Sky Announces HDTV Launch Partners

BSkyB has announced that it has signed technology and equipment suppliers Sony, Tandberg Television and Harris Corporation, ahead of the forthcoming launch of its high-definition television (HDTV) service.

Sony will construct and equip a new HDTV studio at BSkyB’s Isleworth headquarters and supply additional equipment for edit suites and dubbing facilities at the same site. The company will also support BSkyB’s transition to HDTV production with an innovative staff training package.

BSkyB will deploy Tandberg Television’s MPEG-4 part 10 video encoding and distribution system for the launch of its HDTV system, while Harris Corporation’s D-Series Version 4 Air Automation System will support the delivery of the HDTV programming.

Commenting on the deal, Alun Webber, BSkyB’s group director of engineering and platform technology said: “The launch of HDTV is the most significant development for BSkyB’s broadcast infrastructure since the launch of Sky in 1998.”

Webber added: “These supplier contracts keep us on track to launch HDTV in 2006 and ensure that Sky customers continue to receive the highest-quality experience available.”

However, a number of developments in digital TV could hamper Sky’s progress over the coming years, with digital cable providers Telewest and ntl increasing their efforts to compete with the satellite superpower. Both companies have begun to roll out on-demand services, while Telewest has developed an own-brand personal video recorder (PVR) to compete directly with the premium Sky+ system (see Telewest Targets Sky With PVR Set-Top Box).

In addition, the new Telewest set-top box is capable of receiving high-definition TV (HDTV) content in the future, a technology which Sky is also preparing to roll out, delivering a significant improvement in picture quality compared with today’s standard-definition digital TV broadcasts, especially on larger screens (see Sky Confident Subscriber Rise Can Quash Freeview).