MUMBAI: Philips Electronics India Limited has announced the test launch of digital satellite TV in India. The product, which the company claims as being the first of its kind in the country, will target the "cable dry" semi-urban and rural areas.

Digital satellite TV has a Set-top box (STB) integrated inside a 15 inch CRT monitor display. This announcement was made by Royal Philips Electronics chief technology officer Rick Harwig in Bangalore today.

The digital satellite signal from the STB to CRT monitor is in high quality VGA format, Philips said. The product also has external multi-media speakers, with high sound output resulting in a convergence product, TV, PC and radio.

Interestingly, Philips Innovation Campus here developed the first prototypes of the product which has been successfully test marketed in cable dry areas of West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.

The Philips Digital Satellite Vardaan TV, when plugged into the CPU of a computer, functions as a PC Monitor. It also comes with a high quality dish antenna and LNB for excellent reception of satellite signals anywhere in the country, the company said.

The 15 inch digital satellite TV displays 640x480 pixel resolution which is more than twice the resolution seen in normal analog TVs for the same Direct-to Home (DTH) content.

The company hinted at a "very affordable" introductory price tag for its digital satellite TV. The product will be available at all consumer electronics retail outlets across the country and through the corporate marketing channel of the Consumer Electronics Division of Philips.