It's almost three months away.The shutdown of four public TV channels of ARD and ZDF in SD quality via satellite Astra 19.2° East is getting closer.As of November 15, 2022, ARD will broadcast the programs "ONE" and "tagesschau24" as well as the programs "phoenix" and "ARTE" organized jointly with ZDF exclusively in HD quality.Treadmills will provide information about the change from September 15thFrom September 15, tickers will be displayed in the programs affected, informing viewers that the programs in SD are about to be switched off, as the INFOSAT editorial team learned from an ARD Digital spokeswoman.These households are affected by the connectionIn German households there are still some satellite receivers in use that cannot receive HD television.This includes tube televisions, but also older flat screen televisions or satellite receivers that do not support DVB-S2.By the way: The easiest way to tell whether you are affected is to take a look at the logo of the station.If the addition HD is next to the logo (e.g. ARTE HD), the device is ready to receive HD channels.Affected households must do this nowSatellite households that use these old devices but still want to watch the four programs have to switch to an HD-capable television or receiver with DVB-S2 support.Whether for moving the old second device in the children's room or bedroom or the big screen in the living room: The specialist trade has the right solution ready, from the simple, inexpensive HD digital satellite receiver to the modern UHD/4K SmartTV.From November 15, the programs will show overlays that indicate the end of the SD program and prompt viewers to switch to the HD program.The final shutdown of the Astra transponder 51, frequency 10,744 H, SR 22000, FEC 5/6, modulation: DVB-S QPSK, will take place before Christmas, as the ARD digital spokeswoman told the INFOSAT editorial team.This is how you receive the programs in HD – carry out a channel searchFrom November 15, 2022, viewers will only be able to receive these television programs in HD quality - this usually means that cable customers will also have to switch to HD reception.In order to be able to see the TV programs in the best HD quality, it is advisable to carry out a channel search now.The programs can be found in HD quality with a channel search using these reception data / technical parametersWhen will other public TV stations stop broadcasting in SD quality?It is currently unclear when the public broadcasters will switch off other programs in SD quality.The fact is that the public broadcasters have all been broadcasting in HD quality via the Astra satellite system via 19.2° East for more than ten years.Switching off all channels broadcasting simulcast in SD quality would help reduce the costs of ARD program distribution.Only 1.07 million satellite households only receive TV in SD qualityIn recent years, most TV households have long since switched to better HD picture quality, while at the same time the use of SD reception has steadily declined.Around 90 percent of households now receive their television programs in HD.According to the most recent Astra TV Monitor 2021, only 1.07 million satellite households only receive TV in SD quality.A total of 3.46 million TV households still receive their TV programs in SD quality.This means that only a relatively small proportion of TV households will be affected by the SD switch-off.As early as December 2021, ARD ended the SD broadcast of the channel ARD alpha via satellite and in the cable network.Important note for households with cable receptionThe respective cable network operator is responsible for retransmission via cable.It is expected that the SD distribution of ONE, phoenix, tagesschau24 and ARTE will also be ended in the cable networks as a result of the satellite shutdown.Vodafone already switched off ARTE SD in its cable networks on March 23, 2022.Note for households with reception via streaming platformsAccording to ARD information, the satellite shutdown of the programs mentioned has no effect on all offers in the independent streaming path.Whether that is the case remains to be seen.For example, the streaming TV provider Zattoo broadcasts some programs from public broadcasters, such as phoenix (https://zattoo.com/live/phoenix) in SD quality for users without a subscription.The channels tagesschau24, one and ARTE can only be seen there in SD quality.You can find more information about television reception via satellite and channel search at www.ard-digital.de.Scan the QR code with your mobile phone and read this page / article online:To view the INFOSAT mobile website, please rotate your phone.