X

BBC launching five new HD channels next year

The BBC has announced five new high definition channels to launch early next year, including BBC News HD and CBeebies HD.

Richard Trenholm Former Movie and TV Senior Editor
Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.
Expertise Films, TV, Movies, Television, Technology
See full bio
Richard Trenholm

The BBC has announced five new high definition channels to launch in 2014, including HD versions of BBC News, BBC Three and CBeebies.

The new channels are BBC News HD, BBC Three HD, BBC Four HD, CBeebies HD and CBBC HD.

Unlike the previous BBC HD channel that cherry-picked HD programs, the new high-def channels are simply HD versions of the regular channels, broadcasting the same shows as their standard definition namesakes. Auntie Beeb says we'll be treated to a whopping 250 hours more HD viewing every week than we are currently.

In the next six months the BBC also wants to announce plans for regional versions of BBC One HD and BBC Two HD for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

BBC Three HD and CBBC HD will be broadcast on the BBC's existing high definition spectrum, with the other new channels broadcast on a new multiplex opened up by Ofcom after the switchover from analogue to digital TV.

TV watchdog Ofcom has announced up to ten additional high-definition channels could be piped in through your rooftop aerial, using 600 MHz airwaves freed up by the digital switchover. Arqiva will run the new digital terrestrial TV (DTT) multiplex.

Is this a good move for the BBC? How long do you think it'll be before HD completely replaces boring old standard definition? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our highly-defined Facebook page.