SVT HD

SVT HD was a high-definition television channel operated by Sveriges Television, Sweden’s public-service broadcaster. Rather than functioning as a separate general-entertainment network with an independent schedule, it served primarily as an HD distribution outlet for programmes originating on SVT’s other services. Its schedule combined high-definition simulcasts of drama, film, documentary, children’s programming, current affairs, entertainment and major live events whenever suitable material was available. The service originated as HD-kanalen, a joint initiative involving SVT and TV4 AB created to provide high-definition coverage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The channel was initially distributed by satellite through Canal Digital and was also carried terrestrially during the tournament. After the World Cup, most terrestrial transmission capacity was withdrawn, but the satellite service continued with technical demonstrations, promotional material and experimental programming. One early experiment was a high-definition presentation of The Marriage of Figaro in August 2006. In October 2006, HD-kanalen was renamed SVT HD and began operating as a branded SVT high-definition service. Its opening programme was the film Lost in Translation, broadcast on October 20. Soon afterward it carried Välkommen på 50-årsfest, SVT’s fiftieth-anniversary production, which was described as the broadcaster’s first live programme produced in high definition. The early schedule established the channel’s role as a showcase for content that could demonstrate the technical and production possibilities of HDTV. It included Swedish dramas such as En uppstoppad hund, Mästerverket, Snapphanar and AK3; films including Girl with a Pearl Earring, 21 Grams and House of Sand and Fog; the children’s Christmas calendar LasseMajas detektivbyrå; the current-affairs programme Böglobbyn; and the documentary series The Planet. Sports and major cultural events were particularly important to the channel. Its first live sports transmission after the World Cup was the 2007 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. During 2007 it also carried Planet Earth, the Eurovision Song Contest, Live Earth, the World Championships in Athletics and the entertainment programme Allsång på Skansen. Distribution expanded in stages: Com Hem added SVT HD to its high-definition cable offering in December 2006, and the channel entered Sweden’s digital terrestrial network in May 2007 using MPEG-4 transmission from selected transmitters. Terrestrial availability initially focused on the Stockholm region and nearby transmitters. Because the supply of native HD material was limited, SVT HD also used upscaled versions of standard-definition programming when no suitable high-definition programme was available. Evening transmissions from SVT24 were used for this purpose from autumn 2007, and these were later replaced by upscaled SVT1 content. Meanwhile, SVT invested in HD production capacity at regional and central facilities, including studios in Gothenburg, Umeå and Stockholm. SVT HD was ultimately a transitional service in SVT’s move toward permanent high-definition versions of its principal channels. After SVT obtained permission in 2010 to operate two full-time HDTV services in the digital terrestrial network, SVT HD was discontinued on September 20, 2010. It was replaced by a full-time HD simulcast of SVT1 across the relevant distribution platforms, while SVT2 HD launched later that year. The brand therefore ended not because SVT abandoned high-definition broadcasting, but because its role was absorbed into dedicated HD simulcasts of SVT’s main channels.

SVT HD developed from HD-kanalen, a joint SVT–TV4 AB service created for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The channel used satellite distribution through Canal Digital and selected terrestrial transmitters during the tournament. Once the World Cup ended, terrestrial frequencies were largely withdrawn, while the satellite service continued with technical demonstrations, promotional material and experimental high-definition programming. In October 2006, HD-kanalen was renamed SVT HD. It then became a branded outlet for high-definition versions of programming produced for SVT’s established services. Its first listed programme under the new identity was Lost in Translation on October 20, followed by SVT’s fiftieth-anniversary show Välkommen på 50-årsfest, the broadcaster’s first live production made in high definition. The channel’s initial schedule included Swedish drama, international films, children’s television, current affairs and documentaries. Live events helped establish the service’s public profile. After its World Cup role, SVT HD carried the 2007 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, Eurovision Song Contest 2007, Live Earth, the 2007 World Championships in Athletics and Allsång på Skansen. It also showed Planet Earth and other programmes selected for their technical or public-service value. When native HD material was unavailable, the service filled parts of its schedule with upscaled standard-definition programmes, first from SVT24 and later from SVT1. Distribution broadened when Com Hem added SVT HD to its cable high-definition package in December 2006. In May 2007 the channel entered Sweden’s digital terrestrial network using MPEG-4 transmission from selected transmitters serving the capital region and nearby areas. SVT simultaneously expanded its production infrastructure. SVT Väst in Gothenburg was identified as an early regional centre for all-HD production, the Umeå studio began producing programmes such as Go'kväll and Plus in HD in 2008, and Stockholm studios were scheduled for equipment upgrades during 2009. The channel’s long-term function was overtaken by SVT’s move toward permanent HD simulcasts of its principal services. In June 2010, SVT received permission to launch two HDTV channels in the digital terrestrial network, intended to carry full-time versions of SVT1 and SVT2. SVT HD closed on September 20, 2010, and was replaced by SVT1 HD on the relevant platforms. SVT2 HD launched on November 1, 2010. SVT HD was therefore a short-lived transitional brand that helped introduce and normalize high-definition public-service broadcasting in Sweden before its functions were integrated into dedicated channel versions.

• 2010

  SVT HD closed

  [1]SVT HDen.wikipedia.org

  The standalone service ended on September 20 as SVT shifted to full-time SVT1 HD and SVT2 HD simulcasts.

• 2007

  Terrestrial availability expanded

  [1]SVT HDen.wikipedia.org

  SVT HD began digital terrestrial broadcasting in the Stockholm region and nearby transmitter areas using MPEG-4.

• 2006

  HD-kanalen launched for the FIFA World Cup

  [1]SVT HDen.wikipedia.org

  SVT and TV4 AB created HD-kanalen to provide high-definition coverage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup through satellite and selected terrestrial transmission.

• 2006

  Service renamed SVT HD

  [1]SVT HDen.wikipedia.org

  In October, HD-kanalen became SVT HD and began carrying selected high-definition simulcasts from SVT’s other services.

• 2006

  First SVT HD programme

  [1]SVT HDen.wikipedia.org

  Lost in Translation became the first programme broadcast under the SVT HD identity on October 20.

• 2006

  Com Hem carriage began

  [1]SVT HDen.wikipedia.org

  Com Hem added SVT HD to its high-definition cable package in December.

A public-service HDTV showcase and distribution channel for selected Swedish Television programming, live events and high-definition productions.

• High-definition television channel · 2006

  SVT HD

  A Swedish public-service HDTV channel that simulcast selected programming from Sveriges Television’s other channels. Its schedule included films, drama, documentaries, children’s content, current affairs, sports and live cultural or entertainment events. The channel also carried upscaled standard-definition programming when native HD material was unavailable. It was discontinued in 2010 as SVT introduced dedicated HD versions of SVT1 and SVT2.

• 2010

  Replace the standalone channel with permanent HD simulcastsStrategy

  Background

  SVT was preparing to provide full-time high-definition versions of its principal public-service channels rather than rely on a mixed schedule under the SVT HD brand.

  Action taken

  Following government permission to operate two HDTV services in the digital terrestrial network, SVT closed SVT HD and introduced SVT1 HD, followed by SVT2 HD.

  Aftermath

  SVT HD ceased to exist as a standalone channel, while high-definition distribution continued through dedicated versions of SVT1 and SVT2.

  Source

• 2006

  Create a World Cup HDTV serviceProduct launch

  Background

  SVT and TV4 AB wanted to distribute the 2006 FIFA World Cup in high definition while Sweden’s HD television infrastructure was still developing.

  Action taken

  They launched HD-kanalen using satellite distribution and selected terrestrial transmitters.

  Aftermath

  After the tournament, the service continued as a technical and programming platform and was renamed SVT HD.

  Source

1. 1SVT HDen.wikipedia.org
2. 2SVT official websitesvt.se