Freeview has been around for well over a decade, providing a way to access digital terrestrial television channels for free. Analogue broadcasts were turned off three years ago as part of the 'digital switchover', so if you're watching TV today without a subscription, it's more than likely you're watching Freeview, though other services such as Freesat are also available.
Freeview delivers over 60 digital channels, including some in high definition. To receive those your TV or set-top box will have to support Freeview HD and you'll need to have HD coverage in your area, check you postcode here. Alongside the TV is a raft of digital radio services as well, meaning there's plenty of content available compared to the old days of the big five terrestrial channels.
However, today, many people prefer not to be at the mercy of television schedules or have to deal with recording their programmes for later viewing. Instead, people are using catch-up services, such as BBC iPlayer, to watch their favourite shows. That means standard Freeview is beginning to feel rather dated. Enter Freeview Play to give a much-needed upgrade to digital television delivered through an aerial.
What is Freeview Play?
Essentially, Freeview Play delivers a similar amount of channels as standard Freeview (currently 60 in standard definition and 15 in HD), but where it differs is how it integrates catch-up services. As all of the terrestrial channels now offer their content 'on demand', through websites and apps such as BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub. Freeview Play provides this 'on-demand' or 'catch-up' content by integrating it into its Electronic Programme Guide (EPG).
Related: Freeview vs YouView vs Freesat vs Freeview Play - which is best?
The EPG generally looks the same as what you're used to, with a timeline of programmes listed into the future so you know what's coming up later in the day or week. But where things get clever is the ability to navigate backwards through time, to see programmes that have already aired. Now, when you find a programme that's available on demand through BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, Demand 5 or All 4, selecting it from the EPG will automatically open up the respective on-demand app and instantly start playback of that programme. It's a more convenient way to find content to watch than accessing each individual catch-up app separately and manually searching for content to watch.
Not all programmes are available to watch on-demand, however. So you might find yourself navigating back through the EPG and finding there are holes in the content you can catch up on. Although this has gradually improved since Freeview Play's original launch.
It can take a while for programmes that have just aired to be added to catchup options on the EPG, depending on how quickly the channel gets its content up online. Some content won't be available for catch-up due to licensing reasons, such as films, so there's not a lot Freeview can do for these. Freeview Play allows you to go back up to seven days.
Freeview has allowed manufacturers to tweak their interfaces, so not all EPGs will look identical. This means the EPG can look consistent with the rest of a manufacturer's TV operating system. As Freeview Play uses on-demand apps, you'll need a working internet connection to play on-demand content as these are streamed over the internet. New services are expected to be added in the future to complement the terrestrial channel catch-up services. So far these have included BBC News and BBC Sport.
How do I get Freeview Play?
Freeview Play is an off-shoot of Freeview. Live TV is delivered via your aerial just like it always has been. The catch-up element is delivered via a broadband internet connection. It remains completely subscription free.
Right now, many of Panasonic's latest TVs have Freeview Play built-in. Models such as the Panasonic Viera TX-40DX700B use Firefox OS as the underlying operating system and use Freeview Play for watching TV. The TVs have all of the catch-up apps available, so you can use these independently, or you can use the Freeview Play EPG to find content to watch.
If you want to add Freeview Play to an existing standard Freeview TV, you can do this by purchasing a set-top box (STB). Humax is currently the only manufacturer with a Freeview Play STB on the market in the form of its Humax FVP-4000T. More Freeview Play supporting devices and TVs should be appearing in the future. LG has already announced its TVs will use Freeview Play alongside its webOS 3.0 television software. Updates are expected to roll out over the summer.
