Free for all

Kath Brown finds Freeview is free only once you have it up and running.

Illustration: AARON WOOD

On View: These channels and more are available on Freeview.

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There is a lot more to Freeview than meets the eye.

Established in 2007 with the purpose of providing New Zealanders with digital television and radio, there are now more than 300,000 Kiwis with the service.

Before then, all free TV in the country was analogue. Only the pay television channel offered digital technology.Our rugged terrain makes analogue reception patchy in many areas, a problem that digital does not encounter. The analogue technology is due to be switched off sometime in 2012, but it probably won't pay to hold your breath over that: politicians are involved.

It isn't necessary to be a geek to understand the difference between the two: analogue technology translates the sound or video signal into electronic pulses, while digital breaks the signal into a series of numbers that it then reassembles into the correct format when it reaches the TV. How clever is that? Much more clever, actually. Not only does it reassemble the data into the correct format, it corrects any errors that may have occurred during its journey to your TV. Consequently, the pictures and sound are clearer than those produced by analogue technology.

To sum up: digital is better.

Freeview was set up by a group of television companies that collectively share the cost and individually provide channels to the service. Theirs is a not-for- profit enterprise (just like the government) with the purpose of providing "clearer pictures, sharper sound, better choice of programmes and interactive options". And, of course, they aim to maintain their market share. Each of the partners in the consortium decides for itself which programmes it will offer on Freeview.

Freeview is, as the name suggests, free to air. There are no monthly fees and no contracts. However, in order to actually watch the programmes, there is an initial cost. That is because a special receiver or decoder is required, otherwise Freeview doesn't work.

A Sky decoder can pick up some but not all of the channels. This is quite deliberate: Sky is the enemy of Freeview. Sky is digital but not free.

The most important requirement for Freeview is to have a television set, which can be the standard TV or a whizzy LCD or plasma affair. After that, you need a digital receiver, also known as a set box or a decoder, plus either a UHF aerial or a satellite dish. Whichever you have, aerial or dish, you must also have the appropriate receiver - the same one will not work with both.

Digital television using an aerial is referred to as Digital Terrestrial Television or DTT. A satellite receiver will cost from $199 and the dish will cost around $199. Installation costs are extra. Once everything is hooked up and ready to go, viewers can choose between One, TV2, TV3, C4, Maori Television, TVNZ6, TVNZ7, TV3 + 1, Prime, Stratos, Parliament TV, Cue, Te Reo, Radio New Zealand National, Radio New Zealand Concert, George FM and Base FM.

Although there are no designated comedy or sports channels, Parliament TV probably covers both genres.

TV One and TV3 offer sports in their programming while Freeview 8 shows all TV3's programmes one hour after they have been shown on TV3. TV7 is a news-based channel with the rest of its programming comprising documentaries, sports and current affairs.

Freeview 50 is National Radio and 51 is the Concert programme.

As with every technological advance, no sooner do you buy into it, then something better comes along. In this case it is High Definition television or HD. Fortunately, Freeview is available for those HD TVs (the high-tech world is littered with initials that mean something to someone).

Josh Harvey, a customer service representative of Freeview, is based in Auckland but is still a very friendly, helpful chap. He says the UHF HD service, often referred to as extraterrestrial, offers "crystal clear quality sound and pictures in the programmes available on HD". If that sounds a little formal, it is because he read it from a pamphlet.

Josh also says it is really important people buy only approved products from accredited outlets.

"Buying imported decoders over the internet means that you miss out on the automatic scanning of channels as well as the free eight-day channel guide."

Golly. It also means that if something goes wrong, you don't have a warranty.

Before getting all carried away with the idea of HD, it will pay to check that the area you live in can actually receive it. It is not universal or even national. The check can be carried out at http:/ /www.freeviewnz.tv/all–about– freeview/coverage . When I typed in my own address, it told me that I was unlikely to be able to receive HD. This was a little disappointing, bearing in mind that I live in a city, not in a small rural area where people are used to not having facilities that the rest of us enjoy. The upside is that it will save me a lot of money, because our present TV is working just fine.

For all those who can enjoy the benefits of the extraterrestrial service, the cost is certainly not out of this world. The recommended retail price of the decoder is $299 (anything new always costs more - it's a rule) and of course you will still need a UHF aerial. The very latest LCD and plasma television sets can actually come with Freeview built in. Viewers can enjoy up to 13 television channels, even though one of those is Parliament, and three radio stations. There is also an eight-day onscreen TV guide.

Josh says the Freeview free phone line is still receiving dozens of calls daily, inquiring about the service and how to go about receiving it. For those with more than one TV in the house, it is possible to hook up each TV to the one digital recorder or you may have to have a separate one. An expert will be able to help with that. What Freeview does provide for most New Zealanders is a wider choice - in other words, more decisions to make.