Today's High-Def Headlines

Several HDTV Nets Remain Down Following Fire - MCN
Two HDTV networks were back on the air, but two others remained down Tuesday in the wake of a fire at a Stamford, Conn., building that houses facilities for several programmers and a company that does uplinking for them. A&E Network HD, The History Channel HD, YES Network HD and NFL Network HD were initially knocked out of service following an early morning fire Monday at 250 Harbor Drive in Stamford.

Dish to Televise Avalanche, Nuggets in HD - MCN
EchoStar Communications’ Dish Network and Altitude Sports & Entertainment will televise 40 Colorado Avalanche and 40 Denver Nuggets regular-season games in HDTV, officials said Tuesday. Dish Network’s HD broadcasts of Avalanche and Nuggets games, including pre- and post-game shows, will be available on Channel 360 to customers throughout Altitude’s 10-state home territory. Altitude will present the games in the 080i HD format, along with Dolby stereo sound.

Sony Unveils Blu-ray Recorders to Fight HD DVD - Reuters
Sony said it will launch four models of new Blu-ray high-definition optical disc recorders in November in Japan, as its format battle with the HD DVD camp heats up. Sony, along with Panasonic maker Matsushita Electric Industrial, promotes the Blu-ray technology, which competes with the HD DVD format, backed by Toshiba and Microsoft.

Digeo Prepares Pre-Holiday Retail Launch - TWICE
Digeo is readying the launch of its Moxi digital media receivers (DMR) for what is expected to be a pre-holiday launch through select retailers across the country. Michael Fidler, Digeo CEO, attended the recent CEDIA Expo, here, to give installers and A/V specialists a glimpse of his company’s forthcoming Moxi set-top boxes, which now include the addition of home automation control using ControlPoint technology from partner 4HomeMedia.

NME Readies New HD Disc Format - TWICE
New Medium Enterprises (NME) attended the recent CEDIA Expo to brief dealers and the press on its new low-cost red-laser high-definition optical disc format for the global market, called HD Versatile Multilayer Disc (HD VMD). The company plans a formal launch in October of its first NME-branded players through its own Web site and through several e-commerce partners including www.Amazon.com and www.PCRush.com.

New Knowledge Networks Study Shows How High-Definition TV Reception Changes Viewing Habits; No Effect on Advertising Avoidance
According to a just-released Knowledge Networks study, access to high-definition television (HDTV) programming -- one of the key digital technologies being embraced by mainstream consumers -- significantly affects viewing behavior, making users more selective about what they watch and more likely to plan viewing in advance. High-definition (HD) reception does not seem to make consumers more likely to watch commercials, though; while they find HDTV ads more "relevant," they are just as likely to click away from them as regular ads.