MultiChoice launches HDTV

HDTV has a resolution of 1280 x 720 or more - almost the double of standard TV - and the two types of HDTVs are LCD and plasma. To view content in HD, a customer needs to have an HD PVR decoder and a TV set that is HD ready.

“We are delighted and extremely proud to launch HDTV into the SA market. HDTV will bring with it detail, vividness and clarity of picture never seen before on our TV screens,” MultiChoice CEO Nolo Letele told the audience.

Letele added that the Beijing Olympics will be the first event to broadcast in HD format at the beginning of August.

“The HD PVR will be made available for this special event, with pre-launch software which does not include all the features such as a full suite of interactive applications,” he said.

“These will be available when the M-Net HD channel launches at the end of August. The software will be delivered to purchased decoders without any intervention from the customer. After this, customers will be able to view movies, series and wildlife in HD format.”

HD PVR decoders will be sold in major retail stores throughout the country from August 2008 at the price of R2 499.00 (for a limited period only).

Customers who do not have a widescreen TV set (LCD or plasma) will still view HD content, but it will be downscaled in resolution to work on their older generation TV set, so the picture will not be as clear as in widescreen TV sets.

Furthermore, due to prohibitive costs around HD, MultiChoice says that it will commence broadcast with a single HD channel, with content supplied by M-Net. The number offered in HD will grow in time.

MultiChoice also says that its subscribers will, in near the future, be able to link the HD PVR to its current ‘Dual View' PVR to enjoy three working environments, or link the HD PVR to its ‘1110' decoder to enjoy two viewing environments as part of the XtraView offering.

To view DStv channels in HD, a customer will need a DStv decoder. The decoder needs to connect to the HD ready TV via an HDMI (High Definition Media Interface) cable that supports HDCP.

“If your TV only has a DVI (Digital Video Interface) connector but supports HDCP, it is possible to buy a HDMI to DVI converter in some instances,” the Randburg-based company advises.

For information, go to www.dstv.com.