Warner to Delay 'Total HD Disc
The two-sided disc would play both Blu-ray and HD DVD.
By Phillip Swann
Washington, D.C. (June 28, 2007) -- Warner Home Video said yesterday that it's delaying the launch of a dual-format HDTV DVD until next year.
That's according to an article by Video Business.
The announcement, which was made yesterday at an entertainment conference, sparked immediate speculation that Warner is less sure that the format war between Blu-ray and HD DVD will continue beyond this year.
Warner initially said the 'Total HD' dual-format disc, which would include a Blu-ray version on one side and a HD DVD edition on the other, would be introduced in the second half of this year.
The two-sided disc was designed, Warner said, to appeal to high-def owners who were unsure about choosing the wrong format.
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When HDTV Is Not HDTV
ESPN2 HD's widescreen coverage of the 2007 Wimbledon tennis tournament has some high-def viewers fooled.
By Phillip Swann
Washington, D.C. (June 26, 2007) -- "Al" was sure -- 100 percent sure that yesterday's ESPN2 HD broadcast of Wimbledon's first day action was in high-def.
He was convinced even after reading an article by TVPredictions.com that directly quoted an ESPN spokesman as saying the broadcast was not in high-def.
"This article (is) not true! I watched the coverage in HD today. The HD picture quality is the same as usual," "Al" said in a posting at the TVPredictions.com Readers Forum message board.
"Al" is just one of many high-def owners this week who have been fooled into thinking that the ESPN2 HD Wimbledon broadcast is in HD. And it's not surprising that they would think that.
ESPN2 HD has decided to air a standard definition feed of the tennis tournament in 16 x 9 widescreen, the usual picture ratio for a HD broadcast. While the widescreen picture looks better than a cropped 4 x 3 image, the standard definition signal still lacks the clarity and sharpness of a high-def broadcast.
But "Al" and other high-def owners are finding it hard to accept that a widescreen picture on a HDTV channel (ESPN 2 HD) isn't in HD.
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TBS to Go High-Def On Sept. 1
The high-def coverage will include Major League Baseball playoff games.
By Phillip Swann
Washington, D.C. (June 26, 2007) -- TBS announced today that it will launch a High-Definition channel on September 1.
The announcement was reported today by Mediaweek.
TBS had already revealed its intention to provide a HD simulcast of its standard definition signal, but this is the first time it has offered an actual launch day.
DIRECTV has said it will carry TBS HD this fall.
TBS' high-def lineup will include several original series such as My Boys and repeats of popular sitcoms such as Seinfeld and Friends. The latter two programs are expected to be converted to the 1080i HD format.
The network also has the rights to broadcast early round games of Major League Baseball's playoff series in October.
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DIRECTV Offers 'Sneak Peek' at MHD
The preview will include Sunday's special concert honoring the late Princess Diana.
By Phillip Swann
Washington, D.C. (June 26, 2007) -- DIRECTV yesterday began airing a preview of MHD, the High-Definition network from MTV.
The satcaster, which plans to add the high-def music network full-time in September, is showing the "sneak peek" on channels 332 and 95.
DIRECTV currently does not have the satellite capacity to add a substantial number of high-def channels so it's offering a preview of MHD, and National Geographic HD on a part-time basis on channel 98.
The MHD preview will include the channel's special broadcast of the six-hour Concert for Diana live and in high-def on July 1.
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NBC, ESPN: Wimbledon Won't Be In HD
But the BBC says it will show it in high-def in the UK.
By Phillip Swann
Washington, D.C. (June 25, 2007) -- NBC and ESPN both said this morning that they will not broadcast the 2007 Wimbledon Tennis Championship in High-Definition.
Adam Freifeld, a spokesman for NBC Sports, told TVPredictions.com today that NBC would not show Wimbledon in HD. He did not elaborate on the reasons behind the decision.
NBC has the rights to broadcast the prestigious tennis tournament from June 30 to July 8th. As the only major broadcast network in the U.S. that will carry Wimbledon, NBC's coverage will be watched by millions of Americans.
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High-Def Battle to Get 3rd Player
Blu-ray and HD DVD will soon get some competition.
By Phillip Swann
Washington, D.C. (June 24, 2007) -- Consumers already baffled by the high-def DVD war may find another reason to be confused.
Coming this September, the UK-based company New Medium Enterprises will launch a new high-def DVD format called Versatile Multilayer Disc, or VMD.
The format will compete with existing high-def discs from the Sony-backed Blu-ray format and the Toshiba-supported HD DVD.
Variety magazine reports that New Medium plans to introduce the high-def format in the U.S. and Europe.
However, the publication notes that the format has not won the support of a single major U.S. film studio and only one U.S. retailer, a web site called PCrush.com, has agreed to sell the HD VMD player.
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News Analysis
CableCard Won't Connect With Consumers
Most Americans have little interest in buying a new set-top.
By Phillip Swann
Washington, D.C. (June 25, 2007) -- On July 1, a new federal rule will go into effect that's designed to create competition for the cable TV set-top.
The rule, which dates back to a 1996 law passed by Congress, will require cable TV operators to use the same technology in their boxes as set-tops sold at retail. (The rule only applies to cable TV boxes deployed on July 1 and beyond.)
Consequently, cable viewers will be able to plug a "CableCard" into the back of either box to receive their digital signals. (They can get the CableCard from their cable operator.)
Federal officials say this will give consumers the choice of purchasing their cable box from the store or leasing it from their cable operators.
However, like most efforts by the federal government to artificially create competition for a private industry, the CableCard initiative will fail as well.
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Cablevision Adds 15 Voom HD Channels
The cable operator also says it will have the capacity for 500 high-def channels by year's end.
By Phillip Swann
Washington, D.C. (June 21, 2007) -- Cablevision today said it will add Voom's 15-channel High-Definition lineup starting next week.
The addition will give Cablevision a lineup of 40 HD channels, more than any other TV provider.
But the cable operator added that it will have the "capacity" to offer up to 500 HD channels by year's end by using a new technology called Switch Digital Video.
The SDV system, which is expected to be deployed by other cable operators later this year, saves system space by only transmitting a channel when a viewer requests it.
Cablevision, however, did not reveal any additional HD channels it plans to add in the short or long term or whether it plans to actually offer a lineup anywhere close to 500 high-def channels.
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Cable TV & HD: Put Up Or Shut Up!
Phillip Swann, president of TVPredictions.com, says cable TV operators talk "HD capacity" while DIRECTV talks real HD channels.
By Allison Moore
HD Diva
Washington, D.C. (June 21, 2007) -- DIRECTV says it will offer 100 High-Definition channels by year's end -- and it has revealed dozens of those channels including CNN, TBS, USA Network and 11 HBO/Cinemax networks.
But Phillip Swann, president of TVPredictions.com, says cable TV operators are just offering vague promises about having the "capacity" to offer more high-def channels this year.
In a new video posted at TVPredictions.com, Swanni says cable TV needs "to put up or shut up" and tell high-def owners exactly which channels they will add and when.
"DIRECTV says they will have 100 High-Definition channels by year's end, but they're backing that claim up. They're telling us which channels they will have," Swanni says in the video. "But what are the cable TV operators doing? They're talking capacity! They say they will have the same HDTV capacity as DIRECTV!...But they're not guaranteeing they will have a certain number of channels or when they will add more channels."
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Ask Swanni: When Will TiVo Drop HD DVR Prices?
Your humble high-def guru takes your questions.
By Phillip Swann
Washington, D.C. (June 20, 2007) -- I get scores of e-mails every week from readers asking everything from whether they should buy a new HDTV to when will their TV provider add new high-def channels.
So, from time to time, I will publish my responses here in this new column called, "Ask Swanni!"
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Panasonic: Blu-ray Has Won
Top executive says the battle is over.
By Phillip Swann
Washington, D.C. (June 20, 2007) -- Joseph Taylor, a Panasonic executive vice president, says Blu-ray has won the high-def DVD format war against rival HD DVD.
In an interview with TWICE magazine, Taylor noted that four of the eight major film studios have decided to back Blu-ray exclusively. And, perhaps consequently, more titles are available in Blu-ray, leading to higher sales of Blu-ray discs.
"Who did the content providers select? At the moment, overwhelmingly, the content providers have selected Blu-ray," Taylor said. "What are consumers buying? Since the beginning of the year content (disc sales have been) almost two to one for Blu-ray."
Panasonic has been a Blu-ray backer from the launch of the high-def disc format. The company recently introduced a new $599 Blu-ray player.
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DIRECTV Offers NY's WNBC In LA
But the high-def feed is not available.
By Phillip Swann
Washington, D.C. (June 19, 2007) -- DIRECTV is offering Los Angeles residents an opportunity to watch NBC programming three hours ahead of schedule.
The satcaster has launched a new service called "NBC In NY -- Only in LA."
For $5.99 a month, eligible Los Angeles residents can add WNBC, the NBC owned station in New York, to their DIRECTV local channel lineup.
To be eligible for WNBC, the DIRECTV customer must not be able to capture a signal from a NBC station other than KNBC, the Los Angeles area NBC-owned affiliate.
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Blu-ray: 5 to 1 Edge Over HD DVD Players
Research firm says 1.5 million homes have Blu-ray players.
By Phillip Swann
Washington, D.C. (June 20, 2007) -- Blu-ray players are in roughly 1.5 million homes -- five times more than its high-def DVD rival, HD-DVD.
That's according to the research firm Digital Entertainment Group, as reported by Video Business.
DEG says the 1.5 million Blu-ray homes include about 100,000 standalone Blu-ray players with the rest PlayStation 3 game consoles, which include Blu-ray players inside.
The research firm says there 300,000 HD DVD homes in the United States -- evenly split between standalone players and HD DVD XBox 360 attachment drives.
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Best Buy: TV Makers Aren't 'Dumping' 720p HDTVs
Retailer says there's room for both 720p and 1080p high-def sets.
By Phillip Swann
Washington, D.C. (June 19, 2007) -- Best Buy today said there's no evidence that TV manufacturers are abandoning the 720p HDTV in favor of new, more expensive 1080p sets.
"We haven't seen any evidence of manufacturers dumping 720p," Mike Vitelli, Best Buy's senior vice president of consumer electronics, said today during an investors call on the retailer's first quarter report. "Both technologies have a place."
Vitelli made his remarks in response to a Wall Street analyst's suggestion that TV makers are planning to focus primarily on 1080p sets in the future.
The 1080p HDTV offers more lines of resolution than a 720p set but many industry observers say it's questionable that the average viewer can tell the difference.
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Swanni: How HD DVD Can Survive
The high-def guru offers some advice for the high-def DVD format.
By Allison Moore
HD Diva
Washington, D.C. (June 18, 2007) -- Phillip Swann, president of TVPredictions.com, says that HD DVD, the high-def DVD format, is now a long-shot to survive in its battle against Blu-ray.
Swanni makes this assessment after today's news that Blockbuster will carry Blu-ray discs exclusively in about 1,450 stores nationwide.
However, in a new video posted at TVPredictions.com, Swanni offers three actions that HD DVD supporters can take to continue to compete in the high-def DVD category.
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Blockbuster to Support Blu-ray
The video retailer will not carry HD DVDs in 1,450 stores.
By Phillip Swann
Washington, D.C. (June 17, 2007) -- Video rental giant Blockbuster will only rent HDTV DVDs in the Blu-ray format in 1,450 stores next month when it expands its high-def service.
That's according to an exclusive report today from the Associated Press.
The retailer has tested both formats in approximately 250 stores for the last several months. But Blockbuster officials say 70 percent of the high-def rentals are Blu-ray.
"The consumers are sending us a message. I can't ignore what I'm seeing," Matthew Smith, Blockbuster's senior vice president of merchandising, tells AP.
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Blu-ray vs HD DVD: Are We Headed for Stalemate?
By Robert Smith
Palo Alto (June 17, 2007) -- The format war between Blu-ray and HD DVD appears to be headed into a new phase, one in which consumers are waiting for a winner to be decided. If a winner does not emerge soon, a stalemate is possible, with both formats losing.
The first phase of the format war was the launch, when HD DVD appeared to be winning because of higher-quality titles and lower pricing. But HD DVD failed to close the deal last fall, leaving an opening for the Sony’s PS3 to work its magic.
The PS3 shipped in November and, while not a stunning success in the video game world, sold enough machines to change the dynamic of the format war. Blu-ray has been impressively ahead all year. But Blu-ray didn’t close the deal either.
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Time Warner Adds Movie Channel HD in Staten Island
The cable operator realigns its high-def lineup.
By Phillip Swann
Washington, D.C. (June 17, 2007) -- Time Warner Cable has added The Movie Channel HD to its high-def lineup in Staten Island.
The channel, a high-def simulcast of the standard TMC, was added on June 14 as part of a realignment of Time Warner's HD lineup there.
TMC HD is now channel 778 on Time Warner Cable in Staten Island.
There is no word that Time Warner has added TMC HD to any other market. The cable operator has a policy of negotiating the rights to carry a channel and then allowing the local system to decide if and when to add it.
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Time Warner 'Expects' to Carry HBO Channels In HD
But the cable operator also says it could feature the content via on demand services.
By Phillip Swann
Washington, D.C. (June 16, 2007) -- Time Warner says it "expects" that it will carry HBO's new High-Definition channels which will launch later this year.
That's according to an article in Multichannel News.
HBO announced this week that it will broadcast all 26 HBO and Cinemax channels in high-def, beginning this September. The premium network currently only airs four of its 26 channels in HD.
After the HBO announcement, DIRECTV quickly said it would carry 11 HBO/Cinemax channels in high-def, beginning with the addition of several channels this September.
The satcaster is scheduled to dramatically expand its high-def lineup in September after the launch of a new satellite next month.
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What Internet TV Needs to Succeed
Sony is the latest to offer a device allowing viewers to watch Net video on their High-Definition TVs.
By Phillip Swann
Washington, D.C. (June 15, 2007) -- Sony yesterday announced that next month it will sell a device that will allow some Sony High-Definition TV owners to watch web videos on the big screen.
The electronics giant will join Apple, TiVo and several other companies aiming to provide Net video on high-def sets.
Both Sony and Apple are correct that Internet video will ultimately become part of the television viewing experience. Many Americans will enjoy having the ability to call up a short video on a multitude of subjects and watch it on the big screen rather than on a PC.
In addition, the Internet's storage capacity is far greater than today's TV set-tops, potentially giving the viewer more programming options.
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Sony's Net TV Device Ships In July
The $300 device is designed for High-Definition sets.
By Phillip Swann
Washington, D.C. (June 14, 2007) -- Sony next month will ship a $300 module that will stream Net-based video to select High-Definition TVs.
That's according to an article from Information Week.
The module, called the Bravia Internet Video Link, was first introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. The product will compete with Apple TV, TiVo and other companies that are offering streaming video from the Net to your television.
The Sony module, however, will only be compatible with seven Bravia brand HDTVs.
Unlike Apple TV, which transmits video from the PC to the TV, the Sony device will connect directly to the high-def set using the USB and HDMI ports. The compatible Bravia set will come with a bracket on the back that will hold the device.
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Sony: More Than 100k Blu-ray Players Sold In 2006
The company says sales will jump six to seven times this year.
By Phillip Swann
Washington, D.C. (June 14, 2007) -- Sony said from 100,000 to 125,000 Blu-ray players were sold last year, not including PlayStation3 consoles which include Blu-ray players inside.
That's according to an article by TWICE magazine.
Sony's assertion would seem to contradict a statement from Toshiba this week that there have been 150,000 HD DVD players sold to date, representing 60 percent of the standalone high-def DVD market.
If 100,000 to 125,000 standalone Blu-ray players were sold last year, then it's likely that the total sold to date would come close to or surpass the 150k mark offered this week by Toshiba.
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Blu-ray Fumbles Chance In HDTV DVD War
By Mitch Davis
Washington, D.C. (June 13, 2007) -- With several million PlayStation 3 consoles sold, one would think that Blu-Ray would be on the road to defeating HD DVD by now, but this is far from reality.
With its back against the wall, Toshiba threw a Hail Mary pass by selling (HD DVD players) at or below cost with drastic price reductions that make HD DVD attractive to mass consumers. This is working well. Who would have guessed that affordable pricing means more people will buy HD? (maybe Swanni did).
Universal has been backing HD DVD with large amounts of popular catalog titles coming out after a drought of releases. Not to mention Warner Bros. and Paramount have also been releasing their quality titles on both formats.
So what has the Blu-Ray team been up to?
Hardware releases from multiple companies with expensive pricing and a recent slowdown of exclusive titles hasn't helped. Sony is coming soon with a very nice new BR player at $499 list, which hopefully the price will come down when on sale. Let's hope other manufacturers follow suit fast.
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DIRECTV to Carry 11 HBO/Cinemax Channels In HD
The new channels will be added in September.
By Phillip Swann
Washington, D.C. (June 12, 2007) -- DIRECTV plans to carry 11 HBO/Cinemax channels in High-Definition this September, TVPredictions.com has learned.
The satcaster now offers just one HBO-branded channel in high-def -- HBO East. However, DIRECTV is scheduled to expand its HD lineup this September after the launch of a new satellite in July.
With the additional capacity, DIRECTV in September will add dozens of new high-def channels, including the following HBO/Cinemax channels:
HBO West
HBO2 West
HBO2 East
HBO Family East
HBO Family West
HBO Latino
HBO Signature
Cinemax East
Cinemax West
MoreMax
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Comcast: 800 HDTV Channels?
The war of words between cable and satellite escalates.
By Phillip Swann
Washington, D.C. (June 12, 2007) -- DIRECTV says it will carry 100 High-Definition channels by year's end. But the nation's largest cable operator says you ain't seen nothing yet.
In the latest skirmish between cable and satellite over high-def, Comcast officials are telling industry groups that it will have 400 HDTV channel choices by year's end.
And it will have more than 800 by the end of 2008.
Before you call Comcast to sign up, the exact number of channels depends upon your definition of what a channel actually is.
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