This offers all the same features as a Sky Plus, but unlike the Sky+ boxes, this HD version has basic navigation controls on the top of the chassis. The front panel is minimalist in terms of design, but does retain the trademark circular LED to indicate playback. The Sky HD box also includes an interactive card slot on the right-hand side.
Sky's HD service will support 720p/50 and 1080i/25 resolutions. The HD broadcasts will be a premium service (extra £10.25 per month) offering a combination of sports, movies, entertainment and documentaries in high-definition. Over 100 Premiership football matches per season will also be broadcast in HD. Existing channel packages will be viewable in standard definition.
The HD box will offer Sky+ PVR functionality, enabling users to pause and rewind live TV, as well as record TV shows onto hard disk.
Crucially, this box will NOT be restricted to HDCP-enabled DVI and HDMI connections and WILL output HD video via analogue component connectors (now only on older models due to piracy issues). These have been added to the Sky HD box to ensure maximum compatibility with TVs that don't meet the new EICTA 'HD-ready' specification.
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