Freesat disowns Hauppauge kit

USB2.0 receiver won't be able to receive new free satellite broadcasts, HD or standard, says broadcaster

A claim by Hauppauge that its Nova-S USB2.0 box will be able to receive soon-to-be-launched free satellite TV broadcasts has been denied by the organisation gearing up to transmit them.

Hauppauge announced the £79.99 USB2.0-linked Nova-S device last week and said that, with the aid of additional software, it would be able to render HD Freesat transmissions as well as those using standard resolution.

But a statement from the broadcaster today said: “Freesat would like to clarify that the Hauppauge free-to-air USB2 satellite tuner is not a Freesat licensed product and as such will not receive Freesat services. Freesat licensed products can be identified by the Freesat logo and are subject to a stringent test and conformance regime.”

Details of the Freesat services, a joint enterprise between ITV and the BBC, are thin on the ground but a provisional launch date of May 8 has been set, according to reports on the web. There is very little precise information on its website, other than to say that it will launch in Spring – of which, of course, there is very little left.

A spokeswoman at Freesat's public-relations company said she could not elaborate on the statement, though she agreed that it raised more questions than it answered. She could not, for instance, clarify whether it meant that conditional access technology would restrict reception to authorised devices.

The statement came too late to get an immediate comment from Hauppauge.