Join Freesat

Thanks to reader Nigel Whitfield for this article, very interesting and worth a read for anyone new (or not so new) to the Freesat scene:

http://www.pcw.co.uk/personal-computer-world/features/2224159/introduction-freesat

Enjoy!

C4’s new dedicated music channel launches today on Sky, Virgin Media and Freeview, but why not Freesat?

Contracts contracts contracts!!!

We can only assume that 4Music has fallen foul of Sky’s never ending contract over some C4 channels. When will C4 finally break free? When will Freesat be treated as an equal satellite platform?

So how long can we expect to wait until 4Music comes to Freesat? Anyone’s guess, no one seems to know the in’s and out’s of Sky’s contract with C4, we can only hope it expiries soon and Freesat push C4 and Five’s channels to the top of the list for inclusion on the EPG.

One things for sure, when Freesat finally get all C4 and Five’s channels, plus a PVR, its going to be a fantastic platform, not just a great one!

It seems that no matter where you look, its impossible to find a schedule of programmes due to be shown on ITV HD. ITV’s own TV guide is useless, not even showing Harley Street as in HD, which is odd considering its their first weekly drama and they made such a big deal of it when it first broadcast.

What we’ve decided to do is post below the HD programmes we know are scheduled to be available (in the coming weeks), and was hoping with the participation of our readers we’d be able to get as complete a list as possible, so if you are aware of any more, please post a comment and we’ll update this post…then we’ll consider building a static page around it.

Thursday 14th August 2008
Harley Street - 21:00

Saturday 16th August 2008
The Mummy Returns - 16:45

Monday 18th August 2008
Superhuman: Genius - 21:00

Thursday 21st August 2008
Harley Street - 21:00

Wednesday 27th August 2008
UEFA League: Liverpool v Standard Liege - 20:00

Not to be missed! Britain From Above, a new documentary hosted by Andrew Marr which begins Sunday 10th August at 9pm on BBC HD and BBC One.

An epic journey revealing the secrets, patterns and hidden rhythms of our lives from a striking new perspective.

Join host Andrew Marr as he discovers how each and every one of us is interconnecting making Britain what it is today.

Britain looks very different from the skies. From a bird’s eye view of the nation, its workings, cities, landscapes and peoples are revealed and re-discovered in new and extraordinary ways.

Cutting edge technology allows you to see through cloud cover, navigate the landscape and witness familiar sights as never seen before.

We have been lucky enough to see a preview of this in high-definition and it was nothing short of stunning, the best we’ve seen from BBC’s high-definition service so far. Do not miss it.

Visit BBC’s Britain From Above website for more information.

It was made aware to us by DigitalSpy member ‘rai uno’ that Sky Sports 1-3 and FX UK are currently available FTA (free-to-air). These channels can be added to any non-Sky Digibox, so should work on your Freesat receiver by adding the channels to the non-Freesat mode using the frequency 12110 H 27500 2/3.

We don’t expect these channels to be available for long, there must be a technical error or some deliberate enticement so enjoy whilst you can.

Short notice but don’t forget that the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics is on BBC One and BBC HD at 12.45pm today, in just 10 minutes time.

It’s expected to be spectacular and should look absolutely amazing in high-definition so don’t miss it.

Sorry for the late posting, its been one of them days! Just to let you know that Freesat have confirmed the launch of BET, Zone Horror + 1, Information TV, Kix!, Celebrity Shop and Simply Shopping, which will appear automatically on your Freesat EPG on Friday 8th August as we previously suggested.

In a statement from Freesat regarding the new channels, Emma Scott, Managing Director of Freesat said:

Freesat is committed to providing viewers with the best of free-to-air programming and a diverse choice, with something for everyone. BET is a huge brand name in the US and its style and range of programming will be tremendously popular with viewers in the UK. In addition, a channel like Kix! brings an exciting style of kids TV programming onto the platform.

BET International, Senior Vice President, Michael Armstrong added

We are delighted to be partnering Freesat in what we view as an important process in our distribution strategy. We believe that our exclusive content should be seen by as wide an audience as possible, Freesat delivers a free-to-air solution that fits into our aggressive audience growth plan for the UK.

Update 08/08/08 11:29 - Channels now available for download

It was a slow start (was available on Sky and Freeview earlier!) but the BBCi service for the Olympic Games is now available on the Freesat platform, via the red button, hooray!

Fingers cross for some fantastic footage over the next few weeks, we are all behind you on this one BBC.

(Thanks to all those that emailed us to let us know, and thanks to the BBCi team that have worked so hard over the past few months to get this ready in time, can’t be easy with a new service to cater for)

Humax have announced that the eagerly anticipated Humax Freesat PVR/DTR will be unveiled at the IBC show in Amsterdam, September 12th - 16th.

Whilst the Humax PVR won’t be the finished product, and may still be a few months off release, it gives a first real chance to take a look at the new receiver; we can’t wait.

You never know, there might be other Freesat goodies on show that haven’t been announced yet.

Thanks to digitalspy member ‘mitsubishi’ the following channels seem to have appeared in the data stream ready for inclusion on the Freesat EPG. They include:

- BET
- Information TV
- Kix!
- Simply Shopping
- Zone Horror +1
- Celebrity Shop

We don’t have any official confirmation on these channels at the moment, but some detective work by another digitalspy member ‘Strathclyde’ would suggest a 8th August launch, as Information TV’s website states:

We’re launching on FREESAT Friday 8th August ! Channel 406