How do I tune in to the Freeview HD channels?

Tuning in to Freeview HD

Question: I have an HD television but cannot tune into any HD broadcasts. How can I resolve the problem?

Submitted online by brian Gilchrist

Our answer

There are three things you need to be able to get Freeview HD:

  1. Coverage: You must be in a Freeview HD Coverage area. You can check at: Freeview HD Coverage
  2. HD TV set: You must have a TV set that supports HD (High Definition)
  3. A Freeview HD receiver – This will either be a set-top box, or may be built into your TV

Assuming you have all of these things, you should be able to get the Freeview HD channels

How to tune in

You will need to get your Freeview receiver to scan for new channels. This will look for all available Freeview channels, including the HD channels. If you’re not sure how to scan for channels, have a look in the on-screen menu for an option such as “Add channels”, “Digital TV channel setup” or “Channel scan”. If in doubt, refer to your TV’s manual.

Need help with scanning for channels? See our “How to tune in Freeview” question

Once the scan has been completed, it should be a case of then tuning in to the Freeview HD channels offered by the BBC , ITV and Channel 4 as you would any other Freeview channel. The HD channels appear from Freeview Channel 50 onwards.

 

My TV says “HD Ready”

This is a common issue. A TV set that is labelled as “HD Ready” will need an HD set-top box before it will show HD TV channels. “HD Ready” means that it’s ready to be connected to an HD source, such as a Freeview HD, Freesat HD, Virgin Media HD or Sky HD box.

For more on this, see “Can I get Freeview HD on my HD Ready TV set?

 

Can I get Freeview HD without a set-top box?

Yes, newer TV sets have Freeview HD built-in, and don’t need a set-top box. You need to look for a TV that supports “Freeview HD” (The technical expression to look for is DVB-T2).

For Freeview, there are two types of HD TV that you can buy:

  1. “HD Ready with Freeview”
  2. TVs with Freeview HD built-in

 

“HD Ready” means it doesn’t have Freeview HD built-in (it’s Ready for HD). With an HD Ready TV, you need to connect an HD box.

The ones with  Freeview HD built-in don’t need a box. Freeview HD TV sets launched in the UK in February 2010.

When buying, look for “Freeview HD Built-in” or “Comes with Freeview HD”

 

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