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Freesat is a subscription free satellite television platform. Once viewers have a satellite dish installed and a compatible set top box, they can watch television via a satellite without the need for a contract of a subscription.
Like Freeview, there are no ‘premium’ channels available. Unlike Freeview, there are no geographical restrictions, with all viewers able to receive the same service, regardless of where in the UK they live.
Freesat offers a greater number of ‘+1’ channels than Freeview, although not all Freeview services are available on Freesat. Some services, including Freesports and Channel 4 HD have opted not to be included in the Freesat EPG, although are free to air and can be manually tuned. Others like 4 Music, are encrypted due to rights restrictions, so are unavailable at all on the Freesat platform.
Channel Numbering
Like the Sky subscription satellite service, Freesat operates a number swap system, with the HD version allocated the more prominent number (lower number so it appears closer to the top of the EPG). Also like Sky, if the channel does not have the correct regional variation for your area in HD, the the SD version remains in the most prominent position.
4K UHD Content
During 2020, Freesat launched a new generation of set top boxes compatible with the ultra high definition (UHD) 4K picture resolution. Although there are no 4K TV channels currently available on Freesat, 4K on demand content can be streamed through the device. Naturally, you will need a 4K TV in order to get the benefit of the 4K functionality.