Digital TV Guides

A simple guide to boosting your Freeview

Get more from Freeview

Updated: Friday 2 July, 2010

By Becca Talbot - becca@consumerchoices.co.uk

If you’re looking for a cheap digital TV service but with some added extras to give a bit more variety, then there are a few ways that you can give your Freeview a boost.

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Basic digital TV

If you’re looking for a basic TV package, which offers all the digital terrestrial TV channels without the need for a monthly subscription, there are two options:

  1. Freeview
  2. Freesat
  • There are loads of ways to get Freeview (www.freeview.co.uk) and Freesat. Basic set-top boxes now start from around £20, while a Freeview digital TV recorder (DTR), that allows you to record, pause or rewind “live” TV, will set you back around £70. You can also buy HD ready set-top boxes for about £150, that let you watch your favourite programmes in super sharp high-definition on the digital terrestrial HD channels. And most manufacturers are also now offering digital integrated TVs with Freeview or Freesat built in, though these are considerably more expensive.

    One important thing to remember when choosing your TV service is that Freeview and Freesat are supplied by different digital sources. While Freeview signals are received using your rooftop aerial, to get Freesat you will need a satellite dish mounted on the side of your house.

    More from digital TV

    If you want to give your digital TV service a boost, you should consider signing up to a subscription TV service from a digital TV supplier like BT Vision, Sky, TalkTalk TV or Virgin Media.

    All suppliers offer a basic package, which will give you all the channels on Freeview, plus a few extras, such as on-demand TV and extra channels. When signing up to a digital TV subscription service, you’ll also get a set-top box, though you will ultimately pay for this in your monthly bills.

    You should also consider Top Up TV (www.topup.tv), which supplies its own branded set-top box and gives customers access to a library of on-demand channels and programmes, which can be watched on a pay-per-view basis, or added to any package as a monthly subscription.

    To find out more, compare digital TV providers and read our provider guides.

    Freeview with BT Vision

    BT Vision, the TV service from BT, offers customers the basic Freeview channels plus on-demand content, making it a TV service to suit your needs. It get BT Vision, you must have BT Total Broadband, as the on-demand content and channels are provided via your internet connection - this is known as internet TV or IPTV.

    You could choose to only watch those Freeview channels that are available in your area - in which case you won’t be billed for your TV service. But you also get the option of adding pay-per-view programmes and movies when you want. Films start from £1.99 and programmes start from just 39p.

    Customers also get the option of boosting their BT TV channels with a selection of viewing packs. These packs have no contract attached to them so they can be purchased on a month-by-month basis allowing you to choose whatever you want whenever you want it. For example, you could choose to only subscribe to the sports pack only for the duration of the football season.

    If you’re not yet a BT Total Broadband customer but want BT Vision, sign-up to BT Total broadband.

    Boost Freeview with Top Up TV

    Top Up TV offers hundreds of programmes each month from a range of pay-TV channels covering everything from the Discovery Channel and the Comedy Channel to Living TV and the Disney Channel. Programmes are automatically downloaded to your Top Up TV set-top box - which also works as a digital video recorder - and you can even record a whole series to your hard drive to watch whenever you want.

    Top Up TV set-top boxes start from £39.99, and then the viewing packs cost from £11.99 a month with no contract. You also get the option of adding Picture Box - a movie service from Universal Pictures - to your subscription for an extra £7 a month allowing you to watch a selection of 30 movies a month.

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    Comments

    I've just signed up to BT vision to find that I can't get Living TV, the only channel I really watch - is there a solution, I am tied into the contract for 2 years. - Jul 22 2010 3:45PM
    Jackie, Leicester

    is this digital just a con, cannot watch most programs without break-up, analog never breaks up, lost sky / news/ sports itv4 yesterday alazeera, very poor, - Jul 9 2010 2:34PM
    t ommy, nr304ng

    I CANT GET VIRGIN 1 ON MY FREEVIEW AFTER 7PM YOU HAVE
    TAKEN YOUR + 1 SERVICE OFF AND NORMAL SERVICE GOES
    BLANK I PAY MY TV LICENSE COULD YOU HELP THX.
    MR S M SHORT
    - Jun 2 2010 7:27PM
    SIMON SHORT, BARMOUTH,GWYNEDD,WALES

    I have a Lowry box and it was OK until last week. Now I cant seem to retune any channels and have only got 1.2.3.4.5 and thats it
    When I turn on the box it has 'no signal' or 'no channel' so what can you say to to help please ??
    - May 20 2010 10:46PM
    Graeme Macklin, East Kilbride

    I want God TV on my Free Box but it doesn't pick up. When I try to update it says it does not allow updates. God TV is a free service so why cant I have it on my Free Box. It wont pick up channel 27 but picks up 26 and 28. Why is this. - Mar 5 2010 11:06PM
    We 'receive' from the Oxford transmitter, but only receive 37 channels and some of those say 'no signal'. I realise that work is being done on the transmitter, but we used to receive many more channels before we had to retune. Why?
    - Feb 24 2010 7:09PM
    john ramsay, UK

    I could only get couple of channels on my roof top aireal, being disabled I paid £40 for free sat, a man came from fist digital and fixed another
    box on the front of the family's now discontinued sky dish and ran it into my granny flat,since then the main set which is a samsung selfocus progressive- sp 42w4hl, just went out of focus, over the weeks i thought it would retune itself can you advise or help / retune, thank you.
    - Nov 21 2009 9:26PM
    steve andrews, flint flintshire

    Since retuning my Freeview box I find that the BBC channels break up very easily unlike prior to retuning. Can this be corrected now or must I wait for digital to go live in my area? Would a softwear upgrade help? - Oct 10 2009 6:45PM
    Stephen Sermanni, Mid Calder, Scotland

    I also retuned and lost channel 4, well not lost but now at too low a strength. Before the retune I could get ITV in favourable weather but no longer. I have also lost channel five. Yes I did gain ITV3 and 4 but lost ITV2+1. So I had 5, 4 itv2+1and itv1 on good days and now I don't have any itv1&2, C4 or C5. It's two years where I live to the next upgrade. I am seriously looking at freesat, virgin or sky. or turning my antenna around and going back to analogue. - Oct 6 2009 2:24PM
    As instructed I have retuned but seem to have "lost" ITV, Channel 4, 5 and associated channels. How can I re-install or do I need a new Set Top Box. - Sep 30 2009 12:33PM
    Frank Spence, Maidstone, England