2 weeks Ago By Jamie Harris
CHANNEL 4 is the latest channel to make changes to how it broadcasts on satellite. As a result, some viewers on Sky and Freesat may lose access to the home of Bake Off and Gogglebox . From the end of November, Channel 4 will only be available in HD on satellite, according to Radio Times .
A spokesperson for Channel 4 told the magazine that it is "changing the technology we use to broadcast our channels to Sky and Freesat households – ensuring we are delivering the highest quality HD viewing experience to all, and, opening up the potential for new services in the future". Fortunately, this shouldn't be a problem for the vast majority of Brit households. But anyone with an older Sky or Freesat box only capable of SD (standard definition) it poses a big problem.
READ MORE ON SKY TV Sky has already been shifting customers with legacy SD-only boxes across to newer HD-capable ones with a free upgrade to Sky Q. Sky customers who don't currently use a Sky HD, Sky+HD or Sky Q box have been notified throughout October that their account will be automatically cancelled if they don't upgrade. The BBC and ITV have already been busy closing their SD broadcasts on satellite too this year.
Changes only affect satellite services, so Virgin Media and Freeview remain as they are. Most read in Tech However, Channel 4's other channels - E4, More4 and Film4 - are expected to continue on satellite in SD, according to RXTVInfo . That's because HD versions of these channels are encrypted via satellite and only available to paying Sky subscribers.
Instead, Channel 4 is making technical changes to a new standard which means those SD channels won't work on legacy boxes either..
