How to watch World Cup 2010 in HD
This time next year the World Cup Finals in South Africa will be hurtling towards their conclusion. The prospect of the World Cup is likely to encourage many TV viewers to switch to High Definition, and with less than a year to go, anyone signing up for a 12-month HD contract now will still be High-Deffed up when the tournament kicks off on 11 June 2010. So it’s not too early to start thinking about HD. But what are the options?
The 2010 World Cup WILL definitely be transmitted in HD, as this was a requirement of the bid. In the UK, all matches will be shared between BBC and ITV, both of which have HD services. So, in order to watch the World Cup in HD you’ll need access to both BBC HD and ITV HD.
The first bit of kit you’ll need is an HD Ready TV. I could bore you here with talk of HDCP enablement and 1280×780 minimums, but basically as long as it says “HD Ready” on it your telly is good to go. The following TVs are all suitable. My personal recommendation is to try a Toshiba Regza – great value, and a brilliant, crisp picture.
Next up, you need to choose an HD provider. The three current HD providers in the UK are Sky, Virgin Media and Freesat. In addition, Freeview HD launches later this year. At the moment the only provider that offers both BBC HD and ITV HD is Freesat. However, this is likely to change before the World Cup gets underway. In the following comparisons I’ve assumed that anyone who wants HD is also going to want PVR (Personal Video Recorder, like Sky+) functionality:
Sky is currently offering its HD box (which also offers full Sky+ functionality) for £49 with free installation when you join Sky TV on a minimum package at £16.50 per month, plus the HD pack at £9.75 per month. So it’s going to cost you £49 up front, and £26.25 per month. However, while the service does currently offer BBC HD, it does not officially offer ITV HD yet. ITV HD is actually available via Sky HD, but you’ll need to manually add the channel to receive it (see this video). The fact that this “test” broadcast is being made strongly suggests that ITV HD will officially appear on Sky HD very soon.
Pros: Good hardware with Sky+, premium channel availability.
Cons: ITV HD not officially available – yet.
12-Month Cost: £364
(£49 + £26.25×12)
To see the £49 Sky HD deal, including a free £25 Tesco voucher on sign-up, click here, then click “Sky+HD Box”:

Virgin Media requires users to take a Virgin phone line at £11 per month. After that you can get a V+ HD box installed for £69, and your monthly bill for the smallest available package will be £19 per month. Like Sky, Virgin doesn’t yet broadcast ITV HD. However, having recently teamed up with ITV to launch the ITV player, it seems likely that Virgin will start broadcasting ITV HD sooner rather than later.
Pros: No dish, cheaper than Sky.
Cons: No ITV HD yet, not available in all areas, phone line requirement.
12-Month Cost: £297
(£69 + £19×12, phone line cost not included as this is likely to be similar to current line provider)
Freesat requires a digital set-top box (or a Freesat-enabled TV) connected to a mini-dish, and is free to view, with no monthly subscription. As such, it is the cheapest option. Also, as the only provider currently carrying both BBC HD and ITV HD it is the only provider that you can completely bank on to show all World Cup 2010 matches in HD. You can pick up a Freesat receiver for around £100, but expect to pay £250 if you want PVR digital recording functions (like Sky+). If you don’t already have a dish you’ll need to buy one of those, and pay for installation. Humax and Foxsat are recommended Freesat receiver manufacturers.
Pros: BBC HD and ITV HD already onboard.
Cons: No premium TV channels e.g. Sky Sports.
12 Month Price: £390 with PVR function (£220 without)
(£105 reciever + £50 mini dish + £75 installation (or £250 reveiver/PVR + £50 mini dish + £75 installation)
Here’s a selection of popular Freesat receivers, suitable dishes, and Foxsat-enabled TVs:
Freeview HD is coming to the UK soon, and will be available to some viewers by World Cup 2010. Freeview HD transmissions will begin on 2 December 2009 from Winter Hill, covering much of the Granada region, including Manchester and Liverpool. Freeview HD will broadcast BBC HD and ITV HD, plus Channel 4 and Channel 5. The HD channels will broadcast in 720p resolution (Sky, Freesat and Virgin Media offer a higher quality 1080i resolution). You cannot receive Freeview HD on existing HD receivers, and will need to buy a new HD set top box, likely to cost something similar to a Freesat box – around £100, or £250 for a PVR. Free to air, there will be no monthly fee.
Pros: No monthly subscription.
Cons: Limited regional availibility, low resolution.
12-Month Cost: £250 with PVR (£100 without) (Estimates)
Conclusions: If you want a cast iron guarantee that you’ll have both BBC HD and ITV HD next June then you’ll need to go with Freesat. Unless you live in the Granada region, where Freeview HD is another, less expensive, option. Other regions are also likely to receive Freeview HD transmissions before the World Cup gets underway, but with a relatively low resolution, is Freeview HD a senseless upgrade? And, although both Freesat and Freeview HD are free-to-air, neither are particularly cheap to buy into, particularly considering Freesat’s dish and installation.
Personally, I’m gambling on Sky. It seems highly likely that ITV HD will join BBC HD on the platform sooner rather than later. Although more expensive than Virgin Media, Sky HD is actually less expensive over the first 12 months than Freesat – although the Sky subscription would obviously be ongoing. And Sky offers the best hardware with it’s second-to-none Sky+ functionality. (After 12 months the box is yours, whether you continue to subscribe or not – with Virgin the box is rented.) You also have the option of subscribing to Sky Sports and ESPN to watch even more football in HD. Take into account the £25 Tesco voucher in this offer and you’re paying £339 for your first year. Add Sky Sports and it’s £579. About the price of a season ticket at an underperforming football club…





