Hungarian HD
Wednesday, April 30th, 2008
Nagyfelbonatásύ televisiό — that’s Hungarian for HDTV. I like the name of the new satellite TV service launching on 1 May 2008: Hello HD. When I got HDTV service at home, that’s something I may have exclaimed: "well, hello HD!" The news, via Broadband TV News:
Further details have been made available about Hello HD, the DTH platform to be shortly launched in Hungary.
According to the local publication Figyelö, the service is backed by Hello HD Platform, a Hungarian-registered company owned by the UK-registered Watchcable Ltd.
Csaba Sár, the latter’s director, said that Watchcable’s owners are foreign investors who previously launched Minimax in several CEE countries with Chellomedia but subsequently sold their 50% stake in the company to the Liberty Global content arm.
Hello HD will employ a different business model to other DTH platforms, selling rather than leasing reception equipment to its customers.
The service will be aimed at the high end of the market, with reception equipment and installation costs being in the region of €390.
Less than €400? One time payment? Maybe that’s not such a bad deal, but they could use a few more channels. Eutelsat’s press release talks some hot bird:
Hello HD, Hungary’s first High-Definition television platform is gearing up for launch on May 1 from the EUROBIRD™ 9 satellite operated by Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL). Using two transponders leased on a long-term basis on EUROBIRD™ 9, Hello HD’s new television platform will feature industry-leading HDTV services including Eurosport HD, National Geographic HD, Filmbox HD and HBO HD, complemented by high quality Hungarian channels broadcasting in Standard Digital.
Hello HD will be available to viewers on a subscription basis using CONAX encryption. Subscribers will procure a High-Definition set-top-box provided by the Swiss company Advanced Digital Broadcast (ADB) which enables high definition and standard definition reception based on the DVB-S2 standard and is also equipped with PVR (Personal Video Recorder) and VOD (Video on Demand) features. In fourth quarter 2008 Hello HD plans to launch video-on-demand and a range of value added interactive services.
Hello HD’s choice of EUROBIRD™ 9 will also enable satellite homes in Hungary to receive digital channels broadcasting from Eutelsat’s HOT BIRD™ video neighbourhood. Using off-the-shelf double-feed antennas, Hello HD subscribers will be able to use the same dish to pick up content available free-to-air at the HOT BIRD™ position.
Much of European satellite TV, like ASTRA, is supported by advertising. Here’s a Hungarian ad for Coca-Cola:
And here’s a parody of the same spot, which I found entertaining — and I couldn’t understand a word:
In my book, this is one of the most memorable Coke ads ever: