German cable operator Unitymedia is introducing an HD box and five HD channels.
The channel line-up at launch consists of Das Eerste HD, ZDF HD, Arte HD, ServusTV HD and Sky Sports HD, but more will be added in due course. The three pubic channels are distributed unecrypted and Sky Sports HD is available at extra cost. Before the end of May, Unitymedia will also start to offer HD movies on-demand.
The HD box is available for rental only and costs €5.00 per month on top of the basic subscription price of €17.90. The basic tier offers 73 TV channels and 68 radio station. Additional tiers are available at €5.00 each, compared with €8.90 for SD customers. The complete package costs €15.00, instead of €19.90, for all bouquets.
The receiver comes with a glossy black and white remote control for the device has been supplied by Ruwido. To provide easy and clear access to the available services, specific attention was paid to the button layout. The remote was specially adjusted to work with the on screen graphical user interface, reducing the number of buttons to provide an enhanced user experience.
Besides controlling the available HDTV service, the new remote includes a TV database in order to perform basic actions like the turning on/off of the TV set.
