Euro1080
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| EXQI, HD1, HD2, HD5 | |
|---|---|
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| Launched | January 1, 2004 |
| Network | Euro1080 |
| Owned by | Alfacam |
| Picture format | 1080i |
| Country | .svg/22px-Flag_of_Belgium_(civil).svg.png){kind=small} Belgium |
| Broadcast area | Europe |
| Headquarters | Lint, Belgium |
| Website | www.euro1080.tv |
| Availability | |
| Satellite | |
| Astra 3A/1D | 10.758 MHz |
| EUTELSAT Eutelsat W3 | 10.880 Mhz |
Euro1080 was the first commercial broadcaster in Europe to air full-time HDTV content, it was founded by Gabriel Fehervari in 2004 and is owned by Alfacam.
The name originates from the 1080 lines of vertical resolution in the signal broadcast, which is 1080i50 - 1920 x 1080 at an interlaced frame rate of 50 Hz. The signal features Dolby Digital 5.1 sound.
The headquarters and studios are located in Belgium. The parent company of Euro1080 is the Belgium-based Alfacam.
Euro1080 began broadcasting on January 1, 2004 and was free to air during its first few months. Thereafter the Euro1080 signal was encrypted in Irdeto and a €200 Conditional Access Card was required to watch the flagship channel HD1.
In addition to HD1, which content is primarily HDTV showcasing for regular users, a second channel was soon created, HD-2 focusing on live and recorded HDTV broadcasts of special event for selected theatres. Euro1080 currently broadcasts on the following satellites:
- Astra 1D/3A at 23.2ºE, 10758V, DVB-S, QPSK, 22000, 7/8, MPEG2.
- Sirius 2 at 5ºE, 12245V, DVB-S, QPSK, 27500, 7/8, MPEG2.
- Eutelsat W3A at 7ºE, 12245H, DVB-S2, 8PSK, 17360, 3/4, MPEG4.
It is also possible to receive it on 25 cable operators.
Two new channels have been created recently:
- HD2 (previously HDevents or Hde): broadcasts premium events in pay-per-view.
- HD5 (timesharing with HD2): promotional channel, broadcasting a six-minute informative video about HDTV and what Euro1080 is as well a brief glimpse of previous day footage.
More channels are being considered for 2008:
- HD3: Music.
- HD4: documentaries
(HD1 will then become a sports channel).
Since October 2005, HD1 and HD2 simulcast in both MPEG-4 and MPEG-2. This dual encoding will last until 2007 at latest.
Telenet, the main cable operator in Flanders (the northern region of Belgium), confirmed as part of its launch announcement of "Telenet Digital TV" on June 16, 2005 that it would sell HDTV set-top-boxes as of June 2006.
As of July 2005, cable operator Integan is broadcasting HDTV in the outskirts of the city of Antwerp, in partnership with Euro1080.
On October 1, 2006, Euro1080 started a new digital culture channel named EXQI. The first target audience is the Flemish and Dutch market, but the channel has expansion plans to more than 10 channels for the major European countries.
On January 7th 2007, Euro1080 switched to MPEG-4 AVC for its satellite broadcasts. MPEG-2 broadcast for HD1 will be switched off on January 1, 2008.
[edit] External links
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