Confused? Here's a few explanations which should make these terms clearer
You may have seen adverts already on the BBC about FreeView. FreeView has nothing really to do with Free Satellite broadcasting.
For most people, getting Freeview would involve getting a FreeView decoder box for around £60.00. This boxes can be connected between your aerial and your TV in a similar way to a video recorder. It is Free and no card is required. There are new TV models that are coming out that have FreeView decoders built-in.
FreeView is an initiative by the BBC and other partner broadcasters to promote the use of digital terrestrial TV. The FreeView initiative was created in response to the demise of On Digital - the previous attempt by ITV and its partners for providing a digital terrestrial TV broadcasting service.
Channels available on FreeView include BBC1, BBC2, BBC3, BBC4, ITV1, ITV2, Channel 4 and Channel Five.
At present, availability is not universal since the digital signals are not being broadcast at full strength since they would interfere with existing weak analogue signals.
For more in-depth consumer information about FreeView, check out the FreeView web site: FreeView. The site has a useful postcode search facility to help give you a good indication if Freeview reception is available in your area.
With a suitable decoder, viewers can see certain additional paid-for programmes with a Top-Up-TV viewing cards. Top Up TV is most popular on Terrestrial Freeview but is also available on some satellite systems. These cards cost about £8.00 a month. To find out more about Top Up TV go to their web site at: www.topuptv.com
Free To Air basically means any digital satellite channel that is broadcast unencrypted. It is viewable completely free using any suitable satellite receiver, i.e. no viewing card or CAM (Conditional Access Module is required).
All BBC Channels (including regional variations) are Free To Air and can be viewed using a Sky Digibox or just about any other DVB Digital Satellite Receiver. For most of UK, all you need is a standard Sky installation. For UK areas further away from the main satellite beam, and for many parts of Europe the BBC is still available using a suitable size of dish and LNB.
Free to view is similar to Free to air. Channels are broadcast in an encrypted form (usually to protect copyright). A viewing card is required to decode the signal. Usually this card is a one-off purchase and is not really a regular subscription.
At the time this article was written, watching ITV/CH4/CH5 using a Sky digibox could be described as free to view. All that is required is a non-subscription Sky viewing card or an expired viewing card. The card required is the series 2 card, i.e. the one with the yellow house on a dark blue background. These cards were available for purchase up until Jan 2004. The series cards are commonly being sold on eBay and is not something Sky approve of. There is some risk in buying these cards in that They may be turned off at any time.
Sky Digital now offer a one off purchase card to allow you to view ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5. Sky term this the "Freesat" service. The card costs £20.00 from Sky. This card can only be used on a Sky Digibox. To order one now call Sky on 08706 061 111, and ask for a Freesat service card.
To find out more information about Freesat offers, including installation packages, visit Sky's Freesat From Sky Web site.
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