NHK on Friday started trial broadcasts for its digital satellite service, which provides data and images on demand, three months ahead of the Dec. 1 start of full-scale programming.
Subscribers of NHK's satellite broadcasting service who have data-converting equipment on their television sets will receive high-quality images and can retrieve information such as weather forecasts and sports news, including the results of the Sydney Olympic Games, NHK said.
The digital images are being provided on the existing channels of NHK's broadcasting satellite BS1 and BS2, and Japan Satellite Broadcasting Inc., known as WOWOW.
High-definition digital images are being transmitted on a new channel jointly run by NHK and other television stations.
In the full-scale version, viewers will get news, traffic reports, financial market reports and election bulletins, and will be able to do shopping and take part in quiz shows, NHK officials said.
NHK is a quasigovernmental broadcaster mainly financed by television license fees instead of advertising.