OSN, the pay-TV network in the Middle East and North Africa, has launched OSN Plus HD, the region’s first internet-enabled satellite receiver and recorder with full 3D and HD capabilities.

The new service is available in the UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan and Bahrain and requires a minimum internet download speed of 1MB

OSN Plus HD is reportedly the first of its kind featuring an online ‘Video on Demand’ library.

At launch, over 500 programmes will be available to download including family and kids genres, top series, catch up TV as well as sports including 40 hours per month of WWE and UFC. In addition, the new OSN Plus HD will also feature packaged content from premium channels such as Food Network, Jim Jam, Disney and the History channel.

David Butorac, CEO of OSN said: “We’re redefining the TV viewing experience bringing even more innovation and technological advancements to provide more flexibility and choice to customers. The new OSN Plus HD is a one stop shop for a viewing experience where the viewer is in complete control and can continuously watch what they want when they want over a secure online platform. At OSN, we understand the importance of being able to watch premium content at a time of your choosing and services such as OSN Play, the OSN Showbox and the all new OSN Plus HD are part of our strategy to bring more value and convenience to subscribers.”

The launch of OSN Plus HD makes OSN reportedly the first in the world to introduce a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) based on Broadcom’s next generation chipset technology. The set top box is manufactured by Humax, reportedly one of the world’s leading digital set-top box manufacturers.

The online Video On Demand library branded ‘OSN on Demand’ is a key feature of the new DVR and the advanced technology used enables viewers to start watching programmes in less than a minute. Viewers can also queue multiple downloads and store them on the massive one terabyte internal hard drive.

Mark Billinge, VP of Broadcast Operations and Technology at OSN, added: “The launch of OSN Plus HD builds on the success of our existing DVR platform and demonstrates our technology capabilities, innovation and ability to provide the ultimate TV viewing experience in the region. The new service allows viewers the convenience of choosing from over a 1000 hours of OSN’s premium content and watching the latest of what they want, when they want in the format of their choice whether its high definition or SD via the internet and satellite.”

The OSN Plus HD remote control helps users, the company claims, to navigate and record favourite shows or entire series, watch the best HD content on demand with options of pause, rewind and fast forward. OSN Plus HD also features a Common Interface (CI) slot that can be used for other services providers. Viewers reportedly have complete control of their viewing with the parental control functionality providing added security and enabling families to easily restrict or completely block channels or programmes.

The new service is available in  theUAE, KSA, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan and Bahrain and requires a minimum internet download speed of 1MB.