Bigger is always better

Big screen TV has reached new dimensions - ready for the HD-launch in Germany.

Finally - starting with the Vancouver Winter Games - ARD and ZDF the primary federal German free TV channels start their HD broadcast. on Feb. 12th.
No more showcases, instead a 24/7 regular HD-broadcast, however only in 720p and from the beginning not fully charged with true HD-content. A lot will be upscaled material in the beginning.

The Epson TW2900 used here to produce an 110" image has been tested very favorably by the leading ct magazine based in Hannover. I thought about plasma, but finally stayed with a beamer only upgrading the older SD-model with the full-HD Epson. 

Now, this makes for 5 total free HD stations in Germany in February;

 ARD-HD, ZDF-HD, arte-HD, Anixe-HD and a less relevant austrian channel called "ServusTV".

It will be interesting to what extent private channels will succeed with their attempt to enter digital addressability and even more important a pay-TV status by means of their HD+ engagemement.

Skeptics predict that only a few hundred thousand  users will watch the encrypted HD+ channels by end of 2010! Instead quotas of public channels may go up due to free access to HD.

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It must be mentioned however, that all this public channel generositiy for free HD comes at a price - "GEZ" is basically state-regulated mandatory pay-TV - the true reason why Premiere and Sky have not succeeded to reach a customer base anywhere close to the penetration that is possible in the UK or Italy.