LONDON -- Britain will get its first look at the future of digital TV at midnight Wednesday.
Sky Digital, the country's first digital TV platform, promises viewers up to 140 channels with improved sound and image quality, plus interactive services.
BSkyB began trial broadcasts of the service in June, but Wednesday's launch is the first opportunity for consumers to buy the satellite dish and set-top box decoder they need to tune in. Wide-screen TV sets with built-in decoder technology are expected to go on sale next year.
The hardware will be available at Dixons Group Plc's flagship store for one hour. The digital satellite systems -- including a dish, set-top box and remote control -- will retail for £199.99 pounds (US$342) for new customers and £159.99 for existing clients.
BSkyB -- 40 percent of which is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. -- faces some competition. A digital terrestrial TV service, owned by ONdigital, a subsidiary of TV companies Granada and Carlton, is scheduled for a 15 November launch. And digital cable services are expected next year from companies like Cable & Wireless Communications.
Copyright © 1998 Reuters Limited.
