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Singapore's StarHub picks up MediaCorp HD5
Time to celebrate, Singapore. Your HD starved lineup on StarHub will soon be getting a tiny bit bigger, as MediaCorp's HD Channel 5 makes its debut on the service. Thanks to a recent agreement signed by the carrier and network, subscribers to StarHub's HD service will begin seeing HD5 sometime next month, which will reportedly air popular programs such as Lost, movies like Lord of the Rings and even the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Best of all, the newcomer will be provided to HD customers gratis. Doesn't get much better than free, huh?
Southeast Asia's first HD channel, HD5 launches Nov 11
Southeast Asia is finally ready to officially launch its first HD channel, when MediaCorp rolls out HD5 in 1080i on November 11. The channel will be a simulcast of Singapore's existing channel 5, and will only be in HD about 30% of the time to start. MediaCorp has already made deals with Voom and others for HD content, and plans to increase that number to 50% during prime time over the next 18 months. About 10,000 homes are already testing HDTV via SingTel's IPTV service, along with the 1,000 households previously testing the service.
HDTV launches in Singapore
Finally, HDTV broadcasts are available in Southeast Asia as Singapore began testing OTA transmissions yesterday. It appears there will be about 14 hours of HD content aired each week during the six-month trial, including episodes of Smallville, CSI and The OC, plus the final three World Cup games. With high-definition TVs already in many households in the region, they are very ready for this. All we can say is we hope they include CSI: Miami, as it is the best looking of the series, and that they know how to put on a World Cup presentation.
