German public broadcaster ZDF plans to launch all its digital thematic channels in HD after the analogue satellite switch-off on April 30, 2012, said Carl-Eugen Eberle, legal counsel at ZDF.
“We plan to bring all ZDF channels in HD quality from May 1, 2012,” he added. This includes ZDFneo, ZDFinfo and ZDFKultur. The money saved by terminating the analogue satellite broadcasts can now be used to transmit the thematic channels in HD.
In a related development, Sky Deutschland said it plans to have 30 HD channels by the end of the year. The operator will launch two proprietary HD channels – Sky Sport 3HD and Sky Sport News HD – this summer.
In June, Sky D will start to make the private HD+ channels available as part of its offer. To this end, the HD+ platform on Astra will switch on VideoGuard encryption alongside its own Nagravision encoding. People will receive the HD+ the first 12 months for free, after which they need to pay an annual fee of €50.
Source: broadbandtvnews.com
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