🥐 Fransat Initiates Phased Transition from HD to HEVC and Ultra HD
French satellite platform Fransat has announced the launch of a major technological transition. Beginning October 1, 2026, the operator will start a phased phase-out of HD legacy equipment, migrating its broadcasts to the more efficient HEVC (H.265) compression standard and Ultra HD (4K) format.
The gradual migration program is scheduled to run through 2030. Subscribers’ existing HD set-top boxes will remain fully operational until the expiration date of their current smartcards. However, following the October deadline, the issuance of replacement HD cards will cease entirely—requiring users to upgrade to Fransat UHD-compatible reception equipment to maintain access to the channel lineup.
For customers utilizing Fransat CI+ 1.3 TV modules, the transition will be streamlined: hardware replacements will not be necessary, and upon the expiration of their current smartcards, users will simply need to purchase new cards compatible with their existing modules.
The company emphasized that the infrastructure upgrade is designed to be as seamless as possible, tied directly to the natural lifecycle of access card renewals. Subscribers will not need to realign or replace their satellite dishes.
Transitioning to the HEVC codec and UHD resolution will allow Fransat to optimize satellite transponder capacity while significantly elevating picture quality for end-users, aligning with global trends toward high-efficiency satellite encoding standards.
Source: Broadband TV News
