The Outdoor Channel's affiliates across North America will soon begin receiving high-quality digital programming feeds from a new Scientific-Atlanta PowerVu digital compression system. The Outdoor Channel, which has been on air in the US for nearly a decade, will discontinue its analogue distribution later this year and will rely solely on its new PowerVu digital system for delivery of its Primary and West feeds to cable affiliates.

Founded by outdoorsmen for outdoorsmen, The Outdoor Channel features quality programming designed to educate and entertain sportsmen of all skill levels. The programmes are designed to appeal to "traditional sportsmen" of all ages with a focus on activities that the entire family can enjoy in the great outdoors.

Outdoor says that it made the decision due to Scientific-Atlanta's commitment to the US cable marketplace, especially the focus on providing programmers the combination of cost savings through digital compression and the affordable PowerVu Program Receiver

Scientific-Atlanta has shown Outdoor how to begin delivering two digital feeds alongside the analogue feed on one transponder. Therefore the channel is already benefiting from boosted performance over existing bandwidth as the transition from analogue to digital is being made..

An official release informs that The new uplink system and the PowerVu Programme Receiver (Model D9850) will provide:

Reductions in the amount of satellite transponder space required, as well as more efficient use of bandwidth; digital feeds require much less bandwidth than analogue.

Future-friendly digital options for the Outdoor Channel as MSOs expand their digital tier; no need to re-encode the feeds to supply digital tier.

Local ad insertion by cable affiliates for revenue generation opportunities.

The release states that over 400 Scientific-Atlanta PowerVu digital video compression systems are transmitting over 2,000 channels of digital programming into more than 175 countries.