Pro Sieben HDTV transmissions

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ONLY THE BEST - PROSIEBEN BLOCKBUSTERS IN HIGH DEFINITION ON ASTRA

ProSiebenSat.1 Produktion and SES ASTRA to offer HDTV transmissions of the blockbusters "Spider Man", "Panic Room" and "Men in Black II" - first in German Free-TV
ProSiebenSat.1 Produktion and SES ASTRA are yet again setting the standards for High-Definition-Television (HDTV) in German Free-TV. For the very first time they will offer HDTV simulcasts of ProSieben blockbuster movies. A first highlight on March 13th 2005 will be "Spider Man", one of the most successful movies ever made. In parallel to the Free-TV premiere in conventional standard definition, this fast, action-packed cinema version of the Marvel Comic classic will also be receivable in superior high-definition picture quality via ASTRA 1F.

At 10 p.m. on Saturday, March 26th, viewers can then enjoy the premiere of David Fincher's "Panic Room", which features two-times Oscar award-winner Jodie Foster. This sinister thriller by the maker of "Fight Club" and "Seven" deals with an exciting and uncompromising cat-and-mouse game - and will again be broadcast in the brilliant high-definition that can be enjoyed by all viewers with suitable receivers. Last but not least "Der Anschlag", "Men in Black II" and the successful BBC documentary "Supervolcano", three further ProSieben highlights, will be aired in HD in April 2005 via ASTRA Transponder No. 16 (11.4355 GHz; vertical polarization) - all transmissions courtesy of SES ASTRA.

The visual experience will be completed by Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, providing viewers with true cinema quality in the living room. Technically speaking, the blockbusters and programme highlights will be simulcast in parallel to the regular SD signal, the movies being played out HDCAM SR (1080i/50 Hz) and delivered to an MPEG-2 HD encoder with a data rate of some 1.4 gigabits/s. The Digital Playout Center (DPC), based in Unterföhring, Germany, is responsible for the re-multiplexing, the modulation and uplink of the HD signal and ensures that the signal is DVB-conform. The symbol rate is 22MS/s QPSK.

Frank Meißner, Director Operations of ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG and Managing Director of ProSiebenSat.1 Produktion: "After last year's successful HDTV simulcast of "Pride" and "Die Nibelungen", we now plan to take a more offensive approach to the topic of HDTV, demonstrating our long-term commitment to premium quality both in terms of programming and deployment of pioneering technology."

Wolfgang Elsässer, Managing Director of SES ASTRA in Germany: "HDTV has been gaining momentum in Germany and simulcasts like these in cooperation with a leading Free-TV operator like ProSiebenSat1 stimulate consumer interest and market demand. HD will provide an additional incentive to go digital. According to a recent study by Euroconsult, some 14 million households in Germany will have HDTV-ready displays by 2010."

Technical details:

ASTRA 1F
Transponder 16
Frequency : 11.4355 GHz
Polarization: vertical
Symbol rate: 22 MS/s QPSK
FEC: 5/6
Network ID: 0x0085
Original Network ID: 0x0085
Transport StreamID: 0x0006
Service ID: 0x0292
PMT PID: 0x0060
Video PID: 0x00FF 1920x1080i, 50Hz
PCR PID: 0x00FF
Audio PID: 0x0103 DolbyDigital
Service Name: ProSieben HD
Service Provider: ProSiebenSat1