Digital TV Guides

Free HD TV in the UK

editorial@consumerchoices.co.uk

Thinking of upgrading your TV to high-definition? Find out the cheapest way of watching HD TV, with free channels from Virgin Media and Freeview. (Updated 22/3/10)

If you’ve got a HD ready TV and are looking to get the most out of your digital TV package, make sure you choose one that offers high-definition versions of all your favourite channels.

Sign-up for a cable TV package with Virgin Media, a satellite TV deal from Sky or get HD channels for free with Freeview.

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Get HD TV from Virgin Media

New and existing Virgin Media (www.virginmedia.com) TV customers can now get the new V HD Box for a one-off cost of just £49, plus installation. The new box lets homes with a subscription to the largest package, Size XL, watch all of Virgin’s high-definition channels for no extra cost.

This means, that unlike rival digital TV provider Sky, with Virgin Media’s cable TV service, there are no extra on-going monthly fees for HD channels, other than the standard package cost - XL TV currently costs £23 a month if you take a cable phone line,

Virgin Media offers with a good range of high-definition content, both live and on-demand. Channels include FX HD, MTVN and National Geographic HD, which shows stunning documentaries in HD. There are also HD channels from Channel 4, and ESPN, while ITV, Eurosport, Discovery, SCI FI, E4 and Film4 high-definition channels will all be added to the service later in the year.

Virgin Media’s HD Box will also give you access to the on-demand library with thousands of hours of programmes, including hundreds in HD. Recent blockbusters such as Inglourious Basterds, Star Trek and The Hurt Locker, are shown alongside TV hit series including True Blood and Carnivàle, all in HD.

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: L + Phone: M	100 channels including Virgin 1, Sky1, Comedy Central, Bravo and many more

Free HD TV on Freeview

Freeview, the UK’s subscription-free TV service, is currently rolling out its free high-definition service. When the digital switchover is completed in 2012, every home in the UK will have access to at least three HD channels, from the BBC, ITV and Channel 4.

As long as you have a HD ready TV and a Freeview HD set-top box, you’ll be able to watch these channels without subscription.

To find out if you can receive Freeview HD, simply enter your postcode into our HD coverage checker. We'll tell you whether you can receive Freeview HD - and if not, when it will become available to you.