A rumor recently emerged that ORF2 Europe, which is freely available via Astra, will be broadcast in HD from December 3rd. What’s wrong with this message?
What is ORF2 Europe showing?
ORF2 Europe is the free-to-air version of ORF2 via Astra 19.2 degrees East. The channel only shows ORF2 content for which the Europe-wide broadcast rights exist. As a rule, this applies to ORF’s own productions. If there are no rights, the home page of the ORF Teletext will be transmitted.
Who is ORF2 Europe intended for?
The channel is aimed at everyone in other European countries who is interested in Austria. ORF2 Europe is also partly fed into German cable networks. But European coverage is only part of ORF2 Europe’s range of tasks. ORF2 Europe is also sometimes used to offer programs with inserts in Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS). For everyone who depends on this service, ORF2 Europe is currently only available in SD. An act of unequal treatment, as we have reported in the past.
Is ORF2 Europe coming in HD?
First the backstory: As a result of the SD shutdown of ORF1 to 3, ORF2 Europe is forced to relocate to Astra. That’s why the channel was launched horizontally at 11.273 GHz (22,000, 2/3, DVB-S2/8PSK) in September 2024. In SD of course.
Now the news has emerged that ORF2 Europe will be available in HD on December 3, 2024, i.e. in a few days. The broadcast will take place on this new transponder.
No clues
But so far there are no indications of the HD switch, or even that ORF2 Europe will no longer be able to use the old 12.692 GHz horizontally in just over a month. It is quite possible that from January 7th, viewers abroad at ORF2 Europe will be sitting in front of a black screen, possibly decorated with the message: “No Signal”.
We asked
So far there is nothing to be found on the ORF website about the SD exit. So we asked the hotline set up specifically for the SD exit. There we only find out that ORF2 Europe exists and that it can be received freely. Well, we would have known that too.
After intensive inquiries and after the other person had inquired for what felt like quite a long time, the answer came that they were actually considering switching ORF2 Europe to HD at some point. But when that will be couldn’t even begin to be answered. Perhaps also a consequence of the fact that ORF2 Europe is viewed as an unloved child.
So what exactly do we know?
We now know two things. Firstly, that we don’t know anything and secondly, that we should still keep an eye on December 3rd. Because it wouldn’t be the first time that one reliably learned from Vienna that something was coming after it was already there.
Apart from that, it would be long past time to offer ORF2 Europe in HD. Simply so that all those who rely on sign language can finally see ORF2 in good quality.
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Source: www.digitalfernsehen.de
