Compare
Digital Comparison Online is here to help you make the right decision about your digital TV package and get set up for the Digital Switchover. Digital Comparison Online is designed to allow you to easily compare digital TV providers and packages so you can make the most informed decision about your digital TV purchase. You want to pick the one right option that caters for your digital TV needs, but you don’t want to trawl through each individual site; it’s tiresome, tedious and extremely time-consuming. With Digital Comparison Online we lay out the facts and the essentials in an easy-to-understand format, allowing you to confidently decide which provider, and which package, is going to be the most suitable for you. We offer the need-to-know details, so you can compare the rich variety of options that lay before all new and existing digital TV viewers. With customer reviews, as well as up-to-date news on the latest offers and advances in the world of digital TV, everything you need is right here.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Satellite | Cable | Broadband | Aerial | Satellite |
| Monthly Cost | From £20 | From £6.50 | From £4 | FREE | FREE |
| Setup Cost | From FREE | From £40 | From FREE | FREE | £80 |
| Channels | Over 240 | Over 165 | Up to 70 | Up to 50 | Over 140 |
| HD | Yes - Over 50 channels | Yes - 17 channels | On Demand | Yes – Subject to Coverage | Yes – Subject to Coverage |
| Sky Sports | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Sky Movies | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Multi-Room | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Gifts | £50 M&S voucher | No | No | No | No |
| More Info Buy Now | More Info Buy Now | More Info | More Info | More Info |
Sky
Sky is the UK’s market leader in digital satellite TV broadcasting. Constantly breaking boundaries and records alike, Sky currently supplies digital TV to more than 9.5 million homes in the UK and Ireland. This equates to around a third of homes, a staggering statistic which underlines the strength of Sky's popular and powerful brand. Sky+ is currently found in over 6 million homes, whilst Sky+HD reached over 2 million homes in 2009. Sky+HD offers a genuinely groundbreaking experience for customers; the power to pause, rewind and record your favourite programmes at will, combined with the crisp, clear and breathtaking quality of HD TV. All customers are offered the Sky+HD box as standard. Sky+ and Sky+HD currently offers customers almost 700 radio and television channels, which are separated into a variety of themed packs. These packs include Entertainment and News as well as premium content such as Sky Sports and Sky Movies. Customers can pick and choose the type of programming they wish to add to their viewing package, and always have the freedom to alter their chosen options.
Virgin Media
Virgin Media are the only digital cable provider in the UK and Ireland, offering customers 4 separate packages: TV M, TV M+, TV L and TV XL. These packages range from 45 to 160 channels, with the option of Sky Sports, Sky Movies and Sky Box Office available to all potential buyers. There is no need for a dish to be installed; Virgin Media’s digital TV is delivered through a fibre-optic cable, but this does mean that you must reside in a cabled area.
Virgin Media customers are treated to BBC’s increasingly popular iPlayer as part of its on demand service. Virgin Media is a market leader in video on demand, offering customers free access to Catch Up TV, as well the option to purchase limited or unlimited access to a massive range of additional TV programming, movies and music. Virgin Media has also stepped up competition with Sky by introducing the V+ Box. The popular option to pause, rewind and record live TV is available, but Virgin TV has increased the ante by providing their customers with the chance to record two separate channels, whilst watching a third.
BT Vision
BT Vision offers customers the chance to enjoy the benefits of Freeview, whilst also providing its own version of the highly successful on demand service that has become almost essential for today’s digital TV viewers. BT Vision entitles its digital customers to over 50 TV channels and 20 radio channels using the tried and tested TV aerial method. Customers have the option to install their BT Vision service themselves for free; this will save time and money for those eager individuals itching to kick-start their own digital experience.
The BT Vision on demand service includes an enormous library of over 700 movies, as well as thousands of hours of TV series, minus the ad breaks. With BT Vision you can either pay-per-view (24 hour rental), or purchase all the content from a chosen genre, added for a minimal fee. All interested parties must have a BT Total Broadband connection, a BT Home Hub and the BT Vision+ box. The HD ready Vision+ box uses the BT broadband connection to supply the on demand service, whilst allowing users to pause, rewind and record live TV.
Freesat
Freesat is a digital satellite TV service brought to UK digital viewers by the BBC and ITV. There are over 140 digital TV and radio channels to choose from, with absolutely no commitment to monthly costs or subscriptions. Popular digital channels to enjoy with Freesat include BBC Three, BBC Four, ITV2, ITV3 and FilmFour. Viewers can leisurely explore a wide variety of entertainment options with Freesat’s own extensive 8-day on-screen digital TV programme guide.
A Freesat+ HD digital TV recorder will enable you to pause, rewind and record live TV, with a selection of boxes allowing you to play and record Blu-Ray discs. Freesat HD offers your favourite programmes in glorious high definition. Those of you enticed by Freesat’s own digital TV offerings will need a satellite dish, and a Freesat set-top box or a Freesat HD TV. Certain Freesat receivers also enable customers to take advantage of BBC’s popular iPlayer; an on demand service allowing you to catch up with your favourite BBC TV and radio programmes. You will need to connect to your home broadband via an Ethernet cable or homeplug adapters, and a broadband speed of at least 1Mbps, preferably higher, is essential.
Freeview
Freeview is a service enabling digital TV viewers to enjoy up to 50 TV channels and 24 radio stations, with absolutely no subscription. A one-off charge is required to purchase the digital Freeview box, with several different box designs available varying in terms of additional features and set-top box capability.
Digital TV customers looking to keep costs down whilst benefiting from the most recent technology can take advantage of Freeview+ and Freeview HD. Freeview+ will allow you to pause, rewind and record live TV so that you can watch what you want, when you want. Freeview HD provides users with their favourite programmes in stunning, crisp high definition, without any added monthly costs.
Connecting is easy; simply plug your aerial into the digital Freeview box, whilst connecting your TV via the SCART socket. No installation costs. No subscriptions. No hassle.
