Free to View Digital TV is the new medium for TV broadcasting. It offers a whole new range of options for viewers and more choices. The Free to View concept is also the new viewing environment where you can really see the huge benefits of the new digital TV era, and get top value out of your big beautiful new LCD TV, too.

What's "Free to View?"

Free to View isn't the same as the old Free to Air. It's a big upgrade of the whole idea of free broadcasting, with many more channels, and far more options in terms of viewing issues. This is a market development, as well as a viewing concept. The "Free to View" name comes partly from the competition between free broadcasts and the pay TV networks.

Free to View is a big upgrade for broadcasting. With the old analog broadcasts, Free to Air was pretty limited. That problem will be fully solved with the new Free to View networks, and the range of services will be drastically improved, as well as increased.

What does this mean for watching just sitting at home and watching TV?

The real winners from Free to View will definitely be the viewers. Analog TV simply wasn't capable of doing some of the things digital TV can do, including:

Interactive operations- Plenty of options for all viewing requirements
Hearing impaired services- Closed captions
Multi view- different camera angles
Free to View provides these services across a greatly expanded range of channels and types of TV broadcast. It also provides High Definition viewing, only possible on digital TVs.
Note: You may need either a new antenna or a set top box for Free to View, but there are plenty of good, cheap digital TV antennas which can do the job. Set top boxes can be used for analog TVs to process signals for reception.

Can I buy copies of these shows online?

Yes, depending on the distributor and types of outlet provided. Don't be surprised if you can buy some things direct off the TV menu, like pay TV, because it's a well established sales method. Many TV shows also include information about buying options you can follow up from information on screen, too.

Can I do timed recording, like on the old TVs?

You may need to upgrade your equipment to take full advantage of Free to View. TV quality and features are important, because some models don't provide some basic requirements, and more importantly don't work too well with DVD players and video recorders. (Also bear in mind the need for antennas and set top boxes. Signal quality is important for recording quality.)

It's advisable to ensure you have a good name brand TV, like a Samsung LCD TV with all necessary features. These TVs have everything, and you can cover recording needs very easily. All you need to do is put your feet up and enjoy your shows.