Freeview goes high def

HD is the future of television (just as digital, colour, 625 lines on UHF, 405 lines on VHF and children, children, future, future, were) so the announcement today that the four main broadcasters have come up with a plan which, if it comes to fruition, will allow high definition TV to be available via digital terrestrial television, ensuring that those that can't/don't want a satellite dish or a cable connection, can still make use of the higher picture quality that HD provides.

The arrangement - which will initially involve HD channels from the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, with Five coming on line later - relies on a general reshuffling of channels, extra capacity created by Digital Switchover and some new technologies coming on play. And it's good news for viewers, especially those who now own HD-ready TVs who don't have any HD pictures to push through them.

And HD-ready TVs are getting more and more prevalent. When my own, five year old TV, died recently, I was determined to not to get a flat screen - standard definition programmes have, in my experience, tended to look rather naff. Shove through a HD picture, and they've usually looked far better. But with almost no HD TV channels available free (and having just bought a shiny PVR), I rushed off quickly and bought one of the few CRTs still available. Next time round, we probably won't have a choice. Flatscreens will be all that will be available. I just hope by then, that there's some decent quality pictures to watch...