Digital TV Guides

All HD channels

By Becca Talbot - becca@consumerchoices.co.uk

Wednesday 11 August, 2010

Want to watch your favourite programmes in high-definition? Read our guide to HD channels to find out more about what’s available in high-definition from each provider.

UK HD channels

20 HD channels & over 240 SD channels	17 HD channels & up to 160 SD channels	6 HD channels & up to 160 SD channels	4 HD channels & 140 SD channels
View all channels »	View all channels »	View all channels »
FREE Sky+HD Box* + FREE set-up & £100 voucher from £20 a month + HD for £10.25 a month	FREE V+HD Box (& £49.95 set-up) £24.50 a month** + FREE HD TV	FREE V HD Box (& £49.95 set-up) £6.50 a month*** + FREE HD TV	from £99.99**** (aerial required) no monthly subscription

* For new and existing customers taking their first Sky+HD package. Get up to 50 HD channels with additional Sky HD packs. ** + a Virgin Phone line for £12.99 a month. *** + a Virgin Phone line for £12.99 a month. **** Prices sourced from Freeview.co.uk and Freesat.co.uk. Freeview and Freesat set-top box capabilities vary across manufacturers. Higher prices may apply for recorder and catch-up capabilities.

With high-definition (HD) TV, your favourite sports, films and documentaries come to life. Pictures are up to five times clearer in HD than in standard definition, and with Dolby surround sound, you’ll feel like you’re really in the midst of the action.

There are plenty of HD TV channels available in the UK now, spanning a range of genres. So whatever you want to watch, there is something for everyone. Take a look at what’s on offer from the various digital TV providers below:

Sky HD channels

Sky (www.sky.com) is the UK’s biggest satellite TV provider, offering its TV service to nearly 10 million homes around the country. It has over 40 high-definition channels to choose from, which are available to all homes with a Sky+HD set-top box and a subscription to the HD viewing pack.

Some of the HD channels on offer from Sky include:

• Sky1 HD - Sky1 HD brings you some award-winning American and British series to enjoy in super sharp HD, such as House, Bones and 24
• E4 HD - The channel is a simulcast of the core E4 channel with a proportion of programmes, such as Glee, How I Met Your Mother and Hollyoaks, produced and transmitted in the HD format
• Nat Geo Wild HD - From tornadoes to tarantulas, Nat Geo Wild HD brings you the magnificence of nature, wildlife, the weather and our world in amazing high-definition
• Sky News HD - Watch news from around the world with sharper pictures and a widescreen format
• Sky Movies Premiere HD - Enjoy the biggest and best blockbusters from Hollywood and beyond, showing 90 of the top 100 Hollywood box office hits each year, all in glorious HD
• Sky Sports HD1 - Feel as if you’re on the pitch or at the racecourse as Sky Sports HD1 brings you all the excitement of top live sporting events, such as the Barclays Premier League and UEFA Champions League.

If you’ve got a HD ready TV and are looking to get the most from your digital TV subscription, consider signing up for a Sky package. And if you’re a sports or film fan, you can also add the Sky Sports and Sky Movies channels to your package for an extra monthly fee.

Use the postcode checker on Digitalchoices.co.uk to find out more about Sky’s packages and sign-up online.

Virgin Media HD channels

If you live in an area that can receive cable TV, consider signing up for a package from Virgin Media (www.virginmedia.com).

Virgin Media offers its XL TV subscribers over 26 high-definition channels. These include HD film channels, comedy channels and sports channels. Some of the HD channels available include:

• Living HD - Watch some of your favourite Living shows in HD, such as Britain’s Next Top Model, CSI, and cult phenomenon Most Haunted, exclusively on Virgin Media
• FX HD - FX shows a mixture of top American programmes and first-run dramas, including The Wire, True Blood and Life on Mars USA, in high-definition
• SyFy HD - Science fiction fans can tune in to watch high-definition episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Legend of the Seeker
• ESPN HD - Watch all the sporting events from the standard definition ESPN channel in super sharp HD, including 46 live Barclays Premier League matches and 23 live Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League games
• MTVN HD - Looking for high-definition kids’ programmes? MTVN HD shows music programmes such as MTV Unplugged, as well as live music events and a selection of Nickelodeon children’s shows, like SpongeBob Square Pants and Jimmy Neutron.

As well as its dedicated HD channels, Virgin Media also offers it Size XL customers on-demand high-definition content, including whole series of popular comedies and dramas, in its TV Choice menu. You could watch every episode of your favourite show back-to-back, in high-definition, just at the touch of a button.

Use the postcode checker on Digitalchoices.co.uk to find out more about Virgin Media’s packages and to sign-up online.

HD channels on Freeview and Freesat

If you don’t want to sign-up for a TV package with a monthly subscription, you can get a few HD channels from the free-to-view services Freeview and Freesat. These are:

• BBC HD - The channel shows top BBC programmes such as Hustle, The Royle Family and Silent Witness in high-definition
• ITV1 HD - ITV1 HD is a high-definition simulcast of ITV, showing a range of entertainment programmes, like Coronation Street, X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent, to millions of viewers
• 4 HD - The HD simulcast of Channel 4 brings you a variety of entertainment programmes, including Desperate Housewives, Deal or No Deal and Shameless, in all the close-up detail of high-definition.

The channels available to you with Freeview and Freesat will depend on where you live, so it’s important you do a postcode check first - you don’t want to buy a HD set-top box only to find that your area will not receive the free-to-view HD channels until 2012.

More HD options?

Don’t know which digital TV high-definition service to go for? Use our online price comparison tool to find out more about the digital TV providers available in your area.

Although you may be looking to reduce your monthly costs, packages from Sky or Virgin Media may suit you more, as subscription TV deals tend to offer a wider selection of channels, so make sure you consider all your options before buying a set-top box.

And if you want to find out more about HD television, download our Complete Guide to High-definition TV.