[Satellite TODAY 12-29-11] Starmax HD announced Dec. 28 that it is closing down operations, but said the shut down is temporary and that the Spanish DTH platform would return to service soon.

   The service was officially introduced in March 2011 and has only been on the market for a few months. Starmax HD was offering a line-up of 12 HD channels via the Hispasat satellite network. The service required viewers to procure a dedicated Starmax HD receiver that was capable of receiving DVB-S, DVB-S2/MPEG-4 and DVB-T broadcasts.

   An official statement on the company’s website said that the platform’s current customers would be offered a refund of paid subscription fees, as well as a technical software update of their receiver in order to continue using the device as a satellite receiver for Hispasat’s free-to-air channels.