Nagravision Debuts Affordable Multichannel DTV in Mexico

By Adam Goldberg

Nagravision (Booth SU5017) announced the launch of affordable multichannel digital over-the-air television in Mexico. Hi-tv, part of Grupo Salinas, is a single-payment DTV service — without monthly subscription fees for basic service – providing a minimum 14 channels of programming.

“Until Hi-tv, multichannel television was beyond the economic means of the vast majority of Mexican households,” says Tom Wirth, SVP for Nagravision Americas. “Grupo Salinas and Hi-tv are at the forefront of Mexico’s digital transition that is bringing free multichannel television to everyone. Working with them to design a system that perfectly complements Mexico’s home-entertainment market has been an opportunity for us to showcase our end-to-end technology expertise.”

TV Azteca, the second-largest broadcaster in Mexico, provides the DTT network used to broadcast the channels. The Nagravision solution enables Hi-tv to optimize use of TV Azteca’s ATSC frequencies in order to provide free multichannel digital television to approximately 25 million people in Mexico City.

The Hi-tv service comprises a multichannel lineup in standard definition, in addition to the existing high-definition broadcast of TV Azteca´s three principal channels: 13, 7, and 40. This is enabled by use of MPEG-4 AVC that allows the bandwidth optimization necessary to launch the multichannel platform.

Nagravision developed the service and set-top–box technology to allow Mexico’s consumers to come home after purchasing the set-top box in the retail store, connect the box, and begin watching the service immediately. The set-top box was designed to be easy to use for consumers that have not used a DTV service previously.

Hi-tv is available in Mexico City for 2,000 pesos (approximately US$200).