Now that Freeview HD has been officially launched, we can expect to see a steady wave of compatible hardware introduced to the marketplace.
Keeping the ball rolling are Grundig and Goodmans, who have both this week introduced their first Freeview HD (DVB-T2) compatible receivers.
Both set-top boxes (Grundig's GUD300HD pictured above and Goodmans' GDB300HD pictured below) are able to receive all Freeview SD and Freeview HD channels, and feature an eight-day electronic programming guide (EPG), support for interactive red-button services and over-the-air updates.
HDMI output is present - supporting 576p, 720p, 1080i, and 1080p resolutions - as are two SCART sockets and an Ethernet port that will one day make use of video-on-demand services such as BBC iPlayer.
What's the difference between the two? Not a lot, as far as we can tell the only changes are the aesthetics. No surprise, considering Grundig and Goodmans are both subsidiaries of Harvard International (itself formerly known as Alba).
Both receivers are available from Argos, Tesco, Comet, Costco, Hughes TV and Play.com, with the latter showing pre-order pricing at £149.99.
A little pricey considering there's no PVR functionality on offer, but we'd expect prices to fall as numerous manufacturers battle for sales in the weeks leading up to the 2010 World Cup.
