Lots of free TV channels! (Freeview)

Member Name: Gav86

Product:	Freeview
Date:	15/10/09 (78 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Free, good variety of channels

Disadvantages: Reception sometimes poor

Freeview is the name given to all the channels in the UK on the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) Service. Its totally free (hence the snappy name for the service...) and works through existing aerials if they are compatible (which most are!).
When analogue TV is completely shut off - it has started in areas of the country already - digital TV is required. This can be through freeview, or cable or satellite.
Freeview is obtained through a Set Top Box which can be had for less than £20 now, or most new TVs in the UK come with a freeview tuner built in. Just plug in the aerial!

Earlier this year i moved out and me and my girlfriend got a place of our own. I had grown up with Sky TV and loved having all of the different channels available.
So when it came to moving out, i priced up all of the pay tv options. It all just seemed a bit too much, especially with being as busy as i am, then having the XBox and whatever there to fill my time too.

It then clicked that my TV had built in Freeview, and i had just never used it.
A quick check online showed me all the channels available, and to be honest, i was quite impressed.
The usual BBC 1 & 2, ITV1, Channel 4 and Five are all available, plus a big bundle of other entertainment, news, music and Radio channels;

BBC3, ITV2, ITV3, ITV4, E4, Dave, Film4, Virgin 1, BBC News, TMF, 4Music, CNN, Sky Sports News and a big list of many more. The radio station list is fairly substantial too.

It was typical when i moved out that i forgot to pack any aerial cables, but one quick trip to Maplin later, and i was ready to go. Im a fairly techy person, so it was obvious to me what to do, but to a novice, its still very straightforard. All manufacturers menu systems on TVs and Boxes are different, but the menus are easy enough to navigate, and once you press the button, all your channels will set themself up on their own.
Then, when its done, a quick press of the guide button will give you a big channel list with timetables for whats on.
Theres plenty of useless channels clogging up this list, and these can easily be deleted through your freeview menu system.

I have been very happy with the variety on Freeview, and thinking back, apart from the movie channels, there wasnt much i watched on Sky that isnt on Freeview. Dave, E4, BBC3 - sorted! Along with my Lovefilm subscription, i dont really feel as if i am missing out at all.

There is a wide range of Freeview hard drive recorders available too. These are more expensive than a standard Freeview box, but will allow you to record onto the inbuilt hard drive, much like Sky+, and set up series links, dual recordings etc etc. There is even a product available for the PlayStation 3 which turns it into a Freeview recorder.

Coming soon also is Freeview HD. High defintion channels over the Freeview service. It will be a big step forward for TV in the UK, however, no existing boxes or TV's will be able to pick up the signals. A new Freeview HD box will need to be purchased when they become available!

There has been a downside however. Freeview channels are broadcast in what are knows and Multiplexes (or MUXs). There are 5 MUXs each containing various channels.
Our Freeview reception has always been great, but in October there was the need for a widespread re tune of Freeview to continue receiving all the channels (and so some people could receive Five who couldn't before). Since the retune our MUX 2 has been unwatchable (This contains the ITV and 4 channels). I am currently still trying to fix it!

Overall though, i am more than happy with the choice i get from Freeview and would definitely recommend it. The odd glitch should hopefully be sorted and everything great again.

Summary: A great alternative to Pay TV if you dont need thousands of channels