New to Freeview? Here are the Basics

Freeview is a Digital TV service that allows you to watch over 40 extra channels via your TV aerial.

You don’t need a satellite dish, and there’s no subscription charge – all you need is a Freeview set-top box, or a telly that has a built-in Freeview receiver.

This page is aimed at people looking to switch over to Freeview, and provides a basic guide on how to get and start watching Freeview.

For information on what channels are available on Freeview, see our Freeview Channels List

Freeview: 5 things you need to know:

1. Freeview uses a TV aerial to get TV channels – As long as you’re in a good reception area, you should be able to
   view over 40 TV channels and around 20 radio channels.
2. You don’t need to get a new TV or have a satellite dish installed to get Freeview.
3. You can get a Freeview receiver box for around £20. Most new TV sets and DVD recorders come with a built-in Freeview receiver.
4. There’s no subscription fee with Freeview. If you want more channels, there are other services that offer more than Freeview (such as Sky, YouView, Freesat or Virgin) – See our Digital TV Compared chart.
5. The old analogue TV service was finally switched off in October 2102 (See: Digital Switchover). Now, Freeview is how most people will watch free TV.

How to get Freeview:

Freeview uses a TV aerial to get TV channels. The service is broadcast
over the air in a similar way to the standard five TV channels, but uses newer digital technology to offer more channels.

To get Freeview, you have to be in a Freeview coverage area. Not all of the UK can get Freeview yet.
To check if you can get Freeview, enter your
postcode at www.digitaluk.co.uk/postcodechecker.

If you are in a Freeview coverage area, you’ll need to get a Freeview box (or a TV set with Freeview built in). Freeview boxes are the cheaper option – They connect to your existing TV set or recorder, and you plug in your normal TV aerial.

Boxes can be purchased for a one-off fee, starting from around £20 for a basic box. They can be bought from high-street stores such as Currys, but shopping online for a set-top box is often the best route, as there are some good bargains to be had.

Radio and Telly’s Freeview Quick Picks
GOODMANS GDB18FVZS2: Basic box with 2 SCART sockets. Amazon / Currys £25	BT YouView: Freeview HD recorder plus on-demand content. More info: get.youview.bt.com	Humax PVR-9300: Includes a hard-disk recorder that holds 160 hours of TV. Currys £152

• Once you have got your new Freeview set-top box, you’ll need to connect it the
  aerial. Unplug the aerial lead (the one that runs up to your roof/loft TV aerial) from the back of your TV, and plug this lead into the ‘aerial in’ socket on the Freeview box.
• You now need to connect from your Freeview box to the TV. If your TV has a SCART socket, connect from the Freeview box to the TV via a SCART lead. (No SCART socket?).
• The next step is to tune your TV into the Freeview box channel. Switch on
  your TV and your Freeview box. If connecting with a SCART lead, then you should switch your TV to the “AV”, “Aux” or “Line in” feed. If you’re not connecting with a SCART lead, you’ll need to tune your TV into the output of the Freeview box, in the same way you’d tune in a standard TV station. Refer to your TV manual for details on
  how to do this.
• With the box connected, you’ll need to scan for Freeview channels. Go to the Freeview box’s onscreen menu, and perform a “Store channels”, “Channel tuning” or “Add channels”.
  The box will scan for Freeview channels (may take a couple of minutes), and then show you what it’s found.

That’s it – Happy viewing!

Freeview Problems?

• Answers to Freeview reception difficulty and connection problems can be found on our Freeview Help and Advice section.
• If your question isn’t answered, please leave a message in our Freeview forum