TV
To see public law only with modern devices
The abbreviation HD stands for “high definition”, i.e. high image resolution. Almost all televisions in Germany are already equipped with this. But if you still have a very old telly, you will soon look into the tube.
Outdated television devices without HD reception can soon no longer receive public broadcasters in Germany. According to the ARD, the ZDF broadcaster family now hires the satellite distribution in SD quality. Large cable network operators such as Vodafone and Pyur will also switch off the last public broadcasters in SD this year.
“Almost all households in Germany have now received their television programs in HD quality,” said ZDF in Mainz. “The television reception in low SD quality is now hardly used.” Therefore, the programs ZDF, ZDFinfo, ZDFneo, 3sat and Kika should be broadcast exclusively in HD quality from November 18, 2025.
“By setting the SD broadcast, the ZDF lowers its costs for the program distribution and thus also fulfills the legitimate expectation of economic and economical handling of the broadcasting contributions.”
HD stands for “high definition”, i.e. high resolution of the image, much sharper than “standard definition” (SD). All large TV channels have been offering HD quality for a long time. Both were broadcast in parallel for 15 years.
The partner programs Arte and Phoenix ended the SD broadcast in November 2022, the first and the third programs at the beginning of 2025. Large cable network operators then also set the cable distribution of these transmitters via SD, which is also planned for the ZDF.
Two years ago, according to the industry report “Astra TV Monitor 2023”, around 2.7 million TV households in Germany only had an SD device at home. If you have not upgraded, you need a new television or an additional device for ARD and ZDF. According to the survey of the German Press Agency, the large German private broadcasters are all in the foreseeable future in SD.
dpa
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
