France ponders 100% HD on DTT

The French government is considering giving up its idea of ‘bonus’ channels in favour of introducing a 100% HD digital terrestrial platform reports Broadband TV News.
Originally, France intended to issue the three major private broadcasters, TF1, M6 and Canal+, with an extra digital terrestrial channel in order to compensate them for the loss of their analogue frequency.
Following the European Commission’s doubts about the legality of issuing bonus channels the French government is now said to be concentrating on making the DTT platform a 100% HD offer.
The change would to mean a switch from DVB-T/MPEG-2 to DVB-T2/MEPG-4, with the added incentive of increasing the number of channels possible on the existing offering to between 12 and 15 for what is could to be called second generation DTT
It is expected that the government will soon start a consultation on the possibility of a 100% HD DTT system being put in place by 2016-2017.
Sources: Broadband TV News and Le Figaro
Item added: 18th April 2011