Do Sky offer any free HD channels that you do not have to pay for, i.e. BBC1HD, on the basic variety package or do you have to buy the family pack etc?
All channels on this list are transmitted as 'free to air' and can be received by any satellite receiver with a dish pointed at 28 degrees East. (Even a Sky box without any form of subscription can receive them but, obviously, it needs to be an HD box in order to receive the HD channels in the list):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_free-to-air_channels_at_28%C2%B0E