Sky HD Digital TV
It’s what we have all been waiting for and it will soon be here. It’s Sky’s new HD (high definition) channels. Sky HD will provide you with high definition entertainment which will bring you a more intense quality of picture, more vibrant colour, with better sound and detail. HD TV’s have been around for a while waiting for the time when TV broadcasters send out their programs in a HD format.
The launch of the new Sky HD boxes will be in a couple of months but over the next few weeks there will be HD channels appearing in the TV guide listings. You will not be able to access these channels until the service and HD boxes are launched, we suppose they will just be there to tempt you in.
Sky will be launching their HD technology on a few channels to start off with. On Sky Sports HD (405) you will be able to watch Premiership Football in Dolby 5.1 sound, along with the Premiership Rugby. SkyOne HD (291 then moving to 197) will show the popular shows to start with. Programmes such as ArtWorld HD (158 then moving to 268), National Geographic HD (593 then moving to 543) and Discovery HD (557 then moving to 528) will start the trial for the topical programs. The best channels to be sent out in HD format will be the movies, where you really get the full cinema effect. To start off with there will be 2 Movie Channels available in HD on channels 311 and 312, plus Box Office channels on 756 and 757 showing up to 10 HD movies a week.
The only thing that Sky are keeping to themselves is the price of the box and the extra cost to the monthly subscription. Personally we would like to see some more channels set up first before changing. For more information on HD TV and the Sky HD then there is lots of information on the web. To have Sky HD you must have a HD ready TV.
Postscript: Check out the latest news on the Sky HD Prices
February 2nd, 2006 at 2:21 pm
I have recently moved house and got upgraded to a Sky+ 160 box in the sitting room, with my old Sky+ box on a multi room package in the bedroom. Now that Sky are bringing out the Sky HD I am very tempted. I would like to see more channels though being available on the Sky HD though before I commit to it. I wonder if Sky will do a swop on my Sky+ 160 box rather than me having to fork out on a new box just to get the HD TV channels, or can they not send an upgrade for my 160 box?
John
February 2nd, 2006 at 2:26 pm
Sky might offer upgrade deals to Sky+ customers but we will have to wait and see what they offer. You will need a new box though to be able to handle the Sky HD channels though as the box will have to cope with the increase in resolution which brings the quality to the picture. Sky HD will be broadcast in 720p which equates to 1280 x 720.
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