Loading ...It still amazes us that neither BBC/ITV, nor their official website have yet given any annoucement of the launch date of their new freesat service. It amazes us further that there has been so far no advertisements, no marketing or television coverage to speak of. Considering we are now 2 weeks away from the expected official launch, it does make you wonder.
Anyway, to help you, we thought we’d give you all the information we have on where and when you can buy, to help you plan for launch. We have touched on this in a number of blogs, but thought it wise to bring it all togeather:
28th April 2008 - Grundig HD Receiver (GUFSATHD) available for delivery from Comet online at £149.99 (pre-orders now being taken)
3rd May 2008 - Grundig STD Receiver (GUFSAT01) available for delivery from Comet online at £49.99 (pre-orders now being taken)
6th May 2008 - Humax HD Receiver (FOXSAT-HD) available for delivery from John Lewis online at £149 (no sign of product available on site yet)
We are also expecting that those looking for dish installation will be able to order from 6th May 2008, but no sooner. We have no news on when these receivers will be available in store, suggestions to us are that they might be available at the same time as online, but others beleive 6th May 2008 at the earliest!
Our advice is that if you want a receiver from the very start, buy online now and get the very first batch available.
April 21st, 2008 at 8:17 am
why o why are they not making a big fuss about freesat.
April 21st, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Here’s my 2 cents (don’t work for any of the involved companies - I’m just living in an area crying out for Freesat and putting myself in their shoes).
The commercials are probably filmed, ready and “in the can”. If I were BBC or ITV I wouldn’t waste any airtime showing the commercials until the service has actually gone live. Advertising it before go-live is a bad idea because:
1. You run the risk of getting egg on the face by promising a date you can’t keep (just look at Microsoft with every operating system they’ve ever tried to release!)
2. If there is a delay you waste a huge amount of money by advertising something that the punters have forgotten about again by the time it eventually does go live.
3. The advertising message is simpler if the service you’re trying to flog is already up and running. Why confuse the punters by saying “Freesat is great! - but it won’t be here until…..”. That’d be like giving with one hand and taking away with the other.
I’m sure the Freesat people are dying to get this advertising underway and actually unveil what they’ve been beavering away on all these years but they’ll look stupid if they have a big, public false start. By keeping things quiet this way and pushing towards a “soft” go-live they can keep the media pressure off their back, get the thing live, iron out any wrinkles and then really ramp up the advertising to a great fanfare.
That’s how I’d do it anyway….
After all of this time we’re understandably getting hacked off with the delays but, by all accounts, the marathon is nearly over. This time next year we’ll hopefully be sat in front of our HD Eastenders thanking the Freesat people for taking their time and getting it right.
April 22nd, 2008 at 10:18 am
like dave t i live in an area crying out for this service. daves logic is faultless but i just wish ther was a decent human being working for these companies who would ’spill the beans’!!! I can only assume that being able to afford the full sky HD package is clouding their judgment somehow……
April 22nd, 2008 at 4:02 pm
I am sure that Dave T is right, but we are all intelligent people, surely Freesat could have made a public announcement explaining these things. Personally I find their silence insulting.
April 22nd, 2008 at 10:11 pm
I have only just this evening found out about Freesat while researching alternatives to the awful Tiscali TV service that’s been forced on me after my HomeChoice (RIP) set top box finally snuffed it after four years of utterly wonderful service.
Freesat would be ideal for me but reading this blog I sense a great British cock-up in the works. Could it be that we are about to hear news of a massive delay?
April 23rd, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Hi, I could do a bit of advive if anyone can help.
Of all the makes of HD receavers that are serposed to be around for the launch what is the best make? I don’t know too much about saterlight but Humax HD looks quite hot to me.
My local Hi.Fi. shop tell me that Panasonic are making TVs with freesat built in from Sept/Oct 2008 but have not anounced a stand alone receaver.
Thanks.
April 23rd, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Pete - Everyone will have a preference, but for us, of the available HD receivers we’d opt for the Humax, as whilst they don’t have the best reputation for digital satellite equipment, they have had a long time to develop this, and in terms of other electrical equipment they manufacturer, they are one of the best.
We would never recommend an inbuilt receiver like Panasonic will have on offer, stand alone are always the better option, especially if things go wrong!
April 24th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Thanks for that!
I want to go for the best of the Middle field (Sony, Panasonic level of quolity) for the laurnch. Then when all the fuss has died down (in a year or two) go for a all singing, all dancing moddle (B&O).
April 25th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
is this the real deal!!!!!!!!!!!!