Eutelsat will play a key role in a new high-definition (HD) TV trial taking place in France throughout the next two months. The operator is partnering with TDF to transmit a sequence of programs in HDTV MPEG-4 to digital terrestrial television (DTT) transmitters in France’s three largest cities.

Eutelsat is providing capacity from its Atlantic Bird 3 satellite to deliver HDTV programs supplied by leading French channels including France Télévisions, TF1, M6 and Canal Plus to DTT transmitters in Paris, Marseilles and Lyon.

The six-week trial is being run by the Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel, France’s broadcasting authority.

Separately, Eutelsat announced May 30 it signed a deal with Digital Cable Systems (DCS) of Romania to lease on capacity on the W2 satellite for the Max TV, a pay-TV platform delivered by DCS to home antenna and cable systems in Romania.

The five-year lease expands Eutelsat’s W2 video range for Central Europe. The contract also helps DCS with its objective target audience of 1 million homes that use small and medium-sized analog cable networks.