HD freeview channels on a SD freeview box?

I was wondering if there was a way to view HD channels on a SD freeview box (in SD) via manual tuning. I only started thinking this as I got a new Freeview + box today and it had in the manual a screenshot of the TV guide and it had BBC and ITV HD even though the box is SD.

Thanks,
James

Short answer: no.

Long answer: noooooooooooooooooo!

It would be nice if they could - I watch upscaled ITV1 HD over ITV1 SD all the time and the pictures are much nicer. An HD box will probably have various options for displaying HD channels on SD sets, though.

David

Apparently, a DVB-T tuner (providing SD pictures) is entirely different to a DVB-T2 tuner (for HD). You can't even upgrade the software in one to provide the other.

I looked into this last summer when staying at my Sister's house (as she is in the Granada area, which were first to receive Freeview HD in 2009). She has a Sony HD TV with in-built DVB-T tuner, and all sources stated that she would need to buy a separate tuner to receive DTT HD signals.

It's essentialy been designed as two different forms of broadcasting that's no more possible than trying to get a 'black & white' TV to receive colour signals and display them correctly. (Although that's perhaps a bad example as it would still 'see' the signal and display it, albeit as a B&W picture.)

I'm sure it's annoying to many who bought HD Ready TVs with built-in Freeview, but that's often the danger of buying technology early.

It's rather misleading of the manufacturers of your new box to show screenshots of a TV Guide which includes BBC HD and ITV1 HD. With a DVB-T (SD) tuner they won't even show up on the channel listings. It simply won't recognise the signal.

This seems pretty standard nowadays. Manufacturers supply a manual that is written for multiple devices. That is why the manual for my washing machine goes it to details about the timer function that doesn't exist in my model and the manual for my Mum's MP3 player talks of accessing the built-in radio function that isn't present in that device. It's not really dishonest though, you would only be reading the manual after you had purchased the device and already knew what it was capable of.

Yep - no way of watching Freeview HD broadcasts in the UK on an SD Freeview box or IDTV.

The UK has adopted DVB-T2 - which is a new modulation scheme (modulation is how you carry the information on a radio signal) that allows a LOT more data to be carried in the same space than was the case with the DVB-T standard (which is at least 12 years old now)

(The BBC have switched Mux B from 18Mbs DVB-T to approx 40Mbs DVB-T2, though the 18Mbs is artificially low as 24-26Mbs would now be possible, and the BBC are switching Mux 1 from 18Mbs to 24Mbs in DSO regions)

So the DVB-T tuners in all existing Freeview kit won't be able to receive the Freeview HD broadcast modulated using DVB-T2.

Additionally Freeview HD uses H264 (aka MPEG4 AVC/Pt 10) video compression, rather than MPEG2 (used by SD Freeview), and can use AAC or Dolby Digital Plus not just MPEG1 Layer 2 (aka MP2) audio (as used by SD Freeview)

The confusing thing is that some European countries have adopted a half-way house HD standard. They're using DVB-T, not DVB-T2, but for HD content (and in some cases SD content) they are using the newer H264 and AAC or Dolby Digital Plus (or the older Dolby Digital AC3) compression standards.

Therefore there are DVB-T HD set-top boxes and IDTVs - and PC interface cards and USB sticks - labelled HD and sold for terrestrial reception in other bits of Europe, that will NOT work with the DVB-T2 Freeview HD system in the UK.

The good news is that although we're the first with DVB-T2, we're not the only people using it. Other European countries are likely to introduce it too. Sweden is likely to switch to a VHF DVB-T2 (single frequency network for the whole country) for SVT HD (which has previously been available in just a few areas in DVB-T H264/AC3), and I believe Finland and Serbia are also going to introduce it.

James, I'm afraid that you're going to have to wait. Eventually, and it may be a few years off yet, the standard domestic DTT de-coder will be a box that outputs to HDMI and is capable of resolving any combination of DVB-T, DVB-T2, MPEG2 and MPEG4 in a variety of SD and HD formats. Of course by that stage we'll all be watching 3D HD content via DSL or FTTH (fibre-to-the-home), and flat HD will seem a little passe.

As most computers can display an HD signal on their screens, why not try this?

http://www.hauppauge.co.uk/site/products/data_hvr900hd.html

It only supports DVB-T, therefore you'd need to wait for Hauppauge to produce a DVB-T2 compatible version or they could get a DVB-S2 satellite capture card.

Because it will only tune SD broadcasts in the UK... It's DVB-T only - and whilst it will receive HD signals broadcast in some other parts of the world (Australia, France, Norway, New Zealand) it won't receive the DVB-T2 HD stuff broadcast in the UK.

Huge warning - beware any digital terrestrial PC tuner products branded HD on-sale - they almost certainly won't work in HD in the UK.

At the moment a DVB-S satellite card will get you BBC HD, ITV HD and Luxe HD - though there are no guarantees that these won't switch to DVB-S2 in the future. (Currently only Sky HD encrypted stuff is using DVB-S2 in the UK - with the FTA HD stuff still DVB-S as it is sharing transponder space with SD content which has to be DVB-S to be compatible with SD receivers)

Yep - though the surprising thing is how quickly mainstream IDTVs have appeared with Freeview HD and Freesat HD tuners. Many high-end Panasonic and Sony displays now have both, and Freeview HD set top boxes are popping up in shops all over the place. (Many in time for the World Cup)

Cheapest I've seen so far is a Technika in Tesco for a ton.