Logan asked

16th September 2010

I have been offered a free Sky + HD box by Sky, however I do not have an HD television. The initial offer was 6 months free and 6 months at £10 for the HD package. But since I don't have an HDTV, they have offered to turn the HD package off and thus give me the box free, with no additional charge to my monthly subscription. If I subsequently get an HD television and wish it turned on, I just need to contact them.

My question or concern is, can I still view all the non HD channels, with no diminution in quality, through this HD box?

The quick answer is yes you will be fine with this setup. Not all of the content Sky broadcasts is in high-definition anyway so their high-definition decoder boxes are able to handle both so this should be a good solution for you should you wish to upgrade at a later date. (Which is likely what they are hoping for!)

Louise asked

9th September 2010

Please tell me which TV regions currently receive HD. I live in Guildford Durrey. Is it available there?

You can find a map of where and when digital switchover istaking place here:

http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/when_do_i_switch

Once the analogue TV signals are turned off this frees up some broadcasting space for high-definition Freeview channels.

You're likely to get your TV signal from the Guildford transmitter which is part of the the London TV region which is switching in 2012:

http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/when_do_i_switch/london

Keep an eye on the above site and an exact date will be published nearer the time when you should be able to receive Freeview in HD.

Kay asked

4th September 2010

We have a V Plus box for cable and would like to move the TV to another part of the room. What cable do we need to extend it or would we have to call virgin back in to do the job?

All you should need is a satellite/cable extension lead and possibly a joiner to connect the extension to your current cable. These are commonly available and I'm in no way recommending this particular one but it (or another like it) should do exactly what you want:

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5342622/Trail/searchtext%3ESATALITE.htm

Claire asked

1st September 2010

I have a HD Ready TV but my digital recorder is not HD Ready what can I do?

In order to be able to record Freeview HD your best option when the time comes is to purchase a high-defintion Freeview recorder box. This will provide you with a Freeview HD tuner (to allow you to watch Freeview HD on your HD Ready TV - the inbuilt Freeview tuner may not necessary be HD) and it will allow you to do scheduled recording of HD programmes.

Jason asked

24th August 2010

I am considering buying a Humax H.D. Freesat recorder, as i only have a Panasonic TXW36D3DP, can i still watch the content recorded on the Humax via scart with acceptable results on this analogue TV?

As you say your television is only standard definition (although a bit of a classic it seems) so there's no benefit in recording in high-definition for you but since the majority of Freesat content is transmitted in standard definition anyway you won't me missing all that much.

http://www.humaxdigital.com/global/products/product_stb_satellite_foxsat-hdr.asp

Claims that the video is output though all three output simultaneously so you may well find you're even able to record high-defitnion programming but watch in standard-definition via the SCART output.

Matt asked

16th August 2010

Not sure if this is a silly question or not. I have recently purchased a Samsung full HD Ready TV but have had a problem with it so have sent it off for repair. In the meantime I had arranged for a V+ HD box to be installed (I currently have the standard Virgin box as I only had a SD TV). As my HDTV is being repaired I have substituted it for a standard defintion TV.

My question is: will I still be able to use the V+ HD box with my SD TV and receive SD channels (obvioulsy I will not be able to receive the HD content) or is it worth putting off the installation of the V+ HD box until my new HD tv is fixed?

The V+ HD boxes have SCART and composite outputs therefore so long as you have one or other corresponding input on your existing television you will be able to connect the two up until your HDTV is returned.

Billy asked

10th August 2010

I have a Full Hd Sony Bravia Tv and a Hard Drive DVD Recorder. What else do I need to see Freeview HD?

If your HDTV is relatively new you may well find it has a built-in Freeview HD tuner, however if it only contains a standard-definition Freeview tuner you will need a separate decoder/set-top box as a standard-definition tuner is not able to decode the high-definition Freeview signals.

The other consideration is to make sure that you live in an area of the country where digital switchover has taken place. Once the analogue TV signals have been turned off this frees up broadcasting capacity for Freeview HD. You can check if/when you are able to receive Freeview HD here:

http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/when_do_i_switch

Chris asked

7th August 2010

I have a new HD Ready TV with built in Freeview but I cannot get or even seem to register any of the HD channels when scanning. I'm plugged in to an outdoor rooftop aeriel although I don't know how old it is... could this be the reason?

If the old aerial is able to pick up standard-definition Freeview successfully it should also be suitable for Freeview HD.

In order to receive Freeview HD you also need a high-definition capable tuner/decoder. If your TV is relatively new you may well find in contains a inbuilt HD tuner, but if you only have a standard-definition Freeview tuner built-in you would need to purchase a separate HD capable decoder box as the high-defintion channels cannot be decoded by a stadard defintion Freeview box.

The final piece of the puzzle is that must also live in an area of the country where digital switchover has already taken place, as that frees up space that can be used to accommodate the new HD channels. You can confirm/check if and when you will be able to receive Freeview HD here:

http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/when_do_i_switch