Telewest trials first UK HDTV service
Beating Sky to the punch, cable service provider Telewest
has begun a limited trial of High Definition transmissions to a select few
lucky people in south London.
Although a nationwide rollout of the service has yet to be given a date, it is
likely to arrive sometime before the summer. Rival company Sky is planning its
own unveiling early in 2006 and is set to transmit HD versions of some
its of existing channel line up. Telewest is taking a slightly different
approach by making use of its new Teleport TV-on-demand service. At the moment
that consists of HD editions of BBC documentaries like Pride, The Blue Planet
and Wild Weather, but these will be complemented by high definition movies also
via the Teleport service thanks to the company’s relationship with Filmflex. Telewest
is also currently engaged in talks with yet more TV broadcasters so further
content should be around the corner. To view the High Definition signals, users
will need to upgrade their existing digital receiver and indulge in the fancy new
TVDrive which also incorporates a 160GB hard disk video recorder and will cost
between £10-£15 per month.
For more HDTV news, check out our sister blog HDTV UK
