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It’s been a long-time coming, but Freesat has just started broadcasting in the UK. It’s a new way to receive digital television without having to pay a subscription charge.
It works in a similar way to Freeview, apart from the fact that you receive the signals using a satellite dish instead of a high-gain TV aerial.
But which digital TV service is best? There’s a bit of competition going on now, with three main contenders: Freeview, Freesat and also Freesat from Sky.
Head-to-head
*
Freeview
About 37 per cent of people in the UK now use Freeview as their primary television signal. It’s the easiest to set up, and it’s definitely the cheapest. But that’s not the full story.
You can get Freeview receivers for next to nothing these days. And most people can receive the signal using the same aerial they used for analogue reception. But up to 25 per cent of people in the UK live in an area where Freeview is not available. That makes satellite-based services the only option for some.
The cost of setting Freeview up is minimal. Most people will only need to buy a set-top box which costs as little as £20 depending on manufacturer. That can be plugged into the same aerial sockets you’re already using. The big downside is that if you’re using older TVs, every TV in your house will need one of these boxes if you want Freeview in every room.
But what about the channels?
Freeview currently carries a total of 88 channels. They include all of the terrestrial channels (BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4 and Five) as well as all the extra BBC Channels *(BBC3, BBC News etc) and a selection of entertainment, music, movie and news channels.
Freeview also carries 28 radio stations, mostly from the BBC but also commercial ones such as talkSPORT and Virgin Radio.
Channel selection (out of 10): 7
Reception: 6
Ease of setting up: 10
Set-up cost: 7
Over all: 7.5
*
*
Freesat
Freesat only started broadcasting today, so the service doesn’t have a significant market share yet, but that looks set to change. That’s because Freesat looks like it’s an all-round better and more reliable service in comparison to Freeview.
Freesat launched with around 80 channels, but that number looks set to expand to as many as 200 by the end of 2008. What’s more, Freesat is already supporting HD content, which is something beyond the realms of Freeview until next year at the earliest.
Some channels unavailable on Freesat, but available on Freeview, include the ever-popular Sky Sports News, Virgin 1 and Sky Three.
As with Freeview, you’ll need a set-top box in order to receive the channels. The standard box will cost you around £50 plus an installation fee of £80. That extra £80 will get you a trained satellite expert for the afternoon, who’ll come to your house and install a satellite dish on the side of your home and then hook it up to your set-top box. The days of wireless dish-to-TV transmitters aren’t here yet.
However, for £70 extra, you can get your hands on an HD-ready Freesat box. That will give you access to Freesat’s HDTV content. And if you’ve got an HDTV in your living room, or you’re thinking of getting one, that might be a very worthwhile investment.
Freesat launches with the BBC HD channel, but ITV HD is on its way, with more HD content planned for the near future.
Channel selection: 8
Reception: 10
Ease of setting up: 7
Set-up cost: 6
Over all: 8
*
*
Freesat from Sky
Freesat from Sky is an alternative service to the more mainstream Sky Digital, provided by BSkyB. It’s very similar to the national Freesat service other than the fact that you’ve got to use a proprietary Sky set-top box.
All-in-all it’s a very similar service to Freesat and offers similar channels. However, Freesat from Sky carries non-Freeview channels such as CNN International as well as all of the regional BBC and ITV channels.
Installation and box prices on Freesat from Sky are similar to that of the standard Freesat package. The plus side of going for the Sky option, of course, is that if at any time you want to start paying a subscription for Sky Sports etc, you need only to start paying and the channels will be there for you.
Freesat from Sky already has over a million viewers, so it’s well ahead of the game. However, for anyone who cannot yet receive Freeview, the Sky option is no longer the only one.
Channel selection: 8
Reception: 10
Ease of setting up: 7
Set-up cost: 6
Over all: 7
*
THE VERDICT
*
All three services are similar in performance then. Freeview wins on ease of installation and initial costs. But Freesat has it on range of reception, and also for all the channels it has now and will have after a few months.
Freesat also has an advantage in that you can go HD now and won’t have to upgrade down the line. If you buy a Freeview box today, you won’t be able to recieve HD broadcasts when they begin in 2009. For that you’ll have to buy yet another HD-ready box.
Freesat from Sky is for you if you want free satellite TV for now, with perhaps the intention of paying a subscription for movies, sport or music in the future.
More...
It works in a similar way to Freeview, apart from the fact that you receive the signals using a satellite dish instead of a high-gain TV aerial.
But which digital TV service is best? There’s a bit of competition going on now, with three main contenders: Freeview, Freesat and also Freesat from Sky.
Head-to-head
*
About 37 per cent of people in the UK now use Freeview as their primary television signal. It’s the easiest to set up, and it’s definitely the cheapest. But that’s not the full story.
You can get Freeview receivers for next to nothing these days. And most people can receive the signal using the same aerial they used for analogue reception. But up to 25 per cent of people in the UK live in an area where Freeview is not available. That makes satellite-based services the only option for some.
The cost of setting Freeview up is minimal. Most people will only need to buy a set-top box which costs as little as £20 depending on manufacturer. That can be plugged into the same aerial sockets you’re already using. The big downside is that if you’re using older TVs, every TV in your house will need one of these boxes if you want Freeview in every room.
But what about the channels?
Freeview currently carries a total of 88 channels. They include all of the terrestrial channels (BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4 and Five) as well as all the extra BBC Channels *(BBC3, BBC News etc) and a selection of entertainment, music, movie and news channels.
Freeview also carries 28 radio stations, mostly from the BBC but also commercial ones such as talkSPORT and Virgin Radio.
Channel selection (out of 10): 7
Reception: 6
Ease of setting up: 10
Set-up cost: 7
Over all: 7.5
*
*
Freesat only started broadcasting today, so the service doesn’t have a significant market share yet, but that looks set to change. That’s because Freesat looks like it’s an all-round better and more reliable service in comparison to Freeview.
Freesat launched with around 80 channels, but that number looks set to expand to as many as 200 by the end of 2008. What’s more, Freesat is already supporting HD content, which is something beyond the realms of Freeview until next year at the earliest.
Some channels unavailable on Freesat, but available on Freeview, include the ever-popular Sky Sports News, Virgin 1 and Sky Three.
As with Freeview, you’ll need a set-top box in order to receive the channels. The standard box will cost you around £50 plus an installation fee of £80. That extra £80 will get you a trained satellite expert for the afternoon, who’ll come to your house and install a satellite dish on the side of your home and then hook it up to your set-top box. The days of wireless dish-to-TV transmitters aren’t here yet.
However, for £70 extra, you can get your hands on an HD-ready Freesat box. That will give you access to Freesat’s HDTV content. And if you’ve got an HDTV in your living room, or you’re thinking of getting one, that might be a very worthwhile investment.
Freesat launches with the BBC HD channel, but ITV HD is on its way, with more HD content planned for the near future.
Channel selection: 8
Reception: 10
Ease of setting up: 7
Set-up cost: 6
Over all: 8
*
*
Freesat from Sky is an alternative service to the more mainstream Sky Digital, provided by BSkyB. It’s very similar to the national Freesat service other than the fact that you’ve got to use a proprietary Sky set-top box.
All-in-all it’s a very similar service to Freesat and offers similar channels. However, Freesat from Sky carries non-Freeview channels such as CNN International as well as all of the regional BBC and ITV channels.
Installation and box prices on Freesat from Sky are similar to that of the standard Freesat package. The plus side of going for the Sky option, of course, is that if at any time you want to start paying a subscription for Sky Sports etc, you need only to start paying and the channels will be there for you.
Freesat from Sky already has over a million viewers, so it’s well ahead of the game. However, for anyone who cannot yet receive Freeview, the Sky option is no longer the only one.
Channel selection: 8
Reception: 10
Ease of setting up: 7
Set-up cost: 6
Over all: 7
*
THE VERDICT
*
All three services are similar in performance then. Freeview wins on ease of installation and initial costs. But Freesat has it on range of reception, and also for all the channels it has now and will have after a few months.
Freesat also has an advantage in that you can go HD now and won’t have to upgrade down the line. If you buy a Freeview box today, you won’t be able to recieve HD broadcasts when they begin in 2009. For that you’ll have to buy yet another HD-ready box.
Freesat from Sky is for you if you want free satellite TV for now, with perhaps the intention of paying a subscription for movies, sport or music in the future.
More...