Media
Under the plans, "highlights" of BBC One's primetime schedule will air in HD to a limited audience of early adopters.
The twelve month trial will involve all three platforms - satellite, cable and terrestrial - as and when the respective HDTV services launch. Sky is expected to be first off the block with a premium HDTV launch in April while the newly-merged NTL and Telewest will follow at the end of 2006.
The BBC is applying to Ofcom for temporary use of an unused terrestrial frequency currently not allocated to broadcasters and unsuitable for conventional broadcast use in order to trial HDTV via Freeview in the London area.
"From colour and widescreen to digital radio and television, the BBC has always been at the forefront of innovations in broadcasting," said director of television, Jana Bennett, who will unveil details of the trial tonight. "Our promise to our licence payers is to give them the highest quality television, so the time is right for the BBC to get involved in high definition.
"High definition may take time to grow in Britain, but as with the other technologies we helped to build, the BBC wants to prepare now to be able to deliver the benefits of HD to all its licence payers in the long term."
Seetha Kumar, commissioner of the Africa Lives on the BBC season, is overseeing the project.
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