Apsattv
03-01-2008, 11:11 PM
From http://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/Default.aspx?s=3&s1=2&id=01c1b77e07ca4232a9db18a47e291b74
IT IS FREE TO VIEW: The Freeview set-top box is the silver box under the TV screen on the right. Blair Guthrie, aka "Care Blair", watches C4 television, available to Gisborne viewers only through Sky Digital or the Freeview network. Picture by Rebecca Grunwell
Everyone knows there is no such thing as a free lunch -- but the launch and ensuing promotion of "Freeview" TV still has people surprised at having to fork out at least $249 for a set-top box and a minimum of $50 for installation.
For those without satellite TV, there is the additional cost of a satellite dish.
Dewar Electronics office manager Christine Burland said some customers do ask, "How can you call it free, when it's not free?"
"But there is no ongoing charge and that is the beauty of it," she said.
"If they want good TV reception and the alternative TV programming, then they get it."
Avid TV watcher Derek Craven confirms that the reception you get through Freeview is "unbelievable".
"It is absolutely brilliant. It improves the quality of the reception tenfold. You don't realise how much better it is until you get it," he said.
Steve Neshausen is another satisfied viewer and says Freeview is New Zealand's first step towards high-quality HDTV.
"The channel variety is increasing and it has far superior reception to RF, and at no ongoing cost to the consumer."
Freeview has 10 TV channels, and two radio channels, with more to come. They include TVOne, TV2, TV3, C4, Maori Television, TVNZ6, TVNZ Sports Extra, Stratos, Parliament TV, Cue TV and two Radio New Zealand channels - National and Concert.
C4 is a contemporary music channel available on free-to-air television throughout the rest of the country, but not broadcast into Gisborne.
TVNZ6 and TVNZ Sports Extra are both commercial-free. TVNZ6 is a family channel with kids' shows through to 4pm and TVNZ Sports Extra has extended sports coverage.
Stratos is a regional channel featuring a regular Thursday night slot of Gisborne-produced shows, and Cue TV is a lifestyle and news channel reflecting provincial people and events.Electrical appliance stores in Gisborne confirm they have been selling a lot of set-top boxes since the introduction of Freeview in May. Around 460 homes have joined the Freeview network in Gisborne.While it does cost from $249 to buy the box, and it does cost money to install it in your house, it is free from then on.Satellite dishes can be bought from about $70 up, with roof or wall mounts from about $40. There are package deals starting at just over $300, while for those who wish to tackle their own installation there is the cost of a satellite channel finder and the cabling.A hunt on the internet will soon bring up a range of special deals.
A special Freeview aerial is available in nine major metropolitan centres, but not yet in Gisborne.Freeview general manager Steve Browning said very few people had complained about Freeview not being "free".
"We clearly explain in all our communications that Freeview is a digital television and radio platform that is free at the point of consumption."
"The non-TV analogy that we like to use is that everyone accepts that the internet is free but one needs a computer and must pay an ISP fee to access it," he said.
IT IS FREE TO VIEW: The Freeview set-top box is the silver box under the TV screen on the right. Blair Guthrie, aka "Care Blair", watches C4 television, available to Gisborne viewers only through Sky Digital or the Freeview network. Picture by Rebecca Grunwell
Everyone knows there is no such thing as a free lunch -- but the launch and ensuing promotion of "Freeview" TV still has people surprised at having to fork out at least $249 for a set-top box and a minimum of $50 for installation.
For those without satellite TV, there is the additional cost of a satellite dish.
Dewar Electronics office manager Christine Burland said some customers do ask, "How can you call it free, when it's not free?"
"But there is no ongoing charge and that is the beauty of it," she said.
"If they want good TV reception and the alternative TV programming, then they get it."
Avid TV watcher Derek Craven confirms that the reception you get through Freeview is "unbelievable".
"It is absolutely brilliant. It improves the quality of the reception tenfold. You don't realise how much better it is until you get it," he said.
Steve Neshausen is another satisfied viewer and says Freeview is New Zealand's first step towards high-quality HDTV.
"The channel variety is increasing and it has far superior reception to RF, and at no ongoing cost to the consumer."
Freeview has 10 TV channels, and two radio channels, with more to come. They include TVOne, TV2, TV3, C4, Maori Television, TVNZ6, TVNZ Sports Extra, Stratos, Parliament TV, Cue TV and two Radio New Zealand channels - National and Concert.
C4 is a contemporary music channel available on free-to-air television throughout the rest of the country, but not broadcast into Gisborne.
TVNZ6 and TVNZ Sports Extra are both commercial-free. TVNZ6 is a family channel with kids' shows through to 4pm and TVNZ Sports Extra has extended sports coverage.
Stratos is a regional channel featuring a regular Thursday night slot of Gisborne-produced shows, and Cue TV is a lifestyle and news channel reflecting provincial people and events.Electrical appliance stores in Gisborne confirm they have been selling a lot of set-top boxes since the introduction of Freeview in May. Around 460 homes have joined the Freeview network in Gisborne.While it does cost from $249 to buy the box, and it does cost money to install it in your house, it is free from then on.Satellite dishes can be bought from about $70 up, with roof or wall mounts from about $40. There are package deals starting at just over $300, while for those who wish to tackle their own installation there is the cost of a satellite channel finder and the cabling.A hunt on the internet will soon bring up a range of special deals.
A special Freeview aerial is available in nine major metropolitan centres, but not yet in Gisborne.Freeview general manager Steve Browning said very few people had complained about Freeview not being "free".
"We clearly explain in all our communications that Freeview is a digital television and radio platform that is free at the point of consumption."
"The non-TV analogy that we like to use is that everyone accepts that the internet is free but one needs a computer and must pay an ISP fee to access it," he said.