Buying an HD TV?

Many people buy a new television in the run up to Christmas and High Definition (HD) TVs are becoming more and more popular. But it seems that some people are confused by the choice of HDTVs on offer.

The advice from the Isle of Man Office of Fair Trading is to make sure you understand what equipment you need and who you are going to get your HD programmes from before you hand any money over.

Watching HD channels is not as easy as just buying an HD or HD ready TV. You may also require other equipment whether it be a receiver “box”, a dish or extra cables. You will also need to make a decision as to whether you want to pay a subscription for your programmes or use a subscription free service which may not offer you as much choice of HD channels.

Chairman of the Office of Fair Trading Bill Henderson commented “Don’t imagine that all you have to do is buy a new HD or HD ready TV to be able to watch HD TV. Only an HD TV with built in Freeview or Freesat will allow you to do this and at the moment Freeview only offers 4 HD Channels. As with any purchase look at all the options. Signing up to a contract with Sky for instance will provide you with a wide range of HD channels but you will have to pay a monthly subscription. Don’t rush into buying anything until you’ve worked out all the costs both immediate and longer term. Then you can make an informed choice”.

The Isle of Man Communications Commission provides information on what you need to watch HD TV on its website www.iomcc.im. Further information and advice is also available from Sky at www.sky.com, Freeview at www.freeview.co.uk and Freesat on www.freesat.co.uk and from reputable retail shops and aerial installers.

Notes:

Direct Link to Isle of Man Communications Commission information on “TV and Radio Services”- www.iomcc.im/lib/docs/cc/review/informationsheettvandradioservi.pdf