France Telecom will launch HDTV services late May

April 27th, 2006 - It looks as though France Telecom is going to be the world’s first service provider to deploy HDTV over DSL using advanced encoding, with HD services scheduled for a May 28 launch at the French Open tennis (Roland Garros stadium in Paris). On June 1 an HDTV package will be available from TPS, which distributes its content across the MaLigne TV platform as well as on satellite.

Sagem is supplying its ITAD 81HD set-top boxes for the launch. These MPEG-4 Part 10 (H.264/AVC) decoders have a DVB-T front end as well as IP input and are based on single-chip architecture. Content protection is provided by Viaccess using its Buda card.

The MaLigne TV video-over-DSL service, which was launched in 2003 and  numbers over 200,000 subscribers, will carry movies and drama in high-definition but the early focus is sports thanks mainly to the FIFA World Cup 2006 in neighbouring Germany.

TPS already offers a standard-definition Pay TV bouquet across the France Telecom platform and consumers can now sign-up for the HD offer too. Content will include: on TF1 and M6, from June 9, FIFA World Cup 2006 recorded and broadcast in HD; on TPS STAR, top international football and French basketball matches; and exclusive English Premier League and German Bundesliga (from August 2006) soccer.

Other HD content includes exclusive French basketball including major matches like the final of the French Pro A championship (June 18 transmission). TPS STAR films destined for HDTV playout include Arsène Lupin, Shall We Dance?, The Italian Job, Terminator 3, Charlie’s Angels and Elektra. TF1 drama and successful series like Navarro and Commissaire Moulin are also scheduled.