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John Cletheroe's
Freeview UK Digital Television System Information |
IMPORTANT: To avoid any risk of damage to equipment, always switch off and disconnect the mains from all devices before connecting or disconnecting any signal cables (SCART leads, etc).
| Which countries does this FAQ apply to? | This FAQ only applies to mainland Britain. Readers from elesewhere are obviously very welcome to read it and may find some information of use to them in it, but in most cases the systems used in other countries differ very significantly. |
| What is Freeview? | Freeview is Britain's current digital terrestrial television system. Freeview is the successor to OnDigital and ITV Digital, both of which are now defunct. |
| What does the "Digital Tick" mean? | In theory, the "Digital Tick" should indicate that equipment is certified as being suitable for the reception of digital television and that it has been certified as meeting certain established standards. In practice, it would appear that many retailers are applying "Digital Tick" stickers to all Freeview equipment, regardless of whether or not it has been certified. |
| What does the word "terrestrial" mean? | In this context, "terrestrial" means television transmitted from conventional ground-based television transmitter towers, rather than television distributed via cable, satellite, the Internet or by any other means. |
| Do I have to convert to Freeview or some other form of digital television now? | No. Conventional analogue terrestrial television broadcasts will continue in Britain for some years. However, now is the time to consider converting, and the research the possible options. |
| What exactly is going to be shut down? |
The current official plan is that the analogue terrestrial transmissions of BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, Channel 4 and Channel 5 on UHF, broadcast from ground-based television transmission towers, will be shut down.
Terrestrial digital television transmissions (Freeview) will continue. Cable, satellite and Internet television distribution systems will continue. |
| What's the timetable for analogue shutdown? |
Although the following official timetable is in terms of ITV region names, it applies to the terrestrial analogue transmissions of all five conventional television channels.
This timetable, published in spring 2006, may well be amended in the future. Past experience with all government administered schemes suggests that circumstances will probably introduce significant delays beyond the published dates. For example, at the moment the timetable lists analogue shutdown for the London area just before the 2012 Olympics, something which seems very unlikely to be politically practical. 2008: Border. 2009: Granada (Lancashire area), HTV Wales, West Country. 2010: Grampion (northern Scotland), HTV West, Scottish (southern Scotland). 2011: Anglia, Central (Midlands area), Yorkshire. 2012: Carlton/LWT (Greater London area), Meridian (south coast), Tyne Tees, Ulster. Not yet decided: Channel Islands. |
| Why is Britain converting to digital terrestrial television? | Primarily, to allow more channels to be broadcast. |
| What are the advantages of Freeview over conventional analogue terrestrial television? |
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| What are the disadvantages of Freeview compared with conventional analogue terrestrial television? |
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| Will I need to have a satellite dish in order to receive Freeview? | No. Freeview is received through a normal television aerial. |
| Can I connect a satellite dish to a Freeview box and receive satellite channels free of charge? | No. Freeview is received through a normal television aerial. It is utterly incompatible with all forms of satellite dishes. |
| Will I need to have a new television aerial in order to receive Freeview? |
If you have an indoor set-top or loft aerial, then you may need to convert to an outdoor rooftop aerial.
If you already have an outdoor aerial then it will in most cases be adequate for Freeview. If you have reasonable quality reception of analogue channels 1 to 4 at the moment, then you will probably be able to receive Freeview. However, there are some exceptions to this general rule. The Freeview web site http://www.freeview.co.uk (external link verified May-06) includes a postcode reception predictor although this generally reported as being unreliable. For more detailed and reliable information visit Wolfbane http://www.wolfbane.com (external link verified May-06). If your neighbours can receive Freeview then it is highly likely that you will too, assuming that you have a similar aerial setup and that there are no obstructions such as buildings or trees. You could try borrowing their Freeview box for a trial. Some retailers allow you to return Freeview boxes if you discover that you cannot receive a signal. All television aerials can receive both analogue and digital signals. There is no such thing as a "digital aerial" and any retailer or installer offering such a product should be regarded as being highly suspect. However, more sensitive (high gain) aerials are available and in a few cases these may be required in order to receive Freeview signals. In general terms, if your current analogue picture on channels 1-4 is poor (for example, there is visible "snow" on the picture), then your aerial system may need attention in order to receive Freeview. In addition, for Freeview a few areas require wideband aerials which can receive signals from the entire UHF band instead of the normal aerials which are optimised for that section of the band used for the analogue transmissions from your local transmitter. As well as the aerial, its siting and correct orientation, other vital factors include the state of the aerial coax cable and any plugs and sockets in the connection from the aerial to Freeview box. In general aerials are best located externally and as high as possible, and the number of plugs and sockets in the aerial connection should be kept to the absolute minumum, preferably none at all. Splitting an aerial connection so as to serve more than one television normally degrades the signal quality significantly and should be avoided if possible. In some cases a mast-head amplifier or aerial booster may help to improve signal quality, although this is by no means certain. Viewers with a communal aerial system (for example, those living in flats) may well encounter insurmountable difficulties in receiving Freeview. There are unconfirmed rumours that the power of the Freeview transmissions may be increased after analogue transmissions cease, which would make the system available to more viewers. However, it will also greatly increase the risk of problems due to receiving duplicate signals from distant transmitters (and consequently duplicate channels in the 800's) during periods of high pressure. Page 284 on Ceefax (analogue BBC1 and BBC2) and Teletext (analogue ITV and Channel 4) now carries a test pattern which can be used to check whether or not you should be able to receive Freeview. The test pattern alternates with a page of instructions. The test presumably relies on the transmitter power levels of the digital multiplexes always being in the same proportion to those of the analogue channels, on every transmitter. I'm far from sure that is actually the case. |
| How is Freeview transmitted? What is a multiplex? |
Freeview is transmitted from conventional ground-based television transmitter masts. It is not broadcast from satellite or via cable. Alternative satellite and cable digital television systems are also available in Britain.
Freeview is broadcast on UHF channels, as are the conventional analogue television channels. Freeview is broadcast as a series of multiplexes. Each multiplex is a single transmission on one physical UHF channel, but it contains a number of Freeview channels. There are currently six multiplexes. If and when analogue television transmissions cease, more multiplexes may be introduced. In an attempt to explain the concept, a multiplex has been likened to a sewage pipe. Given the quality of most television programmes, this seems an entirely appropriate analogy. |
| What's the difference between a UHF channel number and a Freeview channel number? |
These are two totally different concepts.
UHF channel numbers run from 21 to 68. Each channel can carry one transmission, which can be either an analogue television channel or a Freeview multiplex. In order to keep interference from adjacent transmitters to the minimum, a complicated arrangement of different UHF channels numbers is used for each transmitter. Freeview channel numbers are purely logical, in the sense of being virtual channels (but not in the sense of being in a sensible order). They are often referred to as LCN's (logical channel numbers). Possible Freeview channel numbers run from 1 to 899, with numbers in the 800's reserved for duplicate channels. I'm not sure if channel numbers in 900's are possible or not. All other allocations of banks of channel numbers are arbitary and liable to change. |
| Why is the sequence of channel numbers on Freeview such a mess? |
This is mainly due to channels coming and going. Low channel numbers are usually allocated to broadcasters with the greatest influence. There have been occasional half-hearted attempts to sort out the sequence.
Some Freeview boxes allow you to specify your own sequence of channels. Some viewers may find this useful but other may find it even more confusing. |
| Why can't the channel numbers be the same on Freeview, satellite and cable? | That would be a useful development. However, it is unlikely to happen due to OfCom's reluctance to take any action, and complications with international broadcasters on satellite. |
| Who is responsible for the operation of the Freeview multiplexes? |
"Operation" in this context refers to the combining of the channels into a single multiplex data stream. It does not refer to transmission. There are currently six Freeview multiplexes. Multiplex 1 is operated by the BBC, Multiplex 2 by ITV and Channel 4, Multiplex A by SDN, Multiplex B by the BBC, Multiplex C by National Grid Wireless (formerly known as Crown Castle) and Multiplex D by National Grid Wireless.
Some sources say that Multiplex C is operated by BSkyB. The most likely explanation for this confusion is the fact that this multiplex is often referred to colloquially as "the Sky multiplex" or "the BSkyB multiplex" since most of the television channels that it carries are Sky channels. Currently BSkyB do not operate Multiplex C or any other Freeview multiplex and to the best of my knowledge they have never operated a Freeview multiplex. |
| Who is responsible for the distribution of television signals from the broadcasters to the multiplex operators, and from the multiplex operators to the transmitters? | I'm sorry, I don't know. Presumably high capacity BT landlines are used - but I'm guessing. |
| Who is responsible for the operation of the Freeview transmitters? | As with the British analogue terrestrial television transmitters, operation is split between National Grid Wireless (formely known as Crown Castle) and NTL. |
| Who is in charge of Freeview? |
That is a very difficult question to answer. Numerous organisations are involved. Their precise roles and the administrative and financial relationships between them are not easily discovered.
Freeview (external link verified May-06) is generally described as being a marketing organisation, promoting digital terrestrial television in Britain. The multiplex operators contract to carry channels and combine those channels to form the signal for each multiplex. The Digital Television Group (external link verified May-06) (DTG) administer some technical aspects of the Freeview system, including the transmission of on-air downloads (OAD's) for set-top boxes supplied by their manufacturers. DTG also establish the technical standards for UK digital terrestrial television and its MHEG text system. DMOL apparently also administer some technical aspects of the Freeview system. DTV Services appear to actually own Freeview. DTV Services appears to be partly or wholly controlled by the BBC but information about the organisation is not easily obtained and often contradictory. The Digital Network (TDN) is an organisation (or possibly just a committee) involving all the multiplex operators. According to some sources, TDN allocate the logical channel numbers (LCN's) on the Freeview system. SwitchCo (external link verified May-06 but the web site has no information) is a government funded organisation which promotes the move from analogue television to digital television. However, recently (Oct-05) the name DigitalUK (external link verified May-06) seems to be used instead of SwitchCo. I do not know if this is the same organisation or not. The BBC have a considerable influence on Freeview but they would probably claim that they do not control it. OfCom have adopted a laissez-faire attitude to Freeview, as they have with everything else. |
| How is Freeview received? |
The signal is received through a normal television aerial. At the moment (April 2006) Freeview boxes cost around £30 to £90. For a good idea of what is available, check the current Argos catalogue or the well-known UK Internet retailers such as Dabs, EBuyer and Maplin.
Alternatively, a small number of televisions include Freeview decoders. These are called Integrated Televisions (IDTV's). |
| How is a Freeview box connected to a television? |
The vast majority of Freeview boxes use a SCART connection to the television.
Very old televisions and some modern televisions with small screens may not have a SCART socket. If your television does not have a SCART socket then you will need to purchase a Freeview box with an aerial output (also called RF - radio frequency - output). There are only a very small number of models with this facility. Check very carefully prior to purchase. In many cases, the SCART connection is complicated by the presence of other devices such as VCR's. The DTG Connection Wizard may help (external link verified Aug-06). |
| Will I need a separate Freeview box for each television that I want to watch the Freeview channels on? | Yes, except obviously for Integrated Televisions (IDTV's). You will also need to ensure that each television has an aerial feed of adequate quality to receive Freeview. This will be a very considerable complication for many people. |
| What is an IDTV? | Integrated Television. A television set which contains a built-in Freeview box. While these are neater and easier to use than separate devices, the rate of change is such that the Freeview component may well become obsolete long before the rest of the television. |
| Is it possible to record Freeview channels? |
Yes, but this is a complicated subject. Connecting a Freeview box, a television and a recording device can be very tricky.
Recording with a VCR: VCR's have analogue tuners. Therefore the signal from the Freeview box must be connected to the VCR via a SCART cable, and the VCR must be configured to take the AV input instead of the normal aerial input. Freeview boxes have timers, allowing programmes on different digital channels to be recorded automatically, provided programme schedules are adhered to. Remember to turn up the sound volume on the Freeview box. Freeview subtitles will be recorded if they are switched on. Depending on your equipment and how it is connected, there may be complications when trying to record an analogue channel while watching a Freeview channel or vice-versa. With a normal Freeview box and a conventional VCR it is not possible to watch one digital channel while recording a different digital channel. Recording with a hard disk (PVR/Tivo) or a DVD writer device: I do not have any experience of these devices. Most of them appear to have one or two built-in Freeview tuners. I believe that most of these devices fail to adjust properly should programmes not be broadcast at the scheduled times. It would be wise to research products carefully before purchasing, so as to ensure that they meet your requirements. Good sources of product information include manufacturers' web sites from which manuals can often be downloaded, online retailers and the Argos catalogue. Recording from an Integrated television: I do not have any experience of these devices. If a so-called "interactive" channel can only be accessed via a text system and not directly, then it may not be possible to program equipment to automatically record it, since the link on the text system may not be available in advance. If you purchase a second identical Freeview box for your VCR, beware of each remote control operating both boxes. Depending on the equipment and its settings, programmes recorded with one aspect ratio may be played back with a different aspect ratio, leading to black bars, loss of parts of the picture, or picture distortion such as being stretched. |
| Are there any subscription charges for Freeview? |
There are no subscription charges for the main Freeview channels.
However, there is a subscription charge for the encrypted Top-Up TV channels (see note), but subscription is entirely optional. One of the Top-Up TV channels broadcasts pornography and requires an additional subscription charge. A compatible set-top box is required in order to receive the Top-Up TV channels; very few Freeview boxes are compatible. One non Top-Up TV channel, namely Yoo-Play Games, requires viewers to dial a premium rate number on a conventional voice phone in order to obtain a code number, which provides access to the games. Use of this service is again entirely optional. In most cases the first level of each game can be accessed free of charge. There is currently (April 2006) one pay-per-view sports channel (offering Scottish Premier League football games only) and one pay-per-view pornography channel. |
| Do I have to connect a Freeview set-top box to the phone line? Is there a risk of incurring premium rate phone call charges? | No to both questions. The vast majority of Freeview set-top boxes do not have phone line connections. There is absolutely no risk of incurring huge premium rate phone call charges with a Freeview box that does not connect to the phone line. This is a very significant advantage of Freeview over Sky and cable television systems. |
| Are there any radio stations on Freeview? How does the sound quality compare with DAB? | Freeview has all the BBC national radio stations, including the digital-only stations, and also the World Service. It also has a large number of national commercial radio stations. However, Freeview currently lacks any local radio stations. Classic FM is not yet available on Freeview.
Sound quality on Freeview is generally reported as being far superior to that of DAB. Technically, DAB is generally regarded as being atrocious. In additional, Freeview boxes are generally far less expensive than DAB radios. The sound quality can usually be significantly improved by connecting the audio output from a Freeview box to a quality stereo system instead of using the television's speakers. |
| Wouldn't it be better to drop the radio stations on Freeview and add more television channels in their place? | A radio station only takes up a tiny fraction of the bandwidth required for a television channel. A good analogy is the comparison of the relative capacities of audio CD's (700MB) and video DVD's (4.2GB). Even if all the radio stations were taken off Freeview, the amount of space would probably not be sufficient for a single additional television channel.
With DAB in the UK being technically unfit for purpose and the cost of DAB radios being scandalously high, there seems a very good argument for retaining the radio channels on Freeview. Text services also take up very little bandwidth, probably no more than that of a radio channel at most. |
| How does picture and sound quality on Freeview compare with analogue? |
Because Freeview television pictures are compressed using a "lossy" algorithm (a moving image equivalent of JPG), the quality is significantly lower than that of a good analogue signal. Most viewers will notice a slightly lower quality when viewing a high quality source such as a live transmission or modern broadcaster's video recording. However, the Freeview picture quality is far superior to that of a poor analogue signal. For example, Channel Five on Freeview has a far superior quality of picture than most viewers receive on analogue. Channel Five on analogue is deliberately broadcast at a very low power to reduce co-channel interference.
The degradation of picture quality is far more noticeable on some types of programmes, for example football matches. In addition, some Freeview multiplexes carry many more channels than others, with a resultant loss of quality. NICAM sound on analogue television is transmitted in digital form. However, the sound on Freeview is almost certainly compressed with a lossy algorithm similar to MP3 and therefore of a lower quality. The sound quality on the Freeview radio channels is generally reported as being far superior to that of DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting), the UK's digital radio-only system. |
| Should there be some gaps in the sequence of Freeview channel numbers? Is my Freeview box faulty? |
There are some intentional gaps in the channel numbers. For example, in England there are currently (Feb-06) gaps from channel 37 to channel 70, and from channel 75 to channel 80. Some channel numbers which are missing in England are used in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. At higher channel numbers there are some very large gaps.
The gaps in the channel numbers are not wasted space, because all Freeview channels are only logical numbers. The technical constraints on the number of possible Freeview channels are the number of multiplexes and their compression algorithms, not the number of available logical channels. There are also obvious commercial, financial and legal constraints on the number of Freeview channels. A complete list of Freeview channels is available on this page of the Digital Spy web site (external link verified May-06). That list is kept reasonably well up-to-date. |
| Do all Freeview channels broadcast 24 hours a day? What is timesharing? |
Many Freeview channels only broadcast for a limited number of hours per day. Behind the scenes and hidden from the viewer many pairs of channels are timeshared. This means that although they have different Freeview channel numbers they share the same data stream bandwidth and only one of the channels can be transmitting programmes at any given time. In theory any number of channels could be timeshared together.
For example, currently (Nov-05) CBBC and BBC3 timeshare on MUX1, CBeebies and BBC4 timeshare on MUXB, 302 and the Community Channel timeshare on MUXB, ITV4 and ITV News timeshare on MUX2, and all the Top-Up TV (see note) subscription encrypted channels on MUXA are timeshared in various combinations. Currently, the most extreme example of timesharing is the combination on a single data stream of UKTV Food, Bloomberg, Toonami, British Eurosport and Red Hot. Most timeshared channels display a text caption when they are not transmitting programmes. |
| Why are there channels with blank screens on Freeview? Is my Freeview box faulty? |
Some Freeview channels may have blank screens for a variety of reasons, including the following:
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| What happens when a new channel appears? Will I have to retune the Freeview box? |
Most Freeview boxes will automatically detect new channels and make them available. With some boxes this has to be done manually. If you are interested in obtaining new channels as soon as they appear then you can perform a rescan manually at any time. Consult your Freeview box's manual for more details.
If any additional multiplexes are introduced in the future, something which is unlikely to happen for many years and which may never happen, then you may need to make the Freeview box scan for them. This is identical to the process which occurs when you first turn the box on. If you move to a different transmitter area and take your Freeview box with you, then you will need to perform a complete rescan because the multiplexes will be on different UHF channels. The manual will explain how to invoke a rescan. This is normally a simple operation which only takes a few minutes. |
| How can the BBC News 24 rolling news quarter screen channels be accessed? |
Select the BBC News 24 channel (Freeview channel 80). Press the "Text" button or the red button to invoke the BBCi text system. Then select the "News Multiscreen" option. This option can also be accessed via the BBCi text system from the other normal BBC channels, but its position in the menu system varies.
Opinion: The lack of Freeview channel numbers for the rolling news quarter screens makes them difficult to access, and I suspect that most Freeview viewers never discover them, or having accessed them once by accident never discover how to do so again. It would also be very desirable if these channels could be made full size. The BBC claim that bandwidth restrictions prevent them being made full size but a consideration of the low number of channels on some BBC multiplexes seems to negate that claim. |
| The BBC advertise that there are six additional news quarter screen channels but I only seem to be able to access two of them. Is my Freeview box faulty or am I failing to understand the instructions? | Due to bandwidth restrictions, only two of the additional news quarter screen channels are broadcast on Freeview. More of these channels are broadcast on satellite and possibly on some cable television systems. |
| What does the word "interactive" mean? Does it mean expensive premium rate telephone calls or some other charge? |
The word "interactive" is used by most broadcasting and broadcasting-related organisations, including OfCom, to refer to truly interactive features such as viewer phone-in "competitions" and polls, and shopping. Programmes with these features are usually marked with an "i" symbol in television programme schedules.
Some organisations, notably NTL, use the word "interactive" to refer to digital text services. The BBC uses the word "interactive" to refer to the selection of extra television channels by means of the text system on digital television. On Freeview, these extra television channels (301 and 302) can be accessed free of charge, despite the word "interactive". Since almost all Freeview set-top boxes are not connected to the phone system, there is no information path from the viewer to the broadcaster, so these additional channels are not actually interactive in any sense. Some people argue that selecting a channel by means of the text system involves pressing a button on the remote control, making the process interactive. To me, that process is no more "interactive" than selecting a television or radio channel by any other means. |
| Sometimes the BBC mention more "interactive feeds" (i.e. additional channels) than I can seem to receive. Is my Freeview box faulty? | No, your box is probably not faulty. On Freeview, there are only two BBC "interactive feeds", channels 301 and 302. I believe there are more of these additional channels available on cable and particularly satellite television. Sometimes presenters are not aware of the differences between the different digital television transmission systems. |
| Why are some of the text services on Freeview on separate channels? | This is probably largely for historical and legal reasons, although in some cases it may be for technical reasons such a lack of available bandwidth on a particular multiplex. Increasingly, text services on Freeview can now be accessed from normal television channels, with the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky now providing this facility. |
| Why are the designs of the text services on Freeview so inconsistent, for example in their different meanings for the coloured buttons, and the means of selecting next and previous sub-pages? | I suspect this is due to a lack of control by OfCom. The current situation is indeed a confusing nightmare for viewers. |
| Why don't the text services on Freeview have as much information as their corresponding services on analogue television, and why is the information often updated long after that on analogue? | It is difficult to blame these deficiencies on anything other than broadcaster incompetence, although lack of bandwidth might also be part of the problem. |
| Why do so many of the text system on Freeview have a mixture of text and inset television pictures, and why are the pictures so large? | Lack of viewer research by broadcasters, plus a desire to make digital text pages look gimmicky, plus commercial interests. The current version of MHEG only allows a quarter screen inset picture. A future version might allow smaller pictures which would be useful since the only justification for these is to see when adverts and trailers have finished and programmes are starting. |
| What is ITVi and can I receive it on Freeview? | ITVi is an interactive text system involving expensive premium rate phone calls which is only available on satellite. It is not available on Freeview. A small red letter "i" is used in listings to indicate programmes that have associated material on ITVi. Various Teletext and other text services are available on Freeview, and none of these involve any additional costs such as premium rate phone calls. |
| The presenters on Sky News repeatedly mention that additional "Sky Active" or "interactive" material can be accessed by pressing the red button, but when I do so nothing happens. Is my Freeview box faulty? | No, your box is not faulty. These facilities are only available on satellite, not on Freeview. However, Sky Text is available (free of charge) on Freeview and can be accessed by selecting any of the Sky channels, then pressing the Text button. Sadly, Sky never promote Sky Text. |
| What programme schedule facilities does Freeview have? |
Firstly, there is an inherent programme schedule system built-in to the Freeview system. This can be accessed from any channel by pressing the "Guide" button on the Freeview box's remote control. The information comes in two formats: "Now and Next", and the "7 Day EPG (Electronic Programme Guide)". Most modern Freeview boxes can display either format. Some older boxes can only cope with the "Now and Next" format. The way the information is displayed on-screen varies considerably between the different makes and models of Freeview boxes. Many boxes do not have sufficient memory to hold the full seven day information for all channels, in which case it is often only possible to view programme schedules for the next few days. Deleting unwanted channels may help significantly with some types of Freeview box.
In addition, the BBCi and Teletext text systems on Freeview include programme schedule sections. These display schedules for the current day (BBCi) or the next twenty-four hours (Teletext). Both broadcasters are often woefully slow to add schedule sections for new channels. On the Internet, the Radio Times web site (external link verified May-06) has a useful programme schedule facility which can be accessed free of charge. All these systems display schedules for most of the Freeview television and radio channels. Notable exceptions are channels 301 and 302, as discussed in the next section... |
| What are channels 301 and 302? Why don't they have published schedules? |
Channels 301 and 302 are the BBC's so-called "interactive feeds".
As mentioned before, these are not actually interactive in any sense, but merely extra normal BBC television channels which can be accessed free of charge. They can be selected by their Freeview channel numbers or by menu options in the BBCi text system, but normally only from one specific normal BBC channel. In some cases selecting these channels via BBCi gives access to a text system which provides some additional information, whereas selecting them via their Freeview channel numbers does not. These channels are used by the BBC as and when required, for special items such as extended sports coverage or additional material related to a programme on a normal BBC channel. In many cases the broadcasts on 301 or 302 are transmitted for a much longer time than the related programme, starting many hours before and ending many hours later, and sometimes even on additional days. There is usually no indication in programme schedule information that a programme has an associated broadcast on 301 or 302, and never any indication of when such coverage begins. The "i" symbol in programme listing indicates that a programme is truly interactive, involving a premium rate phone-in "competition", viewer's poll, etc, or that it is a shopping channel. The "i" symbol is never used to indicate that a programme has associated material on 301 or 302. When 301 and 302 are not being used a caption is shown on those channels, or sometimes just a blank screen. The caption has virtually no information. In some cases, especially during multi-day sporting events, some limited schedule information is displayed on 301 or 302, or on their text system. However, in most cases no schedule information whatsoever is available for 301 and 302, which is most regrettable. I feel there is just as much of a case for providing schedule information for 301 and 302 as for any other normal television channel, and far more of a case than for the shopping and 24-hour news channels. Because of the nature of the material normally shown on 301 and 302, appropriate schedules would usually be very much in a summary form, and subject to late changes. Some sources claim that the BBC are restrained from publishing schedule information for these channels by the terms of their charter. According to a posting on the Digital Spy forums from someone claiming to have inside knowledge, this is nonsense and there is no such restraint. Certainly those making the claim have so far been unable to support it with documentary evidence. I suspect that they may be mistaking regulations governing the excessive on-screen publicising of truly interactive services involving premium rate phone calls. It is highly regrettable that amongst the flood of trailers for the BBC's other programmes, there are none for the often excellent programmes on 301 and 302. As some BBC programme presenters themselves are now using the Freeview system privately, they are gradually starting to mention 301 and 302 and becoming increasingly embarrassed by the marketing nonsense word "interactive". BBC Sport are on record as being highly in favour of having schedules for their programmes on 301 and 302. The reluctance to do so lies elsewhere. Schedules for sports programmes on channels 301 and 302 are now available online on this page of the BBC's web site: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tv_and_radio/4341486.stm (external link verified Aug-07). However, some programmes listed may only be available on cable, satellite or the Internet and not on Freeview. Schedules for music programmes on channels 301 and 302 are now available online on this page of the BBC's web site: http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/tv (external link verified Aug-07) subject to the same comments. |
| What are channels 300, 303 and 304? Should they be blank? |
Freeview channels 300 and 304 are not a BBC channels. They are used to transmit special electronic programme guides which can only be received by a few set-top boxes. They almost always intentionally appear as a blank screens.
Freeview channel 303 is a BBC channel, but very different to 301 and 302. It is generally thought to control the BBC Parliament and BBC News 24 rolling news quarter screen channels, although the technical details are vague and complicated. It only ever intentionally shows a blank screen. According to some sources, 303 also carries the CBeebies text system games for young children. |
| What are the channels in the 800's? |
Most Freeview boxes assign numbers in the 800's to duplicate channels. The most common reasons for a Freeview box detecting duplicate channels are:
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| Is there any way to hide on-screen channel logos? | Sadly not. The management and marketing people have yet to understand that on digital television not only do these wretched things serve absolutely no purpose, they are also highly annoying to most viewers. Perhaps one day a manufacturer might bring out a Freeview box which hides the logos, but when they are opaque that would be virtually impossible to achieve technically. On-screen logos are sometimes called DOG's, Digital Overlayed Graphics. |
| Is there any way to hide the "Press Red" or "Press i" button on BBC channels, especially the one on BBC News 24 which never disappears? | "Press Red" is another intensely annoying stupidity perpetrated by the management and marketing idiots. Recently "Press Red" has been changed to "Press i", which is not only annoying but also very confusing since the "i" button displays the channel information and doesn't invoke the text system. You can complain to the BBC about "Press Red", provided you can find the right page on their website to do so, which isn't easy.
Depending on your Freeview box, some of the following ideas might help to hide the hated "Press Red":
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| What is Top-Up TV? |
Top-Up TV is a subscription service which broadcasts a number of encrypted subscription channels on the Freeview system. (see note.)
Top-Up TV can only be received on a Freeview set-top box which has a slot for a subscription card. This is called a "Conditional Access Module" (CAM). Old OnDigital and ITV Digital set-top boxes have such a slot. There are also a small number of Freeview set-top boxes currently being manufactured which have a card slot. In addition, most televisions which include a built-in Freeview box ("integrated televisions") have a card slot. Subscription to Top-Up TV is entirely optional. Each of the Top-Up TV channels is only broadcast for a restricted number of hours. When programmes are being transmitted the channel is encrypted and appears to non-subscribers as a blank screen. When programmes are not being transmitted then a caption is displayed which can be seen by all viewers. Some Freeview boxes can be configured so as to ignore encrypted channels such as the Top-Up TV channels, so that they will not appear in channel lists. On some Freeview boxes a key symbol indicates an encrypted channel. |
| What are the pay-per-view (PPV) channels and how do they work? |
Pay-per-view is a recent innovation on Freeview. There are currently (28-Apr-05) two pay-per-view channels, namely XtraView (channel 53) and Redhot (channel 61). XtraView shows a selection from Top-Up TV's channels. Redhot is a porn channel.
With both of these channels viewers have to make a premium rate voice phone call in order to obtain a key. When the key is entered on the viewer's Freeview set-top box, the channel can be viewed for certain length of time (the remainder of the current day, I think, or maybe 24 hours). There may be difficulties if the viewer shifts channel or switches their Freeview box off and on. Each viewer is given a different key which can only be used once. Technically, the channels work by displaying a text mask in front of the picture so as to hide it. When the correct key is entered the masking text is removed. This technique is called MHEG protection, MHEG being the name of the digital text system used on Freeview. Unlike the Top-Up TV encrypted subscription channels, the pay-per-view channels can be received on almost all Freeview set-top boxes. There is considerable speculation as to how many, if any, Freeview channels might convert to pay-per-view in the future. |
| Do I have to buy a widescreen 16:9 television in order to watch Freeview? |
No. Conventional 4:3 televisions work perfectly well with Freeview.
The aspect ratio is the ratio of the width to the height of a television broadcast or a television set's screen. Most viewers and retailers are extremely confused about aspect ratios and widescreen. Some broadcasters seem to be equally confused. This site (external link verified May-06) offers some excellent level-headed explanations and advice on the subject. Some programmes on some Freeview channels are broadcast in 16:9 widescreen format. Regardless of the aspect ratio, all programmes can be viewed on all televisions. |
| Do I have to buy a flatscreen/LCD/plasma television in order to watch Freeview? | No. Traditional CRT televisions work just fine with Freeview. In addition, CRT televisions display a noticeably better picture and cost far less than flatscreen/LCD/plasma televisions. |
| Do I have to buy an HD Ready television in order to watch Freeview? | No. Normal televisions work just fine with Freeview.
Private HD (High Definition) engineering trials are currently (spring 2006) being conducted by the BBC in one part of London, but these can only be received with special equipment. It seems highly unlikely that any public HD terrestrial television service will be introduced in Britain in the short to medium term, if ever. Only programmes produced to HD standards can possibly give a better picture on an HD television. Even then, the effect on normal sized televisions will be negligible. There may be some improvement for some types of programmes when viewed on very large televisions, although some experts have also reported seeing far worse picture quality on HD for other types of programmes. |
| How many channels are there on Freeview? |
That's not an easy question to answer, for several reasons.
The channel line-up on Freeview changes fairly frequently. There are quite a number of cases where groups of two or more channels "timeshare" the same bandwidth. Should each of these groups be counted as one channel, or several channels? Should the so-called "interactive" channels be included in the total? The same question applies to the text channels, the quarter-screen channels, the radio stations, the pay-per-view channels and the Top-Up TV subscription channels. In my opinion a better question would be: "How good are the programmes on the channels which can be received on Freeview but not on analogue television?" |
| How good are the programmes on the channels which can be received on Freeview but not on analogue television? |
Since tastes vary, and to avoid controversy, I can only suggest that you can judge the quality of the programmes on these channels before buying a Freeview set-top box by looking at their programme schedules for a few days.
For what it's worth, my own personal favourites are the extended sports coverage on BBC channels 301 and 302, and the annual Tour de France coverage (likely to be on ITV4 in July 2006). |
| Does Freeview have subtitles? How does Freeview's provision for viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing compare with analogue television? |
Subtitles are enabled via a "Subtitles" button on the Freeviw box's remote control, rather than via a text page such as 888.
The font used for subtitles on most Freeview boxes is superior to that used for Ceefax and Teletext on most analogue televisions. However, Freeview lacks mix mode, so subtitles are always displayed on a black rectangular background. That makes them easier to read, but more distracting for other viewers. In broad terms, broadcasters tend to be even less diligent regarding the correct transmission of subtitles on Freeview than they are on analogue television. Because subtitles are added to the picture by the Freeview box, they will be recorded by a VCR, provided they are enabled at the time when the recording is made. Some programmes which are transmitted on two channels at once are in-vision signed on one of the channels. Examples include the Breakfast programme on BBC1, where some segments are sometimes signed on BBC News 24. I think the same may apply to some children's programmes simultaneously transmitted on BBC2 and CBBC. |
| What provision is there for the special Welsh and Scottish national channels on Freeview? |
These channels are transmitted on Freeview but only in the respective countries. In some cases normal channels are omitted in order to make space for national channels, to the annoyance of some viewers. In some cases channel numbers in Wales and Scotland differ from those in England because of the presence of the national channels.
BBC1 and BBC2 have national variations in Scotland and Wales. However, the situation in Wales is somewhat complex and according to reports very much at odds with what the majority of viewers would prefer. Apparently BBC2W is broadcast on Freeview in Wales instead of BBC2, and it is to both BBC2 in England and analogue BBC2 Wales. A complete list of Freeview channels, including the Welsh and Scottish national channels, is available on this page of the Digital Spy web site (external link verified May-06). |
| What provision is there for regional variations on Freeview? |
Nowadays, regional variations are used for little else other than regional news bulletins and regional advertisements.
BBC1 is fully regionalised on Freeview. I do not know whether sub-regions are provided for. BBC2 is not yet regionalised on Freeview, a fact which sometimes causes great annoyance to viewers when regional programmes are put on BBC2. ITV1 is fully regionalised on Freeview. I suspect that some of the other major commercial channels might be regionalised, in order to be able to insert regional advertisements. BBCi, the BBC's digital text system, does not appear to be regionalised yet, judging by its television schedule listings. Teletext on Freeview channel 100 is fully regionalised. |
| Will more channels appear on Freeview when analogue television shuts down? | Since the projected analogue shutdown is still some years in the future, it is impossible to say. Technically, the frequencies used by analogue transmissions could be used for more multiplexes. However, there is also a very high risk that they could be sold off for mobile phone usage by a greedy government. |
| Why are some channels such as UK History available free on Freeview but as pay channels on Sky? | I don't know. It does seem to be a bizarre arrangement. |
| What are on-air downloads (OAD's)? |
Freeview set-top boxes contain a computer, which decodes the digital signal. It also handles all the operations associated with MHEG, the digital text system. Each manufacturer uses different software for their set-top box computer. Being software, there is a constant need for updates, also called patches or bug fixes. These are transmitted on-air as part of the overall digital television system. They include a "signature" so that a set-top box will only install an update which is intended for it specifically. Freeview boxes should always be set to automatically download and install on-air software updates.
The schedule for Freeview set-top box on-air software update downloads can be found at http://www.dtg.org.uk/retailer/download_schedule.pl (external link verified May-06) or on Teletext (Freeview channel 100) > Welcome > last sub-page. In addition, a few set-top boxes (notably the Goodmans GDB2 and GDB3) have an RS-232 socket. A software update for these boxes can be downloaded via the Internet and then, with a suitable cable, transferred to the set-top box. However, the details of this procedure are relatively complicated and beyond the scope of this document. |
| What are the different versions of MHEG? | At present (May-06), most Freeview boxes can handle MHEG-5 V1.05 (often abbreviated to just MHEG 1.05) and broadcasters adhere to that standard. However, it would appear that very shortly broadcasters will be free to convert to the MHEG-5 V1.06 standard (often abbreviated to just MHEG 1.06), which very few Freeview boxes are certified as being able to cope with. Newer boxes may be upgraded to the new standard by means of on-air downloads. Older boxes are unlikely to be upgraded. I do not know what new facilities if any are offered by the new version, nor do I know what functions if any will fail to work on a non-upgraded box should transmissions convert to the new version. As far as I know there is no simple way to determine which MHEG version a Freeview box complies with; the software version displayed by boxes is not the same thing. |
| My Freeview box suffers from various problems. Sometimes it locks up. Is this normal, and is there any solution? |
Most Freeview boxes suffer from serious design faults and bugs in their software. These manifest themselves in various ways. Some Freeview boxes are prone to locking up. All these problems are normal, unfortunately.
When a Freeview box locks up, unplug it from the mains, leave it a few seconds, then plug it back in and if necessary switch it back on. This will almost always fix a lockup. Because of the enormous complexity of broadcasting from a variety of sources with various different technical specifications to a variety of transmission methods with various different technical specifications, broadcasters make mistakes fairly frequently. A failure to transmit subtitles is probably the most common mistake, closely followed by aspect ratio errors. The frequency of these mistakes is much greater on Freeview than on analogue television. It is often very difficult to know whether a transient problem lies with the broadcaster or the Freeview box. On-air downloads frequently include attempts to fix software problems. However, as with computer updates, they often introduce new problems. On some types of Freeview box, deleting all unwanted channels may help to significantly reduce problems of this sort. |
| I've got a Freeview receiver installed in a computer (a PC tuner, etc). I need to know the frequencies of the UHF channels. |
Start by looking up the UHF channels of the Freeview multiplexes on your local transmitter. That information can be obtained from the Wolfbane web site.
Then consult this lookup table on the Wolfbane web site to discover the frequencies of the relevant UHF channels. |
| I'm having reception problems with Freeview due to poor signal strength. Can you offer any advice? | Check the obvious possible low-tech causes first:
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| I'm having reception problems with Freeview due to interference. Can you offer any advice? |
Some viewers have reported severe problems due to interference from motor vehicles and other devices which emit radio pulses.
Finding solutions to these problems is a specialist affair, beyond the scope of this document. However, the first thing to do is nearly always to improve the aerial setup, if possible. |
| I see that the ERP (Effective Radiated Power) for the digital television multiplexes is listed as being a tiny fraction of that of analogue television transmissions. Is this correct? | Yes, it is correct. Analogue transmissions have to be powerful enough for the lowest strength of signal to be distinguishable from noise, whereas digital transmissions only need to be powerful enough for receivers to detect two signal levels (0 and 1). There are unconfirmed suggestions that the power of Freeview transmissions might be increased after analogue transmissions cease. |
| What is the difference between 16QAM and 64QAM? | See this Wikipedia article (external link verified Aug-06). |
| What is SFN? |
SFN is "Single Frequency Network". An SFN system allows a set of transmitters with overlapping coverage areas to transmit on the same set of frequencies.
At present all UK analogue and digital terrestrial televisions transmissions use an MFN (Multi Frequency Network) system, whereby transmitters with overlapping coverage areas transmit on different fequencies. It would appear that there is an inherent problem in using an SFN system for television with widely separated transmitters due to the difference in propogation delays. Some engineering tests of SFN systems for digital terrestrial television transmissions have been conducted in various parts of the world including Australia, and a few SFN systems are now in use over small areas in some countries (Paris, France; Singapore; parts of Portugal and Spain). Several more SFN systems are being considered for the future, including for southern Britain and for East Anglia. According to a few sources, all UK Freeview boxes would be capable of receiving SFN transmissions, except for a few very old OnDigital boxes. |
| Are there any plans to introduce local or RSL (restricted service licence) television channels on Freeview? | There are no published plans. Bandwidth and commercial considerations may prevent such channels being added. |
| During periods of high pressure in the summer I sometimes receive Dutch and Belgian analogue television. Is it possible to receive foreign digital terrestrial television? | Some people living in Kent have reported sometimes being able to receive Belgian Flemish digital television (VRT), meaning that the systems are compatible. Some sources claim that Dutch digital terrestrial television is also compatible with the UK's, but according to other sources the Dutch use a different and incompatible method of transmission which requires special powered aerials. Apparently the Dutch use the same frequencies and the same encoding system, it is the physical transmission system which differs. So far there have been no verifiable reports of being able to receive Dutch digital broadcasts. I have tried myself on numerous occasions when Dutch analogue television can be easily received but never detected any Dutch digital signals. Any claims of receiving Dutch broadcasts probably refer to VRT, mistaking Flemish for Dutch since the two are indistinguishable to most native English speakers. |
| What happens if a Freeview box receives a second signal from a distant transmitter? |
This is a complicated matter, with a number of possibilities:
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| Where can I obtain more information about Freeview? |
The Freeview web site (external link verified May-06) includes a facility to check whether reception is possible in your area, by entering your postcode. However, reception can vary from house to house due to obstructions such as hills, trees and other buildings.
The OfCom web site includes this section (external link verified May-06) with full details of all UK analogue and digital terrestrial television transmitters, including UHF channel numbers, ERP (Effective Radiated Power), polarisation, and Ordnance Survey grid references. The DigitalUK web site (external link verified May-06) has some information about the conversion to digital television. The SwitchCo web site (external link verified May-06) is operative but has no information. Wolfbane's Digital Terrestrial Television Reception Predictor (external link verified May-06) allows you to enter your postcode or Ordnance Survey grid reference, and returns full details of the nearest transmitter(s) including distance and bearing. There are options for local, distant and DX (very long distance and special atmospheric reception). The same web site offer a very similar facility for analogue transmitters (external link verified May-06), and a list (external link verified May-06) of UK Freeview digital television multiplexes and physical UHF channels for each terrestrial transmitter. The schedule for Freeview set-top box on-air software update downloads can be found at http://www.dtg.org.uk/retailer/download_schedule.pl (external link verified May-06) or on Teletext (Freeview channel 100) > Welcome > last sub-page. The BBC web site has a daily transmitter engineering report (external link verified May-06). Scheduled transmitter power reductions and service interruptions are also posted on Ceefax on analogue BBC1 and BBC2. The Digital Spy web site (external link verified May-06) has news and discussion forums which cover all aspects of UK digital television, including Freeview. There is also a list of the Freeview channels. tvradiobits (external link verified May-06) offers some very useful information and sensible advice about aspect ratios and widescreen. Before deciding on the purchase of a Freeview box, it may be useful to download the manual from the manufacturer's web site, in order to check the specification and features. For explanations of the jargon and technical aspects of Freeview, various articles on Wikipedia (external link verified Aug-06) are recommended. |
| Where can I obtain more information about the other forms of digital television available in the UK? | Probably the best place to start is Digital Spy (external link verified May-06). |
| Where can I obtain more information about terrestrial and other forms of digital television available in other countries? | Try the "Digital Television" category on Wikipedia (external link verified May-06). |
As far as most broadcasters, manufacturers, retailers and viewers are concerned, this is totally irrelevant. The entire system is nearly always colloquially referred to as Freeview and doing otherwise would merely serve to confuse. Therefore this web site follows that practice.
I suspect that the Redhot pay-per-view porn channel, and possibly also the Television X subscription porn channel, may not be part of Top-Up TV.
Some people claim that some of the Freeview channels are legally not part of Freeview, which seems to me to be taking pedantry beyond the extreme and into the realms of fantasy.
Most recently modified 31-Jul-08