DStv boosts HD channel offering

DStv Premium subscribers can look forward to new channels from 1 October 2012, the satellite TV broadcaster announced on its website today (29 August 2012).

These include four new M-Net Movies channels and two Africa Magic standard definition (SD) channels. Six of the M-Net Movies channels will be simulcast in HD, while Studio Universal and the Universal channel will be added to the HD bouquet.

Movie Magic 1 (MM1) and MM2 are changing into themed channels, DStv said, with MM1 becoming M-Net Movies Premier and MM2 changing to M-Net Movies Drama & Romance.

The other themed movie channels that will be simulcast in HD on channels 103–108 are: comedy, family, Action+, and Showcase. M-Net Action and M-Net Stars will only be broadcast in SD.

Every day I’m shufflin’

The addition, and re-organisation of DStv channels is due to the pay TV operator’s migration from the IS–7 and IS–10 satellites it previously used, to the new IS–20 satellite that was recently launched.

DStv said that in order to make space for the new channels and to group relevant channels together, some channel numbers will change on 1 October 2012:

Channel 101–143: General entertainment channels with international content
Channel 144–169: General entertainment channels with local content
Channel 170–190: Documentaries and lifestyle channels
Channel 191–195: Free-to-air channels such as SABC and E-TV
Channel 200 onwards: SuperSport in HD and SD

The changes will happen automatically in the early morning hours of Monday, 1 October, DStv said.

“DStv customers are advised to access the information about their specific decoder on DStv.com or press OK on their DStv remote to see if any action is required on their part,” the broadcaster’s website states.

Customers who live in a complex or flat where they don’t have their own dish, will have to request their body corporate to verify if their system is capable of receiving new services before 1 October 2012.

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