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Freeview HD - High Definition

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

 

HD LogoWhat 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?

There will be four HD channels available:

  • BBC HD
  • ITV HD
  • Channel 4 HD (early 2010)
  • S4C (early 2010 - Wales only)
  • Five HD - to be added by late 2010.

 

When will Freeview HD channels become available?

It won't be until 2012 that all of the proposed four 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?

AerialTo 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 start of February 2010. These are not yet available.

 

Will my existing box or TV get Freeview HD?

Freeview HD will use the DVB-T2 High Definition standard, and MPEG-4 coding. Currently, there are no receivers in the market in the UK.

Set top box:

  • As of the start of February 2010, there are no Freeview set-top boxes on the market capable of getting Freeview HD.
  • The first boxes are likely to be available from early 2010. More on our HD Boxes page.

HT TV setTV set with Freeview:

  • 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 are expected by Spring 2010.

When Freeview HD becomes available, existing Freeview boxes and TV sets will continue to be able to view standard Freeview channels.

 

Freeview HD boxes

As of the start of February 2009 , there are no Freeview HD boxes, or Freeview HD recorders on the market that conform to the DVB-T2/MPEG-4 standard. The first box is expected to be on the market in February / March 2010.

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

 

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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Don't want to wait for Freeview HD?

 

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

 

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