ITV HD goes full time on Freesat (March 2010)

If you have a Freesat HD set top box, then you will know that ITV HD is a Red Button option on certain ITV programmes. That's all about to change because ITV1 HD launches its own dedicated channel on Freesat next month on the 2nd of April.
ITV1 HD will be on channel 119 and will be a simulcast of ITV1. In the evening, most programmes will be in native High Definition and during the daytime programmes will be 'upscaled'. This means that programmes will look better on a HD television via a Freesat HD set top box.

ITV Frequency Changes (March 2010)

ITV1 Central East and ITV1 Central South have changed frequency and are no longer free to air. These channels have left Astra 2D in order to free up some transponder space needed by new services. If you have a Sky digibox with the white viewing card, then you will not notice anything different. If you still have the blue viewing card registered in the Central South or East area, then you will have lost ITV1 on channel 103.

If you have Freesat and have used a Central South or East postcode, then you won't have lost ITV1 but your local news programmes will have changed to another area.

Free to air set top boxes will have lost those two regions and you will have to retune to another ITV1 region.

ITV1 Border England has also changed frequency but remains free to air. If you have a free to air set top box, then do a Manual Search on:

Frequency = 10891
Polarity = Horizontal
Symbol Rate = 22000

The two Border regions, England and Scotland, have now rebranded as ITV1 Border.

Blue Sky Cards ... RIP (March 2010)

Sky have updated their encryption system and, as a result, the Blue cards will no longer decode certain channels.

The channels that are definitely lost are FiveUSA, FiveUSA+1, Fiver, Fiver+1 and Sky Three. If you want to watch those channels, then you have to buy a new viewing card which will cost you £20.

If your original card was registered in London, Scotland or the North, then you will also have lost Five at channel 105. You can get this back by using the Other Channels method described in our factsheets. If your card was registered elsewhere, then you will still be able to view Five in its normal place.

Some ITV1 regions have also been lost, you can either watch ITV1 London on Channel 993 or add another ITV1 region using the Other Channels method.

The blue cards are not completely dead. They still allocate the BBC1 and ITV1 region in the Electronic Programme Guide.

CNBC joins Freesat (Feb 2010)

CNBC has joined the Freesat electronic programme guide on channel 210.

Also, there is now an Information channel for Freesat on channel 999.