Join Freesat

As Freesat will be an ever changing service, with new facilties and options available all the time, we thought its important to cover the basic FAQ’s in one section, rather than spread over the blog pages. We will continue to update this page so the information is always correct. The date of update can be found below. If you have any questions yourself, or spot any mistakes, please let us know.

Updated 17-Jul-08

What is Freesat?
Freesat is a brand new digital satellite TV service which launched on 6th May 2008, and is available to almost all households across the UK. For a one-off payment for a digital box, satellite dish and installation, Freesat offers you nearly 80 TV/Radio channels, including BBC, ITV, C4 and many more. If your TV is ‘HD Ready’, Freesat will also give you access to the world of ‘free’ High Definition programmes, presently BBC HD and soon, ITV HD.

How many channels can I get?
Because Freesat is delivered via satellite (i.e. same satellite setup as Sky TV), there’s a huge range of TV, radio and interactive services to choose from with 85 channels presently available, and up to 150 expected by the end of 2008.
You won’t be overwhelmed by all these channels - they’ve been organised into easy to use categories within the Freesat electronic programme guide (EPG), so you’ll easily find what you want at the press of a button.

Where can I buy Freesat?
Freesat is available through selected high street retailers (see right hand column) and some independant retailers. Help support joinfreesat.co.uk but buying online through the links supplied.

How much does it cost?
A one-off payment will get you the lot. You pay for the digital box (from around £50), the satellite dish and installation (from around £80). There is a selection of digital boxes available with a range of functionality to deliver additional benefits, such as *personal video recorders (PVR), high definition (HD) and TVs with freesat receivers built in (IDTV). NB: You will still need a satellite dish with a TV with Freesat receiver.
*PVR available Nov/Dec 2008.

Are there any ongoing costs?
No! Freesat is just that, a free service. Once you’ve purchased the equipment, its all free, forever.

Why now, what reason?
The main intention of Freesat is to ensure the consumer has choice when it comes to the digital switchover. When the analogue signals switch off, its apparant that quite a large percentage of the UK would have no means of receiving an ‘acceptable’ digital signal from the current ‘Freeview‘ (by aerial) option. Freesat via satellite takes care of this, covering the whole of the UK (or most anyway!). The other reason is to clear up the misconception that pay-tv from BSkyB is the only satellite service in the UK. Freesat is looked to be the long term replacement of Freeview.

What about HD?
Watching TV in high definition (HD) is an incredible experience. With five times as much picture detail as standard TV, HD makes a massive difference to your enjoyment of TV.
The BBC currently has one HD channel, where you can watch live sport, national events, stunning natural history, landmark drama, world-class documentaries and more. ITV had coverage of the Euro 2008 games and intend to broadcast a number of premium films and primetime drama’s by the end of 2008. As the HD revolution progresses, more HD channels and services will be added to freesat over time.
9.5 million households already have HD-ready TV sets but until now haven’t been able to access HD programmes for free. Freesat will give you high definition programmes, guaranteed free from subscription.
If you have an HD-ready television, or are thinking of buying one, Freesat is for you!

Who’s behind Freesat?
Freesat is a joint venture between the BBC and ITV and comes to you from many of the same people that launched Freeview. Freesat came together formally as a joint venture in May 2007, and is funded 50/50 by its shareholders, ITV and the BBC. The joint venture is run on a ‘not for profit’ basis.
As TV advances with many more channel choices, interactive services, and high definition TV, these broadcasters want as many viewers in the UK as possible to have access to their new services, such as HD TV. ITV and the BBC believe that viewers should have the choice of accessing all of these services and more, without paying a subscription.

Can I get Freesat regardless of where I live in the UK?
Because Freesat’s content is delivered via satellite, almost every household in the UK will be in coverage. Only 2% of households will not be able to, and this is typically either because they won’t have ‘line of sight’ of the satellite due to obscructions, or because they live in a listed building which cannot gain approval for a satellite dish.
If you think you might be in that 2%, we’d advise you contact your local installer to see if Freesat is an option for you.
For the technically-minded amongst you, if you have a 43-60cm dish pointing towards Astra2 at 28.2° East or Eurobird at 28.5° East, you will be able to receive Freesat. Note that these satellites are also already in use for existing UK digital-satellite television platforms (Sky TV).

If I already have a SKY TV setup, can I just purchase the Freesat digital box?
Yes! If your existing Sky TV satellite setup is in working order, you’ll just be able to purchase the Freesat digital box and plug in, no need for installation by a professional etc. The channels are broadcast from the same satellite as used for BSkyB.

What if I already have a satellite dish on my house?
If you currently use this dish to receive services such as BBC and ITV (most likely through SKY), then your existing dish is probably suitable for receiving Freesat.

Will I need an aerial upgrade?
No. Freesat is not delivered through your aerial but via a satellite dish, so no need for aerial upgrades, but you will need a satellite dish.

What is digital switchover?
Starting in 2008 and ending in 2012, TV services in the UK will go completely digital, region by region. This process is called digital switchover. The UK’s old television broadcast signal (’analogue’) is being switched off and replaced with a ‘digital’ signal. Any TV set that’s not converted to digital when switchover takes place will no longer be able to receive TV programmes. freesat is a great way to convert to digital TV.

Will it mean my TV will work after digital switchover?
Yes! If you have freesat you will have digital TV, so whichever TV set in your house you connect to, it will be ready for digital switchover.

Do I need an HD-ready television to watch high definition programmes?
You need an HD-Ready television and an HD digital box in order to view high definition programmes in high definition. You will need to connect the digital box to your television via HDMI, or Component. Once you have the right equipment installed, you can watch live sport, national events, stunning natural history, landmark drama, world-class documentaries and more in amazing HD.
If you haven’t yet got an HD-ready television you can still be prepared for the future by getting a Freesat HD digital box. With a freesat HD digital box you can still view HD programmes on your standard definition television but the content will be scaled down to standard definition. If you buy a Freesat standard definition box you will not be able to view HD programmes even if you have an HD-ready television.

What about interactivity/red button?
The BBC will offer a wide range of red button services on Freesat. You are able to read the latest news and sport stories 24 hours a day, check out what’s happening in the world of business, enjoy entertainment news and quickly access the official lottery results.
From Summer of 2008, you will be able to get a wide range of news in video at any time you want it, with weather information for where you live. During the Beijing Olympics, you’ll be able to choose between coverage of different sports and highlights to get the whole BBC Olympics package.
Coming later will be enhanced coverage of many other sporting and music events, children’s games, plus all of the interactive content you have come to expect from your BBC digital TV channels.

Will Freesat have subtitling and audio description capabilities?
All Freesat receivers will offer Subtitles and Audio Description, though the menu options for selecting them may differ slightly between manufacturers and models.

Can I get the range of C4 and Five channels on Freesat?
You can presently get C4, E4 and More4. Five is due later in the year.
Fiver, Five US and C4 HD are still stating no intention to join the Freesat line-up, due to contract agreement with BSkyB and space on the Astra2D satellite.