U.K. satellite pay-TV operator BSkyB announced a number of deals with suppliers as it gets set to launch HDTV (High Definition Television) services in the United Kingdom and Ireland in 2006. Tandberg Television, Sony and Harris Corp. are the big winners here.

Sony will construct and equip a new HDTV studio at BSkyB’s Isleworth headquarters and supply additional equipment for edit suites and dubbing facilities at the same site. Tandberg Television’s MPEG-4 part 10 (H.264/AVC) video encoding and distribution system will be used for the launch of the HDTV service. This system enables very high bandwidth utilization and high picture quality. Harris will supply BSkyB with its D-Series Version 4 Air Automation System, which will support delivery of BSkyB’s HDTV programming.

Alun Webber, BSkyB’s group director of engineering and platform technology, said, “The launch of HDTV is the most significant development for BSkyB’s broadcast infrastructure since the launch of Sky digital in 1998. These supplier contracts keep us on track to launch HDTV in 2006 and ensure that Sky customers continue to receive the highest-quality viewing experience available.”