BUKIT JALIL, DECEMBER 3 - Astro has confirmed its intention in making High-Definition Television (HDTV) available to its viewers. Although it has not given a time-frame as to when it will release the service, Astro has confirmed that its intention in providing HD-quality television in Malaysia, which will be known as Astro 2.0. The current implementation that Astro is currently operating on is known as Astro 1.0.

Henry Tan, Chief Operating Officer of Astro, said in order to transition Standard Definition (SD) to HD, the company would be approaching the step in a series of phases. These would include the setting up of available HD channels as well as getting local channels ready for HD, followed by the introduction of unique and local HD channels.

According to Astro, the introduction of HD-quality transmissions meant that several changes would have to be made. Because HD transmissions require a different infrastructure than when compared to SD, nearly everything from content creation to aggregation and even transmission would need to be changed, or even upgraded. On top of that, Henry also mentioned that some actors have refused to show up on HD productions, as HD's sharper quality would make certain facial features stand out more. Hence, cosmetic companies have introduced HD-specific makeup products to counter this problem.

On a question regarding audio quality, Henry said that a HD transmission's audio quality would be dependent on the recording equipment used in the production of a given video. Henry explained that while most HD channels would have an audio quality pertaining to Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound, it would make little difference if it was recorded in stereo.

Unlike free-to-air television, Astro has no plans on phasing out its SD transmissions just yet, and that existing services would run normally. The company has clarified that viewers can subscribe to HD viewing and still use analogue TV sets, although the quality would not be as good as the former.