Freesat launches today

Freesat, the joint satellite TV service from the BBC and ITV, officially launched today at 11am.

The service offers 80 channels of free-to-view TV channels, using a standard satellite dish and a special freesat receiver.


Many of the channels you can get on Freeview are present, including Channel 4, E4, ITV2, ITV3, BBC3, BBC News, CBBC and CiTV. Channel 5 is missing from the lineup, but is expected soon. Other channels include Film 4, True Movies, Movies4Men, Euronews, Men and Motors and Al-Jazeera. See our Freesat channels page for the full list.

To get Freesat, you need a dish pointing in the direction of the Sky Digital satellite (Astra / Eutelsat). If you have an existing Sky dish, chances are this is good enough, otherwise you'll need to get a dish installed. Freesat's price for this is £80 (or £120 for two rooms). You'll get a 45cm to 80 cm mesh-type dish. You'll also need a special Freesat set-top box to receive Freesat's channels and Electronic Programme Guide.

As for boxes, there are two types at present - a Standard Definition box (from £49), and a High Definition box (from £120). A receiver with a built-in recorder (to rival Sky+) is reportedly due in July this year.


Freesat Launch day has been an interesting one. None of the four main Freesat retailers appears to actually have stock. Here's what we've discovered so far:

• Currys: No stock. Nothing on the Currys website. We checked in with a Central London store, and were told 4-6 weeks


• Comet: No stock. Calling Comet's customer service line (08705 425425), we were told 7 days


• John Lewis: Nothing on their website. Rumours that the Humax receiver may be due "later today" in Oxford Street


• Argos: Five boxes listed on their website, but all out of stock. Some branches appear to have stock, espcecially the Bush receivers, but they're under instructions not to sell them. A call to Argos Customer Services (0870 600 3030) revealed that the Goodmans and Bush models weren't being sold for "Quality Control reasons", with one online forum reporting an issue with channel reception on the Bush model. Argos are only able to sell the Humax FoxSat - but no stock in London or the South East.

Apart from the "subscription-free element, a key seller for freesat is "HD", and they're offering BBC's HD channel at launch. They have an exclusive on ITV's HD Service (soon), which won't be available on Sky. Sky however, have an exclusive on Channel 4 HD. Commenting on ITV's decision to go with freesat, Sky said "It would be a strange decision and disappointing for viewers if ITV chooses not to make its service available to 450,000 HD-enabled households."

What of Sky? Sky's been offering a free-to-view satellite service for some years - confusingly enough called Freesat from Sky, which offers 200 channels for a one-off £150. They also offer Sky Pay Once, Watch Forever, which for £75 gets you a dish and £200 free-to-view channels.


We'll be watching this one closely, and featuring this in our next podcast.


More on Freesat on our Freesat page.

BBC iPlayer now on Virgin Media

The BBC iPlayer is now available on the Virgin Media platform, and is acceible via the red button.

We've recently added a page of information on the BBC iPlayer, including - what's on offer, how to use it, and what platforms it's available for. More on the BBC iPlayer at www.radioandtelly.co.uk/bbciplayer.html

Sky without subscription, and 10% off in May 08

Want Sky, but don't want to pay a subscription? We've found a 10% off offer on Sky's Sky Pay Once, Watch Forever service, which gets you installation of a dish, with a set top box.

Normal price is a one-off £75 - but get 10% off when using voucher code Use voucher code SKY10 at the dixons.co.uk checkout.

Valid until the end of May 2008

Podcast: iPlayer, Virgin Media and Eee PC

Show 26 of FrequencyCast, our online radio show, has just been released.

In this show, we cover the BBC iPlayer, Virgin Media, new Freeview channels and news of Freesat. We also take a look at the Eee PC, try a new Wii game, and talk surge protectors, iPhones and much, much more.

Download Show 26 direct to your MP3 player, or listen online at http://www.frequencycast.co.uk/latest.html

Got iTunes? Play, download or subscribe: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=142899029

Share and Enjoy!

DAB Radio discounts

15% off all DAB digital radio - Use code 15DABRAD at Comet.co.uk - Valid till 16th May 2008.

Digital Radios with 10% off

Get 10% off Revo DAB and Internet radio, including the Uno, Pico, Pico+, Mondo and the high-spec Revo Radiostation Blik, which combines DAB, DAB+ and Internet radio.

For the discount, go to www.advancedmp3players.co.uk and use the special code affrevo at the checkout. Only available while stocks last.

Picturebox to launch on BT Vision

Picturebox, the Movies on Demand service from Universal Studios is coming to BT Vision from 5th May. The service, also available on Top Up TV Anytime and Tiscali TV will offer 28 movies a month for a £5 a month subscription. radioandtelly.co.uk/btvision.html

Setanta Sports Half Price for 3 months

If you're a boxing fan, you'll know that there's a big fight this weekend - Joe Calzaghe will be fighting Bernard Hopkins on Saturday night. This is one of the biggest fights of the year, and it's being broadcast exclusively on Setanta.

We've uncovered a half-price Setanta deal relating to the Calzaghe/Hopkins match that runs until Friday the 18th April. You can subscribe to Setanta for three months half price (£5 per month for the next three months), if you quote offer code 1904 when you order online at www.setanta.com.

Offer ends at midnight on Friday 18th April.

Rush HD Appears on Sky HD

Rush HD appears on Sky's High Definition service - extreme sports in HD. It's on channel 452.

More on Sky HD

Freeview HD by 2009

Finally, High Definition looks set to come to Freeview. UK Regulator Ofcom has announced that we can expect up to four high-definition digital TV channels to be delivered via a TV on Freeview as soon as 2009. One of these four channels will be offered to the BBC, with the other three reportedly up for tender.

The space for these channels will be freed up by getting the existing Freeview services to shift to a new transmission standard called DVB-T2, make of MPEG-4 compression technology, combined with some channel reshuffling. These changes are expected to happen side-by-side with each TV region's digital switchover programme, so it won't be until 2012 that all 4 Freeview HD channels are available across the whole UK

It's expected that viewers will need to get a new Freeview box to get HD, but existing boxes will continue to work for non-HD Freeview channels.

More on UK HD

Podcast: Buying a Digital TV

Show 25 of this site's online radio show, FrequencyCast, is now online.

In this show, we discuss what to look for when buying a new tv, explore Audio Description, and run through a roundup of the latest Freeview, Sky, TV, Radio and Gadget news. Listen online or download the show from www.frequencycast.co.uk/cast25.html

Radio landscape changes

The landscape of the UK industry, just changed.

GCap Media, owners of a whole bunch of the UK's commercial radio stations has just been acquired by Global Radio for £375 million.

GCap owned a number of big-name stations including Classic FM, Capital Radio and Xfm. GCap was in the news in February for its decision to shut a number of national DAB radio stations, as we reported in show 24 of our podcast. Global owns stations including London's Heart and LBC, as well as Galaxy. The new group of stations will now dominate over 40% of the UK's commercial radio listening

Three digital stations depart

Three National DAB digital radio services fell silent today, April 1st 2008.

The stations to go are theJazz, adult contemporary Capital Life, and the three months trial of forces station BFBS.

Planet Rock was also meant to go off-air today, but has a month's extension, while the station continues to find a buyer.

The departure of these national DAB stations comes as radio group GCap Media branded DAB radio as 'economically unviable' in February.

No news on what stations will fill the gaps left, although RadioToday's Birdsong +1 catchup service April Fools jape made us smile!

A stack of national radio stations from Channel 4 are due later this year, although with this year's departures, Channel 4 must be having some reservations...

If you haven't listened already, download episode 24 of our podcast, where we discuss the closures, and future of digital radio. www.frequencycast.co.uk/cast24.html

New Sky HD channels coming soon

News of three new Sky High Definition channels coming soon:

Sky Sports HD 3 - With live high definition coverage of European Golf Tour

Sky Movies Premiere HD - Upcoming HD premiers include: Titanic, Blood Diamond, Mr Bean's Holiday, Flags Of Our Fathers, Fracture, Babel and Ghost Rider.

FX HD - series of critically acclaimed dramas to the UK for the first time

These three channels increase the number of HD channels on Sky to 17. More at http://www.radioandtelly.co.uk/skyhd.html

Digital Radio's future discussed in podcast

Show 24 of FrequencyCast has just been released to the world. Yes - 24 shows... we've reached our second birthday. Here's what we cover in today's show:

• News Updates: An end to the High Def DVD format wars, BBC on the iPhone, the US strike's over, we discover more about podcast listening, and we say hello to the 21st Century KITT.


• Focus - Digital Radio: After DAB has had a really rough couple of months, Carl and Pete pick up the pieces, look at some DAB technology, ask whether the future is Net radio, and read through listener's texts and mails on digital radio.


• Neuros OSD: A new piece of kit - a gadget that converts your video, streams your content and acts as a PVR.


• Your Questions: Listeners questions on wireless V+ box connections, Freeview Series Link, video on a whiteboard, TV in other rooms, HDMI cables and Freeview in hilly areas.

You can download Show 24 direct to your MP3 player, listen online, or view the show notes at http://www.frequencycast.co.uk/cast24.html



Enjoy the show? Add a quick iTunes review: Review us.

More DAB stations to go

In another blow to digital radio in the UK, two more national DAB stations are set to disappear soon.

gCap Media are planning to close stations theJazz and Planet Rock. They've already disposed of one of their other national stations - Core. gCap has also today announced that as well as closing two national stations, they'll be selling their shares in Digital One, the providers of the national commercial radio DAB multiplex.

This is billed a cost-cutting excercise, as well as being due to the slow uptake of DAB in the UK.

Lost Series 4 1 day early on Sky+

Series 4 of "Lost" starts on Sunday 3rd Feb. If you have a Sky HD box, or a newer Sky+ box, you may find that Lost is available 1 day earlier, via Sky Anytime. If you have Anytime on your Sky+/Sky HD box, the first two episodes should be available nice and early, courtesy of the Dharma Initiative and Sky. Sky+

Show 23 of our Digital TV podcast now online

FrequencyCast Show 23 is now online.

If you're new to FrequencyCast, it's an online radio show that discusses digital TV and technology in the UK. We're free, so give us a try! Show 23 covers:

• News Updates: An update on the HD DVD format wars, some BT Vision news, two national radio stations departing DAB, the iPhone software update, plus ITV4 and Top Up TV News.


• Focus - Classic Technology: Again, we listened to the online votes for show topics, and this time around, as requested, Carl and Pete go back in time to see what TV, Computers, Phones and the 'Net looked like twenty years ago.


• HD in the UK: A quick summary of what's on offer HD-wise, from the big guys - Sky and Virgin.


• Squirrels: It's our own fault - 12% of you wanted us to discuss... squirrels. You only have yourselves to blame!


• Your Questions: Listeners questions on Wireless headphones, the Skypephone, Freesat, mobile podcasting and the digital switch.

You can download Show 23 direct to your MP3 player, listen online, or view the show notes at www.frequencycast.co.uk/cast23.html

Two national radio stations vanish this month

Two national radio stations broadcasting on DAB are shutting down this week:

Speech-based radio station OneWord is to shut down on 12th January 2008. The station started back in 2000. Owners UBC Media laid off staff back in December, and the station will fall silent in a couple of days.

Music station Core, owned by GCap, is also set to close on Friday the 11th of January.

Sky HD price dropped

Sky has just annouced a drop in price for their HD set-top box. Their combined Sky HD / Sky + box is now £249 (was £299). If you take out Sky's High Definition service with Sky's Broadband, home phone service and Sky Multiroom, the price drops to £199. Details of Sky's HD service can be found on our Sky HD page.