DIRECTV viewers have been enjoying cricket in High Definition for the first time in U.S.

Cricket entered a new era of 1080i High Definition digital broadcasting when Nine Network broadcast India vs Australia T20 match at Melbourne Cricket Ground on February 1, 2008.

When it was announced that the ICC World Cup Twenty20, which kicked off in the United Kingdom on 5th June, will be telecast on high definition for the first time, viewers in North America wondered if they would join their UK counterparts in getting their feed in High Definition.

DIRECTV confirmed last week that DIRECTV viewers will indeed enjoy cricket in High Definition for the first time in U.S.

ICC World Twenty20 is being shown in High-Definition (HD) only on DIRECTV. Subscribers of DIRECTV's CricketTicket should tune into channels 478-1 and 479-1 for the HD broadcast.

Viewers are excited about watching cricket on HD. "The joy of watching a ball glide over blades of grass - all of it in HD is hard to explain. Until now, we have only experienced baseball or golf in this exciting format," Shantharam Serukur told DreamCricket.com.

Serukur, who plays in a New Jersey league said that he was planning to switch to DIRECTV. "I would have loved to go to England to watch the matches, but watching on HD will match that experience."

Kranthi Bayya of DreamCricket Academy thinks reviews of slow motion shots in High Definition could help a lot of cricketers in making improvements to their own game. "There is more to cricket than meets the eye. There is a lot of subtlety that is easily missed with current broadcasts and internet streams. Like how a batsman grips the bat, the wrist-cock - all of that can be viewed with greater clarity in HD."

Not everyone is happy. "My favorite players has aged about five years once they showed him in full HD," one disappointed female cricket fan noted.

WHAT: DIRECTV, Inc., the nation's No. 1 satellite television service, will broadcast International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup matches in HD through the CricketTicket programming package. Available only on DIRECTV, CricketTicket is the first-ever, year-long subscription TV package for international cricket.

WHEN: The ICC T20 World Cup matches in HD are available now through June 21st on channels 478-1 and 479-1.

HOW: CricketTicket is part of DIRECTV's International programming platform and is available for $299.99 for the full season, or the IPL & ICC World T20 package can be purchased for $199.99. Individual matches can also be purchased a la carte and pricing varies depending on the specific game.

International customers must first subscribe to DIRECTV BASIC ($12.99/mo) and one of the international programming packages or any DIRECTV base programming package ($29.99/mo or above).

To receive HD programming, customers must have an H20 or H21 HD receiver or an HR20 or HR21 DIRECTV Plus HD DVR and a Ka/Ku band dish. Customers can receive more information on the package by calling 1-800-378-4179 or visit CricketTicket.com.