Today's High-Def Headlines

No sign yet of the new DirecTV HD channels that were rumored to launch today...

MGM Launching HD Channel on DirecTV - Reuters
Film and television studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc unveiled plans on Tuesday to launch a high-definition television channel this fall on the DirecTV satellite service with a mix of movies and original programs. The channel is MGM's first stand-alone HD service in the United States and it marks a major expansion for the studio.

MGM HD Eyes Comcast Launch - MCN
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios is in talks with one of its owners, Comcast, as well as other distributors about carrying its new domestic HD channel, which will launch on DirecTV. MGM doesn’t have a final carriage deal with Comcast yet for MGM HD, “but we’ve been talking to them all along,” said Douglas Lee, MGM’s executive vice president of Worldwide Digital Media. “They’ve always been supporters of this channel. We expect that we’ll get carriage, because we think we’re a good proposition.”

Did Studios Trade HD DVD Backing for Cash? - Reuters
Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger says he's disappointed by some studios' recent decision to back the HD DVD format and accused them of taking "easy money" for their decision. Iger, who made the comments Tuesday when he spoke to investors at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia Conference, did not name the studios to which he was referring. Disney backs Sony's Blu-ray format, which had appeared to be pulling ahead of Toshiba's HD DVD in the format war before Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Animation SKG signed exclusivity deals in August to distribute next-generation films on HD DVD for the next 18 months.

Harry Potter HD Discs To Arrive Dec. 11 - TWICE
Warner Home Video will release the first five “Harry Potter” movies in the high-definition Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD formats on Dec. 11, in addition to a limited-edition gift set featuring the movies and interactive extras in a choice of standard DVD, high-definition HD DVD or Blu-ray Disc formats. The announcement includes the new release of the fifth installment of the series -- "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."

TI Kicks Off $100M DLP Ad Campaign - TWICE
Texas Instruments has kicked off its 2007 DLP integrated advertising campaign, which includes television spots on "Monday Night Football," NCAA football games and Nextel Cup NASCAR racing. The $100 million effort will also employ billboards, radio and will expand online advertising, targeting sites used for consumer research before making HDTV purchases, as well as on banner ads and spots on ESPN.com.

MTV to Launch First Pan-European HD service - C21Media
Viacom-owned broadcast group MTV Networks International (MTVNI) has announced plans to launch the company's first-ever pan-European high-definition TV service in 2008. The launch is designed to provide MTVNI's audiences with music and kids entertainment across platforms. The firm will achieve this by drawing upon its library of content across brands including MTV, VH1 and Nickelodeon.