TELEsatelit - TELE-satellite International Magazine
TELEsatelit - TELE-satellite International Magazine
TELEsatelit - TELE-satellite International Magazine
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Channels using the HD+<br />
standard are currently only<br />
of interest to a Germanspeaking<br />
audience, as HD+<br />
smartcards to unlock these<br />
channels are only available in<br />
Germany at this stage. The<br />
Jaeger HD+ 2010 therefore<br />
exclusively has the German<br />
market in mind for time being.<br />
HD+ channels are broadcast<br />
via ASTRA 19.2° East.<br />
We will deal with every<br />
nook and cranny of the new<br />
receiver in a moment, but let<br />
us first find out what this talk<br />
about HD+ really is all about:<br />
In a global perspective, Germany<br />
had long been a dark<br />
spot on the HDTV map. While<br />
most of Asia, North America,<br />
Australia and also a number<br />
of European countries had<br />
introduced high-definition television<br />
some time ago, Germany<br />
seemed to be perfectly<br />
content with its SDTV offering<br />
for a very long time. Apart<br />
from pay TV provider Sky<br />
and an unsuccessful attempt<br />
at HDTV by some commercial<br />
channels not much happened<br />
with regard to HD content.<br />
Is there a particular reason<br />
for this development, or<br />
should we rather say: lack of<br />
development? For decades,<br />
German viewers have been<br />
blessed with a large number<br />
of free-to-air commercial<br />
channels, which offered all<br />
sorts of content next to the<br />
large public broadcasting<br />
networks, which can also be<br />
received free-to-air. Viewers<br />
have come to expect and<br />
demand high-quality programming,<br />
including all the<br />
latest blockbuster movies,<br />
TV dramas and sitcoms, plus<br />
elaborate homemade content<br />
free of charge. Or almost free<br />
of charge, if you consider the<br />
licence fee that every Germany<br />
household with a TV<br />
set has to pay. Various and<br />
– sometimes – lengthy advertising<br />
breaks on commercial<br />
stations are the trade-in,<br />
which Germans had and have<br />
to accept in return for channel<br />
and content variety.<br />
For all the reasons stated<br />
above pay TV was off to a very<br />
bad start in Germany and<br />
is still struggling to become<br />
financially viable. Just think<br />
about it: Would you be willing<br />
to pay for subscription TV if<br />
the sheer number of channels<br />
coming in at no cost satisfies<br />
almost all of your viewing<br />
requirements?<br />
Up until the invention of<br />
the PVR (personal video<br />
recorder), both broadcasters<br />
and viewers seemed content<br />
with this arrangement, and<br />
commercial stations were<br />
able to provide decent programming<br />
thanks to a steady<br />
flow of advertising revenue.<br />
All this began to slowly<br />
erode due to time-shift viewing<br />
and hard-disk recording,<br />
with the added benefit of skipping<br />
commercial breaks. What<br />
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www.<strong>TELE</strong>-<strong>satellite</strong>.com — 12-01/2011 — <strong>TELE</strong>-<strong>satellite</strong> — Global Digital TV <strong>Magazine</strong><br />
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