DIRECTV Adds 6 HD Channels
The list includes the new Fox Business Network; regional sports channels also added.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (October 15, 2007) -- DIRECTV today added four new national High-Definition channels to its rapidly expanding lineup.
The new channels are: Fox Business Network (channel 359); HGTV HD (channel 229-1); FX HD (channel 248); Speed Network HD (channel 607); Fuel HD (channel 612) and The Cartoon Network (channel 296).
DIRECTV's launch today now gives the satcaster 49 national HD channels. The company says it will offer 70 HD channels by month's end and up to 100 high-def channels by the end of the year.
DIRECTV today also added the following regional sports channels in high-def: FSN Southwest (channel 643); FSN West HD (channel 652); Fox Sports Pittsburgh HD (channel 653); and FSN Detroit HD (channel 636).
And, it added three channels in the 130s for high-def PPV movies.
The Fox Business Network, which just launched this morning, was created by Fox to compete with business channels CNBC and Bloomberg News.
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Comcast Sued Over Video On Demand
Three Florida residents say it frequently doesn't work.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (October 15, 2007) -- Comcast has promoted its Video On Demand service as a major reason why viewers should subscribe to cable rather than satellite.
However, three Florida residents have filed a lawsuit against the cable operator, charging that Comcast's VOD frequently fails to operate due to system errors.
The residents say Comcast's promotion of the service as a reason to subscribe -- and the alleged inability to deliver that service -- constitutes breach of contract and deceptive trade practices.
That's according to an article by the South Florida Business Journal.
The publication reports that Comcast has yet to file a legal response to the allegation, which was filed in Duval County circuit court but moved to federal court at Comcast's request.
The newspaper added that Comcast refused to comment on the specific allegations other than to say it will "vigorously defend" itself.
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CBS: Couric, Conventions In HD Next Year
Network executive makes disclosure at HD World.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (October 11, 2007) -- CBS will likely broadcast the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric in High-Definition by next summer.
That's according to CBS Director of Bureau Operations Mel Olinsky, as reported by Broadcasting and Cable magazine.
Speaking today at the HD World conference in New York, Olinsky added that the network will air both 2008 political conventions in high-def, too.
The CBS executive said the network is modifying its technical plant to prepare for the events, B&C reported. The Democratic National Convention will take place in Denver next August while the Republicans will convene in Minneapolis in September.
Olinsky refused to give a launch date for Couric's evening newscast in HD, but he said the show's control room should be ready by May. The cameras and set have been ready for some time, he added.
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Comcast: TiVo Service Has Begun
The cable operator launches TiVo's HD and non-HD recording features in New England.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (October 9, 2007) -- Comcast has begun offering TiVo's HD and non-HD recording features in New England, the company said today.
The rollout announcement comes just three days after TiVo CEO Tom Rogers said Comcast's launch of its recording services was a "little behind" schedule.
But Comcast said today the New England launch occurred a few days ago, albeit to a small number of homes.
The cable operator refused to comment on specifics such as pricing and cities where the TiVo service is being offered.
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HDTV: Why Are the Commercials Louder?
One exec says the industry needs audio standards.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (October 11, 2007) -- Ever noticed that the commercials on a High-Definition TV program sometimes seem louder than the program itself?
You're not alone -- and you're not imagining it. However, the cause of the problem is not what you probably suspect.
Charles Myers, vice president of distribution and technology for Discovery Communications, says the problem lies in the fact that the industry hasn't adopted audio standards for high-def transmissions.
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Execs: High-Def Discs Will Prevail
Supporters of the two formats say consumers will eventually embrace the category.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (October 11, 2007) -- Blu-ray and HD DVD sales have been disappointing due to several reasons including consumer confusion and high prices. But supporters of the two high-def formats yesterday said consumers are finally starting to come around.
That's according to an article by Video Business.
At a panel discussion yesterday at the DisplaySearch HDTV conference in Los Angeles, officials backing Blu-ray and HD DVD said it's just a matter of time before Americans start buying high-def DVD players.
“The chances are pretty slim” that the category won't succeed," said Don Eklund, executive vice president for Sony Pictures, according to Video Business. Sony is the chief supporter of the Blu-ray format.
Eklund said that with high-def sets in 30 million U.S. homes -- and cable and satellite operators aggressively promoting HD programming -- consumers will eventually give high-def discs a try.
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Industry Execs: HD Sets Lacking Picture Quality
Panelists at high-def conference say the picture often gets diluted in the transmission process.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (October 10, 2007) -- Several industry officials said today that the average HDTV owner is not getting the best possible picture on his set.
At a panel discussion today at the HD World conference in New York, officials from Scientific-Atlanta, Discovery, Motorola and SES Americom said the high-def signal gets diluted during the transmission process.
The corruption in image quality can be blamed on everything from the HD network's decision on how to transmit the signal to the consumer's often faulty display choices, the officials said.
Consequently, they added, the HD picture diminishes in quality once it's displayed on the consumer's home screen.
"Good HD quality -- I believe that people have never really seen it," Brian Morris, vice president of digital media for cable set-top maker Scientific-Atlanta, told HD World attendees. "But what we're seeing today is not good HD quality."
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DIRECTV Adds 4 HD Channels
The satcaster's high-def expansion continues.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (October 10, 2007) -- DIRECTV today added four High-Definition channels, bringing its national HD channel total to 45 (including the four local networks).
The new channels are: MGM HD (channel 255); Food Network HD (231-1); National Geographic HD (276) and CNBC HD+ (355)
DIRECTV says it will offer 70 HD channels by month's end and up to 100 high-def channels by the end of the year.
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HD DVD Claims Lead In Player Sales
The format's leading booster cites new research.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (October 10, 2007) -- Toshiba says standalone HD DVD players are once again outselling standalone Blu-ray players.
The company, which makes HD DVD players and is the leading supporter of the high-def disc format, is basing that claim on new research from NPD Group, according to Video Business.
Toshiba says HD DVD players began outselling Blu-ray set-tops in mid-September after several weeks of victories for Blu-ray.
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TiVo: Comcast Deal Behind Schedule
The cable operator will offer TiVo's HD and non-HD recording features.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (October 9, 2007) -- TiVo CEO Tom Rogers says Comcast's rollout of its recording services is a "little behind" schedule.
That's according to an article by Reuters.
Comcast was expected to begin offering TiVo's HD and non-HD DVR service to New England markets in August. The two companies announced the marketing partnership more than two years ago.
But Rogers said today that Comcast is still testing the TiVo software in employee homes. Reuters reports that the software has been added to Scientific-Atlanta cable set-tops.
Despite the delay, Rogers expressed optimism that Comcast would launch the service soon.
"We're waiting for word any time now that the first non-Comcast employee will begin to get the service," Rogers said today at an industry conference, according to Reuters.
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Comcast Adding USA Network HD
The cable operator alerts subscribers in New Hampshire.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (October 9, 2007) -- Comcast is adding USA Network HD to its lineup of High-Definition channels.
The cable operator has alerted subscribers in New Hampshire that it's adding nine new HD channels next month.
The list includes several channels already added to other Comcast markets such as MHD and The History Channel HD.
However, Comcast says it's also adding USA Network HD, which it has not announced previously.
USA Network HD, a simulcast of the standard-def USA Network, is owned by NBC Universal, and consequently, airs several NBC Universal-produced shows such as Monk.
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DIRECTV: What's Next For HDTV?
The satcaster could be preparing to add more channels this week.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (October 9, 2007) -- DIRECTV has added 28 new High-Definition channels in the past few weeks.
But when will it add more? The satcaster has said it will reach 70 HD channels by month's end and it's now at the 41 mark.
However, there are some signs that DIRECTV will further expand its high-def lineup this week.
Zap2It.com, an online listings guide, is now listing MGM HD and National Geographic HD at DIRECTV channels 255 and 276 respectively.
In the past few weeks, Zap2It has been a good barometer of DIRECTV's upcoming channel launches. Like all listings services, Zap2It must get its listings well in advance.
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EchoStar: We Have 48 National HD Channels
The satcaster adds one channel, but increases its count by nine.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (October 5, 2007) -- EchoStar's Dish Network last Friday added TBS HD to its high-def lineup.
And today, it issued a press release saying it now carries 48 national High-Definition channels.
That's an impressive number of channels, more than any other TV provider. But what's even more impressive is that EchoStar said it had 39 national HD channels prior to the launch of TBS HD.
That's right. EchoStar jumped from 39 to 48 with a single new channel.
How did the satcaster perform this mathematical magic?
Starting today, EchoStar is counting its eight HD PP channels as national channels. So with the addition of TBS HD -- and the eight HD PPV channels -- the company says it has 48 national HD channels.
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Fox Business Network: Real HD For Us
Rival CNBC will use non-HD pictures for its new 'HD channel.'
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (October 8, 2007) -- Fox Business Network will launch both a SD and HD channel on October 15. And network officials say the high-def channel will offer real high-def images.
That will be in contrast to business channel rival CNBC which plans to launch a new 'high-def' channel later this year called CNBC HD+.
The CNBC HD+ channel will actually display a standard-def, 4:3 image on the left side of the screen and fill the HD widescreen with graphics on the right.
According to Broadcasting & Cable magazine, Fox Business Network will be produced and transmitted in the 720p format, providing real high-def pictures.
DIRECTV has agreed to carry the high-def version at launch.
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EchoStar: Still No TBS HD
The satcaster says it can't comment.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (October 5, 2007) -- EchoStar's Dish Network, the nation's second leading satcaster, still has not added TBS HD, leaving many baseball viewers frustrated.
TBS HD this week began high-def coverage of the 2007 Major League Baseball playoffs, offering three games on each of the two days of the playoffs.
The channel has the rights to broadcast first and second round action in baseball's annual elimination tournament.
Knowing that baseball fans with high-def sets would demand TBS HD, DIRECTV and several cable operators, such as Comcast and Time Warner, have added the channel.
However, some TV providers, such as Charter, Verizon's FiOS and EchoStar, still have not added TBS HD.
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Red Sox Fans Angry at Verizon & Charter
The two TV providers are not providing high-def coverage of the baseball playoffs.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (October 5, 2007) -- TBS HD this week began its high-def coverage of the 2007 Major League Baseball playoffs. That's dandy --- if your local TV provider offers TBS HD.
The Boston Globe reports that many Boston Red Sox fans are furious because two local TV providers -- Charter and Verizon's FiOS -- have yet to add TBS HD to their high-def lineups.
Consequently, Sox fans this week must watch their hometown heroes in standard-def as they take on the Los Angeles Angels.
"Boston's pretty wealthy, we're first movers," Justin Bullion, who has Verizon, told the newspaper. "Not being able to see the Red Sox in HD is just a big corporate mistake."
It's unclear how many Red Sox fans are being affected by the decision. Verizon is available in 470,000 homes in Massachusetts and Rhode Island while Charter has more than 200,000 subscribers in Massachusetts, the Globe reports.
Charter says it hopes to add the channel, but has been unable to finalize carriage negotiations with Turner Broadcasting, the parent of TBS.
"This is a service business, we're not out to anger our customers," Charter said, according to the Globe. "But legally, we can't (offer TBS) until they let us do it."
Several other cable operators, including Comcast and Time Warner, have added TBS HD this week. Comcast's subscribers in Massachusetts can now watch TBS HD.
Verizon's new telco FiOS service said flatly that it will not add TBS HD for the playoffs, according to its statement.
"We're a new system and adding channels all the time, but unfortunately won't have TBS HD for the baseball playoffs," Verizon spokesman Phil Santoro said in an e-mail to the Globe. "But we expect to continue adding dozens of new channels including HD channels in the coming months."
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DIRECTV to Add MHD
The high-def network is from MTV Networks.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (October 4, 2007) -- DIRECTV today is expected to add MHD, the High-Definition music channel from MTV Networks.
MHD, which will be on DIRECTV's channel 332, offers a mix of music videos and concert footage in high-def.
While the channel was not available yet this morning, DIRECTV has included it in its "HD Channels Currently Available" list on channel 77, its on-screen guide to new HD programming.
The addition now gives DIIRECTV 41 national High-Definition channels, including the four major broadcast networks, which are available in most markets.
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Nielsen Study: HD Owners Want More HD
Consumer survey shows that high-def owners believe content is lacking.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (October 3, 2007) -- High-Definition TV owners are happy with their picture, but believe there should be more channels available in high-def.
That's according to a new consumer survey from Nielsen Media Research.
The company says 85 percent of high-def owners rate their HD picture as either "excellent" or "above average."
However, only 39 percent said their selection of HD channels was either excellent or above average.
Criticism of the high-def lineup found on most cable and satellite systems is not new, but it reflects the growing demand for more channels among high-def owners. And it's a critical reason why satellite and cable operators are investing heavily to expand their HD capacities.
Nielsen added that women are slightly more likely to say the HD picture is better than men. But cable and satellite operators do not differ on picture quality satisfaction.
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DIRECTV Adds Six HD Channels
The satcaster now has 37 national high-def channels.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (October 3, 2007) -- DIRECTV today added six new High-Definition channels, bringing its total to 37 national HD channels.
The new channels added today are:
USA Network HD (channel 242)
Sci-Fi Channel HD (channel 244)
Bravo HD (channel 272)
HBO West HD (channel 504)
Cinemax HD (channel 512)
Cinemax West HD (channel 514)
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HD DVD to Include Online Shopping
Evan Almighty disc will include link to Universal's online store.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (October 3, 2007) -- Universal Studios will announce today that next week's HD DVD release of Evan Almighty will include an online shopping feature.
That's according to an article by the Associated Press.
Evan Almighty, a comedy which stars Steve Carell as a modern day Noah, will be the first HD DVD to include an online shopping component.
The disc will include a Web browser that can connect to Universal's online store where viewers can buy products related to the movie such as a rain barrel for $135 and recyclable toilet paper.
HD DVD supporters, led by Microsoft, have said the format's interactive features will distinguish it from rival Blu-ray in the high-def disc war.
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Illegal Aliens Can Get $40 Digital TV Coupons
The federal government will issue the coupons next year for digital converters.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (October 3, 2007) -- The federal government in January will begin issuing $40 coupons to help Americans purchase Digital TV converter boxes so they can keep watching TV when the nation switches to all-digital signals in 2009.
And a Bush administration official said yesterday that illegal aliens will be allowed to get the $40 coupons just like everyone else.
"We don’t have any restrictions on the program with regard to any classification, whether it’s immigration status or economic status ...” said NTIA chief John Kneuer, according to Multichannel News.
Kneuer is a Commerce Department official who runs the National Telecommunications & Information Administration, which oversees the coupon program.
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Panasonic: Blu-ray Close to Victory
CE executive downplays Paramount's endorsement of rival HD DVD.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (October 2, 2007) -- A top Panasonic executive today said Blu-ray could defeat high-def disc rival HD DVD by the end of the year.
That's according to an article at CNET.com.
Kazuhiro Tsuga, who runs Matsushita's home electronics unit, says Blu-ray manufacturers will soon sharply cut player prices and launch a major promotional effort for the format. (Matsushita is the parent of Panasonic.)
The two actions will give Blu-ray a wide lead over HD DVD by the end of the holiday season or by the end of the first quarter, he said, according to CNET.
Apparently, according to Tsuga, HD DVD backers, led by Toshiba, would then be forced to either drop out of the battle or negotiate an agreement with the Blu-ray forces for a single format.
"The BD (Blu-ray disc) companies will try to do our best to promote Blu-ray," he said. "The studios want us to put money in to promote it...By the end of the year, you will see good products with very good promotion."
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Will Cable Offer 100 HD Channels In 2007?
Cable operators have boasted of higher capacity.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (October 2, 2007) -- DIRECTV says it will have 70 HDTV channels this month and 100 high-def channels by year's end. (It now has 31 national HD channels).
So, will your cable TV provider be able to match it?
Short answer: Not likely.
Top cable operators earlier this year boasted that they would have as much high-def capacity as DIRECTV. And some went as far to say that their HD lineups would be "as compelling" as DIRECTV.
"I'm 100 percent confident that we will have as compelling a HDTV lineup as DIRECTV," Melinda Witmer, Time Warner's chief programming officer, told TVPredictions.com last March.
Witmer added that Time Warner would have the capacity for 100 high-def channels by year's end. And Time Warner Cable CFO Landel Hobbs told an investors conference in June that the cable operator would have "virtually unlimited" capacity for high-def by year's end.
But Time Warner, which now has around 30 HD channels in some markets, was not the only cable operator talking a good game earlier in the year.
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Swanni's 10 HDTV Predictions For 2008!
Set prices will stabilize; the Digital TV transition will face more obstacles; and the HD 'arms race' between cable and satellite will increase.
By Allison Moore
HD Diva
Washington, D.C. (October 1, 2007) -- Editor's Note: Phillip Swann, president of TVPredictions.com, is scheduled to reveal his 10 HDTV predictions for 2008 at today's annual Iowa Digital TV Symposium in Des Moines.
Below are Swanni's 10 predictions for high-def for the coming year -- and excerpts from his prepared remarks at the Iowa conference.
To see his 2007 predictions for HDTV, click: 2007.
1. Digital TV Becomes a Political Football
"As we get closer to the February 2009 transition date, look for Democrats to escalate their charges that the Republican administration is not doing enough to educate Americans on what they need to do to keep watching TV when the nation switches from analog to digital.
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DIRECTV: More HD Channels This Week?
Online guide listings show new additions.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (September 30, 2007) -- DIRECTV this week added 21 new High-Definition channels en route to its goal of offering 100 HD channels by year's end.
But when will the satcaster add more high-def channels?
DIRECTV has said it will provide 70 HD channels by the end of October, adding this month such networks as Bravo HD, Fox Business Channel HD, Cinemax HD, Food Network HD, NBA TV HD and Sci-Fi HD among others.
However, there are some signs that the satcaster will add more HD channels sooner than later. For instance, Zap2It.com, which offers online TV listings, is already showing MHD in DIRECTV's listings.
MHD is the high-def network for MTV Networks.
In addition, Zap2It.com lists the National Geographic Channel as being in high-def on DIRECTV.
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