The Austrian public broadcaster, ORF, has confirmed plans to cease standard definition (SD) broadcasts of its domestic television channels via the Astra (19.2° East) satellite system. This significant change will take effect on January 7, 2025.
The decision affects three prominent channels: ORF 1, ORF 2, and ORF III. It's important to note that ORF SPORT+ already exclusively broadcasts in high definition (HD). ORF is proactively notifying viewers of the impending switch-off through on-screen captions displayed during the SD broadcasts.
Since 2008, ORF has provided parallel SD and HD broadcasts via Astra. For copyright protection, these satellite signals are encrypted, and only Austrian residents are authorized to receive them via smartcards. This transition to HD-only aligns with a similar move by German public broadcaster ARD, who will also end SD satellite distribution via Astra on the same date, January 7, 2025.