French digital satellite platform TPS has announced details of how it will use the hard disk storage system that is to be built into its set-top boxes by receiver manufacturer Thomson.

Philippe Bony, director general of the TPS pay-per-view service Multivision, told delegates to IBC Global Conferences’ Operating and Launching Pay-Per-View in Amsterdam that system tests would commence in early 2000. The full commercial launch would be in November or December of that year.

TPS currently operates eight PPV channels from the Eutelsat Hot Bird satellite platform. Bony claims that the cost of transponder capacity makes it prohibitively expensive to increase the line-up further. Until a recent court ruling Canal Plus was also able to withhold certain French movies from its digital competitor.

Under Bony’s proposals two or three of Multivision’s main PPV titles will automatically be downloaded to the set-top overnight. "This is the best solution for the subscriber. It enables us to keep our eight channel service, so as to keep the costs down, while providing a solution for heavy buyers," he said. Bony added that subscribers would also be able to select a specific title of their choice through TPS’ interactive service. He said he believed that the downloading of the major blockbusters would be sufficient to meet subscriber demand as these were the films that were typically chosen for viewing.

Copy protection will be introduced and the whole concept is currently under discussion with the studios.