeview - that's if the correct MPEG 4 DVB-T2 tuners ever become available as all DTT equipment in the shops now (July 2009) will not be able to receive HD terrestrial transmissions when they eventually start. Now, in the rest of the UK, one of these channels will be Channel 4 HD but in their wise wisdom, the government has decided to give the fourth HD channel in Wales to S4C. They will no doubt ensure that the 3% of the viewing public who watch the Welsh language programmes will be able to do so at peak times with Channel 4 HD stuff (which everybody can understand) moved to off peak. Get Freesat and then you will have the full choice of HD Channels as the satellite system can carry more capacity. (Channel 4 HD is not on Freesat yet).
Another advantage for you is that you will have a choice of BBC 1 & 2 England as well as Wales (and other regions). You will also be able to get ITV London as well as Wales. (Special codes are needed to tune in other ITV regions).
Freesat is your best best. You may like to consider the Humax Foxsat twin tuner PVR and connect this to your HD television with a HDMI cable. (You will need 2 downleads from the dish - ex Sky dishes are fine). If just buying a Freesat tuner box, make sure it is of the HD type.