B*ll TV dropping standard definition satellite receivers

[Gugi47]

B*ll TV dropping standard definition satellite receivers
Canada’s largest direct-to-home satellite broadcaster, B*ll TV has informed its dealers that it will no longer sell or rent its 3150 and 5900 standard definition (SD) satellite receivers.

In an update sent to dealers last month, the company says that once the current inventory of 3150 and 5900 satellite receivers is gone, Bell will replace these models with high definition (HD) satellite receivers.


In place of the 3150 standard definition receiver, B*ll will be offering the 6131 high definition receiver while in place of its 5900 standard definition personal video recorder (PVR), Bell will offer the 9241 High HD PVR.

Dealers tell Digital Home that B*ll TV’s standard definition model 4100 is still being sold, however, they expect that may change in 2010 as stocks are drawn down and the percentage of households with high definition televisions increases.

The move to selling only HD receivers make sound economic sense. By going all HD, it means fewer models for B*ll to have to support and it ensures the newest satellite receivers offered by the company will feature MPEG-4 capability, the ability to add an external hard disk drive and HDMI connectivity.

MPEG-4 is an advanced audio video compression scheme that will allow Bell TV to deliver bandwidth hogging high definition signals more efficiently. The transition to MPEG-4 by Expr*ssVu has not been confirmed and is not expected for several years but MPEG-4 capability now means the receiver will be able to handle new future signal transport systems.

The ability to add an external hard drive means the 6141 HD receiver can be turned into a PVR while the 9241 HD PVR can have greatly expanded storage.

HDMI connectivity means all of B*ll TV’s receivers will be able to deliver a digital audio and video signal to all HD televisions now on the market.

Since the newer HD receivers can also decode and deliver standard definition signals to existing televisions, the move will mean that customers buying or renting these receivers will be able to use them to view both standard and high definition channels and connect to both analog and digital televisions for years to come.