Freesat to show Euro 2008 in HD

ITV HD to debut when Saturday comes

The BBC and ITV will be showing Euro 2008 footie matches in HD over the Freesat network, the two broadcasters have announced.

When Freesat launched last month, it promised ITV's HD channel would be coming exclusively to its set-top boxes "soon". Today, it said the first broadcast will take place on Saturday evening at 7.45pm. It'll be the Portugal vs Turkey match.

BBC HD will broadcast the opening game of the tournament, Switzerland vs Czech Republic, at 5pm. However, the BBC content is also available through Sky and Virgin Media HD services.

Freesat requires a satellite dish and a suitably-branded set-top-box from the likes of Humax, Goodmans, Bush and Grundig. Only the Humax box, the Foxsat-HD, is currently capable of picking up the HD content, according to Freesat.

Purchasing the set-top guarantees subscription-free access, but satellite dish installation comes extra. And yes, you still need a TV licence.

You'll need an HD TV, of course. If you don't have one, Panasonic is offering a line of LCD TVs with integrated Freesat tuners.