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.
[ 3 comments ]
| Read Full Article
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.
[ 5 comments ]
| Read Full Article
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.
[ 17 comments ]
| Read Full Article
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.
[ 42 comments ]
| Read Full Article
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.
[ 6 comments ]
| Read Full Article
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.
[ 19 comments ]
| Read Full Article
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."
[ 22 comments ]
| Read Full Article
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.
[ 49 comments ]
| Read Full Article
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.
[ 9 comments ]
| Read Full Article
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)
[ 53 comments ]
| Read Full Article
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.
[ 7 comments ]
| Read Full Article
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.
[ 7 comments ]
| Read Full Article
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."
[ 16 comments ]
| Read Full Article
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.
[ 34 comments ]
| Read Full Article
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.
[ 9 comments ]
| Read Full Article
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.
[ 24 comments ]
| Read Full Article
Microsoft TV: One Good Flop Deserves Another
The company will now push an Apple TV-like device to stream video from the PC to high-def sets.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (September 27, 2007) -- Well, they say that misery loves company.
Following a Forbes Magazine article this week that reports that Apple TV has been a bust, Microsoft today is expected to launch its own version of a PC-to-HDTV streaming device.
Called a Media Center Extender (catchy, huh?), the retail product will enable a Media Center PC owner to send his video and audio files from the PC to his High-Definition TV.
Although Apple TV's dismal sales -- less than 250,000 sold, says Forbes -- would seem to suggest that Americans are not interested in buying a separate set-top to stream video from a PC to a TV, Microsoft is bullish on the concept.
[ 6 comments ]
| Read Full Article
DIRECTV & HD: What's Next?
New channels are expected shortly.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (September 27, 2007) -- DIRECTV finally began its High-Definition expansion yesterday by launching 21 new high-def channels.
But lost in the noise was the omission of several HD networks that were expected to be added in the satcaster's initial rollout.
For instance, The Cartoon Network HD, Food Network HD, Cinemax HD, HGTV HD, MHD and National Geographic HD were not added yesterday.
Earlier this month, DIRECTV customer service reps provided lists of HD channels that would be launched this month and they included the above channels.
With DIRECTV saying it will have 70 HD channels in October, it's likely that the channels mentioned above will be included in the next rollout, which should be in the next week or two.
[ 22 comments ]
| Read Full Article
EchoStar Adds 4 HD Sports Networks
The satcaster says it now has 74 high-def channels.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (September 26, 2007) -- EchoStar's Dish Network today launched four new regional sports networks in High-Definition.
The four new HD channels are:
1. Altitude Sports and Entertainment (ch. 360), which broadcasts the games of the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche.
2. Comcast Sports Net Mid-Atlanta (ch. 374), which airs Washington, D.C. area professional sports.
3. Comcast Sports Net West (ch. 359), which airs Sacramento Kings games.
4. Fox Sports Ohio (ch. 375), which has both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Columbus Blue Jacket games.
[ 5 comments ]
| Read Full Article
DIRECTV Launches 20 HD Channels
The satcaster finally kicks off its high-def expansion.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (September 26, 2007) -- DIRECTV this morning launched 20 new High-Definition channels, including CNN HD and TBS HD.
The launch is the beginning of DIRECTV's plan to offer 100 high-def channels by year's end. With today's addition, the satcaster now has 30 national HD channels.
DIRECTV says it will have 70 HD channels in October.
[ 100 comments ]
| Read Full Article
DIRECTV & HD: Here We Go Again?
The satcaster may be eying Wednesday as the kickoff for its high-def expansion.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (September 25, 2007) -- DIRECTV may be preparing to launch its HDTV expansion tomorrow.
But haven't we heard that before?
The satcaster, which says it will begin adding high-def channels this month until it reaches 70 in October, was set to begin the rollout last Wednesday.
But sources say that DIRECTV ran into a technical glitch, causing it to put the expansion in a holding pattern.
However, there's evidence that DIRECTV is back on track and is now targeting tomorrow as the big day. For instance:
* Since early Sunday morning, the satcaster has been periodically testing some of the new HD channels on channels 9300 and 9301.
[ 48 comments ]
| Read Full Article
Forrester: Blu-ray-HD DVD War Will Continue
Study says Blu-ray must cut its player prices.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (September 25, 2007) -- The Blu-ray-HD DVD high-def DVD format war is likely to continue for another 18 months.
That's the conclusion of a new report from Forrester Research, as reported by Reuters.
The research firm also urged Blu-ray supporters to cut its player prices or risk an "upset defeat" by the HD DVD format.
[ 9 comments ]
| Read Full Article
MTV Yanks Britney's Flop From MHD Schedule
The network makes a last minute scheduling change, but denies any pressure from the singer.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (September 24, 2007) -- MHD, MTV's High-Definition channel, last week abruptly cancelled an encore broadcast of Britney Spears' musical meltdown at the 2007 Video Music Awards.
However, the network denies that the singer pressured it to drop the show from its scheduled time, which was Saturday (September 22) at 9 p.m. ET.
The MHD broadcast would have been the first time that MTV had repeated the September 9 VMAs, which opened with Spears' controversial and lackluster performance of her new single, Gimme More.
On Saturday night, MTV replaced the 3-hour VMAs with a 90-minute VMA "Best Of" show, which included extended performances from the program. However, the "Best Of" performances did not include Spears' opening number.
Asked today if Spears pressured the network to not repeat her performance, Mariana Agathoklis, a MTV spokeswoman, said: "No, not that I'm aware of. It was just a last minute scheduling change."
But she added that MTV now has no plans to air the 3-hour VMAs on MHD or the standard-definition MTV.
[ 4 comments ]
| Read Full Article
Home Theater Group Backs Blu-ray
Organization says installers are favoring the high-def format.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (September 24, 2007) -- Home Theater Specialists of America is endorsing Blu-ray over HD DVD in the high-def disc format war.
That's according to an article by TWICE Magazine.
The HTSA, which represents Home Theater installers and high-end CE stores, says a survey of its members found that 92 percent of their high-def player sales have been Blu-ray players.
The remaining eight percent were HD DVD players or combo units that playback both formats.
TWICE reports that the HTSA believes its endorsement of Blu-ray will "strengthen retailer commitment to providing more (Blu-ray)-based devices to meet growing consumer demand.”
[ 21 comments ]
| Read Full Article
DIRECTV to Add Smithsonian HD
But will the satcaster offer the channel this week with its HD rollout?
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (September 24, 2007) -- DIRECTV has agreed to carry the new Smithsonian HD channel, perhaps as early as Wednesday.
That's according to an article by the Associated Press.
DIRECTV is scheduled to begin its much-anticipated HD expansion this month, going from 10 high-def channels to 70 in October.
However, the satcaster's initial rollout of HD channels was delayed last week due to technical glitches.
The Associated Press reports that DIRECTV will begin airing Smithsonian HD on Wednesday, the date that some DIRECTV customer service officials are giving as the new launch date for DIRECTV's initial HD rollout.
[ 19 comments ]
| Read Full Article
Back Next
TVPredictions.com Forum
Make your voice heard on High-Definition TV!
Archives
