Airtel Digital, Dish TV to launch HD service this year

NEW DELHI: DTH operators Airtel Digital and Dish TV on Monday said they will launch their high definition ( HD) services this year, in time for the Commonwealth Games.

While Bharti Airtel's DTH venture will launch the HD service, which offers better picture and sound quality compared to the regular service, before the games, Dish TV plans to launch its service in the first quarter of next fiscal.

"We will launch our (HD) service definitely before the Commonwealth Games," Bharti Airtel chief marketing officer (DTH) Sugato Banerji told reporters on the sidelines of CASBAA India Satellite Industry Forum 2010.

The service would be charged at a premium over the normal DTH services, he added.

Dish TV chief operating officer Salil Kapoor said, "We are currently evaluating the market and would launch the HD service in the first quarter of next fiscal."