Cox says the service will be added shortly to its systems in Northern Virginia and Oklahoma City, with more markets to be added this summer.
Cox is not the first cable operator to launch a HD On Demand feature. Both Comcast and Time Warner have had one for some time.
But today's announcement is more evidence that the cable industry is eying HD On Demand as a way to counter DIRECTV's upcoming high-def expansion.
The cable operators won't have the capacity this fall to match DIRECTV's expected lineup of dozens of high-def channels. But they can beef up their HD On Demand menus. (On Demand does not require as much bandwidth as a 24/7 network.)
Cox President Pat Esser said recently that he hopes the cable op can boost its HD channel capacity to 50 channels by year's end.
“As more of our customers upgrade their viewing experience with High Definition televisions, we will continue to expand our HD offerings both by adding more HD channels and through interactive options like On Demand," David Pugliese, vice president of product marketing for Cox, said in a statement. "We know that our customers want more HD and our network is set up to deliver the best quality HD experience available with the choice and convenience they expect.”
Cox customers in eligible markets can access the high-def movies by tuning to Channel 1. The company said it would offer 20 movies in high-def at launch, but plans to expand later.
“Recent
consumer research shows that satellite companies can’t
match cable’s high quality HD
picture,” said Pugliese.
“Plus Cox is the only place to get a
true On Demand, experience, making it even clearer why Cox is
the best choice for entertainment and communications in our
markets.”
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