Europe: HD Channels Ramp Up in Poland, Scandinavia

The "n" satellite broadcast service was launched in Poland a few days ago with three HD channels--including Discovery HD, a locally produced sports venue called "nsport'," and the Hollywood Film Channel.

The HD channels will be included in each of the three premium-pay packages that "n" offers (movies, sports and culture/science) for about $5 monthly, according to published reports.

Subscribers use a basic MPEG-4 "nbox HDTV" and an optional "nbox HDTV Recorder," which features a 250 GB hard drive (and costs about $120 to connect).

In a separate development, American-owned Rainbow is readying to offer its "Best of Voom HD Channel" on Nordic satellite pay-TV service Canal Digital, starting next month in Sweden. Canal Digital is currently transmitting its "C More HD" and "SVT HD" in Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway.