Clearer pictures, better sound and increased content has been promised by the government, which today announced that free to air digital TV is to be available in NZ from next year.

A group called FreeView, comprising TVNZ, CanWest, Maori Television Service, Radio New Zealand and the New Zealand Racing Board/Trackside have banded together to create the digital platform. No details about content have been released and the individual members of the group will decide which of their own channels are to be broadcast digitally.

As the name FreeView suggests, the service itself will be, um, free, though users will have to purchase a set top box (expected to cost around $200 plus $150-$200 for an appropriate satellite dish or terrestrial aerial, which isn't bad compared with the $599 Sky charges for its MySky box).

While you'll need the set top box and the right dish or aerial, you won't necessarily have to upgrade your telly. An old analogue TV will play digital programmes, and you'll notice an improvement in sound and picture quality, but to get the full benefits you'll want a new, digital TV.

So far, so good, and we're happy enough that free to air digital TV will be available here, not least because viewers will be able to access an electronic programming guide (EPG) without paying for it.

What interests us is how the broadcasters will use the platform in the future. Digital offers all sorts of interactive possibilities, none of which have really been pursued by Sky beyond its pay per view programmes.

However, we also have a query. According to a TVNZ press release, "TVNZ cannot ignore what other broadcasters and new technologies offer". Quite right too. So why is this an announcement about digital television - which Sky has had for years - instead of an announcement that free to air broadcasters are to launch high definition TV to compete with Sky's forthcoming HD service? (For more about Sky's HD plans, go here)

Anyone following overseas TV trends will know that digital is old hat - HD is the new thing. At least that's what we say; let us know what you think.

More: TVNZ's digital TV FAQ