Freeview HD may require an aerial upgrade - even for those that currently get Freeview

 

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Posted on 8 Apr 2010 at 13:51

UPDATE: We've just been emailed by the Digital TV Group (DTG), which maintains the technical spec for Freeview, with updated information.

Simon Gauntlett, the organisation's technology director, tells us that the "Freeview HD signal in London from Crystal Palace uses a temporary frequency ahead of switchover. This is lower power and coverage than standard Freeview, but come switchover in London (2012) the coverage will match Freeview."

In short, then, only people in London may suffer reception problems for the time being, but once the digital switchover is complete it's unlikely that you'll need an aerial upgrade.

Our extensive tests of Freeview HD kit - including the Humax HD-Fox T2 set-top box and Panasonic Viera TX-P46G20B 46in TV - has shown that some people that get perfect Freeview reception may need to upgrade their aerial in order to get Freeview HD.

Testing in our labs we found that, although we got perfect Freeview reception, our Freeview HD reception was poor. Due to the higher bandwidth requirements of the new HD channels, we found that a weak signal, which caused no problems with regular Freeview, caused the high definition channels to break up and become unwatchable.

In our case, realigning our roof-top aerial was all that was required to fix the signal strength and get perfect Freeview HD channels, but other people may not be so lucky and could require an aerial upgrade or other measures to receive HD channels.

With Freeview HD starting to be rolled out more aggressively - 4.5m homes currently have access to the HD channels - poor HD reception is a problem that could potentially affect a lot of people.

We contacted Freeview to ask what the requirements of the HD channels were and how consumers could ensure that they'll get decent reception. Despite more than a month of ensuring us that the information was to hand and that it would be emailed over, we still haven't received an office reply. The Freeview website is equally as light on information and it's FAQs don't give any specific details about requirements for receiving HD signals.

We spoke to Humax and were told that a minimum signal strength of 30 per cent and quality of 100 per cent (this information is displayed on set-top boxes and compatible televisions) is required to receive channels without any problems. However, this can change depending on kit you're using, as well as the number of splitters and amplifiers that you're using.

So, what can you do? First, make sure that your aerial is pointing in the same direction as your neighbours'. If it's not, you'll need to get it adjusted. It's best to use a roof-mounted aerial, as those in lofts are more easily blocked.

If your aerial is pointing in the right direction, you can try an aerial booster. For this to work you need to place the booster as close to the aerial as possible: boosting the signal once it's travelled a long way will do nothing to improve your reception.

Finally, if this doesn't improve things you may need to get your aerial tested or replaced. To do this you should contact a local company through either the Confederation of Aerial Industries (CAI) or the Registered Digital Installers (RDI).

We'll bring you any more information if Freeview can ever be bothered to show an interest and email over the information we've been promised.

Author: David Ludlow