Sky HD and Telewest lead UK HDTV

Sky HD and Telewest's TV Drive are leading the way as the UK gradually enters the world of HDTV. Currently, these are the only two avenues open to UK TV viewers who want to watch in HD.

The Sky service operated by UK satellite operator, BSkyB and is a based on its Sky+ service. Subscribers get a set-top box which enables them to view the, admittedly very limited, high definition content available on Sky's satellite network.

Telewest's TV drive does the same for Telewest's cable subscribers. Telewest opted to combine the launch of its hard drive recorder, a competitor for Sky+ and the raft of Freeview recorders now available, with the launch of an HD service.

In both cases, HD programming is very limited. Sky HD and Telewest customers can only view a few documentaries, a handful of BBC dramas, the odd movie or two, and some World Cup football. However, it’s a start. The BBC has shown its commitment to HDTV with the launch of its BBC HD channel and by showing the World Cup in HD on big screens around the UK.

Freeview viewers will have to wait a good deal longer before they can experience the joys of high definition TV. Currently, the UK's commitment to DVB-T, an Mpeg-2 encoded PAL system, means that there are no frequencies available on which to broadcast bandwidth-hungry HD content.

The best hope for free-to-air HDTV in the UK would appear to be when analogue transmitters are switched off between 2008 and 2012. That will free up a chunk of bandwidth which the BBC, Channel 4, and ITV are lobbying to be used for HDTV. However, that's by no means assured. Mobile phone networks are also keen on using the bandwidth to transmit TV pictures to mobile phones. The Government and Ofcom, the industry regulator, may decide to auction it to the highest bidder, and the mobile phone operators' deep pockets will make them hard to beat.

Until then HDTV enthusiasts are stuck with Sky HD and Telewest's TV Drive.

Philips 26PF5521D/10 26-inch HDTV with Freeview