Digital TV Guides

How to watch the Six Nations rugby live in HD

By Becca Talbot - becca@consumerchoices.co.uk

With more high-definition channels becoming available from the UK’s digital TV providers, should you to switch to HD TV? Find out how to watch the Six Nations rugby live in HD on Sky, Virgin Media and online (Updated 3/2/10)

• Watch it live on Sky
• Watch it live on Virgin Media
• Watch it live on Freesat
• Watch it online

If you’re a rugby fan you’ll want to make sure you don’t miss a single match of this year’s Six Nations because, for the first time ever, the BBC will be broadcasting the tournament in high-definition (HD).

High-definition TV, or HD TV as it is also known, will make the whole viewing experience better, with clearer pictures and sharper sound. When watching the games in HD, from kick-off to final whistle you’ll be able to see every goal, try and conversion in enhanced quality.

All matches played in the Six Nations this year will be shown on BBC One, BBC HD, via the Red Button on BBC One and on the BBC Sport website. Coverage will also be broadcast on Radio 5 Live. Below is a table of who’s playing who and when, so you’ll never miss a minute of the action:

However, to watch the Six Nations tournament in high-definition you’ll need both a HD ready television and a digital TV provider that offers the BBC HD channel. There are currently three providers offering this channel: Sky, Virgin Media and Freesat. You can also watch the tournament in high-definition online.

Watch the 2010 Six Nations live on Sky

Satellite TV provider Sky (www.sky.co.uk) currently offers the widest choice of high-definition channels, including 14 HD film channels and six HD sports channels. To get the majority of Sky’s HD channels you will need a subscription to the HD pack - this costs £10 a month extra and is available to all customers with a Sky+HD box.

Because BBC HD is a free-to-view channel however, you will not need a subscription to the HD pack to watch it. You will need a HD set-top box though, as well as a HD ready TV. The Sky+HD box is currently free to customers joining Sky and subscribing to the HD pack, or £49 without a subscription to the HD pack.

For more information and prices, please see the packages listed in the table below:

Sky TV Only

Company	Package Name	Channels	Broadband	Home Phone
	Sky Entertainment TV	Sky Entertainment Pack with channels like Sky 1 and Sky Atlantic
	Sky Entertainment TV + Sky Sports + ESPN	Live cricket and football coverage
	Sky Entertainment TV + Sky Movies + Sky Sports	100s of films from comedies to thrillers

Watch the 2010 Six Nations live on Virgin Media

Virgin Media (www.virginmedia.com) is the UK’s largest cable TV provider, and now offers eight high-definition channels. These include National Geographic HD, ESPN HD and Living HD (which is exclusive to Virgin Media). BBC HD and Channel 4 HD channels are available at no extra cost to all Virgin Media customers, while the remaining six HD channels are only available to XL TV package subscribers.

As with Sky, the BBC HD channel is available without subscription but customers must have a HD set-top box, such as the Virgin Media V+ box, and a HD-ready television with a HDMI socket. The V+ box costs £75 and includes set-up and installation by a trained Virgin Media engineer.

For more information and prices, please see the packages listed in the table below:

Virgin Media TV packages

Company	Package Name	Channels	Broadband	Home Phone
	TV: M+	65 channels including Virgin 1, Sky1, LIVING and many more
	TV: L	100 channels including Virgin 1, Sky1, Comedy Central, Bravo and many more
	TV: XL	160 channels including Virgin 1, Sky1, ESPN, Disney Channel and many more
	TV: L + Broadband: 30Mb + Phone: M	100 channels including Virgin 1, Sky1, Comedy Central, Bravo and many more

Watch the 2010 Six Nations live on Freesat

Freesat, the subscription-free satellite TV service from the BBC and ITV, also offers the BBC HD channel and is showing the Six Nations rugby.

Freesat says that high-definition “gives you deeper, richer, more lifelike pictures”, and it offers up to 70 hours a week of the best BBC and ITV content in amazing HD, at no extra cost. To watch the tournament in HD with Freesat you will need a Freesat HD box - which costs from £67. You will also need a HD ready TV.

For more information on getting Freesat HD, visit www.freesat.co.uk.

Watch the 2010 Six Nations live online

If you want to watch the 2010 Six Nations live online, then you can do so on the BBC Sport website (www.bbc.co.uk/sport).

The website will be streaming all the matches live, starting with Ireland vs Italy on Saturday 6 February, and ending with Wales vs Italy on Saturday 20 March.

Every match will also be available to watch on-demand on the BBC iPlayer for up to a week after it has been played.