NINE State-owned television channels, including Shenzhen TV, on the Chinese mainland began to broadcast in high-definition yesterday.

All programs on the channels will be broadcast in both high-definition and standard-definition.

“All these channels have completed satellite transmission of TV signals, which enables subscribers to HDTV to watch National Day celebrations in high-definition,” the State Administration of Radio Film and Television (SARFT) said in a statement posted on its Web site Sunday.

About 50 million Chinese would be watching the events in high-definition — which is up to five times clearer than standard-definition broadcasts — the Shanghai-based Xinmin Evening Post reported.

The SARFT has required that subscription to the channels must be free.

Subscribers need only a high-definition TV set and set-top box.

(Xinhua)