There is a change in the air for DStv SuperSport viewers, the sports channel has announced that subscribers who are stuck with the SD (standard definition) channels will be getting a little extra come February. The company will be introducing a widescreen format for all SD SuperSport channels on 4 February.

The move will bring the channels in question into line with other DStv channels as well as international broadcasting standards. There’s little question that the average flatscreen TV will benefit from the change but SuperSport hasn’t forgotten about those who may be stuck with 4:3 ratio displays.

DStv will be including a letterbox mode for those older TVs, accessible through a setting found either on the decoder itself or via the remote control. It will mean that viewers will have black bars on the top and bottom of the screen but they won’t miss much action – it’ll just be a bit smaller.

Action CEO of SuperSport Brandon Foot said in a media statement of the changeover “It offers a far richer viewing experience, particularly for sport which is often fluid and panoramic. We’re looking forward to its implementation and expect that viewers will enjoy the new format.”