HD Boxes: Where to get HD Content

Once you've bought your shiny new TV you will obviously want to make the most of the high definition display it offers, so watching tv on freeview or your old dvd player often won't cut the mustard. Still, there are more and more options available to new HD TV owners available today, and we will go into each once below.

Blue Ray DVDs

The easiest way to get started with HD is to purchase a Blu-ray DVD player, and many retailers will offer a discount when buying a player in a package with your TV. More and more bluray titles are now available online and in stores, but they are expensive and as ever one can only buy so many DVDs, so it is worth looking at Sky, BT and Virgin's services to gain access to a wider range of content. You may also want to look at Lovefilm and Blah who offer BluRay DVD rental services with a 14 free trial.

Freeview / Terrestrial

At present there is no HD available on freeview, but that should change over the next year as the BBC plans to display the World Cup in HD next summer, with the first HD transmissions going online in December. Channel 4 and ITV are also planning to release HD channels, and 5 may join them in the future - however due to the limitations of Digital TV it is not technically possible to add more HD channels after these 4 channels. These broadcasters have already produced or own the rights to a decent amount of high definition content but it is likely these channels will continue to only broadcast HD content some rather than all of the time

Satellite + Cable

Due to the increased bandwidth offered by cable and satellite it is possible to run many more HD TV channels simultaneously, so if you really want good HD content on tap then a satellite dish or cable connection is a must. Not only do these services offer regular broadcasts in HD, but most will also offer an extensive library of on-demand HD films and programs that can either be watched free or for a small charge.

FreeSat

Freesat is a new consortium of free-to-air satellite broadcasters that provide their own electronic program guide (EPG) system, allowing viewers to browse TV listings in the same way one would with Sky or Digital TV. At present the only HD channel available is BBC HD and Channel 4 HD, but more are expected to join the the future. The obvious advantage to Freesat is you don't need a monthly subscription or contract, just a Freesat box - but if you don't already have one you will still need to get a satellite dish installed.

Virgin Media

Virgin, the cable network that also offers broadband and phone packages, have been a little slow to start in the race to provide decent HD content, and at present the only channel available on the network is BBC HD, but more are expected to follow soon. Still, their On Demand service offers a wide range of HDTV films and TV programs - largely from 4oD's extensive HD archives

Sky+ HD

Sky + is the best choice for those looking for a wide range on broadcast HD content, as aside from their on demand services offering a wide range of HD films for a small charge they are currently broadcasting a comparitively massive 26 channels in HD, including Sky 1, BBC, Channel 4, Sky Arts, Sky Box Office, FX (Fox), Discovery HD, Eurosport, National Geographic, The History Channel, Rush and 10 HD Movie channels, as well as Sky Sports 1, 2 and 3, among others.

This means as well as a wide range of TV dramas and comedies, and a great selection of films it is also possible to watch beautiful nature documentaries in HD, plus a great range of sports - perhaps most importantly to many in the UK the Premier League football is shown on Sky Sports in full HD.

Now is a great time to join Sky too as they are offering their HD box for just £49 - a saving of £100 on the usual price of £149 - and it comes with free phone line rental and calls.

Broadband + The Internet

Another way to get HD content is online - either through legal film download sites, or through the BBC's iPlayer or channel 4's 4oD (4 on Demand). The trick here is getting the HD content off your computer and onto your TV which can be rather complex and is worthy of a feature of its own.

Some new TVs now offer iPlayer/network compatibility, while others will want to look at options such as Media Center PCs, or consoles such as the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3's internet capabilities. More options are likely to become available over time, but for now our favourite is:

BT Vision

For those who would prefer to spend more time watching TV that tinkering with cables, BT Vision is a user-friendly package that combines a broadband connection, phone line and home wireless with a digital TV box. Plug the box into your telly and you will instantly have access to on demand services over your broadband connection - including but not limited to iPlayer and 4oD. As well as the on-demand and live TV, it i possible to download full HD movies through your BT Vision box - and they are currently cheaper per film than Sky+

It is worth noting that with all these broadcast TV channels not all content will be broadcast in HD all the time - it depends on the age of the content, when it was recorded and on what budget. That being said, HD filming is becoming the norm, and the BBC expects to phase out standard def recording in 2010 - expect others to follow suit soon after.