On October 26th 2005, Germany’s second largest broadcasting network ProSiebenSat.1 plans to officially distribute their two major tv-channels ProSieben and Sat.1 in the High Definition Television (HDTV) format. This includes to receive the channels in a constant 16:9 format on the Astra satellite signal, followed by an expansion to the cable and terrestrial networks until the end of 2006.
In the case for Europe’ and especially Germany, HDTV is hardly a competitor for the currently used technology. Most broadcasting networks do not rely on HDTV or simply ignore the possible advantages for the consumers’ experience. The concept of ProSiebenSat.1 includes to combine efforts with both the technology branch and the media producers. CEO Guillaume de Posch explained in their recent press release:
“HDTV ist ein Quantensprung, mit dem das Medium Fernsehen einen Schritt in die Zukunft macht [...] Die ProSiebenSat.1-Gruppe war das erste deutsche TV-Unternehmen, das einzelne Sendungen in dem hochauflösenden Format ausgestrahlt hat. Ich freue mich, dass wir nun auch die ersten sind, die mit HDTV in den Regelbetrieb gehen.”
Prior to today’s press release, the company already tested HDTV with special screenings of “Spiderman”, “Men in Black II” and “Panic Room” during the past, and received some major positive feedback from their viewers.
[via Golem]
