Pay television services (Hong Kong)
Encyclopedia
Television in Hong Kong
has two broadcast television networks, ATV
and TVB. The latter, launched in 1967, was the territory's first free-to-air
commercial station, and is currently the predominant TV station in the territory. Paid cable and satellite television have also been widespread. The production of Hong Kong's soap drama, comedy series and variety show
s have reached mass audiences throughout the Chinese-speaking world. Broadcast media and news is provided by several companies, one of which is government-run. Television provides the major source of news and entertainment for the average family.
as the digital television broadcast standard and the official commencement of digital TV broadcasting began at 7 p.m.
on December 31, 2007 as the first digital TV signal transmitter in Tsz Wan Shan
went online earlier in December.
In October 2007, both broadcasting companies had agreed in November 2007 to utilise MPEG2 video format for simulcast
ing channels (TVB Jade, ATV Home, TVB Pearl and ATV World), and the H.264
format will be implemented for all digital broadcasting only channels.
For the audio codec, usual DTMB set-top box
es will support MPEG-1 Audio Layer II
(MP2) for stereo
audio tracks, and Dolby AC-3 for surround sound
audio tracks. TVB will also implement the use of MHEG-5
technology for providing interactive features, named "TVB Interactive", and providing a logo for consumers to identify set-top boxes with MHEG-5 middleware support. The official specification defines standard-definition broadcasting will be in 576i
at 25 frame/s and high-definition broadcasting in 720p
at 50 Hz
or 1080i
at 25 Hz.
Digital television will be available to Hong Kong citizens in several phases, depending on the completion of corresponding transmitters. All major transmitters are expected to be completed on or before August 15, 2008 covering at least 75% of Hong Kong population.:
es available in the market at the very start of HDTV transmission, one is the basic-tier receivers, with basic reception of signals transmitted and restricted to standard-definition contents and decoding of MPEG-2
, and another one the higher-tier receivers, which receives all standard-definition and high-definition contents as it can decode both MPEG-2 and H.264 content, and comes with a higher price. Logos and labels for consumers to identify the class of the set-top box were released on November 28, 2007.
OFTA promises the final price for basic-tier receivers will be "a few hundred" Hong Kong dollar
s and a higher-tier receivers will be "more than a thousand Hong Kong dollar
s". As of June 2007, company in PRC made basic-tier receivers are available for more than HK$ 1000 and higher-tier receivers were also made later with price range from HK$ 1500 to over HK$ 2000. All standard-definition only TV sets will require a set-top box to receive TV signals after the planned termination of analogue TV broadcasting and transmission in the future (currently planned in 2012).
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
has two broadcast television networks, ATV
Asia Television Limited
Asia Television Limited is one of the two free-to-air television broadcasters in Hong Kong, the other being rival Television Broadcasts Limited . It launched in 1957 under the name Rediffusion Television as the first television station in Hong Kong...
and TVB. The latter, launched in 1967, was the territory's first free-to-air
Free-to-air
Free-to-air describes television and radio services broadcast in clear form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscription or one-off fee...
commercial station, and is currently the predominant TV station in the territory. Paid cable and satellite television have also been widespread. The production of Hong Kong's soap drama, comedy series and variety show
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
s have reached mass audiences throughout the Chinese-speaking world. Broadcast media and news is provided by several companies, one of which is government-run. Television provides the major source of news and entertainment for the average family.
Digital television
Although Hong Kong is not required to follow the Mainland China's standard, Hong Kong government still decided to use DMB-T/HDMB-T/H
DTMB is the TV standard for mobile and fixed terminals used in the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong and Macau. Although at first this standard was called DMB-T/H , the official name is DTMB.DTT broadcasting systems...
as the digital television broadcast standard and the official commencement of digital TV broadcasting began at 7 p.m.
12-hour clock
The 12-hour clock is a time conversion convention in which the 24 hours of the day are divided into two periods called ante meridiem and post meridiem...
on December 31, 2007 as the first digital TV signal transmitter in Tsz Wan Shan
Tsz Wan Shan
Tsz Wan Shan is a residential area in New Kowloon, Hong Kong. Located at the foot of Temple Hill, it is administratively part of Wong Tai Sin District....
went online earlier in December.
In October 2007, both broadcasting companies had agreed in November 2007 to utilise MPEG2 video format for simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
ing channels (TVB Jade, ATV Home, TVB Pearl and ATV World), and the H.264
H.264/MPEG-4 AVC
H.264/MPEG-4 Part 10 or AVC is a standard for video compression, and is currently one of the most commonly used formats for the recording, compression, and distribution of high definition video...
format will be implemented for all digital broadcasting only channels.
For the audio codec, usual DTMB set-top box
Set-top box
A set-top box or set-top unit is an information appliance device that generally contains a tuner and connects to a television set and an external source of signal, turning the signal into content which is then displayed on the television screen or other display device.-History:Before the...
es will support MPEG-1 Audio Layer II
MPEG-1 Audio Layer II
MPEG-1 Audio Layer II or MPEG-2 Audio Layer II is a lossy audio compression format defined by ISO/IEC 11172-3 alongside MPEG-1 Audio Layer I and MPEG-1 Audio Layer III...
(MP2) for stereo
STEREO
STEREO is a solar observation mission. Two nearly identical spacecraft were launched into orbits that cause them to respectively pull farther ahead of and fall gradually behind the Earth...
audio tracks, and Dolby AC-3 for surround sound
Surround sound
Surround sound encompasses a range of techniques such as for enriching the sound reproduction quality of an audio source with audio channels reproduced via additional, discrete speakers. Surround sound is characterized by a listener location or sweet spot where the audio effects work best, and...
audio tracks. TVB will also implement the use of MHEG-5
MHEG-5
MHEG-5, or ISO/IEC 13522-5, is part of a set of international standards relating to the presentation of multimedia information, standardised by the Multimedia and Hypermedia Experts Group...
technology for providing interactive features, named "TVB Interactive", and providing a logo for consumers to identify set-top boxes with MHEG-5 middleware support. The official specification defines standard-definition broadcasting will be in 576i
576i
576i is a standard-definition video mode used in PAL and SECAM countries. In digital applications it is usually referred to as "576i", in analogue contexts it is often quoted as "625 lines"...
at 25 frame/s and high-definition broadcasting in 720p
720p
720p is the shorthand name for 1280x720, a category of High-definition television video modes having a resolution of 1080 or 720p and a progressive scan...
at 50 Hz
Hertz
The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
or 1080i
1080i
1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels...
at 25 Hz.
Digital television will be available to Hong Kong citizens in several phases, depending on the completion of corresponding transmitters. All major transmitters are expected to be completed on or before August 15, 2008 covering at least 75% of Hong Kong population.:
Set-top boxes
The Office of Telecommunications Authority of Hong Kong has announced there will be two versions of set-top boxSet-top box
A set-top box or set-top unit is an information appliance device that generally contains a tuner and connects to a television set and an external source of signal, turning the signal into content which is then displayed on the television screen or other display device.-History:Before the...
es available in the market at the very start of HDTV transmission, one is the basic-tier receivers, with basic reception of signals transmitted and restricted to standard-definition contents and decoding of MPEG-2
MPEG-2
MPEG-2 is a standard for "the generic coding of moving pictures and associated audio information". It describes a combination of lossy video compression and lossy audio data compression methods which permit storage and transmission of movies using currently available storage media and transmission...
, and another one the higher-tier receivers, which receives all standard-definition and high-definition contents as it can decode both MPEG-2 and H.264 content, and comes with a higher price. Logos and labels for consumers to identify the class of the set-top box were released on November 28, 2007.
OFTA promises the final price for basic-tier receivers will be "a few hundred" Hong Kong dollar
Hong Kong dollar
The Hong Kong dollar is the currency of the jurisdiction. It is the eighth most traded currency in the world. In English, it is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively HK$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
s and a higher-tier receivers will be "more than a thousand Hong Kong dollar
Hong Kong dollar
The Hong Kong dollar is the currency of the jurisdiction. It is the eighth most traded currency in the world. In English, it is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively HK$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
s". As of June 2007, company in PRC made basic-tier receivers are available for more than HK$ 1000 and higher-tier receivers were also made later with price range from HK$ 1500 to over HK$ 2000. All standard-definition only TV sets will require a set-top box to receive TV signals after the planned termination of analogue TV broadcasting and transmission in the future (currently planned in 2012).
Subscription networks
- Cable TV Hong KongCable TV Hong KongCable TV Hong Kong , previously known as Wharf Cable before October 1998, is owned and operated by i-CABLE Communications Limited...
(Hong Kong Cable Television Ltd): controlled by Wharf Holdings, operates over one hundred channels with programmes broadcast in EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, CantoneseStandard CantoneseCantonese, or Standard Cantonese, is a language that originated in the vicinity of Canton in southern China, and is often regarded as the prestige dialect of Yue Chinese....
, PutonghuaStandard MandarinStandard Chinese or Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin or Putonghua, is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China , and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....
and other languages.
- NOW TVNow TVNow TV is a 24-hour pay-TV service provider in Hong Kong.It is transmitted through the company's Netvigator broadband network via an IPTV service...
(PCCW-HKT Interactive Multimedia Services Ltd): provides sixteen free channels and over eighty pay channels with programmes broadcast in English languageEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, CantoneseStandard CantoneseCantonese, or Standard Cantonese, is a language that originated in the vicinity of Canton in southern China, and is often regarded as the prestige dialect of Yue Chinese....
and Putonghua.
- HKBN bbTVHKBN bbTVHKBN bbTV is a pay-TV service provider in Hong Kong SAR that belongs to Hong Kong Broadband Network.It is transmitted through the company's HKBN broadband network via an IPTV service.It open in 2004....
(Hong Kong Broadband Network Ltd): provides over seventy pay channels.
- TVB Pay VisionTVB Pay VisionTVB Pay Vision is a 24 hours Cantonese channel by TVB....
: provides over thirty pay channels, included 8 TVB channels, and Celestial Movies, a movie channel which screens movies produced by Shaw Brothers (HK) Ltd., the parent company of TVB.
- Asia Television LimitedAsia Television LimitedAsia Television Limited is one of the two free-to-air television broadcasters in Hong Kong, the other being rival Television Broadcasts Limited . It launched in 1957 under the name Rediffusion Television as the first television station in Hong Kong...
- Star TVSTAR TV (Asia)Satellite Television Asian Region is an Asian TV service owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation.In 2009, News Corporation restructured STAR Asia into four units – STAR India, STAR Greater China, STAR Select and Fox International Channels....
(Satellite Television for Asian Region Hong Kong)
- Phoenix TelevisionPhoenix TelevisionPhoenix Satellite Television Holdings Ltd or Phoenix Television is a Hong Kong-based Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese television broadcaster that serves the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong along with other markets with substantial Chinese viewers...
: also broadcast in Greater ChinaGreater ChinaGreater China is a term used to refer to mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. As a "phrase of the moment", the precise meaning is not entirely clear, and people may use it for only the commercial ties, only the cultural actions, or even as a euphemism for the Two Chinas, while others may...