Freeview question from a numpty

I have an HD TV – can it be used with a basic Freeview box? Or do I need an HD ready Freeview box?

Thanks as always. 🙂

You can use it no problem, but the picture won’t be HD as the input source isn’t.

No you can use a normal SD Freeview box with a Scart lead, as long as you have a scart input on the back.

HD TVs work with SD as well.

You can use it with a normal freeview box, you just won’t get any HD channels

Edit: 2 minutes to write a response and you’ve already had so many replies, what a place STW is 😉

Super-quick replies, thanks guys. 8)

Hmmm, just wondering whether to bite the bullet and get a dish put on the roof. Any idea how much that would cost?

Easier and preferable option is to get a HD freeview box, e.g. Humax Youview. HD through the aerial with no installation etc. needed.

Sorry, what’s SD?

It’s brilliant here. 😀

Problem is that I have an HD TV plus HD Freesat so in an ideal world I’d like to continue with that except there’s no dish where I’m going.

Standard Definition.

The only difference between freeview (through your aerial) and freesat (through a satellite dish) really is that the choice of channels is slightly different. Or it used to be, dunno these days.

As far as I know you can get freeview HD through a regular aerial anyway (as long as you get a freeview HD box!), so no need for a dish if you only want the additional HD channels you get with freeview.

Edit: beaten by flatboy again!

SD = Standard Definition.

As for the dish, unless you want subsription channels can you not just use a Freview HD box?

I paid £100 for installation and dish so I could get Freeview which is HD (high def) freeview. SD is standard def.

Does the TV not have a freeview tuner built in?

Does the TV not have a freeview tuner built in?

No cos it’s a Samsung HD TV. Freesat box is Humax.

Surprised it doesn’t have a freeview decoder built in. What model number is it ?

Reading this thread, its getting confusing. I think some people are mixing up aerial / dish and Freeview / Freesat.

Freeview is received through an aerial using a Freeview box.

Freesat is received through a satellite dish using a Freesat box.

They are both subscription free and offer some HD channels. If you go to their respective website they should list what HD channels are available.

Also a HD TV does not necessarily include a HD Freeview tuner. The HD bit simply means the TV has the capability to display High Definition video. You will need to supply the TV with a HD video source to actually view it.

So if I connect 3 scart leads to 3 dishes will I get 3D even though my TV is only HD? Confusing.

pies – nope, doesn’t appear to and it’s only a basic one that’s over 5 years old.

I would be surprised if a modern TV proclaiming to be HD or HD Ready didn’t have a Freeview tuner built in, unless it’s a very early example. Offhand, I’ve never seen one. You should just be able to connect the aerial and get Freeview, no box necessary. Do you have any source options relating to analogue / digital, or ATV / DTV?

What you probably won’t get except on high-end models is Freeview HD, that will almost certainly require a separate box and they’re a good deal more expensive than your average SD set-top box.

Freeview uses an aerial, Freesat uses a dish. Both carry some HD channels but Freesat has more.

Fitting your own dish is easy, assuming you have a ladder and a drill. Can’t imagine it costs much to have one fitted.

What you won’t get is Freeview HD

The built in Freesat tuner in my TV does HD, I can’t imagine why any HD TV with a Freeview tuner would be any different.

I think (I don’t ‘know for sure’) Freeview is a bit of a UK thing and Mainland European sets often don’t have this feature. If it is an imported unit or was a ‘bargain’ it may not have the tuner

Yep a few companies offer HD TV’s without a HD tuner to get the costs down and make it look attractive. Its mostly done at the budget end of the spectrum where a few £ here or there could swing a deal.

My TV is HD but annoyingly doesn’t have a HD tuner.

This might geek you out a bit… Your old Samsung may not work via HDMI with a Freeview HD box… Some old Samsungs are not HDCP capable, basically a type of decoding, if it does not decode HDCP it will not show HD via HDMI.

I can recommend the Humax YouView boxes, great bit if kit. Record 2 channels at same time, view iPlayer, ITV, etc etc.

I think (I don’t ‘know for sure’) Freeview is a bit of a UK thing and Mainland European sets often don’t have this feature. If it is an imported unit or was a ‘bargain’ it may not have the tuner

Freeview (TM) and also Freesat are UK trademarked EPG software services running over bog standard DVB-T or DVB-S respectively. All it really does is put channels on the nice user-friendly channel numbers for you and choose the right regional variations, and tells the box about new channels etc. Unlike vanilla DVB which you have to keep retuning every so often to pick up new (or moved) channels, and bin old ones etc.

Mine is a few years old and has an HD cable tuner, DVB-T and DVB-S. The UK version afaik is identical hardware apart from the power plug, but has the Freeview and/or Freesat (TM) EPG software as well.

Sorry to hijack this thread but it is a similar type question, err sort of. When I watch the TV through the in-built freeview the picture is fine, but when watching or recording via the Humax it seems to break up a lot of the time. I have tried fiddling with the scart lead but it’s still crap. Any advice much appreciated for this numpty.

Dog Ears, sounds like you’ve got one aerial feed into the TV and another into the Humax. If so, presumably you’ve got some sort of feed splitter? If so, you should have just the one aerial feed into the Humax, and watch freeview via that box, i.e. don’t use the in-built freeview at all – the signal probably isn’t strong enough to take being split.

SCART is analogue (and additionally, the majority of cables are crap). Swap it for a HDMI lead.

HD resolution 1920×1080 TVs came onto the market before Freeview HD was available, so early model HD resolution TVs only had a standard definition Freeview tuner built in; the high resolution 1920×1080 screen resolution was only exploited if you connected a Blu-ray or other HD source.

I’ve now connected an external Freeview HD tuner to my early model HD TV – gives me a great picture on four HD channels and a better EPG; didn’t need to alter the aerial at all.

Thanks, I’m going to try an HDMI lead to see if that improves the picture.

Another thing to consider is where you are moving to since not all Freeview is the same. I live in north Staffordshire and don’t get the full range of Freeview channels. Ditto for my folks up in the road in Buxton. A big omission is ITV4, for example. It’s nothing to do with signal strength since I live in clear site of a very big relay/transmitter 500 yards away.

Talk to a local installer to see if they know which “flavour” pf Freeview is in the area you’re moving to. You might be better with Freesat if you want certain channels.

Thanks, I’m going to try an HDMI lead to see if that improves the picture.

Don’t get sucked into paying loads for a HDMI cable from a high st store.

You can get a well made cable with gold connectors from ebay for under £10.