Viasat launches high-definition offerings in Europe

Don't look now, but Viasat Broadcasting has just launched its first high-definition offerings (including two Viasat-branded premium HDTV channels, TV1000 HD and Viasat Sport HD) on its Nordic satellite pay-TV platform. Reportedly, TV1000 HD and National Geographic HD will be available in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland, while Viasat Sport HD makes its debut in Sweden, Norway and Finland; as for Danish subscribers, they'll have access to TV2 Sport HD. Unfortunately, fetching said programming won't come cheap, as it'll demand SEK/NOK/DKK 99 per month (between $15 and $20) in addition to the currently undisclosed HD set-top-box upgrade cost. Speaking of which, two STBs will initially be available: a Viasat Plus HD PVR box from Pace and a standard Viasat HD box made by Samsung, both of which use NDS middleware / content security and support 720p / 1080i. And we thought we were starved for HD...