Cablecom expands its TV service for cable and Internet

On 27 November, cablecom is to launch its high-definition television service (HDTV) with three channels. Customers can order new HD television immediately and, what’s more, the service will be expanded in the first half of 2008. The HD offer, which include digital TV and radio, can be received via the HD mediabox at a cost of 15 CHF per month. Furthermore, the Internet TV service – which has up to now been a pilot project – will be extended to hispeed customers and officially launched. Video-on-demand will also be shifted onto the Internet. In the area of digital television, cablecom’s growth is showing no signs of slowing down – with currently more than 215,000 customers.

Cablecom wants to expand its TV offering. To achieve this goal in as many areas of the country as possible, the company will be investing more than 100 million CHF between now and the end of 2008 in modernising its network infrastructure, as announced in the summer of this year: in additional bandwidth (from 606 MHz to 862 MHz) and, in many places, in two-way cable – which means cable with triple-play capability. In other areas, cablecom is driving innovations to provide TV consumers with services that they can expect from Switzerland’s biggest cable network operator. To implement this TV strategy effectively, a wide range of activities have been initiated that will be completed by the end of 2008.

Current analogue TV service will still be available

Cablecom will continue to provide its 1.5 million TV customers – of which 215,000 also subscribe to our digital services – with a comprehensive range of channels. In line with this intention, the company has decided not to remove any of the channels from its analogue service in 2008. As the biggest Swiss cable network operator, cablecom is thus not taking advantage of its right to shift four further analogue channels to its digital service, as permitted by the price control authorities.

Customers can order HDTV now

Cablecom wants to provide an initial high-definition offering for its customers in time for the launch of the new SRG channel HD suisse on 1 December, which is why it is making high-definition television (HDTV) available from 27 November. Customers can already order the mediabox required to receive the HD channels, including digital TV and radio. It is available for 15 CHF per month. An HD box with recording functions should be available next summer. Additional functions such as teletext and Dolby surround sound will be successively added to the HD receiver in the next few months.

With HDTV, viewers have a television picture with a resolution five times higher and with more intense colours. This represents a quantum leap in the viewing experience. By launching HD suisse on 1 December 2007, viewers can enjoy the first highlight – coverage of the Spengler Cup in Davos in HD quality in the last week of the year. Next year’s TV highlights will no doubt include the EURO 2008 Football Championship and the Olympic Games in Peking. Both sporting events will be broadcast for the first time in HD.

Cablecom customers will initially have access to three HD channels: Sat.1 HD, Pro7 HD and HD suisse. Due to a decision yet to be made by Bakom, the U1 TV slot is not available for additional HD channels. Cablecom intends to keep its word, which is why it is not exercising its right to remove another TV channel from the analogue service. A good solution has been found for the announced shifting of HSE24: In future, cablecom will broadcast HSE24 on the DSF cable slot during the day. There are, however, plans to add more channels in the first half of 2008. This will mean an additional two or three channels will be broadcast.

Cablecom launches Internet TV

Laptops are increasingly turning into multimedia devices and members of the younger generation, in particular, are avid TV and Internet surfers. With this target group in mind and as the first Swiss telecommunications company to do so, cablecom is launching broadband Internet TV. This high-quality offering with 20 channels will be available to our hispeed customers in the coming weeks – and at no extra cost. Next year, more channels are set to follow. Cablecom Internet TV was tested in a pilot phase from the beginning of 2007. Currently, nine channels are on offer and, according to cablecom, these have been accessed 120,000 times per month.

With the definitive launch, the range of channels will not only increase, but cablecom Internet TV will also become multilingual. It will include, for example, TSR1, M6, TSI1, Canale 5 and iTV1. Internet TV for hispeed customers works without download or registration and has no commercial breaks. The picture and sound quality is very good – comparable with today’s analogue television.

Bigger online video store for hispeed customers

Video-on-demand (VOD) on the hispeed portal is also part of cablecom’s Internet strategy. The online video store launched in spring will be considerably expanded as part of this strategy. At the moment, over 170 movies are available – and in December, another four films will be added each week. Customers can view conventional films as often as they like during a 24-hour period for 3.50 CHF. VOD is based on streaming: The films are not downloaded to the hard disk; instead the images are sent over the Internet and displayed as they arrive.

Video-on-demand for the living room TV

With the ongoing huge expansion of cablecom’s broadband network, the first genuine VOD offerings for your living room TV are becoming reality. These are planned for the end of 2008. In anticipation of this, cablecom is putting together a comprehensive library of films in cooperation with its European parent company UPC.

Together with selected TV stations, cablecom is also investigating options for introducing catch-up TV. This means that it will no longer be necessary to record programmes using video. Programmes that have already been broadcast from these channels can be viewed simply at the touch of a button.