I see that the BBC Trust has approved the launch of an HD service on Freeview "as soon as possible". I wonder if the Toppy will cope with this or would I have to buy a completely new box?

Let us assume that Charles isn't very technical for now:

It's new box time if you want HD. Get a PVR now, enjoy its benefits for the inevitably larger number of years than expected that it takes for HD to get going properly on DTT. Once broadcasts have started and the HD kit comes down to unsilly prices, augment your SD PVR with an HD one - HD is going to need generous quantities of disk space anyway.

OK. Thanks for your civilized conversation, Simon. I might wait for an HD box to come out because it seems from today's article that the wheels are in motion to transmit HD. However, I might change my mind.

Perhaps in a year's time we will start to have HD on Freeview, given the news today.

Wheels might be in motion, but they're big slow ones and they need to get hardware manufacturers interested too. If you're soldiering on with a VCR, don't wait. It's just not worth it given the proliferation of PVRs from as little as £80.

Yes, some interesting points Simon. I've actually got a Freeview box but not a PVR. Perhaps it's not worth buying an expensive PVR given that I might have to replace it soon. However, I might think about a cheaper one, as you suggest.

You won't have to replace a PVR soon; I don't know how many times this can be said:

There will be no HD on Freeview until 2010 at the earliest.

It won't be next year, and it won't be the year after (with an outside, very slim chance of very late in 2009); some people - like Sony, who know about these things, one might imagine - think it may even be later than 2010.

I think I'm really looking for a 5 year life out of my next major PVR purchase. So, I guess I'll get a cheap one to tidy me over until late 2009. It's almost 2008 after all!

Good for you, but you won't get a cheap Toppy. Best look elsewhere.

Glen.

Yep; and many people think it will actually be 2010 before there is mass-production of equipment for DVB-T2, which will include stuff for HD.

Since there is no plan to switch off the current DVB-T transmissions, any kit you buy now will still be working come 2010; there'll be no need to throw it away. It will still be working just fine in 2012, or 2013 and beyond. Just because a four (at most) HD channels may appear in 2010 doesn't mean your SD box is suddenly useless.

The only thing kit you buy now won't do will be receive HD, because no one is making kit for the HD service and no one will be able to until the technical details of the DVB-T2 standard is known.

Buy any box now and it won't receive HD transmissions. It will carry on receiving SD for as long as SD is broadcast - and there's no plan to stop that.

Personally, I'd buy a box now, knowing that I'll get a lot of use out of it; and when HD kit is affordable, in 2010 sometime, I'll get another, and pop the current SD box in the bedroom, or something like that.

The cheapest new(ish) Toppy is from Turbosat. 160GB mail order returns units for £160+£10 p&p.

I would imagine that any *reliable* HD PVR, pre 2012, is going to cost over £500, maybe another 2 or 3 years before they are affordable.

Thanks Simon. I might consider this. The new model is not for me. I would imagine that it will be quite considerably more expensive than the existing model. And I don't want to pay for that knowing I will want to get a High Def box as soon as they come out.

Although the standard def transmissions will still be available after late 2009, I think I will be wanting to buy a High Def box ASAP. So the new TF5810 is a bit of an expensive red herring for me.

Some more 'grist for the mill'...

http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/h...ep_closer.html

K