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Humax Launches HD FTA Receiver in European Market


February 22, 2006

Fancy a spot of high def telly but not entirely sure you want to pay out for top dollar sports and movies? Well set top- box specialist Humax today unveiled an intriguing solution. It is offering a satellite receiver for free to air HD channels.

At the moment this is just Euro 1080, but in the summer it could mean the World Cup in HD delivered by the BBC and more. Other channels are also rumoured to be looking into free to air HD and if there is enough interest we might just start seeing a gaggle of free to air stations.

According to Humax the HDCI2000, which will retail for £300 when it debuts in March can receive and decrypt the latest MPEG4 HD transmissions, as well as display both MPEG2 HD and standard definition, free-to-air satellite signals. Its line up of facilities includes an optical output for Dolby Digital sound; two scarts to connect additional home cinema devices; a data port for software updates and that all important HDMI video output. Interestingly there are also two common interface slots, so viewers can add more channels via Pay TV services, if and when they become available.

Is a FTA for HD on its way? (Europe)
The arrival of free to air satellite systems in the UK High Street from Humax and possibly Pace means that there potentially is a infrastructure for a free to air HD system to develop in the UK.

The BBC has made no secret of its HD intentions and the latest goss that we have is that it will screen the World Cup for free on a HD channels available via the Astra satellites which will be viewable on Sky systems as well as any free to air boxes. The only downside is that the games are likely to be time delayed rather than live.

Other broadcasters like Channel Four, which has a wealth of HD material like Desperate Housewives and Lost, are also mulling over their HD options, and were C4 to join with the BBC, Euro 1080 and maybe even a few other companies, Sky might find that it is having to deal with a growing free to air HD alternative to its services.

In the long run it could potentially develop into HD equivalent of Freeview with viewers just paying a one off fee for the box and dish. Bizarrely Sky might even get behind it offering viewers a free-to-air receiver compatible with its HD services which it would then use to tempt the HD freebie mob into upgrading or paying for sports events or movies.

We are guessing now, but surely Humax wouldn't bother launching a free to air HD receiver unless it was convinced that viewers would have something interesting to watch on it.

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