Airtel to upscale all channels to HD

Airtel has announced that it has enabled all its high definition (HD) and HD recorder set top boxes to show standard definition channels with an improved quality of 1080i. Users can now view all their content with enhanced contrast and sharper picture quality.

Airtel has decided not to charge its customers for this upgrade and all users of Airtel Digital TV HD and HD recorder will be upgraded.

Recently Reliance Big TV started offering more than 250 channels up-scaled in high definition to its subscribers. Other HD broadcasters like Tata Sky HD do not offer scaled-up channels and only offer 10 channels in full HD.

According to Sugato Banerji, CMO-Airtel digital TV, Bharti Airtel, "We believe that these initiatives will help build category awareness in the HD market that has an increasing number of customers trying out various options that can help enhance their Standard Definition viewing experience. The journey towards True High Definition has but just begun for the Indian DTH customer and will get further impetus with the entire production, storage and distribution chain moving to HD over the next few years."

Currently Airtel offers its HD set top box for Rs. 3190 and Rs. 3990 for the HD recorder.