BBC One HD coming this autumn

BBC - offering up more HD content
BBC - offering up more HD content

The BBC has announced that it is to offer BBC One in HD this autumn in simulcast form.

At the moment the broadcaster only offers BBC HD, which takes in content from all its channels and puts it into one place.

Although BBC One HD won't be 100 per cent full of HD content, the rest of the content will be upscaled if you have a set-top box with this capability.

The service will be available on all digital TV platforms, including: Freesat, Freeview, Sky and Virgin Media.

Broadening choice

Speaking about the new service, Jana Bennett, Director BBC Vision says: "BBC HD has established itself as the most popular HD service, and these changes are important next steps in improving that service still further, providing an opportunity to showcase the wide variety of BBC programmes in the highest possible quality.

"We recognise that audiences have already beenenjoying many of their favourite programmes in HD, and I'm delighted that we can now broaden their choice."

BBC HD is currently the most popular HD channel in the UK. This will stay as a channel but there will be more content going hi-def for BBC One HD, including including: EastEnders, Holby City, The One Show, The Apprentice, The Weakest Link and QI.

The BBC is hoping that by 2012, the majority of its content will be in HD.

Just this week, the BBC told TechRadar that its focus was on HD and that the hype surrounding 3D at the moment was "a distraction".

Marc Chacksfield

Marc Chacksfield is the Editor In Chief, Shortlist.com at DC Thomson. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.