What will be best: freeview or freesat?

Question

What will be best: freeview or freesat?

Answer 1

Freesat, even though it's more expensive it uses satellite so will be available to everybody where-as Freeview is only available if you are within range from certain stations.

Answer 2

I'm getting into this subject having just bought a new telly etc.

I have access to Freeview through the normal off the shelf digi-boxes but this only gives you the programming local to your area.  So if you are in Wales you only get BBC Wales and so forth.

Sky - let's leave the subscription channels out of it, (i.e. Movies, Sports etc.) - Sky freeview, is basically using your Skybox as a digi-box off a satellite rather than a terrestrial antenna, but this at least allows you to watch other regional TV stations.  So if you are in Wales you can watch BBC England, Scotland, Ireland along with Midlands, South etc. which is great because the TV programme listings differ from region to region, so on a friday night when Clwb Rygbi is on BBC2W, you can turn it on to BBC Engalnd and watch Monty Don in his garden instead!

Freeview offers you basically what Sky freeview (above), offers but at a one off charge for installation plus the cost of your box, you can watch the BBC and ITV stations in High Definition (HD), (if you elect to go for the HD box), whereas with Sky you have to pay extra for the Sky+ HD box and I think about £10 per month to watch in HD.

Admittedly, Sky offer many more channels to watch in HD, such as Sports, Films/Movies, and things like the Discovery Channel, but you have to pay for them by subscription.

If you have a HD Ready TV, then go for Freesat with HD.  The only decision then is should you go for the normal HD box or the HD box with the hard disc recording facility which is due to be launched imminently.

In a nutshell, Freesat is superior to Freeview on the terrestrial side.  On the satellite side, I still think that Freesat is better from the point of view of keeping your costs down as against Sky.