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2004 HDTV News Blog Archives

 Sony: We’re Not Abadoning Plasma

On the heels of swirling industry speculation set off by Japanese media reports that it is exiting the plasma display business, Sony Electronics issued this statement yesterday:

“Sony has absolutely no intention of abandoning our plasma television business in the US in 2005 or the foreseeable future. It has been a strong, viable line in both our consumer and professional display market segments this year, and we anticipate continued growth.

While we are enthused about the prospects of our joint LCD manufacturing venture, PDPs will definitely remain in our product lineups moving forward.”

Posted by Mark Kersey, Dec. 23, 2004 12:26pm

DIRECTV Adding FOX HD in 26 Markets

DIRECTV announced yesterday that FOX HD is now available in the 26 FOX owned-and-operated markets around the country. DIRECTV HD customers in the Eastern and Central time zones will receive the FOX broadcast from New York City (WNYW) while Pacific and Mountain customers will get FOX Los Angeles (KTTV). 45% of U.S. TV households are covered by the carriage deal, which includes the following markets: New York, L.A., Philadelphia, Boston, Dallas-Forth Worth, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Detroit, Houston, Tampa, Minneapolis, Cleveland, Phoenix, Denver, Orlando, St. Louis, Baltimore, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Salt Lake City, Birmingham, Memphis, Greensboro, Austin, and Gainesville, Fla.  Posted by Mark Kersey, Dec. 23, 2004 12:20pm

First Look: Adelphia’s HD-DVR from Moxi

Long-time readers of this blog know that I routinely take Adelphia, my cable company, to task for lagging behind most of its peers in the deployment of advanced services such as HDTV and DVR.  So imagine my surprise when I found out that the company’s new HD-DVR box from Moxi (manufactured by Motorola) is now available.  I made a few calls and within three days, an installer was at my house setting up one in the living room for our plasma and the other on a regular analog CRT in the bedroom (they use the same box for HDTVs and analog TVs).  Here are some initial thoughts:

First of all, kudos to Adelphia for having the guts to roll out some truly interesting new technology.  Cox and Time Warner are the other cable companies in San Diego, and while they’ve both had HD-DVRs available for several months, I’ve heard a number of complaints about the Scientific-Atlanta boxes that they use. Most of the problems seem to have been ironed out by now, but the general consensus is that while functional, the interface is severly inferior to TiVo, DVR’s gold standard.

This is not the case with the Moxi platform. Navigation is amazingly simple and the DVR itself works extremely well. With two tuners, you can record two programs or watch one while recording another -- all in high-def.  The interface has a horizontal scroll bar for categories (Favorite Channels, Recorded TV, HDTV Channels, etc.) but vertical within each category (ESPN HD, HBO HD, etc.), which I find to be a very efficient use of space.  Also, instead of having one giant channel guide that lists 250 digital cable channels, they are broken down into categories for easier navigation (Sports, News, Kids, Movies, Music, etc.). This is probably the best program guide that I have seen.

I do have a few complaints.  For starters, the picture quality is slightly worse than with the regular Motorola HD cable box that we traded in for the Moxi HD-DVR. This degradation in picture quality was most noticeable on Discovery HD Theater and ESPN HD, but not as apparent on ABC, CBS or NBC.  I don’t know why the Moxi box makes the picture worse, but it is perceptible.

Second, the installer told me that I would have great difficulty programming the Adelphia/Moxi remote into the universal remote that controls my whole home theater -- and he was right. Certain buttons work (like the Jump key), but none of the DVR buttons do and the channel-changing numbers are all out of whack (my remote thinks that 7 is 6).  I don’t know understand why the Moxi remote is any different than others when it comes to compatibility with universal remotes, but it’s pretty annoying to have to use two remotes after getting by with one for so long.  My wife in particular isn’t at all happy with the new remote situation.

Third, storage capacity of the Moxi box is limited.  The installer told me that it only holds 14 hours of high-def programming, which I’m getting close to after recording a couple of movies on HBO HD.

Finally, the Moxi box has a tremendous amount of functionality built in that Adelphia has not yet enabled. For example, it has a DVI port that I would love to use but isn’t turned on, so I’m forced to use inferior component video hook-ups instead. It also has a built-in cable modem, four USB ports and an Ethernet port -- none of which are yet operational. It’s a new box, and I understand that everything takes time to get fully up and running, but my hope is that Adelphia will turn on these powerful features at some point in the near future.

Despite the limitations listed above, all in all I am so far very satisfied with this Moxi HD-DVR.  It performs its core function, recording programs in HD, very well, meaning that I don’t have to shell out a grand for a high-def TiVo from DIRECTV. There are some minor modifications I’d like to see made (first on the list being turning on the DVI port), but Adelphia deserves a lot of credit here for taking the lead on deploying what may turn out to be the ultimate TiVo-killer.  Posted by Mark Kersey, Dec. 22, 2004 11:09am

Sony to Quit Selling Plasmas (Or Not?)

There has been much speculation this week regarding Sony’s future in the plasma display market.  Japan’s Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper reported Monday that the electronics giant will back out of the plasma business this spring to focus on LCD, while Sony issued a statement denying the rumors.  Then came a report from Japan’s Daily Yomiuri On-Line saying that Sony had officially announced it would withdraw from selling plasma displays. Whatever Sony’s official position is at this point, it seems likely that the company will at some point soon drop out of the plasma biz.  The company doesn’t make its own plasmas anyway (it gets them from Pioneer, LG and Fujitsu-Hitachi Plasma Display) and is betting that LCD flat panels and microdisplays are what consumers really want.  Posted by Mark Kersey, Dec. 22, 2004 10:37am

HDNet Announces Holiday Programming Schedule

HDNet yesterday released its lineup of original HD programming.  A sampling:

• “A High-Definition Holiday” - Dec. 24th, 10:30pm EST
• “InFocus: Sleeping Beauty on Ice” - Dec. 25th, 8:00pm EST
• “The Harlem Globetrotters: A Gift for the Troops” - Dec. 25th 10:00pm EST
• “InFocus: New Year’s Eve Times Square” - Dec. 31st 8:00pm EST
• “The Doobie Brothers Live at Wolf Trap” - Dec. 31st 9:00pm EST
• “HDNet’s Live ‘05 Concert Jam” - Jan. 1st 11:00am EST

Posted by Mark Kersey, Dec. 22, 2004 10:33am

Samsung Boasts 102-inch Plasma (!)

Samsung SDI said late last week that it will begin producing a 102-inch plasma display next year after developing a prototype in its labs, UPI and Xinhua report. It has a resolution of 1920x1080, although only a 2000:1 contrast ratio.  Pricing and availability were not announced, but the market for such large displays is typically commercial and public facilities rather than consumers. Posted by Mark Kersey, Dec. 22, 2004 10:30am

LCOS Not Dead Yet

eLCOS Microdisplay Technology announced today that it will debut the latest release of its 1080p eHD70 display panel at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next month. According to the company, “The new eHD70 combines VAN (Vertically Aligned Nematic) liquid crystal technology with eLCOS Microdisplay's proprietary digital technology -- Dynamic Digital Drive -- for a vibrant, sharp picture. eLCOS panels will be demonstrated in a 60 inch TV, which can be seen by appointment. CEO Warren Shih will also be on hand to discuss the company's product roadmap, technology improvements, and 2005 initiatives.”

If I see it, I’ll let you know what I think. Posted by Mark Kersey, Dec. 21, 2004 8:02pm

Matsushita Increases Plasma Production

AFX News reports that Matsushita, parent company of Panasonic, has increased its plasma display production capacity from 80,000 units per month to 100,000. The increase comes from Matsushita’s second plasma plant in western Japan, where 37, 42, 50 and 65-inch models are manufactured.  Posted by Mark Kersey, Dec. 21, 2004 5:42pm

CEA: 6.3 Million Digital TVs Sold in 2004 to Date

The Consumer Electronics Association reports that 6.3 million digital TVs have been sold in retail through the first 11 months of 2004, representing $1.17 billion in revenue for the industry.  CEA is expecting that another 670,000 units will be sold this month, for a year-end total of nearly 7 million DTVs shipped, increasing to almost 11 million next year. Posted by Mark Kersey, Dec. 21, 2004 5:27pm

Westinghouse Digital Lowers LCD Prices (Again)

Westinghouse Digital cut its LCD flat panel prices by another $100, just four days before Christmas.  You can now buy a 30-inch Westinghouse LCD for $1,599 or a 26-inch model for $1,099.  For comparison purposes, a 32-inch Sony WEGA LCD flat panel will set you back $3,499 at Crutchfield.com, while a comparable Sharp AQUOS retails for $3,799.  Sharp and Sony are industry leaders, however, while I haven’t seen the Westinghouse and thus can’t vouch for its picture quality. Posted by Mark Kersey, Dec. 21, 2004 5:22pm

Cable HDTV Available to 90 Million Households: NCTA

The National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), the cable industry’s lobbying arm, says in a release today that cable HDTV service is available to 90 million households across the country in 177 out of 210 U.S. TV markets. According to the NCTA, 17 cable networks now offer full-time or part-time high-def programming. Posted by Mark Kersey, Dec. 21, 2004  5:17pm

Panasonic: Everyone Wants a Plasma

Panasonic put out a press release today with some stats from a survey they commissioned on consumer TV buying preferences.  Some highlights:

• 51% of consumers are confused about the various types of TVs available
• 60% expressed interest in buying a plasma over LCD flat panel after being told about comparable performance and features
• 62% would host more TV-watching social activities if they owned a plasma
• 36% of married men would do household chores for a year if their wives let them buy a plasma; 50% would let their in-laws visit as often as they want

Panasonic, of course, sells quite a few plasma TVs.  It doesn’t sell LCD flat panels.  Posted by Mark Kersey, Dec. 21, 2004 5:12pm

VOOM Sale Looking Much More Likely

Cablevision said yesterday in a regulatory filing that it has decided to suspend its spin-off of Rainbow DBS, which operates fledgling satellite provider VOOM, leading Wall Street to speculate that the cable company will choose to sell VOOM instead. A leading candidate to acquire it would be EchoStar, parent company of DISH Network, which could use VOOM’s orbital slots to expand its own programming.  VOOM has struggled to gain traction in the multichannel video services market, reporting less than 30,000 subscribers at the end of the third quarter. Posted by Mark Kersey, Dec. 21, 2004 2:24pm

Discovery HD Adds to “HD Unwrapped” Holiday Series

Discovery HD Theater announced this week that it will add “Carols From Kings 2004” to its “HD Unwrapped” series of holiday-themed high-def programming.  The program was shot in 1080i in early December at Kings College Chapel in Cambridge, England and features the Nativity story told through hymns and carols. “Carols From Kings 2004” will air Christmas Eve at 8pm Eastern. Posted by Mark Kersey, Dec. 17, 2004 11:55am

Philips Selling Low-End Flat Panel Biz to TPV

Dutch electronics manufacturer Philips said today that it is selling its PC monitor and low-end flat panel display business to Chinese manufacturer TPV Technology for $358 million. The displays and PC monitors, which bring in about $2 billion a year in revenue, will continue to be sold under the Philips brand. Philips medium to high-end flat panel displays, including its plasma line, are not part of the transaction, Reuters reports. Posted by Mark Kersey, Dec. 17, 2004 11:50am

More Details on INHD Picture Quality Study

As a follow-up to my posting last week regarding INHD’s claim that cable HD subscribers rate it tops for picture quality, I spoke with iN DEMAND’s Vice President of Research to get more information.  INHD surveyed 825 HDTV owners who subscribe to high-def service from cable or satellite using an online panel that the company has set up.  Respondents were from around the country and primarily use Comcast, Time Warner and Cox for their cable service (about 50% of the respondents are Comcast subscribers).  They were given a list of HD channels and asked only to rate those that they actually receive and/or watch.  Regional sports networks and certain premium channels (Cinemax HD and Starz HD) were not included among the channels respondents were asked about.  Again, here are the results:

• INHD - 89%
• Discovery HD Theater - 85%
• HDNet - 78%
• Universal/Bravo HD - 68%
• HBO HD - 64%
• ESPN HD - 61%
• Showtime HD - 55%
• TNT HD - 47%

One interesting point about this ranking is that the HD networks listed are in almost the exact order of the quantity of high-def programming that they offer. INHD, Discovery HD and HDNet broadcast 24/7 in HD, while TNT broadcasts the least and the others are in the middle.  So the question in my mind is whether some of these survey respondents -- consciously or subconsciouly -- are equating quantity with quality. It would also be interesting to see how the rankings would change if the major broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, PBS) were thrown into the mix. Posted by Mark Kersey, Dec. 16, 2004 2:24pm

TI Ships 5 Millionth DLP Unit

Texas Instruments said today that it has shipped DLP subsystem number 5 million. It took five years to ship the first million, two years for the second million and just 8 months for the last 2 million. The figure includes both rear-projection DLP TVs and DLP-based projectors.  TI says that new DLP models will be on display at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next month.  Posted by Mark Kersey, Dec. 16, 2004 2:17pm

Adelphia, NFL Network Come to Terms

Adelphia cable and the NFL Network announced today that have reached a carriage agreement that includes NFL Network HD.  NFL Net’s HD programming is thus far limited to one Game of the Week in high-def, but it is expected that they will add more highlights and in-depth interviews in HD over the next couple of seasons.  Posted by Mark Kersey, Dec. 16, 2004  2:14pm

Comcast Survey: HDTV “Critical” to Home Entertainment

This is apparently the week for HDTV surveys.  Comcast today released results of its own study of the consumer mindset that show Americans are becoming increasingly aware of HDTV. According to the cable giant, 49% of those surveyed said that HDTV is a “critical component” of their ultimate home entertainment experience, while 43% said they would never buy a standard analog TV again.  Comcast used the survey results to offer some tips on buying an HDTV, one of which I found rather strange:

“Select the right resolution for your set size. 1080i resolution provides a better picture on larger screens, while 720p resolution is better suited for smaller screens.”

Now I have never claimed to know everything there is to know about HDTV and pride myself on trying to learn as much as I can about the technology. However, I have never heard anyone say that 1080i looks better on larger screens than 720p.  I have always operated under what I believe to be the generally understood rule of thumb that 720p is better for fast-paced motion sequences like sporting events, while 1080i with its greater number of lines of resolution is better for sitcoms and dramas that don’t move as quickly. I have a 50-inch plasma with a 768p resolution, meaning that a 720p program appears natively on my TV with no conversion required. 1080i programming must be cross-converted, but I’ve never noticed that all 720p programming looks better than all 1080i or vice versa. Picture quality, while subjective to a point, varies greatly from channel to channel and even program to program on the same channel (for example, I think that the West Wing high-def simulcast is pretty poor when compared to Law & Order that directly follows it on NBC Wednesday nights).

If I’m wrong about 1080i and 720p not having anything to do with the size of your picture screen, please let me know...  Mark Kersey, Dec. 15, 2004 11:31pm

Gays Twice As Likely to Own an HDTV

Harris Interactive/Witeck-Combs Communications released results of a survey today showing that 16% of gays polled own an HDTV, compared to 8% of straight respondents. Gays also are more likely to buy an HDTV set in the next 6-12 months: 44% to 31%.  Interestingly, the percentage of respondents who do not own an HDTV is equal among both gays and non-gays at 84%, but 8% of non-gays answered ”Not sure” while a statistically insignificant percentage of gays responded with that answer. The real lesson in these data seems to be that we as an industry need to do a better job educating Straight America on what exactly constitutes an HDTV, as Gay America seems to be scoring well on that issue.  Mark Kersey, Dec. 15, 2004 9:17pm

Discovery HD Theater Looks to Global Expansion

Discovery HD Theater today announced its availability outside the U.S. Canada, Mexico, Korea, China, Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom are target markets for expansion. Posted by Mark Kersey, Dec. 15, 2004 3:44pm

INHD Claims to Have Best Picture Quality Among Cable HDTV Networks

Multichannel News reports this week that iN DEMAND, parent of INHD and INHD2, told media buyers in Manhattan that its research showed consumers believe INHD has the highest picture quality of any cable HD channel. According to In Demand, 89% of HDTV owners said that INHD offered the best quality, followed by Discovery HD at 85%, HDNet at 78%, Universal HD (formerly Bravo HD+) at 68%, HBO HD at 64%, ESPN HD at 61% and Showtime HD at 55%.  TNT HD brings up the rear at 47%.

According to research presented by In Demand conducted by the Yankee Group, half of all U.S. households will own an HDTV by 2008.

I unfortunately can’t speak to the picture quality of INHD vis a vis the other networks because my cable provider (Adelphia) doesn’t yet offer it in my area.  However, the rest of the rankings look about right to me. TNT’s high-def programming is largely upconverted rather than native HD, and even its natively produced coverage of NBA games sometimes looks a bit off. Discovery HD Theater is well-respected for the quality of its programming, although I find it interesting that ESPN HD ranks so low.  While I believe that ESPN must do a better job of getting more play-by-play sports action in high-def, in my mind the quality of its current HD broadcasts is quite impressive.  Sunday Night Football looks great, as does the daily SportsCenter.  The biggest problem with the latter is that many of the highlights and interviews it shows are not in HD, which creates a rather annoying (and frequent) transition between a glorious 720p widescreen picture and a 4:3 picture with shaded bars on the sides.  Posted by Mark Kersey, Dec. 10, 2004 11:36am

Thomson to Support Both HD DVD and Blu-ray

French electronics manufacturer Thomson, parent company of RCA, announced this morning that it will produce next-generation DVDs in both HD DVD and Blu-ray format, effectively declining to choose sides in the increasingly high-stakes battle between the two rival technologies.  Thomson said that its Technicolor division will manufacture discs in both HD DVD and Blu-ray, while its Thomson brand in Europe and RCA brand in the U.S. will sell consumer HD DVD players.

The company anticipates that its HD DVD discs and players will be ready for launch by late 2005. It gave no timeline for Blu-ray production but said that it will remain on the board of the Blu-ray Disc Association and will continue to support the development of Blu-ray technology.  Posted by Mark Kersey, Dec. 10, 2004 10:23am

Samsung: Canon Problems Won’t Impact LCD Production

Asia Pulse reported yesterday that Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Yoon Jong-yong said that problems with Canon’s LCD manufacturing equipment will not delay production at the seventh-generation plant built by S.LCD, the joint venture between Samsung and Sony.  Production on larger LCD panels will begin at the 7G facility in March and will eventually produce 60,000 panels a month. LG.Philips LCD also utilizes the Canon equipment in its LCD plants, although it is unclear what impact the glitches will have on that venture’s operations.  Posted by Mark Kersey, Dec. 10, 2004 10:15am

Chicago Electronics Retailer Names Hottest Holiday Gifts

ABT Electronics, a well-known Chicago independent retailer, released its list of the 15 most popular holiday gift items so far this year.  Only two HDTVs made the list: Sharp’s 13-inch AQUOS LCD flat-panel TV, with a retail price of $449, and Sony’s 50-inch Grand WEGA LCD rear-projection TV, with a retail of $2,999.  There were some other pricey items that made the cut, including an $1,199 Roadmate Car Navigation System from Magellan and the $999 Bose 3-2-1 Home Theater System.  I find it notable that Sony’s rear-projection LCD made the list but competing DLP models from Samsung, Mitsubishi and others did not...  Posted by Mark Kersey, Dec. 9, 2004  11:30am

Disney to Back Blu-ray

Hollywood heavyweight Disney announced Wednesday that it will throw its considerable influence behind Sony’s Blu-ray technology for high-definition DVDs. In doing so, Disney said that it was hedging its bets and was not closing the door on also backing the competing HD-DVD format being championed by Toshiba and NEC. Disney, which owns over 17% of the prepackaged DVD market, becomes the Blu-ray Disc Association’s 15th member. Posted by Mark Kersey, Dec. 9, 2004  10:16am

FCC Delays Vote on Powell’s DTV Transition Plan

Aides to FCC Chairman Michael Powell this week said that their boss has decided to postpone a vote on his new plan for transitioning to digital TV. The Powell plan would delay until 2009 the deadline for broadcasters to switch to DTV and give back their analog spectrum to the federal government, which would then auction part of it off (most likely to cellular phone carriers) and use part of it for emergency services.  Powell had planned on calling for a vote on his proposal Dec. 15th, but has decided to delay the vote until next spring to build additional support for it in Congress and within the consumer electronics industry.

Broadcasters would like to see a change from the current rules, which mandate a switch to DTV by the end of 2006 if 85% of consumers are capable of viewing digital broadcasts.  There is almost no chance that the required number of consumers will have made the switch to DTV in two years, so Powell would require cable and satellite providers to convert digital broadcasts into analog for consumers who have not yet purchased a digital TV. 

The problem hinges on the 15% of television households that receive their programming via over-the-air antennas rather than cable or satellite.  If these people had not yet switched to DTV, they would be unable to watch TV after the deadline had passed.  Powell’s new plan would extend the DTV deadline for an additional three years to give these folks more time to made that transition. Posted by Mark Kersey, Dec. 8, 2004  8:12pm

Monday Night Football Up Close

For all of you true videophiles, Digital Video Editing ran a fascinating piece this week on the production process that goes into Monday Night Football’s weekly telecasts, which are of course in high-definition.  It’s pretty technical, but it’s an interesting read if you’re into that sort of thing.  Posted by Mark Kersey, Dec. 8, 2004  5:04pm

CRTs Slimming Down to Meet Flat Panel Challenge

Display manufacturer LG.Philips said Tuesday that it will boost production of 32-inch thin CRTs in its South Korean plant and will eventually add 28- and 29-inch slim CRT displays to its product lineup.  The new CRTs are only 14 inches thick -- a reduction of 30% over traditional CRTs -- and are already available in Europe.  They are not expected to reach U.S. retail store shelves until late next year.  Posted by Mark Kersey, Dec. 8, 2004  2:24pm

Toshiba, Canon Working on Plasma Killer

CNETnews.com reports that a Toshiba-Canon joint venture is nearing production on surface-conduction electron emitter displays (SED), which the companies claim will offer similar screen sizes and pricing to plasma display, but with better picture quality. SED displays will begin appearing next year with full levels of production ramping up in 2006.  SED is a CRT-based technology that utilizes electron-emission and microfabrication technologies from Canon.  According to Toshiba, SED panels will start at 55 inches, making them a direct competitor to plasma. Posted by Mark Kersey, Dec. 7, 2004  8:43pm

CEA: Plasmas and LCDs in High Demand for Holidays

The Associated Press ran a piece this week in which it quoted the Consumer Electronics Association as saying that the demand for plasmas and LCD flat panel displays this holiday season will be 2-3 times what it was last year.  The increased demand from consumers is forcing retailers to offer incentives such as free shipping or installation, discounted home theater components such as DVD players or surround sound systems, and of course, lower prices. The era of 50% margins for retailers is over, although Best Buy reported in its quarterly earnings last week that brisk sales of digital televisions were propping up some of its more lagging product categories.  It’ll be interesting to see what the final retail sales numbers for HDTVs tell us when they’re released with fourth-quarter earnings early next year. Posted by Mark Kersey, Dec. 7, 2004  11:13am

Comcast Reaches Deal With Altitude Sports for Denver Nuggests Games in HD

The Denver Nuggets NBA basketball games will be available in high-def thanks to an agreement reached today between Comcast Cable and Altitude Sports, which broadcasts Nuggets games.  40 games this season will be available in HD beginning this Saturday night with the home game against Shaquille O’Neal and the Miami Heat. Games will appear on channel 665 in Denver.  Posted by Mark Kersey, Dec. 3, 2004  3:06pm

Sony Readying HD-DVRs

High-definition digital video recorders (HD-DVR) from Sony Electronics will soon be available, Audio/Video Revolution reports. The two models will retail for $799 and $999 and will store 30 hours and 60 hours, respectively, of high-def content on their hard disks.  They carry no recording subscription fees but are designed to be used with digital cable service. Retail availability is not yet clear. Posted by Mark Kersey, Dec. 3, 2004  3:01pm

LG.Philips Investing over $5 Billion in New Plant

LG.Philips announced this week that it will spend $5.1 billion on a seventh-generation LCD assembly line that will begin churning out LCD flat panels in mid-2006.  The new plant will enable LG.Philips to more efficiently produce larger LCD panels, which are key to maintaining an edge in the ultra-competitive LCD industry.  LG.Philips is the second largest LCD manufacturer in the world, behind S-LCD, a similar venture between Sony and Samsung. Reuters reports that the announcement was made in a local stock exchange filing. Posted by Mark Kersey, Dec. 3, 2004  2:56pm

Adelphia Adding Discovery HD

Adelphia customers received word in their December bills that their cable company will be adding Discovery HD Theater to its high-def channel lineup on December 15th.  In certain markets such as San Diego, Adelphia will also be adding Cinemax HD.  While Adelphia is far behind most of the other major cable companies in adding HD channels, it’s good to see the company making something of an effort considering its bankruptcy and ongoing corporate restructuring. Posted by Mark Kersey, Nov. 30, 2004 10:31pm

Got $75K to burn? LG has a plasma for you

LG Electronics last week introduced a 71-inch plasma display that is actually for sale in South Korea. The 1080p model comes with a full home entertainment package (speakers, a set-top box, etc.) and also is painted in part with 24-carat gold paint. MSRP: $75,700.

LG says that the 71-inch monster will be available in the U.S. by the end of the year. Posted by Mark Kersey, Nov. 30, 2004 11:40pm

Toshiba Gains Support of Four Key Studios for HD DVD

Toshiba said yesterday that its HD DVD standard for next-generation DVD technology has beat out rival Blu-ray for the backing of Hollywood studios Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures and New Line Cinema. Blu-ray, developed by Sony, has either formal or informal support from Sony Pictures, MGM and Twentieth Century Fox.

The four studios whose backing Toshiba received yesterday control 45% of the U.S. DVD market.

With neither side willing to concede defeat, the battle between Blu-ray and HD DVD could go on for some time. My personal prediction is that HD DVD will emerge victorious in the short term given its lower costs and quicker ramp up time for production. Blu-ray may emerge as a longer-term solution offering greater storage capacity, with future recorders and players engineered to be backwards compatible with HD DVD. Posted by Mark Kersey, Nov. 30, 2004 11:27pm

HDNet, Comcast Continue to Battle Over Carriage

The Ft. Worth Star Telegram reported yesterday that Mark Cuban's Dallas Mavericks NBA team has increased its games shown on Cuban-owned HDNet from two to 25 this season. The problem is that HDNet is not yet available on Comcast, which is the Dallas area's largest cable provider, and negotiations between the two sides don't seem to be going that well. Unfortunately for fans of Cuban's Mavs, Comcast also doesn't carry TNT HD, which will be showing seven Mavs games in high-def this season.

Mark Cuban's message to Mavs fans: "All we can do at this point is recommend that if they are Comcast subscribers and want their Mavs on HDNet, they switch to DirecTV or Dish Network." Posted by Mark Kersey, Nov. 30, 2004 11:01pm

Wall St. Continues to Question VOOM's Future

George Mannes of TheStreet.com has a piece today regarding Wall Street's continued pessimism towards Cablevision's VOOM satellite subsidiary. The latest skepticism comes on the heels of VOOM's announcement last week that it will spend $740 million on five new satellites to enhance its high-def and standard-def channel lineups. The only solace for Street analysts seems to be that the money isn't all due upfront and there is a $100 million cancellation clause in case Cablevision changes its mind. There's increasing speculation that Cablevision is positioning VOOM to be sold to EchoStar to beef up its DISH Network satellite TV service, but with such a small customer base (25,000), it might cost EchoStar CEO Charlie Ergen less to simply launch his own new satellites than it would to buy VOOM. Posted by Mark Kersey, Nov. 30, 2004 3:32pm

Comcast Intros HD Video On Demand in Washington D.C. Metro

Cable giant Comcast announced today that it has rolled out HDTV On Demand in its Washington D.C. Metro cable system that includes suburban Maryland and Northern Virginia. Two HD movies on demand are currently available: "The Passion of the Christ" and "The Living Sea," with additional movies to be added in the near future. Pricing is $3.99 to $5.99 per movie and customers have 24 hours to view a title once it has been ordered (they can watch it as many times as they'd like in that 24 hours).

Comcast had been trialing this HD-VOD offering for several months, and Cablevision in New York City has been conducting similar trials. In my opinion, HDTV On Demand is the ultimate satellite killer. Satellite networks are simply not yet engineered for on demand video services, and while DVR is similar, it is not nearly as convenient for movie watching on a Friday night if the movie you want to watch hasn't yet been on TV. DIRECTV is developing a form of VOD utilizing DVR functionality combined with pay-per-view movies, but it remains to be seen whether this hybrid will be available in high-def anytime soon.

In comparing cable vs. satellite HDTV service, I see three main advantages for cable:

1. Local channels in HD (DIRECTV will be adding some over the next couple of years, but nearly all cable companies offer them today).

2. HD Video on Demand

3. Regional sports programming in HD (many cable companies offer some amount of this today, while it is a serious bandwidth constraint for satellite to offer multiple regional sports channels in HD around the country).

Cable is probably a better value for many consumers right now, but as DIRECTV, DISH and VOOM add more HD channels in the coming months, some of cable's competitive advantages will likely diminish. Posted by Mark Kersey, Nov. 30, 2004 11:13am

ABC, ESPN: HDNot

Fresh off my post last Friday chastising ESPN HD for not showing more NBA and college basketball games in high-def, corporate sibling ABC Sports let down college football fans this past Saturday by not showing key rivalry games such as Ohio State-Michigan in HD. I don’t typically like to complain, but this was a nationally telecast game that would have been perfect to showcase in high-definition.  Especially when compared with CBS’ high-def coverage of the Auburn-Alabama game at the same time, ABC Sports execs should be embarassed for having the technology to broadcast in HD but choosing not to use it. Posted by Mark Kersey, Nov. 22, 2004 11:53am

VOOM Offering $1 Installation

VOOM has discounted its upfront installation and setup costs for up to 3 rooms to one dollar, with a monthly box rental fee of $5 with a 6-month service contract.  VOOM has periodically offered free installation and setup, although prior to the current offer it was charging $150 to get new customers started on the service.

The new promo comes on the heels of VOOM’s announcement yesterday that it will increase its high-def channel lineup to more than 70 next March, up from 39 today.  VOOM did not say which HD channels would be added, although HDNet and WealthTV would seem likely candidates. Posted by Mark Kersey, Nov. 23, 2004  11:47am

ESPN HD Lagging in NBA, College Hoops Coverage

I’ve received a number of complaints from readers wondering why ESPN HD hasn’t been showing NBA basketball games in high-def so far this season. ESPN generally airs four NBA games each week, and while the network airs 2-3 college football and one NFL game every week in HD, no basketball games have yet been telecast in high-def.  A quick glance at ESPN HD’s programming schedule for the rest of the year shows that only two NBA games in December: the matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and Chicago Bulls on the 10th and the Detroit Pistons-New York Knicks game on the 15th.  There are also three  college basketball games airing in HD Dec. 7 and Dec. 11.

The question remains, why doesn’t ESPN show more basketball games in high-definition? If TNT can show four NBA games a week in HD, surely ESPN should be able to do likewise.  After football season, ESPN should divert HD resources from NFL and college bowl games to the NBA and college hoops, but ESPN has deep enough pockets that it should be able to regularly show both football and basketball in high-def in the same week. Posted by Mark Kersey, Nov. 19, 2004 11:10am

Thinner CRTs to Compete With Plasma, LCD

Representatives from HDTV manufacturers said at the Flat Information Displays Conference 2004 that thinner cathode-ray tube (CRT) HDTVs will hit the market in the second half of next year to offer a lower-priced alternative to flat panel displays such as plasma and LCD. CNET reports that LG.Phillips Displays International, a joint venture between LG Electronics and Royal Phillips Electronics, will be the first manufacturer to offer thin CRTs. Prices are expected to be slightly higher than traditional CRTs but still substantially less than plasma and LCD flat panel.  Samsung will also produce a thinner CRT, a 30-inch model that will be about 16 inches deep and will hit store shelves in mid-2005. Posted by Mark Kersey, Nov. 19, 2004 11:56am

Microsoft to Assist SBC with High-Def Video-on-Demand

It’s fairly well known that large telcos such as SBC, Verizon, Qwest and BellSouth have begun deploying large amounts of fiber into residential neighborhoods with the goal of creating networks for advanced video, voice and data services. But the three companies have vastly different plans for the actual delivery of video services. Verizon plans to utilize RF technology, similar to how cable companies currently broadcast over their networks.  SBC by contrast has decided to go with an IP video transport model that means all video programming will be on demand -- you tell the central video server what you want to watch, and it sends the program over the fiber lines in your neighborhood to the VDSL line in your home to your TV. While most cable companies offer some form of video-on-demand, all of SBC’s video programming will be delivered this way, a major break from traditional TV broadcasting.

SBC announced this week that Microsoft will be a key player in its IP-TV endeavors, supplying technology that will enable the telco to send two high-definition and two standard-definition programs over the same lines simultaneously.  For consumers watching two TVs at once, this will be a necessity. For Microsoft, the SBC deal amounts to a major validation of its relatively unproven TV technology, which despite billions invested has yet to produce any real results for the software king.  Posted by Mark Kersey, Nov. 18, 2004 3:52pm

Blu-ray May Get Boost from New TDK Scratch-Proof Discs

CNET ran an interesting piece yesterday about a new coating that TDK is applying to DVDs to make them nearly impervious to scratches and other forms of abuse.  In its lab test, CNET researchers attacked the coated discs with a screwdriver and Sharpie marker, but the DVD suffered no ill effects with regards to playback.  The new protective coating could have positive implications for Sony’s Blu-ray technology for next-generation high-definition DVDs, which stores data closer to the surface of the DVD in order to fit more on each disc.  Blu-ray’s competition, HD-DVD, by comparison stores data in the same way as conventional DVDs.

In addition to Blu-ray, the TDK protective coating could be useful for long-term data storage on DVDs, which can become scratched and soiled over time, as well as DVD rental outfits such as Blockbuster and Netflix.  Rented DVDs have rather short lifespans due to the abuse they suffer at the hands of their users. Posted by Mark Kersey, Nov. 18, 2004 3:20pm

Comcast Outlines Plans for $50 Digital-Only Set-Top Box

In a meeting with FCC senior officials last Friday, Comcast CTO David Fellows provided details of his company’s plans to transition to digital television.  According to Fellows, Comcast will digitally simulcast its analog tiers using a $50 digital-only set-top box featuring downloadable security.  However, if the FCC requires cable companies to include additional separate security measures, it will be much more difficult to attain the $50 price point that would enable a quicker digital transition. Posted by Mark Kersey, Nov. 18, 2004 3:33pm

Cable One Launches TNT HD

Cable One, a second-tier cable company owned by the Washington Post that serves nearly three-quarters of a million customers in 19 states, this week added TNT HD to its high-def channel lineup. Cable One joins Time Warner, Bright House, DISH and VOOM in offering TNT HD, which among other programming airs several NBA basketball games in high-def every week. Posted by Mark Kersey, Nov. 18, 2004 3:04pm

Cable HDTV Being Tested in China

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reports that Japanese electronics giant Matsushita is testing cable HDTV service in preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics, which will be held in Beijing.  HDTVs are not yet being sold in China but high-def broadcasting could begin next year after standards for resolution and picture quality are adopted.  According to The Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Matsushita currently has two manufacturing facilities in China and will begin producing HDTVs after the standards are finalized next year. Posted by Mark Kersey, Nov. 16, 2004 12:30pm

VOOM-Miramax Deal...

Escaped my attention when it was reported last week. It’s a three-year contract that calls for 193 Miramax and Dimension film titles to be shown on VOOM’s HD Cinema 10 collection of homegrown, commercial-free movie channels.  This should be a nice jumpstart for the Cinema 10, which quite often features obscure titles that don’t add much value to the VOOM package.  Posted by Mark Kersey, Nov. 16, 2004 12:22pm

Sharp Blu-ray Recorder to Hit Japanese Shelves Next Month

Sharp yesterday fired its opening salvo in Blu-ray production with an announcement that its first Blu-ray recorder will go on sale in Japan Dec. 9 at a list price of about $3,000.  Reuters reports that the BD-HDD 100 will come with a 160GB hard drive that is capable of recording about 19 hours of high-definition programming. In addition to the hard disc and the Blu-ray disc drive, it will also include a drive for standard DVDs, allowing users to dub today’s DVDs to Blu-ray format or to watch a conventional DVD while recording an HD program to a Blu-ray disc.  Sharp did not say when it will begin selling the BD-HDD 100 in the U.S.

Next year should be pivotal in the standards war between Blu-ray and HD-DVD.  Toshiba has already announced that its first HD-DVD player will go on sale in the U.S. in late 2005 for under $1,000 and that an HD-DVD recorder will be introduced at the same time at an as-of-yet undetermined price point.  Blu-ray recorders from Sony and Matsushita (parent of Panasonic) are already available in Japan for several thousand dollars, but neither are designed to work with pre-recorded DVDs, only blank ones to which consumers can record HD programming.  While high-definition DVD adoption is still years away, the quality and utility of early products may play a large role in determining whether Blu-ray or HD-DVD ultimately becomes the de facto standard for the next generation of DVD recording and viewing.  Posted by Mark Kersey, Nov. 12, 2004 12:53pm

Scientific-Atlanta to Include DVD Recorders in DVR Set-Top Boxes

Sonic Solutions this week announced that set-top box vendor Scientific-Atlanta has licensed Sonic’s technology for DVD formatting, including recording and playback, with the goal of including DVD recorders in SA digital video recorders (DVRs).  SA’s combo DVR/set-top boxes are being deployed by cable companies around the country, including Time Warner, Cox and Charter. No word from SA on when DVD recorders might begin appearing in its DVR set-tops.  Posted by Mark Kersey, Nov. 12, 2004 12:36pm

Civil War Documentary Gettysburg and Stories of Valor Broadcast in HD on PBS Saturday

For all you Civil War buffs, PBS is broadcasting Gettysburg and Stories of Valor tomorrow (Sat.) at 6pm. The documentary is the third in the Civil War Minutes series and features the writing and military expertise of Michael Kraus, who among other achievements was a principal historian/advisor to the big-budget Hollywood films Cold Mountain and Gettysburg. Posted by Mark Kersey, Nov. 12, 2004 12:28pm

Discovery HD to Air “14 Courses of HD” on Thanksgiving

Discovery HD Theater said this week that it will air its most popular high-def programming beginning 10am EST Thanksgiving morning and continuing through Friday the 26th.  The Turkey Day lineup includes American Chopper, Monster Garage, Meerkat Adventure, The Blue Realm: Giants of San Benedicto, Great White Shark: Uncaged, Concorde: The Final Flight, and Extreme Engineering: Off-Shore Oil Platforms.  Posted by Mark Kersey, Nov. 11, 2004 9:48pm

VOOM Continues to Bleed Customers (and Money)

Cablevision reported in its Q3 earnings today that satellite subsidiary VOOM finished the period with just 1,000 more customers than it had at the end of Q2, and that it signed up fewer new subscribers in August and September than it lost.  The bad news from VOOM came in Cablevision’s quarterly filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC).  Cablevision also disclosed that it would make a $350 million investment to help finance VOOM’s increasing marketing and promotional expenses.  The startup satellite provider ended Q3 with 25,000 customers.

It’s not surprising that VOOM is in need of additional cash, as its advertising and promotions are everywhere. I received a consumer electronics magazine in the mail today that was bagged with a very snazzy VOOM promo containing a CD-ROM promoting a Samsung DLP HDTV giveaway. But there are serious problems when it’s spending this much money on marketing and it’s still not seeing a large increase in its customer base.  One problem is that it has large numbers of subscribers who aren’t paying their bills, and it just began terminating those accounts, although not until October -- after the Q3 earnings season.  This means that VOOM’s Q4 numbers could be even worse than those of Q3. Posted by Mark Kersey, Nov. 9, 2004  11:33pm

NBC Universal to Rename, Relaunch Bravo HD+

Cable network Bravo HD+ will be relaunched on December 1st with a new name -- Universal HD -- parent company NBC Universal said today. CED reports that more Universal programming will be added to the network’s HD lineup, including movies such as Backdraft and the Back to the Future franchise.  Bravo HD+ is currently available to customers of Cablevision, Cox (select markets), DIRECTV, Insight (select markets), Mediacom (select markets) and VOOM.  Posted by Mark Kersey, Nov. 9, 2004  10:55pm

Broadcasters, Cable Companies Continue War of Words Over DTV Transition

Television broadcasters late last week asked the FCC to impose requirements on the cable industry to ensure that all broadcast digital TV signals are made available to consumers.  Broadcasters want cable operators to be required to transmit the broadcaster’s full digital signal from the head-end and either provide for downconversion in subscriber homes with analog TV sets or if the operator prefers, also send a downconverted version for homes with analog sets. Broadcasters also stated their support for government subsidization of digital-to-analog converter boxes for customers with analog sets.  The letter was signed by representatives from the National Association of Broadcasters, all four network affiliates associations, ABC Television Network and various broadcasters such as Capitol Broadcasting and Tribune Television.

The cable industry immediately fired back, with the head of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association stating that the broadcasters’ proposal “is simply a recycled version of broadcasters' previous demands that cable operators be required by the Commission to carry half a dozen or more video channels per broadcast station rather than let multicast carriage be determined by market competition with other program networks.”

So why all the acrimony between the two groups?  In a word, bandwidth. Broadcasters want the cable operators to be forced to transmit all forms of digital signals to consumers, which could include up to six over-the-air broadcast services per full digital signal. The cable operators want to have the discretion to pick which digital services to pass along to their customers based on what they perceive as market demand for those services. If cable operators are forced to transmit up to six digital services per broadcaster, they fear that they would have much less bandwidth available to broadcast the myriad other programming that currently exists and will arise over the next several years.

FCC Chairman Michael Powell wants his agency to vote on a digital transition plan by the end of this year. It is not yet clear which way Powell & Co. are leaning in the NAB vs. NCTA dispute, but don’t be surprised if the losing side appeals the FCC’s decision in federal court.  Posted by Mark Kersey, Nov. 5, 2004  10:45am

LG, Matsushita in Legal Tiff Over Plasmas

Matsushita, parent company of Panasonic, has sued LG Electronics in Japan, charging that LG has violated Matsushita’s patents for heat-radiation technology. CNET reports that Matsushita asked Japanese customs officials to block imports of LG plasmas into the country. According to iSuppli, the two companies were first and second in worldwide plasma market share in 2003. Posted by Mark Kersey, Nov. 4, 2004 9:01pm

Charter ends Q3 with 76K HD Subscribers

Cable company Charter Communications reported in its third quarter earnings today that it finished the period with 76,000 high-def subscribers, up 16,500 from a year ago.  The company also installed 61,000 DVR boxes in Q3.  Posted by Mark Kersey, Nov. 4, 2004  8:49pm

HD-DVD Close to Key Studio Backing

BusinessWeek reported Wednesday that the HD-DVD standard backed by Toshiba and NEC is close to getting support from three major Hollywood movie studios -- Paramount, Universal and Warner Bros. The acceptance of the HD-DVD standard would be non-exclusive for the studios, giving them leeway to release titles on Blu-ray as well.  Blu-ray technology was developed by Sony and has a much broader base of support among electronics manufacturers, including JVC, Sony, Dell, HP, Hitachi, LG, Mitsubishi, Panasonic/Matsushita, Pioneer, Phillips, Samsung, Sharp, TDK and Thomson/RCA.

The studios supporting HD-DVD apparently were swayed by its cheaper production costs and by the fact that HD-DVD units are already in production in Japan. Blu-ray has yet to see any commercial production.  Blu-ray holds about six times as much data as current DVDs, while HD-DVD has about four times the storage capacity of today’s DVDs.

While the studios’ support of HD-DVD is a setback for Blu-ray, the Sony Blu-ray format will benefit from Sony’s ownership of Columbia and other smaller studios. Sony’s impending future partial purchase of giant MGM and its extensive library of movie titles will also aid in the adoption of Blu-ray.

If this story has a familiar ring to it, you may recall the Betamax vs. VHS standards battles of the 1980s.  Sony’s Betamax was fairly well acknowledged as the better technology (our family had one), but VHS managed to gather broader industry support and eventually edged out Beta as the home entertainment format of choice. Similarly, Blu-ray seems to offer superior technology than HD-DVD, at the minimum offering greater storage capacity. But if HD-DVD can be produced more quickly and cheaply, Blu-ray may find itself in the dust bin of technological history, right alongside its Beta forebearer.  Posted by Mark Kersey, Oct. 28, 2004  11:33am

TNT Commits to a Full Season of NBA Games in HD

Cable network TNT said this week that it will broadcast its full slate of NBA basketball games this season in high-def.  TNT began broadcasting in HD this past June in time for some of the NBA playoffs, and will show all of its 52 regular season games and playoff games for the 2004-05 season in 1080i. The first game will be Nov. 2nd between the Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons at 8pm EST, and following it will be the Denver Nuggest and Los Angeles Lakers at 10:30pm EST. Posted by Mark Kersey, Oct. 28, 2004 10:57am

Comcast Adds 200,000 High-Def Subs in Q3

Cable giant Comcast reported in its third-quarter earnings on Wednesday that it installed more than 200,000 high-definition set-top boxes in the period, bringing its total to nearly 870,000 set-top boxes in customers' homes offering HDTV and/or DVR service. Posted by Mark Kersey, Oct. 28, 2004  10:50am

More Bad News for LCOS

Intel said yesterday that it has abandoned its efforts to produce chips based on liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) technology.  The company had announced plans to popularize LCOS at the Consumer Electronics Show this past January and had predicted that sub-$2,000 rear-projection LCOS microdisplay units would be available in the U.S. in time for the holiday shopping season. According to Reuters, CNET and other news sources, Intel has discovered that it cannot mass produce the LCOS chips profitably.  This news comes on the heels of an announcement by Philips last week that it is halting future R&D on LCOS technology.  Smaller manufacturer Brillian said last month that retail partner Sears had terminated their distribution agreement due to shipping problems with Brillian’s LCOS models.

On the bright side, JVC and Sony have recently unveiled HDTVs using variations of LCOS technology, although it is still too early to tell whether or not theirs will become successful model lines.

The demise of LCOS seems increasingly inevitable, as the technology has been much hyped but has long under-delivered.  Toshiba pulled out of the LCOS market last year, and with the negative developments experienced by Intel, Philips and Brillian, one can only wonder how long it will be before the last nail is hammered into the LCOS coffin. The primary beneficiary of this set of events would likely be TI’s DLP (digital light processing) technology, which is increasingly gaining traction as the key component of microdisplays from Samsung, Mitsubishi, LG and others. I won’t completely write off LCOS just yet, but the writing on the wall looks more and more ominous every day. Posted by Mark Kersey, Oct. 21, 2004 11:54am

White House Has No Interest in DTV Subsidy

Broadcasting & Cable reported yesterday that the White House sent a letter to key members of Congress early this week expressing strong opposition to the proposed “Digital Transition Consumer Assistance Fund” that would provide a subsidy to aid certain consumers in making the transition to digital TV.  Here’s an excerpt from the letter:

“Creating a billion dollar fund to subsidize consumer electronics such as digital converter boxes, high definition televisions, and the installation of cable and satellite services is not necessary to achieve the 9/11 Commission's recommendations. The Administration has proposed an analog spectrum fee on broadcasters to encourage faster return of analog TV spectrum. This proposal would facilitate public safety access to spectrum in a timely fashion without generating budgetary costs."

Posted by Mark Kersey, Oct. 21, 2004 11:41am

Scientific-Atlanta Shipped 149K HD-DVRs Last Quarter

Set-top box manufacturer Scientific-Atlanta announced in its quarterly earnings statement today that it shipped 149,000 high-definition DVR (digital video recorders) in the last quarter, in addition to 92,000 high-def set-tops without DVR functionality. The combined 241,000 HD set-tops is more than four times what the company shipped a year ago.

40,000 of the HD-DVRs were shipped to Cablevision, the cable company serving much of the New York City-area, in anticipation of that MSO’s launch of HD-DVR service later this year. Posted by Mark Kersey, Oct. 21, 2004 11:35am

Time Warner Adds New HD Channels in NYC

Time Warner Cable subscribers in New York City have reason to be happier with their cable company:  this week it said that it will add ESPN HD and HDNet to a $8.95/mo. high-def programming tier starting Nov. 4th.  We’re not really sure what the delay is in getting new HD channels on Time Warner in the Big Apple, as it also took them longer to add Discovery HD to their lineup and TNT HD still hasn’t been added.  Most Time Warner systems added ESPN HD over a month ago and most have offered HDNet for quite some time.  Posted by Mark Kersey, Oct. 21, 2004 11:29am

LCD Market Starting to Experience Some Hiccups

With the wave of announcements in the LCD flat panel market segment over the last few months -- mostly of new joint ventures with new production facilities churning out larger screen sizes -- there was bound to be a bit of a cooling off period. This week may have given us the first signs that the overheated LCD space is due for a bit of a reality check.

First came news on Monday, as reported by CNET, that Motorola was abadoning its plans to enter the digital television industry via a partnership with manufacturer Moxell.  The venture was to have produced Motorola branded LCDs and plasmas for both the North American and Chinese markets, but appears to have fallen apart over what a Motorola spokesman described as a “difference of opinion over the portfolio of products in North America.” The entry of Motorola into the HDTV market had been announced to great fanfare at the Consumer Electronics Show in January of this year.

On Tuesday, LCD manufacturers’ stock prices took a hit following word from LG.Philips LCD that a sharp increase in global LCD supplies had caused the company to lower its prices, which led to a 15% drop in third quarter profits. The company’s shares dropped 9 percent, while shares of rivals Sharp, Samsung and AU Optronics also declined.

Wednesday, LCD manufacturer Westinghouse, whose products are available at retailers such as Best Buy, The Great Indoors and J&R, announced that it was slashing its LCD prices by 18 to 25 percent in an effort to stimulate sales. Its 30-inch model now carries an estimated street price (ESP) of $1,799 and its 27-inch unit an ESP of $1,299.

Today (Friday), Samsung said that third quarter LCD sales dropped a whopping 23 percent from the second quarter, due primarily to lower prices due to increasing supplies around the world.  Even worse, operating profit margin of Samsung’s LCD business fell from 33 percent to a meager 12 percent in Q3.

It’s not difficult to see that certain manufacturers rushed into the LCD production business without a clear vision for competitive differentiation. With aggressive companies like Dell driving the value side of the spectrum, and with industry leader Sharp dominating the premium end, the companies in the middle are getting squeezed. In what is becoming a hyper-competitive marketplace for LCD flat panel displays, companies will be forced to differentiate themselves based on quality or technology.  Sony’s research and development efforts into light emitting diode (LED) displays, which produce a greater range of colors than traditional LCDs, are an example of innovation that will drive the industry technologically forward, in contrast to yet another me-too joint venture to manufacture LCD panels.  Posted by Mark Kersey, Oct. 15, 2004 10:05am

Blu-ray Backers Get Another Supporter in JVC

Japanese consumer electronics manufacturer JVC announced on Monday that it has joined the Blu-ray Disc Association that is promoting the next-generation of DVD technology. Blu-ray, which was initially developed by Sony, now counts JVC, Sony, Dell, HP, Hitachi, LG, Mitsubishi, Panasonic/Matsushita, Pioneer, Phillips, Samsung, Sharp, TDK and Thomson/RCA as backers.  Promoters of the rival HD DVD technology include NEC, Sanyo and Toshiba. Posted by Mark Kersey, Oct. 15, 2004 10:00am

CEA: 7 Million Digital TV Sales in ‘04

The Consumer Electronics Association released a forecast last week predicting that just under 7 million digital televisions will be sold in 2004, up 70 percent from last year.  CEA predicts that nearly 11 million will sell in 2005, up 55 percent from this year. The average selling price of a digital TV set is now just under $1500, down more than half from six years ago.  Posted by Mark Kersey, Oct. 15, 2004 9:52am

INHD Unveils Original Programming Targeted at Men

CED Magazine reports that cable high-def programmer INHD will soon air two new original series apparently targeted at the male demographic. Fields of Glory will provide in-depth tours of college football’s venerable stadiums around the country, as narrated by sportscaster Brent Musburger.  The first will feature LSU’s Tiger Stadium and will air on Oct. 20th at 8pm.  Other stadiums to be showcased include those at Auburn University, Ohio State University, Texas A&M University, the University of Florida, the University of Michigan, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Oregon, the University of Tennessee and the University of Texas. The alma mater of both this blogger and narrator Musburger, Northwestern University, was egregiously overlooked for this series.

The other new INHD original series is called FHM Uncovered, and takes a closer look at fashion shoots of the FHM Magazine models.  The first of four 30-minute episodes will air before the end of the year and will feature the FHM photo shoot of female pro golfer Natalie Gulbis. Posted by Mark Kersey, Oct. 15, 2004  9:45am

ESPN2 HD to Launch Jan. 6th

While there’s no word yet on which cable or satellite companies will carry it when it launches, ESPN said this week that ESPN2 HD will officially go live on Jan. 6th of next year from the floor of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.  More than 6,000 hours of high-def programming will air on the new network and its sibling ESPN HD in 2005, with 85 live events set to air in the first 85 days of the two channels’ combined broadcasts. Posted by Mark Kersey, Oct. 6, 2004  4:12pm

Comcast, Phillips Team Up for HD Promo

Cable giant Comcast and electronics manufacturer Phillips are offering “Cable Cash” with the purchase of select Phillips HD sets.   Customers who buy a 42-inch Phillips plasma display receive $600 in Cable Cash that is used as a credit on their Comcast cable bills. If you buy a 26-inch flat panel LCD or a 55- or 60-inch rear-projection model, you’ll receive $250 in Cable Cash.

The promotion runs through December 31st.  More details are available here.  Posted by Mark Kersey, Oct. 5, 2004  12:36pm

Sharp Unveils 65-Inch LCD Flat Panel

Sharp took the wraps off of what is likely the world’s largest LCD flat panel display, a 65-inch monster that may go on sale in the spring of 2006.  The product launch occurred at the CEATEC show in Japan, with the company saying that the new LCD is designed to compete with larger plasma displays.  The largest LCD flat panels are currently a 45-inch model from Sharp and a 46-inch product from Samsung, although only the Sharp is available in the U.S. Sharp is the largest manufacturer of LCD displays in the world, while Samsung and Sony hope to surpass their rival through a joint LCD manufacturing facility that will begin producing LCD flat panels next year. Posted by Mark Kersey, Oct. 4, 2004  8:31pm

Sony Shows Off 70-Inch LCOS at CEATEC

Sony unveiled its first LCOS (liquid crystal on silicon) microdisplay HDTV at the CEATEC electronics industry tradeshow in Japan, which it says will go on sale next year for under $10,000. The product, dubbed the Qualia 006, utilizes a LCOS chip and technology developed by Sony directly.

Sony also showed off the Qualia 005, which is a LED (light emitting diode) display that the company claims produces a far wider range of colors than traditional LCDs.  The 005 will go on sale in the U.S. next spring.  Posted by Mark Kersey, Oct. 4, 2004  8:27pm

Blu-ray Supporters Land Fox

20th Century Fox has decided to join the Blu-ray Disc Founders group, CNET reports.  Blu-ray backers now include primary developer Sony, along with Dell, HP, Hitachi, LG, Matsushita/Panasonic, Mitsubishi, Pioneer, Phillips, Samsung, Sharp, TDK and Thomson/RCA.  Promoters of the rival HD DVD technology consist of NEC and Toshiba. Other than Sony, Fox is the first entertainment studio to cast its lot behind one of the two next-generation DVD technologies, both of which would significantly expand the storage capacities of DVDs, making them high-definition capable. Posted by Mark Kersey, Oct. 4, 2004  2:23pm

Toshiba in Yet Another LCD Venture

Reuters reported earlier this week that Toshiba and Matsushita (parent company of Panasonic) have teamed up on a joint venture to produce 32-inch thin-film-transistor (TFT) LCD flat panel displays.  These will be the largest TFT LCDs yet produced, and will utilize a technology called Optically Compensated Bend that allows for improved viewing angles and faster screen response rates.

Toshiba, Matsushita and Hitachi announced a separate venture last month to manufacture large flat panel LCD displays.  Toshiba also announced an LCD venture with Canon earlier this month that will utilize surface conduction electron emitter display panels (SED).  SED is a next-generation technology that uses less energy than existing LCD displays while also providing a thinner monitor. SED produces its own light so it does not require backlighting like current LCD technology. Posted by Mark Kersey, Oct. 1, 2004  2:43pm

Look for Regional HD Coverage of Baltimore Orioles and New D.C. Baseball Team Next Year

Part of Wednesday’s announcement that Major League Baseball has decided to relocate the Montreal Expos to Washington, D.C. includes the creation of a regional sports network that will air on cable giant Comcast’s systems in the D.C.-Baltimore metro area.  The new sports net will show games of both the Baltimore Orioles and the new D.C. team (the Senators?  the Generals?) and will funnel a significant portion of its revenues to Orioles owner Peter Angelos, who has long objected to baseball putting a team in Washington, a mere 40 miles from his own team.

I would be shocked if the new Comcast D.C.-Baltimore SportsNet did NOT have extensive coverage of both teams in high-def, as it offers cable customers something they can’t get from satellite. Comcast already owns the broadcast rights for the NBA’s Washington Wizards and hockey’s Washington Capitals, and it also bought the rights to broadcast 87 Orioles games this season, so it seems likely that the new network would have year-round coverage of D.C.-Baltimore sports. While details are essentially non-existent right now, check this blog early next year for updates on the situation.  Posted by Mark Kersey, Oct. 1, 2004  2:03pm

September 30 -- HBO to Air All Boxing in HD

Although it initially escaped this blogger’s notice, Multichannel News reported two weeks ago that HBO has decided to show all future boxing matches in high-def on HBO HD.  Interestingly, this decision was made about a week before the much-hyped match between Oscar De La Hoya and Bernard Hopkins, which was for some inexplicable reason not available in HD. For $54.95 on pay-per-view, HBO should have done better. Posted by Mark Kersey, 11:26pm

September 29 -- Cablevision Adds WABC in New York City

Cablevision has added to its already stellar lineup of HD channels in the New York City area by signing a carriage agreement with WABC.  The deal enables Cablevision’s customers to watch “Monday Night Football” in high-def, along with shows such as “The Benefactor,” which is the first reality show produced in HD (not coincidentally, it stars Mark Cuban, an outspoken advocate of high-definition technology who owns HDNet).  Posted by Mark Kersey, 3:54pm

September 27 -- HD-DVD Backers to Promote Their Technology

CNET reports today that backers of HD-DVD technology have formed the HD-DVD Promotion Group to push for the development of equipment and content, as well as the commercialization of their technology.  The initial group includes Memory-Tech, NEC, Sanyo Electric and Toshiba.  Posted by Mark Kersey, 2:46pm

September 27 -- Presidential Debates in HD?

I’ve contacted all the networks to ask if the three presidential debates will be aired in high-definition.  Some of you may remember that the State of the Union Address was broadcast in high-def back in January, as was a decent amount of coverage from the two parties’ conventions this summer. According to CBS’ website, it does NOT appear as though the first debate set for this Thursday from the University of Miami will be simulcast in HD, but perhaps the collective brain trust at the various news organizations will come to its senses and air one or both of the next two debates in high-def.  Posted by Mark Kersey, 2:30pm

September 27 -- Zoran Loses Samsung Contract

Digital video software company Zoran suffered a big blow on news that Samsung has decided to drop Zoran as its supplier of HDTV decoder software in favor of producing its own in-house. Numerous Wall Street houses downgraded Zoran’s stock on the news and the company’s share price has declined over 10 percent in the last week. Posted by Mark Kersey, 10:46am

September 24 -- This Week in HDTV

A number of interesting news items came out this week, so without further ado, here they are along with some of my thoughts:

Digital TV Hits Congressional Roadblock This blog reported earlier this week that U.S. Senator John McCain had introduced legislation that would have established Jan. 1, 2009 as the absolute deadline for the nation’s TV broadcasters to fully switch from analog to digital transmission.  His bill also would have provided $1 billion in government subsidies to help consumers -- particularly low-income households -- who utilize over-the-air signals rather than cable or satellite to receive their local channels. After the transition occurred, the analog spectrum would be given back to the federal government, which would then allocate a certain amount of it to public safety and emergency workers. U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns got support for an amendment to McCain’s bill that would enable the FCC to put a hold on the digital TV transition if it could prove “consumer disruption.” McCain and the bill’s other supporters believe that such language will be employed far too often in delaying the digital TV transition, and they’re probably right.

Mitsubishi to Cease LCD TV Production A report from Reuters on Tuesday said that Mitsubishi has decided to halt production of LCD TVs within two years, focusing instead on smaller LCD panels that are incorporated into industrial devices.  The company has apparently decided that the LCD TV business is becoming too competitive, with a number of Asian manufacturers recently forming joint ventures to produce the displays (such as Samsung and Sony). LCD TV inventories are high as a result of the production increases.

Sony, MGM and Blu-ray There was an interesting piece in the New York Times this week about how Sony’s acquisition of MGM will boost the electronics giant’s Blu-ray next-generation DVD technology.  Sony has been locked in a standards war with backers of the HD-DVD format, primarily Toshiba and NEC. In the Sony Blu-ray camp are Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, HP and Dell, while Microsoft has joined the HD-DVD group.

In a nutshell, HD-DVD is an upgrade of existing technology that enables the discs to store more data.  Toshiba and NEC tout HD-DVD as being cheaper and quicker to produce than Blu-ray, while the Blu-ray backers boast of their technology’s larger storage capacity. Sony et al believe that the next generation of DVD requires a total overhaul of existing standards, while HD-DVD supporters say that it is more important to develop the new technology in a way that is more compatible with existing equipment.  The HD-DVD group has submitted its technology to the DVD Forum for standards approval, while Sony has not done likewise with Blu-ray.

DIRECTV Adds Bravo HD+ Didn’t see any official announcement from the company on this one, but it was reported to me by one reader and I confirmed it on the satcaster’s website. It shows up as channel 74.

UPN Embracing HDTV Mediaweek reported Wednesday that UPN is now broadcasting half of its primetime lineup in high-def, which currently consists of seven shows.   These include “Star Trek: Enterprise,” “Veronica Mars,” “Kevin Hill,” “One on One,” “Girlfriends,” “Half and Half,” and “Second Time Around.”

Atlanta Braves Now in HD Mediaweek also reported on Wednesday that cable giant Comcast has launched BravesVision, an HD network for the Atlanta Braves baseball team.  The new net will also show pre- and post-game coverage, classic games and player interviews.

This is a smart move by Comcast because it gives its customers something that satellite cannot: local sports coverage in high-def. Cable companies around the country are moving in this direction, with prominent examples being Cox in San Diego, Cablevision in New York and Comcast in Seattle.  BuyingHDTV.com’s HD channel availability study released last month showed that 28% of cable companies in the nation’s top 25 markets offered regional sports coverage in high-def.  That number will only continue to grow in the coming months. Posted by Mark Kersey, 3:09pm

September 20 -- McCain Wants Gov’t Subsidy of Digital TV

Reuters reported this morning that Sen. John McCain has introduced legislation that would have the federal government provide a billion dollars in subsidies for low-income households that rely on over-the-air TV signals so that they do not get left behind after the transition to digital television transmission. The legislation would also postpone the gov’t-mandated deadline for the digital transition to 2009 and would count cable and satellite TV customers as among the 85% of households able to receive digital broadcasts.  Specifically, the subsidy would pay for the installation of cable or satellite service that would provide either new or converted signals so that they do these households would not have to purchase a new digital TV. Posted by Mark Kersey, 11:10am

September 20 -- Samsung, DIRECTV Offer HD Promos

DIRECTV and Samsung have teamed up to offer new customers a $100 discount off of a DIRECTV HD receiver when a qualifying Samsung HDTV is purchased.  Additionally, new DIRECTV customers will receive four free months of the Total Choice Premier with Locals package when they sign up for the NFL Sunday Ticket, in addition to six free months of DIRECTV’s HD package. Samsung previously had a marketing partnership with the cable industry, so it’s interesting to see it now hook up with DIRECTV.

On a separate but related note, I’ve learned that DIRECTV has added NBC to its HD channel lineup in O&O (owned and operated) markets around the country.  I haven’t seen anything official from the satellitep provider, but the details sound similar to the company’s arrangement with CBS.  Posted by Mark Kersey, 11:01am

September 19 -- 45” Sharp AQUOS LCD Flat Panel Now in Retail

The new 45-inch Sharp AQUOS LCD Flat-Panel is being advertised at electronics retailer Good Guys this week for $7,999. Sharp says it’s the largest LCD flat-panel on the market today, which I believe to be the case, although its assertion that the “lightweight design you can carry from room to room” may be a bit of a stretch.  Regardless, it appears that LCD is getting closer to becoming a true alternative to plasma in the large flat-panel display segment, although a good plasma in my mind still offers a superior picture quality.  Posted by Mark Kersey, 10:45pm

September 13 -- Time Warner, ESPN HD Finally Come to Terms

Wrapping up a multi-year negotiation process, Time Warner reached a deal with ESPN late last week to offer the network’s high-def channel throughout Time Warner’s systems nationwide. ESPN HD has already launched in many markets such as San Diego, and the agreement also covers the former Time Warner divisions now known as Bright House Networks in Florida, Indiana and Michigan. ESPN HD will appear on Time Warner’s HD Tier that also includes HDNet, HDNet Movies, INHD and INHD2 in most markets and generally costs $6.95/mo.

Time Warner is the last major cable company to ink a carriage agreement with ESPN HD.  High-def programming on the network includes the daily “SportsCenter” along with various college and pro football, basketball and baseball games. Posted by Mark Kersey, 2:56pm

September 10 -- Slew of New Products Unveiled at CEDIA

There has been an absolute flurry of announcements late this week from the CEDIA 2004 industry trade show in Indianapolis. Pioneer, Sony, Panasonic, Toshiba, Hitachi, RCA, ViewSonic and other manufacturers unveiled new plasma displays, LCD TVs and DLP microdisplays, all with exaggerated MSRPs on par with German luxury sedans.  (The priciest model I heard of was Pioneer’s new 61-inch plasma, which retails for $16,000.) 

One of the more interesting new products was Sony’s 70-inch microdisplay rear-projection HDTV that utilizes the company’s Silicon Xtal Reflective Display (SXRD) technology. It offers full HD resolution of 1920x1080 and an impressive contrast ratio of 3000:1. Sony first unveiled the SXRD technology in its QUALIA front-projector last year, and the manufacturer says that the unit’s narrow inter-pixel spacing provides greater detail and more film-like picture quality than conventional microdisplays with no visual artifacts. It will go on sale early next year for under $10,000.

A full listing of the product releases is available in our Latest News section. Posted by Mark Kersey, 12:20pm

September 10 -- VOOM Seeing Slowdown in Subscriber Growth

There was an interesting piece in Newsday this morning about an SEC filing that Cablevision submitted yesterday in advance of its proposed spinoff of VOOM/Rainbow DBS. The company reported that VOOM has only signed up just under 4,000 new customers in the last two months (with an additional 1,200 awaiting installation) and that the startup satellite provider suffers from an alarmingly high churn rate: more than 3 of every 10 customers have canceled their service since last October. According to Cablevision executives, “Unless we are able to reverse this trend and grow our customer base quickly and significantly, we are unlikely to have a successful DBS business.”  A large factor behind the high customer churn has been problems with local digital channel reception utilizing over-the-air antennas. VOOM has lost $98 million so far in 2004.

As a current VOOM customer, I can appreciate the problems people are having with the local digital channels.  We’ve had installers at our house four times putting up new antennas and I purchased an amplifier last week in the hopes of boosting the signal to the point where I can pick up the local FOX affiliate in time for the start of football season this weekend.  No luck.  We were receiving the local ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS stations fine, but with the new directional antenna that was installed in a so far unsuccessful attempt to pick up FOX, we no longer get any of the other locals except ABC.  So when we want to watch local HD channels, we switch to our Adelphia HD cable box. Not a terrible situation, but pretty inefficient.  And unlike me, most customers probably wouldn’t be interested in running cable and satellite side-by-side. 

Ultimately, when DIRECTV gets its local HD channels launched next year after its Spaceway 1 and 2 satellites are deployed, VOOM will find itself in serious trouble if it hasn’t taken similar steps. The way the company’s bleeding money, however, it may not be around by then. Posted by Mark Kersey, 11:31am

September 8 -- DIRECTV Announces Plans for HD Local Channels

A very interesting announcement came out of DIRECTV today -- the satellite provider has contracted with Boeing to launch four new next-gen satellites, the first two of which will go up next year.  According to DIRECTV, the new satellites will be used to offer more than 500 local channels in high-def by the middle of next year.  The latter two satellites will go into orbit in early 2007 with a capacity of 1,000 local HD channels and 150 national HD channels.  Most U.S. households will be able to pick up local channels in high-def from DIRECTV next summer after the first two satellites (dubbed Spaceway 1 and 2) launch, with the remaining households fully covered in 2007.  Consumers will need just a small single satellite dish to receive this array of programming.

Is this the ultimate VOOM killer?  DIRECTV’s announcement came out after the stock market closed, so we’ll find out Thursday morning what impact Wall Street believes this development will have on VOOM Rainbow DBS through parent company Cablevision’s stock.  Rainbow is scheduled to be spun off from Cablevision later this month, but the offering has already been met with skeptism from many Street analysts. With DIRECTV upping the ante in the war for satellite bandwidth, VOOM looks to be coming under even greater competitive pressure. To be fair, VOOM has its own new satellite launching next month, although it is a medium power FSS Ku-band satellite that will require a larger satellite dish for consumers to pick up its signal.  Posted by Mark Kersey, 3:46pm

August 30 -- ESPN HD Beefs Up Programming

After months of showing a paltry one or two sporting events a week in high-def on ESPN HD, the network is starting to ramp up a much improved programming lineup with the start of football season. It began with the opening game of the college season this past Saturday evening between defending national co-champs USC and underdog Virginia Tech, and continues this week with four additional games:   Texas A&M vs. Utah on Thursday night, Central Florida vs. Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon, and Oregon St. vs. defending co-champ LSU and Notre Dame vs. BYU, both on Saturday night.  There will be two more college football games on ESPN HD next Saturday, followed by the NFL opener on Sunday night (Sept. 12) between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos.

ESPN began airing its widely popular “SportsCenter” program in high-def earlier this spring and will also show its “NFL Primetime” highlights show in HD throughout the upcoming season.

The full ESPN HD schedule can be seen here.  Posted by Mark Kersey, 10:28am

August 24 -- NBC HD Olympics Coverage Drawing Criticism

The AP ran an interesting piece today in which a number of criticisms of NBC’s HD coverage of the Athens Olympics were raised. The main complaints center around the lack of variety in the sports shown in high-def, which according to NBC is due to only the basketball, swimming, gymnastics and track and field venues being wired for HD broadcasts.  Then came word from NBC last week that its high-def coverage would be limited to tape-delayed highlights from the previous day’s events -- meaning that if you happen to read the paper, check the Internet or say, talk to other humans, you were likely to find out the results of key matchups well before you could actually watch them in HD.  VOOM sent out a letter to its customers detailing the NBC programming change, although I’m not sure if other providers did (Adelphia did not, at least not in Southern California).

Is the criticism of NBC fair?  To be sure, this is the first Summer Olympics that have been broadcast in HD, although the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City were as well.  Personally, I’m a little tired of flipping on NBC’s HD channel and seeing nothing but gymnastics when it seems to me that certain other sports (beach volleyball?) are tailor-made for high-def coverage. One analyst in the AP story said that in contrast to NBC, CBS would have “done it right,” implying that NBC decided not to invest as much in its HD coverage as it should have.  That’s possible, as CBS has been much more aggressive in adopting HD than the other networks. In this case, with perhaps as few as 100,000 homes actually tuning into the HD feeds of NBC’s Olympics coverage, the Peacock’s programming decisions do seem to have been driven by the bean counters rather than by those hoping to have made these Olympic Games into a true showcase for HDTV. Posted by Mark Kersey, 1:27pm

August 23 -- Q1 Plasma Shipments Up 169% from Last Year

Industry research firm iSuppli said last week that first quarter shipments of plasma displays were 175,000 -- up 169% over the same period in 2003 when 65,000 units shipped.  The average selling price for 42-inch models was $4,542 --down about $1,000 from last year.  The top plasma manufacturers and their respective market share were:

Panasonic - 15.6%

Sony - 15.4%

Gateway - 12.4%

LG - 12.1%

Hitachi - 8.5%

Posted by Mark Kersey, 3:16pm

August 20 -- Sony Debuts New Qualia and WEGA Flat-Panels

Sony showed off its new line of Qualia and WEGA plasma and LCD flat-panel displays on Thursday in Tokyo, which Reuters reports is part of a company strategy to capture 35% of that market segment in December.  The two high-end Qualia LCD flat-panel models will be available for U.S. purchase in November, while the six new WEGA displays probably won’t hit American store shelves until late this year or early 2005.

The 40-inch Qualia LCD will carry an MSRP of about $7,700 while the 46-inch version will retail for $10,100. Interestingly, the premium Qualia line of LCDs will use light-emitting diodes (LED) for backlight, which should provide a greater range of colors than the traditional cold cathode fluorescent lamps.

New WEGA plamas include a 50-inch model (retail: $9,400), a 42-inch ($7,100) and a 37-inch ($6,100). Three new WEGA LCD flat-panel displays were also unveiled in 40-, 32- and 26-inch sizes. Posted by Mark Kersey, 2:05pm

August 19 -- Sears Begins Selling LCOS Microdisplay HDTVs

Retailer Sears has begun selling Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCOS) microdisplay HDTVs under the brand Veos on its website and will begin marketing them in its stores this fall, CNET reported yesterday. The 65-inch LCOS models are made by Brillian (see Aug. 18th HDTV Weblog) and are listed at $7,999 at the retailing giant. The move to sell its own brand of consumer electronics will also eventually include DVD players and other devices.

The question in my mind is whether people in the market for an $8,000 HDTV will really shop at Sears for such a high-ticket purchase rather than a consumer electronics chain such as Best Buy, Good Guys or Tweeter, or independent home theater specialists.  No offense to the good folks at Sears, but Sears isn’t exactly top of mind when it comes to high-end home theater products. Perhaps that will change over time, but I don’t expect that Sears will sell too many of these Veos LCOS microdisplays in the near future.

This product launch reminds me of when VOOM initially launched last fall and Sears was the only retailer that carried the startup HD satellite service. At the time, VOOM was charging $750 for its equipment (there was no lease option yet) and Sears seemed to be an odd retail partner for what was being marketed as more of a luxury service targeted at the high end of the market.  I remember visiting a local Sears store here in San Diego earlier this year and being told by one of the sales guys that not only had his store not activated a single VOOM subscription, but he didn’t know of any of the stores in the area that had either.  I’d be surprised if that situation isn’t repeated with the Brillian-manufactured LCOS HDTVs. Posted by Mark Kersey, 9:19am

August 18 -- Intel Delays LCOS Chip Production

Reuters reported earlier this week that chipmaking giant Intel has delayed its production of new Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCOS) chips for rear-projection HDTVs. The LCOS chips were to have been released later this year, but Intel now has no target date for their launch.  According to the company, the delay was caused by a desire to improve the video quality of the chips rather than from technical problems.  One industry analyst suggested that Intel’s problem stems from its decision to focus on one-megapixel displays while most manufacturers are now clamoring for two-megapixel units.

Despite Intel’s production issues, there are a few other LCOS microdisplays on the market right now. JVC makes a three-chip display that comes in both 52-inch and 61-inch models, while lesser-known Brillian also manufactures what it calls the industry’s only Gen II LCOS display. Posted by Mark Kersey, 7:07pm

August 13 -- DIRECTV Offering HD Service Discounts

Satcaster DIRECTV is offering new HDTV customers six free months of high-def service when they commit to a 12-month HD contract. The offer is valid through December 31st.  DIRECTV’s HD service normally costs $10.99/mo. The company is also offering six free months of high-def service, along with four free months of DIRECTV’s best programming package, when customers commit to one year of the package and also purchase the NFL Sunday Ticket subscription to pro football games.  Up to 100 NFL games will be broadcast in HD and carried on Sunday Ticket this year.

DIRECTV’s HD promotion is directly tied to its carriage of NBC’s Olympic coverage in high-definition. Subscribers can view the Olympic events through the DIRECTV satellite (as opposed to over-the-air broadcast) in NBC owned & operated markets – New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Dallas, Miami, Washington D.C., San Diego, Hartford, Raleigh, Columbus, Providence and Birmingham. Posted by Mark Kersey, 2:45pm

August 13 -- Hitachi, Matsushita and Toshiba Considering Joint LCD Venture

CNET reported earlier this week that Japanese electronics manufacturers Hitachi, Matsushita (parent company of Panasonic) and Toshiba are on the verge of entering into a partnership to produce large LCD flat-panel TVs.  The new plant would be built by Hitachi on property owned by subsidiary Hitachi Displays, which produces smaller LCDs for mobile phones. 

The new venture would be directly aimed at a similar partnership between Sony and Samsung, and would cause industry leader Sharp some pain as well, given that Sharp currently supplies Matsushita, Toshiba and JVC with LCD flat-panels.  Posted by Mark Kersey, 1:57pm

August 12 -- VOOM Reports 25K Subscribers

VOOM had 25,000 satellite HDTV customers as of June 30th, parent company Cablevision reported in its second quarter earnings. VOOM lost $81.5 million in the period, which it attributed primarily to subscriber acquisition costs, content development costs for the VOOM high-definition channels, and general and administrative expenses. Posted by Mark Kersey, 9:44pm

August 6 -- CableCards Becoming More Visible;
Drawbacks Remain

After reports that the cable companies are beginning to hear requests from customers for CableCards, also known as Plug & Play, information about the new technology is showing up on some of the cable providers’ websites. Time Warner in particular has been proactive about educating consumers on CableCards, although a comparison chart on their website listing the features and benefits of CableCard vs. an HD set-top box paints a less than flattering picture of CableCard technology. 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this new technology, CableCards closely resemble in physical appearance the credit card-size security cards that fit in a slot on satellite receivers.  From a functional standpoint, CableCards were developed to eliminate the need for a separate high-definition set-top box. One rationale behind their development is that you could take your HDTV when you move, and regardless of the cable provider that services your new neighborhood, you’d simply order their CableCard, pop it into the slot on your high-def TV set, and you’d be up and ready to go.  It would also serve to simplify the mess of components and wires running behind or below your HDTV. 

In practice, however, CableCards have a significant drawback:  the first generation is “one-way,” meaning that pay-per-view, league sports packages and two-way interactive services such as video-on-demand, interactive TV, etc. will still require the use of a set-top box. Two-way CableCards will eventually hit the market, but the cable providers and consumer electronics manufacturers are still negotiating the technical aspects of the advanced technology.

Time Warner is leasing CableCards for $1.75 a month, while Comcast doesn’t charge an extra fee and Cox charges the same price as for a digital gateway (generally less than $5).  CableCard installation typically runs $20-30. My guess is that the cable industry won’t see many consumers demanding them once they learn of the services and features they would have to give up in return. Posted by Mark Kersey, 9:23am

August 6 -- Discovery HD Theater Premiers “Great White Shark: Uncaged”

Discovery HD Theater premiered a new show last night called “Great White Shark: Uncaged” that told the story of a man’s desire to swim freely alongside great whites without a cage or any protection.  I unfortunately didn’t get a chance to see the program, which was part of Discovery’s Shark Week, but it sounded fascinating. If anyone out there did catch it last night, let me know how it was. It’s playing a few times a day, so I’m going to try to see it sometime this weekend.  Posted by Mark Kersey, 9:23am

July 30 -- A Big Week for Sports in High-Def

There were several major announcements this week regards high-def coverage of major sporting events. VOOM will be offering Mike Tyson’s return to the ring in HD free of charge tonight to its customers, and it’s also being carried by INHD on various cable systems as a $49.95 pay-per-view event.  Coverage starts this evening at 9pm EDT/6pm PDT.

Rival satellite provider DIRECTV announced that it has signed a deal with NBC Universal to carry NBC’s high-def coverage of the Athens Olympics in addition to Bravo HD+ and digital retransmission consent for NBC O&O (owned and operated) stations around the country. 

Separately, Bravo HD+ will be simulcasting USA Network’s coverage of the U.S. Open tennis tournament in high-def later next month. 

Finally, Fox Sports Net Bay Area and Comcast said that they’ve reached a carriage agreement to show San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics baseball games in high-def for the rest of this season.  In all, 23 Giants games and 14 A’s games will be broadcast in HD.  FSN Bay Area reaches 3.6 million households in Northern California and Nevada. Posted by Mark Kersey, 12:21pm

July 28 -- Bravo HD+ to Carry U.S. Open Tennis

One benefit to NBC’s acquisition of Universal is increased collaboration opportunities among the various broadcast and cable networks that now fall under the NBC Universal banner. Case in point: Broadcasting & Cable magazine is reporting that Bravo HD+ will simulcast in high-def USA Network’s coverage of the U.S. Open tennis championship next month. The Open begins Aug. 30th with Bravo HD+ showing the first week of play in primetime. All of USA’s coverage will be show in the following week, concluding on September 12th.  According to Broadcasting & Cable, there will be 65.5 total hours of HD programming shown from the tournament on Bravo HD+.  The network is currently available on Cablevision, Insight, Mediacom and VOOM.  Posted by Mark Kersey, 10:39am

July 28 -- Yankee Group: HDTV in 60 Million Homes by ‘08

Technology research firm The Yankee Group is projecting that 60 million U.S. homes will have HDTV by 2008. According to Yankee, 78% of consumers are aware of HDTV and 20% say they intend to buy one. The firm cites lower HDTV set costs, more HD content, and partnerships between cable operators and consumer electronics manufacturers as factors that will drive HD’s growth over the next few years. Posted by Mark Kersey, 10:21am

July 27 -- Mitsubishi’s New Entry-Level DLP Now Available

I haven’t seen a formal release from the company since it initially announced the products in April, but my sources in retail tell me that the first of Mitsubishi’s new line of DLP microdisplays -- model number WD-52525 -- is now available.  The entry-level 52-inch model retails for $4,000 and is supposed to be among the best DLPs now available in that price and size segment.  The larger 62-inch WD-62525 should be available in September, which boasts an anti-glare screen that its 52-inch sibling lacks. Also coming in September are the higher-end Medallion and Diamond series of DLP microdisplays, the latter of which include a built-in high-definition digital video recorder (HD-DVR).  Posted by Mark Kersey, 11:08am

July 22 -- Congress Debating Digital TV Subsidies

The U.S. House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet held a hearing yesterday at which the subject of federal subsidies of digital TV converters was debated, Wired Magazine reports. Such a program could be modeled after one in place in Berlin, Germany last fall where TV broadcast signals were completely transitioned from analog to digital. The German government, however, subsidized the transition by providing free digital-to-analog converters to citizens who couldn’t afford them.  The cable industry in Germany also assisted by downconverting digital signals to analog.

My opinion on this subject is that although it would be nice to see a quicker digital transition than Dec. 2006 -- which is the earliest it can be mandated by the FCC according to the Telecommunications Act of 1996 -- this seems like a matter best left to the market to solve. It’s widely expected that the U.S. cable industry would, like their German counterparts, also employ some kind of downconversion to avoid losing customers who haven’t yet purchased a digital TV or digital-to-analog converter. When considering that 74 million of the 108 million U.S. television households subscribe to cable service, the digital transition “problem” looks much less vexing.  (The satellite industry is a little trickier since bandwidth constraints will prohibit satellite transmission of local network digital signals for quite some time.) However, any market with tens of millions of potential customers will quickly spawn a number of aggressive competitors, which will serve to drive prices down.  Converters projected to sell for $100 today may well go for less than $25 two years from now as the FCC’s transition deadline nears.  Posted by Mark Kersey, 10:22pm

July 20 -- Comcast Uses Narrowcasting in Retail to Drive HD Subs

CED Magazine reported today that cable giant Comcast has partnered with retailer Ultimate Electronics in Denver to use narrowcasting technology to beam two streams of HD content to Ultimate stores. According to CED, the first stream shows Comcast programming clips and a promotional message, while the second stream is more informational regarding HDTV technology and Comcast’s HDTV service.  The effort has boosted Comcast’s HDTV subscriptions fivefold and HDTV sales have more than doubled.                    Posted by Mark Kersey, 10:58am

July 16 -- More of My VOOM Review

VOOM’s greatest strength is quite simply the amount of HD programming available through its system.  There are 21 proprietary VOOM high-def channels, including my personal favorite, EquatorHD, which is essentially a travel channel shot entirely in high-def. If you enjoy commanding vistas of Venice or the French Riviera that make you feel like you’re actually there, this is the perfect channel.  Many of the other VOOM 21 channels are less exciting, and the movies that are shown on the Cinema 10 channels are generally speaking not much to write home about. 

VOOM more than makes up for the dearth of good programming in the Cinema 10 through its carriage of ESPN HD, Discovery HD Theater, TNT HD and Bravo HD+, along with a slew of movie channels that includes HBO HD, Showtime HD, Cinemax HD, The Movie Channel HD, Starz HD and Encore HD. The picture quality varies from channel to channel and often program to program depending on how the HD conversion process was handled.

In spite of the sheer quantity of HD programming with VOOM, there is still room for improvement.  My wife, for example, bemoans the fact that VOOM does not yet carry Home & Garden Television, an omission that should be corrected when the second VOOM satellite launches later this fall. Additionally, none of the regional sports networks such as Fox Sports Net are yet available. All things considered, however, if you want the most HD channels currently available by any HD service provider in the country, VOOM is the way to go.  Posted by Mark Kersey, 6:50pm

July 15 -- Sony and Samsung in Joint LCD Production Venture

The Wall Street Journal ran an interesting article today regarding the opening of a new LCD TV production facility 60 miles outside of Seoul, South Korea. The factory was already being built by Samsung until Sony stepped in with an offer to invest $1 billion in the plant, which will focus on 40- and 46-inch LCD flat-panels.  Both companies are taking aim at LCD industry leader Sharp, which controls more of the market than its next three rivals combined according to research firm iSuppli/Stanford Resources.  Posted by Mark Kersey, 6:30pm

July 14 -- Initial Impressions of a New VOOM Customer

This blogger had the VOOM satellite service installed at his house this past weekend and my initial review is quite positive.  I wasn’t sure what to expect from the over-the-air antenna, particularly how well it would integrate with the VOOM box and interactive program guide. It works suprisingly well.  We’re able to receive the digital broadcasts of the local CBS, NBC and PBS affiliates without any trouble, while the local ABC affiliate goes in and out. We unfortunately can’t pick up the local FOX or WB affiliates with the standard Wineguard antenna that VOOM provides, but with FOX it’s not surprising considering that it broadcasts 40 miles away from atop a mountain in Tijuana, Mexico.  A VOOM tech is supposed to come out next week and install an upgraded antenna, so hopefully that will assist in our ability to pick up ABC, FOX and a few independents.

I’ll post some more comments regarding VOOM’s HD content, including its proprietary VOOM 21 lineup, tomorrow.  Posted by Mark Kersey, 11:57pm

July 7 -- Comcast Testing HD-VOD in Philly, Rolling Out  Discovery HD Around the Country

CED Magazine reports that Comcast executives told journalists at a corporate press briefing last week that the company is testing high-definition video-on-demand in Philadelphia. For those unfamiliar with VOD, it allows you to order a movie or program through the cable box anytime you want to watch it, but like a DVD, DVR or VCR, you can stop, pause, rewind and fast-forward what you’re watching. While satellite providers DIRECTV and DISH both offer high-def pay-per-view, Comcast appears to be the first company to test high-def VOD.  It is unclear when the service will be launched commercially to customers in Comcast’s markets around the country.

UPDATE: I have been corrected by reader Shirley Brady, who informs me that both Time Warner and Cablevision are also testing HD-VOD.  In addition to Philadelphia, Comcast is trialing the service in Washington, D.C. as well.  Thanks, Shirley!

In separate but related news, as promised in a June 21 press release, Comcast is adding Discovery HD Theater to its high-def channel lineups in major markets throughout the country. Our internal research shows that Discovery HD is now available to Comcast HDTV customers in Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas and Denver, with more on the way. Discovery HD Theater features popular programming from the Discovery Channel’s group of cable networks such as TLC’s “Trading Spaces,” the Travel Channel’s “World’s Best Beaches 2004” and Discovery Channel’s “American Chopper.”  Posted by Mark Kersey, 10:21am

June 30 -- Users Unhappy with Picture Quality of non-HD Channels

I received a number of responses to my Question of the Week in the last edition of the HDTV Scoop newsletter regarding the picture quality of non-HD channels on HDTVs. The response was uniformly negative, which is to say that nobody who replied to my question was happy with the way analog or digital cable channels look on their HDTVs. The problem of course is that most channels are not yet broadcast in high-def, meaning that HDTV owners are either forced to adjust their viewing habits and watch programming just because it’s in high-def or put up with the inferior picture quality of the channels they’re used to watching.  Maybe this is why a recent study I saw from IDC reported that only 20% of digital TV owners actually watch HD or digital content on their new sets, with the rest using it primarily for DVDs.

Below is a sampling of what people had to say -- thanks to those who wrote in!

“I have a Pioneer Elite Plasma 50 incher.  It seems that the analog signals look a lot more "grainy" or granular looking on the Pioneer.  I've made the comparison by looking at a Sharp Aquos 13 inch LCD while watching the same analog station. The HD channels and programming snap in crystal clear though on the Pioneer.  Watching Mark Harmon on NCIS in HD is just about like being there with him!”

“I fully concur with the feeling of other readers: both analog and digital (non HD) channels look very grainy with the new Comcast boxes (in Flower Mound, Texas). The only way around that problem was for us to switch the TV from DTV to a cable A/B set up. This is way too inconvenient. Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of this experience is that the Comcast help desk does not acknowledge the problem: every time we call them to complain, they dispatch a technician who is aware of the problem but does not know how or when it will be fixed. In fact, we are currently considering whether paying Comcast the additional money for the box and the additional channel line up is really worth it.”

“The picture stinks. I get the college football package and its the worst picture imaginable!!! I have a Panasonic CinemaVision.”

Posted by Mark Kersey, 11:45am

June 23 -- LG, LodgeNet to Bring HDTV to Hotel Rooms

HDTV manufacturer LG, which owns Zenith, announced yesterday that it has partnered with hotel entertainment giant LodgeNet to begin installing HDTV in hotel rooms across the country later this year. The announcement came at a hospitality industry tradeshow in Dallas and detailed plans for the new offering, including the utilization of both satellite and over-the-air broadcast HD signals to transmit programming to LG set-top boxes. The companies expect to launch the service later this year once the agreements with satellite provider partners are finalized. It is not clear yet which hotels will offer the LG-LodgeNet HD service, but LG currently provides entertainment services to 5,800 hotel properties worldwide including high-end chains such as Hilton, Inter-Continental and the Ritz-Carlton that would most likely be among the first to offer HDTV to guests. Posted by Mark Kersey, 12:43pm

June 21 -- Scientific-Atlanta Shows Off New HD-DVR

Cable set-top box manufacturer Scientific-Atlanta announced last week at the Cable-Tec Expo 2004 that it has launched a new version of its Explorer HD-DVR box. The new STB, dubbed the 8300HD DVR, sports two tuners so that viewers can watch one program while recording another or watch a recorded show while recording two others. Another version of the 8300HD DVR, the 8300HD Multi-Room DVR, enables multi-room DVR so that you can record a program in one room, pause it and then pick it up where you left off in another room. It also allows non-DVR set-tops the ability to access and control DVR content.

It’s unclear when exactly the various cable companies that utilize Scientific-Atlanta equipment will upgrade to the 8300HD DVR. Cox and Comcast were the first two cablers to launch HD-DVR boxes earlier this spring, and we know that Time Warner is testing them as well.  Cox currently uses the Explorer 8000HD DVR in markets where it offers high-definition DVR service, so it’s likely that it would be the first cable company to deploy the newer 8300HD DVR and its Multi-Room cousin (Comcast uses Motorola’s HD-DVR box). However, as it rolls out its HD-DVR service later this summer, Time Warner may elect to skip the older 8000HD DVR and deploy the 8300HD DVR right out of the gate.

Satellite provider VOOM is working on its own multi-room HD-DVR service using a set-top box from Motorola. That option should be available to VOOM customers by the end of the summer or beginning of fall.  Posted by Mark Kersey, 11:04pm

June 14 -- Dell to Introduce New LCD TVs, First Plasma

CNET News reported today that PC giant Dell will introduce a slate of new digital TVs this fall that includes the company’s first plasma display and a new lineup of LCD flat-panel TVs.  Dell has been attempting to expand beyond its traditional PC focus for the last year or so, and currently offers 17-inch, 23-inch and 30-inch models of HDTV-ready LCD flat-panel TVs ranging in price from $629 to $2,519. Dell also currently sells plasmas from partner companies such as NEC, Mitsubishi, Samsung and Planar, but its plasma that will launch this fall will be the first to carry the Dell label.

This is not the first foray by a PC manufacturer into the consumer electronics arena. Gateway has sold plasma displays and other digital TVs for about two years and is credited with popularizing a $2,999 enhanced-definition unit that was among the first low-cost plasmas on the market.  Dell rival HP is also looking to expand into consumer electronics and it too will reportedly begin selling digital televisions later this year. Posted by Mark Kersey, 3:01pm

June 9 -- NBC Provides Details of Summer Olympics HDTV Coverage

NBC Universal today unveiled its plans for high-definition broadcasting from the Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.  This will be the first Olympic Games televised in HDTV and six Olympic sports will be shown in high-def: swimming, diving, gymnastics, track and field, basketball (medal rounds only) and men’s soccer (gold medal final only).  All told, there will be 399 hours of HDTV coverage from Athens, shown by NBC’s 124 affiliates nationwide that broadcast in high-definition.

I’m not normally a huge Olympics fan, with the overdramatized stories of hardship, the random “sports” that have somehow won the IOC’s backing, and of course the ever-present doping scandals. But it will nonetheless be very cool to see in HDTV. NBC wisely chose to broadcast sports in high-def that appeal to the widest number of viewers, and the basketball gold medal game in particular should be a big draw here in the U.S. (but only if the American team is playing).  I usually don’t watch a huge amount of Olympics coverage, and I doubt I’ll come close to catching all 400 hours of HD coverage this summer.  But I’ll definitely watch more than in years past, an effect that HDTV tends to have on television programming.     Posted by Mark Kersey, 11:55pm

June 4 -- ESPN HD to Debut “SportsCenter” in High-Def on Monday June 7

“SportsCenter,” the popular hour-long highlight show that has been an ESPN staple for the better part of two decades, will make its high-definition debut Monday night at 11pm EDT (8pm PDT).  The show will feature an entirely new set in ESPN’s new Digital Center in Bristol, Connecticut and each new episode (there are several daily) will air in HD.  Getting SportsCenter on ESPN HD is a milestone for the network, as high-definition programming has been spotty since ESPN HD launched last year.  Entire days go by without any HD shows on ESPN HD, as evidenced by the coming week’s schedule:  a baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox airs Sunday night, but viewers have to wait six days for the next high-def event on ESPN HD (a College World Series baseball game on Saturday June 19th).  Having SportsCenter in high-def should go a long way towards filling the programming gaps that currently exist on ESPN HD.

ESPN HD is currently carried by all the major cable and satellite providers except Time Warner and Cablevision, although not all of the local cable systems have added the network to their HD channel lineups. Posted by Mark Kersey, 9:32am

June 2 -- Panasonic Teams Up with Cable Industry to Promote HDTV

Cable industry trade pub Multichannel News is reporting that consumer electronics giant Panasonic, a division of Japan’s Matsushita Electric, has teamed up with ten cable companies to promote HDTV to coincide with the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.  Panasonic and the cable operators will jointly buy media time to promote cable HDTV adoption, with the cable companies also offering service discounts to consumers who purchase Panasonic HDTVs. The effort has not yet been publicly announced but likely will be in the next couple of weeks.

This marketing campaign is similar to one that was co-sponsored by the cable industry and Samsung earlier this year that was timed to run with the NCAA basketball tournament.  Local cable systems have also run promotions with individual electronics manufacturers, such as a co-marketing arrangement that Time Warner Cable had with Pioneer in San Diego at the beginning of this year. It is unclear how successful those efforts have been, but apparently they are producing solid enough results for the cable industry to continue to run them with different product manufacturers. NBC is expected to heavily promote its HD coverage of the Athens Olympics, so this campaign by Panasonic and the cable companies should be well-timed.  Posted by Mark Kersey, 4:44pm

June 2 -- New England Sports Net Carrying Boston Red Sox in HD

CED Magazine reports that the New England Sports Network (NESN) now carries Boston Red Sox baseball in HD and will carry Boston Bruins hockey games in HD this fall.  The regional sports network is available to Adelphia, Comcast, Cox and RCN subscribers in greater Boston and surrounding areas. Red Sox fans will now learn what followers of the Baltimore Orioles (Comcast SportsNet), Chicago Cubs (WGN), Chicago White Sox (WGN), Houston Astros (Fox Sports Net Southwest), Los Angeles Dodgers (Fox Sports West2), Milwaukee Brewers (Fox Sports North), Minnesota Twins (Fox Sports Net Minnesota), New York Mets (MSG), Philadelphia Philles (Comcast SportsNet), San Diego Padres (Cox San Diego Channel 4), San Francisco Giants (Fox Sports Net Bay Area), Seattle Mariners (Fox Sports Net/Comcast), Texas Rangers (Fox Sports Net Southwest) and other cities where regional sports nets broadcast in HD already know -- baseball looks great in high-def.
Posted by Mark Kersey, 4:32pm

May 26 -- Gay-Themed HD Movie Channel to Debut on VOOM Next Week

Rainbow Media, the parent company of satellite provider VOOM, announced today that it is launching a gay-themed movie channel June 1st on VOOM. The new HD network will be called DIVINE HD and its launch is timed to coincide with Gay and Lesbian pride month.  Programming will include such titles as The Producers, Birdcage and Kissing Jessica Stein. DIVINE HD will become part of VOOM’s HD Cinema 10, a multiplex of movie channels that are part of the VOOM 21 suite of HD networks.

DIVINE HD is an example of how a startup provider like VOOM can quickly bring special-interest programming to market.  With just 8,000 customers as of April 30, VOOM is but a blip on the industry’s radar screen when compared to the likes of Comcast or DIRECTV. However, with innovative exclusive programming like DIVINE HD, along with an HD channel lineup that is far and away the largest of any provider in the business today, VOOM should enjoy a quick ramp-up in its subscriber base this summer.

I don’t want to sound like a cheerleader for VOOM, because it does face serious financial burdens associated with starting up a company from scratch in a very capital-intensive industry. There are also questions about parent company Cablevision’s financial health, although many of those should be eliminated when Rainbow Media is spun off.  However, with a second satellite slated to launch this fall, VOOM will gain even more bandwidth to distribute its HDTV programming. Don’t be surprised if the company someday in the not-too-distant future becomes the first satellite TV provider to launch select local channels in HD, a move that would neutralize a large competitive advantage currently enjoyed by its cable rivals. Posted by Mark Kersey, 5:22pm

May 26 -- A Little Shameless Self-Promotion

BuyingHDTV.com officially launched the new HDTV Scoop weekly e-mail newsletter this afternoon.  The idea was to take all the information that is tracked daily on this website and put it in a weekly recap e-mail that busy folks like you could use to get a quick summary of what’s going on in the industry.  The response has been fantastic thus far, and I appreciate the kind words of support I’ve received from everyone.

If you, a friend or a colleague want to subscribe to The HDTV Scoop, send an e-mail to info@BuyingHDTV.com with “Subscribe” in the subject line.  And if you have story ideas, let me know! Posted by Mark Kersey, 4:43pm

May 25 -- VOOM Adds TNT HD to Channel Lineup

It hasn’t been announced yet, but we have learned that VOOM has added TNT HD to its high-definition channel lineup in time for tonight’s NBA Western Conference Finals Game 3 between the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves.  VOOM, DISH and Time Warner now carry TNT HD, with the other service providers still in negotiations. 
Posted by Mark Kersey, 12:27pm

May 21 -- VOOM in Negotiations to Add TNT HD

Time Warner and DISH Network have already launched the newest HD network, with the timing of those launches coming as the NBA’s Conference Finals begin this evening.  Expect an announcement from VOOM in the next week or two, as it seeks to expand its industry-leading HD lineup that currently boasts 36 channels.  Parent company Cablevision announced in its first quarter earnings that VOOM had signed up 8,000 customers as of April 30th, and the company expects significant growth throughout the rest of the year as it increases its marketing efforts. The start-up satcaster has been on a roll as of late with its new HD channel launches and now boasts 36 HD channels.  There are 21 commercial-free HD channels exclusive to VOOM, in addition to:

• HBO HD (East and West)
• Showtime HD (East and West)
• Cinemax HD (East and West)
• The Movie Channel HD
• STARZ! HD (East and West)
• Encore HD
• Bravo HD+
• Discovery HD Theater
• ESPN HD
• NFL Network (which broadcasts a Game of the Week in HD)
• Playboy Hot HD

Posted by Mark Kersey, 11:43am

May 11 -- Adelphia Launches HDTV in North San Diego County

Adelphia has made HDTV service available in the areas of the county it covers, including parts of Carlsbad, Del Mar, Encinitas, Fallbrook, San Marcos, Solana Beach and Vista.  Adelphia utilizes the Motorola DCT5100 HD boxes and charges $9.95 a month to lease them.  The HD channel line-up includes the local ABC, CBS, NBC, and PBS affiliates, and space has been reserved for FOX 6, ESPN, HBO, Showtime and Starz. Adelphia also has a national carriage agreement with INHD, but it is unclear when any of these other channels will become available.  Updated by Mark Kersey, 8:07am

May 5 -- HD TiVo Now Available from DIRECTV

Various DIRECTV resellers are now shipping the high-definition DVR box from TiVo, which comes with a $999 MSRP. Demand for the product is so strong that it is now on back-order, as is its counterpart from DISH Network, the 921 HD DVR box. Both units carry a hefty street price of $999 in addition to any shipping charges.  The HD TiVo has four tuners and a 250 GB hard drive that can record up to 30 hours of high-definition programming or 200 hours of standard-definition programming. It supports HDMI and DVI outputs, along with component, composite and S-video outputs. The four tuners enable you to watch one HD program while simultaneously recording three others.

It is unclear when, or whether, TiVo will introduce a stand-alone version of its HD box, as for now it is only available from DIRECTV as part of a satellite TV package.  TiVo’s efforts to license its technology to the cable companies have to this point been largely rebuffed, and most of the cable providers are moving forward with HD DVR plans of their own. Cox has launched such a service in San Diego, while Comcast has done the same in Los Angeles and Orange County, among other markets. Posted by Mark Kersey, 1:45pm

April 30 -- VOOM Adds ESPN HD to Programming Lineup

Although it hasn’t been announced yet, we have learned that VOOM has negotiated a carriage agreement with ESPN HD.  Standard-def ESPN channels are also part of the pact.  The addition of ESPN to its HDTV programming stable is an important milestone for the fledgling satellite provider as it grows beyond its homegrown “VOOM 21” HD channel lineup and adds brand-name programmers.  VOOM’s HD programming lineup now includes Bravo HD+, Discovery HD Theater, ESPN HD, HBO HD, NFL Network HD, Playboy Hot HD, Cinemax HD, Showtime HD, Starz! HD and The Movie Channel HD, in addition to the VOOM 21.  Posted by Mark Kersey, 3:17pm

April 30 -- Cox Introduces HD-DVR Service in San Diego

Cox Cable has rolled out set-top boxes in San Diego from Scientific-Atlanta that function as both an HDTV converter and digital video recorder (DVR).  The HD-DVR service is priced at $3.00/mo. for the Explorer 8000HD box lease and an additional $9.95 for the monthly DVR service fee. Time Warner will soon roll out its own HD-DVR service based on the same Scientific-Atlanta platform, while Adelphia has not yet launched either HDTV or DVR service. Posted by Mark Kersey, 11:49am

April 16 -- Adelphia Testing HDTV in North San Diego County

Adelphia is now testing HDTV in parts of North San Diego County. The service is not yet commercially available, but five HD channels now appear in the 700s of Adelphia Digital Cable subscribers’ channel lineups: KGTV (ABC), KFMB (CBS), KNBC (NBC Los Angeles), KPBS (PBS) and Showtime.  We’re told that when the service becomes available -- which should be within the next couple of weeks -- HBO will be added to that lineup, and we also expect that KNSD (the San Diego NBC affiliate) will replace L.A.’s KNBC. ESPN HD should also be added per the carriage agreement signed between the two companies on April 5.  More details will be posted here as we get them... Posted by Mark Kersey, 8:23pm

April 5 -- FOX Sports to Begin Broadcasting in HDTV This Summer

Broadcast Engineering reported last week that FOX Sports will begin broadcasting its coverage of the NFL, Major League Baseball and NASCAR in 720p HDTV this summer. FOX has been utilizing “FOX Widescreen” for its digital TV programming for the last few years, which is 480p EDTV rather than true HDTV.  According to FOX Sports Television Chairman David Hill, HDTV broadcasts will begin in July with baseball’s 75th All-Star Game from Houston and will later include the baseball playoffs and World Series, the NFL regular season and post-season games -- including Super Bowl XXXIX from Jacksonville -- as well as NASCAR’s Daytona 500 and Pepsi 400.  Posted by Mark Kersey, 6:23pm

April 5 -- Adelphia set to roll out HDTV service in North San Diego County on May 3rd

 The service will likely offer ABC, NBC, PBS, ESPN, HBO, Showtime and Starz! in HD, and will utilize the Motorola DCT5100 set-top box. The service rollout can’t come soon enough for residents of Carlsbad, Solana Beach and other parts of North County who have been waiting for months for Adelphia to catch up with Cox and Time Warner, which together serve the vast majority of San Diego. Adelphia had originally told customers that HDTV would be available in late 2003, which got pushed back to the spring of 2004, presumably due mostly to Adelphia’s financial problems and Chapter 11 bankruptcy issues.  
Posted by Mark Kersey, 3:14pm

March 31 -- Hi-Def TiVo from DIRECTV Advertised in Retail with April Delivery

The new, much-anticipated HDTV TiVo is being advertised at Good Guys and online e-tailers such as AmericanSatellite.com, with orders now being accepted for April delivery. Retail price for the HD TiVo is $999, which is the same price as DISH’s 921 HD DVR box.  The HD Tivo has four tuners and a 250 GB hard drive that can record up to 30 hours of high-definition programming or 200 hours of standard-definition programming. It supports HDMI and DVI outputs, along with component, composite and S-video outputs. The four tuners enable you to watch one HD program while simultaneously recording two others.

An HD DVR is the holy grail for TiVo fans who have waited for an HD version of their beloved box for months. DISH is reportedly having a number of technical problems with its HD DVR 921, which has resulted in long waiting lists of people wanting to buy a product that isn’t currently being shipped. I’ve seen both the TiVo and DISH interfaces and much prefer the TiVo for user-friendliness and functionality. However, don’t forget about the cable companies, as they have HD DVR plans of their own. Time Warner in San Diego plans to roll out an HD DVR service based on the Scientific-Atlanta Explorer 8000HD box sometime in the second quarter, while Comcast and Cox are expected to do the same by the end of this year in various markets. Satellite upstart VOOM is also working on an HD DVR based on technology from Motorola and chipmaker Entropic that will enable home media networking in addition to HD video recording.  Posted by Mark Kersey, 3:42pm

February 24 -- VOOM Introduces Equipment Lease Option

It hasn’t been formally announced yet, but BuyingHDTV.com has learned that satellite provider VOOM has slashed its equipment purchase price from $750 to $499 and has introduced a $9.50/mo. equipment lease option. The company is also waiving its $199 professional installation fee.

VOOM has also added HBO HD, Cinemax HD, NFL Network and Playboy HD to its channel lineup. Playboy HD is a pay-per-view option, while the NFL Network shows a “Game of the Week” in HD.

Lowering the upfront equipment and installation prices is a great move for VOOM, as they were the single largest impediment to its growth as a company. Reducing the equipment purchase price to $499 puts VOOM on par with DIRECTV, while introducing a monthly lease option makes the company competitive with DISH and the cable companies. With the new HD channels, VOOM now has 29 channels in HD, by far the most of any service provider in the nation. Posted by Mark Kersey, 10:46am

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