Sorry if its a stupid question.

Will any HDTV with intergrated freeview be able to access HD channels if they become available in the future?

None, as far as I'm aware so far.
we'll have to buy external boxes for that, for our current tvs

Will it be available with a CAM?

I think it's unlikely as the cam (surely?) connects to the existing tuner which will be non HD.

I am happy to be corrected though!

I would agree, what would be the point?, there's only going to be a tiny number of HD channels, and none that will be scrambled.

Just interested to know as it seems strange to have a HDTV with freeview that wont support freeview HD channels. It probably suits the manufacturers fine as people will have to buy yet more equipment if they want to recieve HD.

I think i'll be getting Sky HD in the next few months so I doubt it will be a problem.

It's not that strange. The Freeview HD standard has only recently been finalised. Compatible receivers could not be made until then.

The first generation of receivers will probably be expensive because they use the new DVB-T2 transmission system rather than the tried and tested DVB-T, and the price may discourage manufacturers from putting them in TVs. We shall see.

Any idea when the new boxes will be available?

The entire service is a future one, no one if going to make boxes for a service that doesn't exist - I wouldn't expect boxes until a few months after (the limited) launch, and sets probably six months to a year afterwards.

What would be the point of launching a service if nobody could see it?

Surely there'll be boxes in time for the launch.
Presumably the standards will be released to manufacturers ahead of time?

Daft if not.

First off, chip sets have to developed, then receivers developed around the chips - bear in mind it's not rolling out across the entire UK, just small pieces at a time, along with DSO.

I would imagine with the current economic climate that manufacturers will be loath to risk the large sums of money involved, when it's such a limited service anyway.

As I understood it, it's supposedly starting in the Granada region, but some special arrangement will allow London to get it early on too?
That's quite a big audience really.

I'm in the Borders, which went through DSO in November, and Border TV is owned by Granada, so I was hoping to get a Freeview HD box at the end of this year.
I would be disappointed to have to wait much longer.

I could go with Freesat HD? I've already got one Freesat HD box, but I'm disappointed by the lack of HD channels on there. What happens with Channel 4 HD on satellite is crucial, I think.

I can't see ITV and CH4 launching HD services on Freeview if there was no advertising revenue to be gained. And no company is going to pay to advertise on a service with no viewers.
So my guess is, the service would be delayed until compatible boxes were out there.

It's the usual chicken and egg situation

The problem with Freeview is it's massive costs, satellite costs only a fraction of Freeview - and there's already a fairly decent size audience out there.

HD should never have been passed for Freeview, there's no space for it, it's a complete bodge, and will ruin SD quality further (such as it is). It should have stayed on Sky and Freesat (and appeared on VM as well!), where there's at least room for it, and more people can get it.

I don't think Freeview would survive long term if it couldn't provide HD?

I know a lot of people say they're not interested in HD, and they won't pay a lot of money for it, but that's just a temporary phase IMO. In a few year's time, if the economy hasn't totally collapsed, then HD will be the norm, and SD will be considered quaint and old fashioned.

It's like these folk who say Blu-ray won't take off because up-scaled DVD is perfectly fine.
Er..no. Head out of the sand time fellas.
Blu-ray players are already cheaper than good upscaling DVD players.

Freeview will always survive in one form or another... it's going to be the replacement for analogue terrestrial broadcasts in the UK so it will survive for quite some time yet.

Personally I think digital terrestrial should always have been engineered to provide a better than analogue service, ie BBC, ITV, CH4/5 in high bitrate Standard definition with options to also provide HD. Then if there's any bandwidth left use it for some decent channels, excluding shopping, gambling, +1 channels and subscription channels.

But that's just my opinion on terrestrial digital services.

It's never going to provide more than a few HD channels, so long term it's not got much hop on that basis.


People want choice, and quantity not quality - HD is likely to always be a premium service.

To put it in perspective, for the many people on relays who currently only get four analogue channels it would be like removing those four SD channels and only providing one HD channel in their place. Better quality pictures, but nothing to watch


As always - it's personal choice - those who claim upscaled DVD is just as good (and all DVD, and other SD content, is upscaled on an HDTV anyway) as BluRay know full well it's not, but don't want to spend on BluRay.