Digital TV Guides

Sky HD coverage

By Garnet Roach - garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk

Digital TV giant Sky uses its wide-reaching satellite service to deliver high-definition (HD) content to millions of viewers across the country. (Updated 09/09/2010)

Offering more HD channels than any other provider, 30% of Sky (www.sky.com) customers now have a Sky+HD box, allowing them to watch all their favourite programmes in super-sharp high-definition.

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HD coverage

Because Sky uses satellite technology - delivering your TV signal to a dish on the side of your house - it can offer its digital TV to more of the country. 98% of UK homes can access Sky, so even if you live in a rural area that can’t get Virgin Media's (www.virginmedia.com) cable TV or isn’t yet served by Freeview, you’ll still be able to watch all your favourite shows.

All Sky customers can access the provider’s wide range of HD channels by signing up for the HD Pack and getting a Sky+HD box.

How many HD channels does Sky have?

Sky offers the biggest choice of high-definition channels in the UK, with 58 live channels.

Read more about Sky HD channels.

How do I get Sky HD?

The first thing you’ll need in order to watch high-definition TV from Sky is a HD ready television. Prices for HD ready sets are falling all the time, and more than 24 million people now have a high-definition TV, according to regulator Ofcom (August, 2010).

Once you've got your HD TV, you'll need to sign-up to Sky - or upgrade your existing subscription to include the HD Pack.

The HD Pack costs an additional £10 a month but will give you access to the latest high-definition content across a wide range of channels, with everything from sports to movies and documentaries in sleek, shiny high-definition.

You’ll also get a Sky+HD box when you sign-up to the HD Pack, allowing you to not only watch Sky’s HD channels, but also record, pause and rewind “live” TV.

Why go high-definition?

HD TV and movies offer brighter and clearer images, with up to five times more detail than ordinary standard definition (SD) TV. Sound quality will also be clearer and sharper.

So if you’re a telly addict and want to take your TV to the next level, isn’t it time you switched to high-definition?