Freeview HD - High Definition

Freeview will soon be offering four high definition TV channels. On this page, we have details of Freeview HD in the UK.

 

What is HD Freeview?

In April 2008, UK Regulator OfCom announced that we can expect up to four high-definition digital TV channels to be delivered via a TV aerial on Freeview.

 

What HD channels will be available on Freeview?

The following HD channels will be available on Freeview:

• BBC HD (now)
• ITV 1 HD (now)
• Channel 4 HD (early 2010)
• S4C (early 2010 - Wales only)

Five HD: This was set to launch by the end of 2010, but their licence was withdrawn by Ofcom in March 2010: Five loses HD licence.

 

When will Freeview HD channels become available?

It won't be until 2012 that all of the proposed Freeview HD channels become available across the whole UK.

It's expected that the Freeview HD services will start from the 2nd of December 2009 in the Granada TV region and in the London area, with the rest of the UK getting Freeview HD gradually between 2010 and 2012 in parallel with the Digital Switchover rollout.

Not all of the Freeview HD dates have been published, but based on the information we have, here is a rough timetable for HD on Freeview:

Region / Area	Transmitter	HD Date
Manchester / Granada region	Winter Hill	2 December 2009
London area	Crystal Palace	2 December 2009
Newcastle and Tyneside	Pontop Pike	February 2010
Glasgow, central Scotland	Black Hill	February 2010
Leeds and Bradford	Emley Moor	March 2010
Birmingham	Lichfield	March 2010
Liverpool, central Lancashire, Cheshire, North Staffordshire	Winter Hill Relays	March 2010
Cardiff and Newport	Wenvoe	March 2010
Swansea	Kilvey Hill	March 2010
West and central Wales	Blaenplwyf	March 2010
Carmarthenshire	Carmel	April 2010
Exeter, parts of Devon, Somerset and Dorset	Stockland Hill	April 2010
Bristol, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire	Mendip	April 2010
Shetland	Bressay	May 2010
Orkney	Keelylang Hill	May 2010
Caithness, North Sutherland	Rumster Forest	mid-June 2010
Rest of Wales	Long Mountain, Moel y Parc, Presely	Mid-June 2010
Anglesey	Llanddona	July 2010
Lewis, Wester Ross, North West Sutherland, Western Isles	Eitshal Skriaig	July 2010
Angus, Dundee, Perth, and parts of Fife	Angus	August 2010
Devon, Cornwall, and the Isles of Scilly	Beacon Hill, Caradon Hill, Huntshaw Cross, Redruth	August 2010
Aberdeenshire	Durris	September 2010
Morayshire, Strathspey, and parts of Easter Ross	Knockmore	October 2010
South West Scotland	Caldbeck Scotland	October 2010
Inverness and the Great Glen	Rosemarkie	October 2010
South West Highlands and Islands	Torosay	October 2010
Cumbria and the Lake District	Caldbeck	October 2010
Isle of Man	Douglas	October 2010
Scottish Borders	Selkirk	November 2010
Channel Islands	Fremont Point	End 2010
Bedfordshire, Berkshire (parts), Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, East Anglia, East Midlands, East Yorkshire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Humberside, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Shropshire, South Yorkshire, Staffordshire (parts), Stoke-on-Trent, West Midlands (remainder), and West Yorkshire (remainder)	Various	2011
Berkshire (remainder), County Durham, Greater London (remainder), Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Northumberland, North Yorkshire, Surrey, Sussex, Teesside, Tyneside	Various	2012
Northern Ireland	Various	2012

 

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How do I get Freeview HD?

To get Freeview's high definition channels, you'll first need to wait until they're available in your area. In some cases this may not be until 2012.

As with Freeview, Freeview HD will be received via a TV aerial.

You will need a DVB-T2 High Definition Freeview receiver with support for MPEG-4. As of the middle of February 2010 , there is only one Freeview HD box on the market that supports Freeview HD - the Humax HD Fox T2.

 

Will my existing box or TV get Freeview HD?

Freeview HD uses the DVB-T2 High Definition standard, and MPEG-4 coding. These require a special Freeview HD receiver:

HD Set top box:

• As of the middle of February 2010 , there is only one Freeview HD box available - the Humax HD Fox T2, priced at £180.
• Other boxes will follow later in 2010. More on our HD Boxes page.

TV set with Freeview HD:

• If you have an HD TV set with a built-in Freeview receiver, this will NOT be able to receive Freeview HD. You will need to buy a Freeview HD set-top box (with DVB-T2) and connect it to your existing HD TV set.
• TV sets with built-in Freeview HD receivers started to appear in Spring 2010.

 

Freeview HD boxes

As of the middle of February 2010 , there is only one Freeview HD box on the market that conforms to the DVB-T2/MPEG-4 standard, and that's the Humax HD Fox T2, priced at £180.

We have a page dedicated to Freeview HD Boxes, which will be updated as soon as we have details of available Freeview HD receivers - you may want to sign up to our mailing list for updates.

Alternatives? You may have dismissed the Sky satellite TV option (as it's not subscription-free), but if you want to make the most of your HD TV set, here's why you may wish to think again: Channels: 4 times more channels than Freeview, and 37 HD channels Price: Sky's HD box is free if you sign up to Sky's HD pack (HD subscription is £10 a month). Otherwise, box is £49 (and you get BBC HD free) HD Box: Free, and with a built-in hard disk recorder Availability: Sky HD is available to 98% of the UK (free installation available) Full details and pricing info on Sky's HD site

 

 

Want to know more?

Sign up to our Podcast, FrequencyCast, where we cover topics including Freeview HD, Freesat, Sky and BT Vision

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Updates on Freeview HD? Sign up to our free newsletter Join our email list: We won't pass on your email address and you can unsubscribe at any time

 

Don't want to wait for Freeview HD?

• Consider Freesat (offering HD via a dish), or Sky+ HD.
  
  
• Also, see our HD page for other options

 

Got a question on Freeview HD? Ask in our Freeview forum , or contact us

 

Freeview Links:

• Your Freeview HD Questions Answered
• Freeview HD Boxes - Our list of Freeview HD boxes and recorders
• More on Freeview - Freeview Info
• More on HD - High Definition Explained
• More on Freesat HD - Freesat Explored
• Need help? Ask in our Freeview forum

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