Humax freesat receivers, such as this Foxsat HD, will now be able to view the iPlayer beta trial.
The BBC’s iPlayer has gone from strength to strength. Some TVs, such as the iViewer from Cello Electronics, are now even available with the technology built in. But the familiar black-and-pink interface has now also weaned its way onto freesat, the free-to-air digital satellite service launched in the UK in 2008.
Freesat has began beta tests with iPlayer in autumn last year, but has now announced that owners of all Humax freesat receivers will be able to sample the service ahead of its official launch later this year. Although freesat has taken its time to catch on, it seems now to have reached an exciting pace – Panasonic, LG, and Sony now build freesat-certified receivers into their flat-panel TVs, for example. Nevertheless, Sky still eclipses freesat’s HD offerings – just BBC HD and ITV1 HD – with its massive selection of 37 HD channels, most recently extended to include MGM HD. The prospect of a wide range of free-to-air content is still a distant one, therefore, but freesat looks to have a lot of potential – and we’re keeping a close eye on developments!
For more information , check out our articles on receiving satellite TV and HD TV in the UK.