Freeview, Freesat or Youview??

[Jonno_Mc]

Hi all!

This has probably been asked before, but i'm struggling get my head around the above. What is the difference, pro's and cons for each of these?

I'm currently using Virgin Tivo and want to move away from subscription TV, but am not sure which direction to go...

Many thanks in advance!

 

[professorhat]

The main differencea are as such:

Freeview - set of free to air channels available through a standard television aerial (assuming you can pick up these broadcasts in your area and have a suitable ariel installed). Main advantage is the simplicity of installing (since you likely already have the necessary equipment). Main disadvantage is there is limited scope for HD channels - there are currently four and this is unlikely to increase any time soon.

Freesat - set of free to air channels available through a satellite dish. Main advantage is these broadcasts can be picked up pretty much anywhere in the UK and there is increased bandwidth available for further channels, including HD channels in the future (there is no guarantee that these will actually come though!). Main disadvantage is you need a satellite dish installed if you don't have one already.

YouView - this is essentially Freeview, but with the added benefit that the catchup services of BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 are included and accessible in an easy manner e.g. rather than having to go into a separate app, then search for the programme you want, you can simply scroll the TV guide back to when the TV programme was on, then select it and it will play (assuming it's available on these catchup services). Also, all YouView boxes include recording facilities, whereas these are optional on the Freeview and Freesat boxes. Not really a disadvantage as such, but note that you need to have broadband of a minimum 3 Mbps to get reliable access to the catchup services, and a sufficient monthly data allowance to stream any programmes you want to watch this way - if you don't, you might as well just get a Freeview box.

There's lots more to it than that, but this is a high level overview which hopefully is of some help.

 

[chebby]

They are not mutually exclusive. You could have all three.

Here is a guide ...

http://www.pluggedin.co.uk/article/what-to-know-when-buying-free-to-air-digital-tv

 

[Jonno_Mc]

Brilliant. Thank you both very much. Sounds like Youview is the way to go for me (i can't have a dish), and trying to be as futureproof about it as possible.

Any recommendations on the best box?

 

[bigboss]

There are 2 ways of getting a YouView box:

http://www.youview.com/get-youview/

 

[Jonno_Mc]

Thank you, but surely the reason behind buying a pvr is to be contract free, so why would you go with BT/talktalk?

Also, with a bit further investigation, the Humax models (which appear to be the best reviewed) do not come with wifi and require an ethernet connection to hand. Does anyone know when, if ever, this will be available??

 

[hammill]

Thank you, but surely the reason behind buying a pvr is to be contract free, so why would you go with BT/talktalk?

Also, with a bit further investigation, the Humax models (which appear to be the best reviewed) do not come with wifi and require an ethernet connection to hand. Does anyone know when, if ever, this will be available??

You would be able to use a plug in one of these http://www.humaxdirect.co.uk/product.asp?ProdRef=96026 (you can probably get cheaper elsewhere). If your WiFi is not strong or in high demand you might be better off with a couple of homeplugs to give you mains based connection.

 

[bigboss]

Thank you, but surely the reason behind buying a pvr is to be contract free, so why would you go with BT/talktalk?

Sometimes, they give you the YouView box worth £300 for free, for only £5-10 a month for 12 months. Works out cheaper that way.

 

[hammill]

Thank you, but surely the reason behind buying a pvr is to be contract free, so why would you go with BT/talktalk?

Sometimes, they give you the YouView box worth £300 for free, for only £5-10 a month for 12 months. Works out cheaper that way.

But can you dump the contract and keep the box afer a year, or do you find yourself on a v expensive tariff?

 

[bigboss]

Thank you, but surely the reason behind buying a pvr is to be contract free, so why would you go with BT/talktalk?

Sometimes, they give you the YouView box worth £300 for free, for only £5-10 a month for 12 months. Works out cheaper that way.

But can you dump the contract and keep the box afer a year, or do you find yourself on a v expensive tariff?

As far as I'm aware, the contract is for 12 months only, & the box is yours to keep. BT offered me this deal for £5 per month, which I politely declined (I love Sky).

 

[bigboss]

Here it is:

http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/21/free-subsidized-bt-youview/

 

[hammill]

Here it is: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/21/free-subsidized-bt-youview/

You are the right man for a bargain. Looks like a very good deal.