September 10, 2007

Free To Air Satellite TV

by Brian Turner
Free To View and Free To Air Satellite TV channels available from the Sky Digital platform at 28.2E can be found at our sister site FTASat.co.uk - dedicated solely to providing that information. All data has recently been updated, and we will try our best to keep it that way. We hope you find this information useful. Don't forget you can ask for help ...

---

September 5, 2007

New HDTV product logos launched

by Brian Turner
EICTA, the industry body representing the information and communications technology and consumer electronics industries in the European Union, has launched a new generation of product qualifiers for high-definition television display and decoding equipment. From now on, products in the EU that meet a set of technical criteria determined by EICTA will carry the HD Ready 1080p and HDTV 1080p logos. The new logos allow licensees to differentiate between their display devices based on additional qualifications defined on top of those outlined in the Minimum Requirements of the EICTA “HD ready” and “HD TV” logo and specifically related to handling and representing “1080p” video signals that are becoming available to the consumer. Display products bearing the 1080p qualifier logos not only feature a minimum 1920 x 1080 resolution, but also guarantee that the relevant 1080p signal variants – 24 Hz, 50 Hz and 60 Hz – can be acquired, as well as reproduced with the same or higher frame rate. These minimum requirements are aimed to stop the proliferation of proprietary logoed products in the European marketplace that are creating confusion among consumers surrounding products which claim to conform to a variety of “Full HD” and “1080” standards. Mark MacGann, Director General of EICTA, said: “The “HD ready” campaign launched in 2005 has served as an excellent tool for consumers to make informed decisions while entering the high definition market. The introduction of the 1080p qualifiers will allow our industry to continue providing consumers across Europe with confidence and guidance in the most recent HD technology advancements.” Dr Gerd Bock, Chairman of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) Technical Committee echoed MacGann’s comments, stating that “Helping the public to understand what it is they are purchasing with HDTV equipment is a very important objective, and very much in the public interest - and the broadcaster’s interest. The EBU strongly supports EICTA in the development of clear and unambiguous labels which do so. The new labels associated with 1080p equipment are a timely complement to the existing labels, and are an important clarification of the capability of the new generation HDTV equipment for the consumer.” Source: European Broadcasting Union

---