It is now possible to have access to more television channels than ever before due to digital television. There are also more options of how you receive the channels with programmes delivered by aerial, satellite dish, cable and phone line with broadband. Some channels are free of monthly charges and contracts and others are only available if you are prepared to commit to a monthly subscription. Many providers are also offering On Demand services where you can watch the programme or movie when ever you like sometimes at no additional cost and sometimes on a Pay Per View basis. High Definition channels are also available with and without monthly subscription.

Paid services include Virgin’s Cable service, Sky Digital, Tiscali and BT Vision. Free services are available via Freeview, Freesat by the BBC and ITV, Freesat from Sky and Virgin Media if you use their phone service.

Television programmes via Freeview

Freeview digital television broadcasts are replacing the normal analogue terrestrial television broadcasts received by an aerial throughout the UK. To receive Freeview you will first of all need to be in an area where it is available and then you will have to have a suitable aerial and either a Freeview set top box or a television with freeView built in. Apart from having to pay the UK television licence Freeview is free of any other charges and offers 48 channels of television and 24 channels of radio.

Up until recently there have been both the old analogue broadcasts and the new digital broadcasts in many areas of the country. The much advertised Digital Switch Over is currently switching off the analogue broadcasts area by area around the UK. This process should be completed during 2012. If you havent already opted to switch to the digital channels you will have to by the time your area switches to digital. You will need either a TV with a freeview tuner or a freeview set top box to use with your existing TV. The digital switch over will affect non digital TVs, Video Recorders and DVD recorders which will need either replacing with freeview equipped equivalents or a set top box connecting to each of them to receive freeview broadcasts. If you choose another method of receiving digital television broadcasts then you will need different equipment to connect to your TV.

The Digital Switch Over might not affect you if you are currently receiving all of your television programmes via Freesat, BT Vision, or Tiscali in which case you wont need to do anything.

Top Up TV

It is possible to add additional subscription channels to the free channels that are available on Freeview with Top Up TV via your aerial. It doesnt require any additional equipment other than the card that slots in to the card slot on your existing PVR set top box. It costs just 9.99 per month without any contract tie in. There is a Movie channel, a sports channel and an on demand channel of programmes that are automatically downloaded to your set top PVR for you to watch at your convenience.

Virgin Medias Cable TV

Cable television by Virgin Media is only available in a limited number of areas. A basic TV package of 45 channels are available free of charge if your phone line is provided by Virgin Media. Various packages are available up to the 19.50 (with Virgin Phone Line) per month package which has 165 channels. Every television that you want to watch cable on will need a Virgin set top box. Each additional set top box will incur an additional discounted monthly charge so this could prove to be expensive.

Virgin media also offer an on demand service where you can access a huge library of programmes and movies some are provided free and some are available on a pay per view basis. Some of the on demand content is in HD.

Sky Digital Television

As with the cable TV option if you choose Sky Digital you will have to choose which programmes you want to pay for each month. Sky Digital Television broadcasts can be received by most homes in the UK and requires the installation of a suitably positioned satellite Dish.

You probably wont be able to have a satellite dish installed if you live in an apartment, high rise flats or a building that has planning restrictions prohibiting satellite dishes. Also if live next to a large building or Trees that prevents the required position and angle of installation for the satellite dish then you wont be able to have a satellite dish installed.

Every television that you want to connect to Sky Digital will require a suitable set top box connected to a satellite dish. It is possible to connect up to four set top boxes to one satellite dish with a suitable LNB attached however you may still need an additional dish. There will be an additional cost for the supply and installation of each additional set top box and there will be an additional monthly subscription cost for each set top box required. So this could work out to be quite costly.

Sky digital often charge for the supply and installation of the set top TV box and satellite dish. The basic package of 200 channels costs from 16.50 per month and includes a free set top box and there is a charge of 60 for the installing of the dish. There are many channel options available from Sky Digital up to 630 channels of Digital Television channels and Digital Radio channels at 46 per month with installation for a non Sky Plus set top box of 60 and 30 for a Sky Plus set top box. Sky Digital also offers the greatest choice of high definition television channels for a further 9.75 a month.

There is also a service for watching films on demand, Sky Box Office where you choose from a small selection of the latest movies and you pay a small additional amount to watch each of them. A second option is Sky Anytime which has a small selection of entertainment, movies, kids channels, documentaries, etc. The third option from Sky is a web based service where you can download hundreds of films and TV programmes whenever you choose to your PC which can then be viewed via your PC or through your TV if recorded on to a DVD disc or steamed to a media centre.

Freesat TV

The name Freesat is confused by the fact that there is a version provided by Sky and one by a joint venture of the BBC and ITV. Each option requires a satellite dish and set top box which you will have to purchase and both are free of monthly charges. Panasonic also have a television with a built in Freesat tuner that is compatible with the BBC and ITV option, so a set top box is not required if this is bought. Like with Sky Digital the installation of the satellite dish is subject to the same restrictions but generally Freesat is available to over 99% of homes in the UK. If your house already has a Sky Satellite Dish installed on it that is unused or it has a spare connector on it then you wont need to go to the expense of having a Satellite Dish installed.

The Freesat option from the BBC and ITV also offers a small amount of free high definition television broadcasts if the HD set top box is purchased.

Set top boxes that are compatible with the BBC and ITVs Freesat are available from around 49.99 or 129.99 complete with a dish and installation. There are in excess of 140 channels of programmes of different types that are available without any commitment or monthly subscription. If you want the HD version then you will have to pay 129.99 for the set top box or around 229.99 with satellite dish and installation. If you opt for a Freesat compatible television then you wont require a set top box just a satellite dish.

Sky’s Freesat is available with an initial payment of 75 without any additional monthly payments. Whilst there aren’t any HD channels available there are over 240 television channels.

BT Vision Television

BT Vision is provided using a broadband connection and a BT Home Hub router which is then wirelessly connected to a wireless receiver which is connected to your television. The BT vision television service offers Freeview and an on demand service of entertainment and movies. If you already use BTs broadband then the Home Hub Router is supplied without any cost.

There are various options of program bundles of Kids programmes, sports, music and a number of films, that include 40 channels of Freeview, that are available from 13.70 monthly up to 19.57 monthly. However you dont have to subscribe for any of the bundles you can just use BT vision on pay per view basis each time you watch a programme or film. If you dont have BT Broadband then there is an installation charge of 29.36 for the BT Home Hub router and wireless receiver and another 29.36 for the supply of the equipment.

Tiscali TV

Tiscali TV offers a mixture of digital television channels and on demand entertainment, movies and music that are received via an aerial and or phone line. Tiscali TV isn’t available in all areas of the country so check with Tiscali for details. There are over 70 channels of digital television and radio channels available and over 1000 on demand movies. Packages start from 19.99 and include 8Mb broadband and phone line rental.

Fetch Television

Fetch television has over 48 channels of Freeview digital television channels and digital radio as well as the ability to be able to stream movies and programmes from your computers hard drive in high definition if available. This is done via a Fetch set top box with a Freeview PVR and integrated high definition home media centre which start from 129.99. The Freeview is without any monthly charges or contracts, the movies and programmes are chargeable for each download if applicable. Once you have downloaded the programmes or films to your PC the Fetch television Set top box is able to stream it directly to your TV.

IP Television and On Demand Television

It is now possible to download movies via the internet to your PC which you can then record on to a DVD and then play via a DVD player that is attached to your TV. Alternatively you can stream the movie from your hard drive to a media centre under your television. It is also possible to download HD content on the web. IP TV also allows the viewing of programmes from the BBC, Sky and many other stations in the UK and around the world.

Conclusion

Never before has there been so much choice and so many ways to receive TV content. Which one you choose will depend on the availability of Cable, Satellite, Freeview or Broadband Phone Line and how much you want to pay for the equipment, the type and quantity of programmes you want to view, and how much you want to pay a month if anything. Then to further complicate the decision you need to decide if you want HD content and are you willing to pay for it. IP TV is available now albeit a bit difficult and sometimes slow to access but this will probably be the way programmes will be received in the future. Of course you will also need a suitable widescreen HD LCD TV or HD Plasma TV to appreciate the benefits of Digital television broadcasts.