Industry Insider: Discovery HD's Clint Stinchcomb

Discovery HD Theater Brings the 20th Anniversary of SHARK WEEK into Sharp Focus

By Clint Stinchcomb, Executive Vice President and General Manager, HDTV and New Media, Discovery Communications

For the past 20 years, Discovery Channel has made SHARK WEEK the programming event of the summer. This year, it’s even bigger and better with SHARK WEEK programming crossing over to Discovery’s mobile service and on VOD. But probably the most impressive way to see this incredible event is on Discovery’s premiere HD service – Discovery HD Theater.

On Saturday, August 4 and Sunday, August 5, Discovery HD Theater will premiere “Shark Weekend,” an action packed lineup of HD premieres bringing the world of sharks to life in brilliant clarity. Beginning at 7 PM ET/PT on Saturday, fans can sink their teeth into TOP FIVE EATEN ALIVE, featuring the five most amazing shark attack survival stories; SHARK TRIBE, a look into the mysterious shark whisperers of New Guinea; and PERFECT PREDATORS, a countdown of shark species according to their skills and level of development.

On Sunday, beginning at 6 PM ET/PT, viewers can look forward to SHARKMAN, featuring Michael Rutzen, who sets out to hypnotize a Great White in open water; SHARK FEEDING FRENZY, which explores shark reactions to various types of food matter; and OCEAN OF FEAR: WORST SHARK ATTACK EVER, the dramatic documentary on the tragic sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the subsequent shark attacks.

Cable’s longest-running programming event, SHARK WEEK remains one of the television’s most popular summer past times. Now, HD fans can watch footage of a shark leaping out of the water or a shark feeding frenzy, in stunning 1080i with digital surround sound, adding a whole new dimension to SHARK WEEK and bringing home the jaw-clenching action like never before.

Today's High-Def Headlines

Two HDTV Technologies Worth Waiting For - PC World
If you're planning an HDTV purchase this fall (or looking ahead to one this winter), keep an eye out for two emerging technologies. 1080p is now everywhere, LCD HDTVs are taking over, and 40-inch displays are evolving into the new sweet spot. But new sets slated for this fall and winter are will be among the first mainstream displays to incorporate two new technologies that can significantly improve picture quality: 120-Hz refresh rate and LED backlighting.

Enhanced Qwest Choice TV Offers More High-Def Program Choices
Qwest today announced that it has added new high-definition (HD) programming to its Qwest Choice(TM) TV video offering in Phoenix. The new channels offer a wide variety of programming, including Fox Sports Net (FSN) Arizona, Universal HD, Golf/VERSUS HD, ASUtv and KPHE-TV, to meet the wide range of television viewers' interests.

Panasonic Introduces Two New HD Camcorders
Panasonic today announced two new High Definition video camcorders that match the growing consumer demand for large-screen, high-image-quality TVs and the continued evolution toward High Definition video. The new HDC-SD5 and HDC-SX5 camcorders employ cutting-edge imaging technology to capture video recordings that are breathtakingly clear and vibrant, especially when viewed on a high-quality, large screen TV.

IOGEAR Expands HDMI Product Family
Consumers can now simultaneously control and connect up to four High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) devices to television sets, thanks to IOGEAR's new 4-Port Automatic HDMI Switch. IOGEAR's patented HDAS (High-Definition Automatic Switch) technology instantly locks and transfers the active audio and video content to the connected HD display.

Sony Profit Doubles In Q2, Despite TV, PS3 Struggles - TWICE
Sony’s TV unit posted a wider operating loss of $323.6 million for the quarter on a sales decline of 10 percent. Sony said it had to lower prices more than expected this spring as the high-definition television market grew more competitive. The company said its rear-projection television business was off, as plasma and LCD TV prices continued to drop.

WFTS-TV First in Tampa to Broadcast Local News in High Definition
WFTS-TV/ABC Action News is Tampa's first television station to broadcast its local news in High Definition (HD). This allows viewers to see a sharper and clearer picture. Coupled with enhanced audio, the viewing experience is improved dramatically, regardless of what type of television set (high definition or standard) you watch.

Editors' Top Televisions: Best HDTVs Overall - CNET
We review a lot of high-definition televisions here at CNET, but the list below represents the best of the best. It collects our current highest-recommended televisions arranged in order of overall score, regardless of TV type, technology, brand, or size.

Circuit City CEO Pitches Concept Stores - Multichannel News
The CEO of Circuit City Stores pitched cable-operator partnerships at the CTAM Summit in Washington last week, describing the concept stores the retailer is testing in partnership with companies including Comcast and Ethan Allen furniture stores in an effort to provide a more complete customer experience.With partnerships, Circuit City associates could sell entertainment and HDTV sources in the store with the hardware and the retailer’s service division, firedog, could provide the installation and help, he added.

Lawmakers Fret Over Digital TV Transition - Reuters
Some lawmakers are worried that too few Americans know that the analog TVs they have been using for years could become big cathode-ray paperweights after February 18, 2009, when broadcasters shut off their analog signals. During a Senate Commerce Committee hearing Thursday examining the government-mandated transition to digital TV, lawmakers aired their views that too little was being done to get the message to Americans.

RFD-TV Goes HD - Multichannel News
Rural-lifestyle network RFD-TV will launch an HDTV service this fall. RFD HD will offer programming on areas such as rural lifestyle, equine, agricultural and video auctions, as well as traditional music and entertainment.

Blu-ray v. HD DVD: Where Do We Stand? - CNET NewsBlog
The expected next-generation DVD format war isn't quite the deadlock many expected. Target's announcement Thursday that it would sell a Sony Blu-ray player in its stores alongside Blu-ray discs in a special feature promotion is important because the second-largest retailer in the U.S. doesn't sell HD DVD players in its stores, outside of the external HD DVD drive made for Microsoft's Xbox 360. It does sell a Toshiba HD DVD player on its Web site, however.

Today's High-Def Headlines

ABC Clicks On Online HDTV Test - Multichannel News
ABC.com Tuesday quietly kicked off a beta-test of its “high-definition” Internet-TV channel with four episodes from the network’s top-rated primetime shows -- but if your broadband connection and PC aren’t fast enough, you won’t see any difference over the regular versions.

Target Adds Sony BD Players - TWICE
Target has agreed to sell Sony Blu-ray Disc players as its exclusive next-generation high-definition disc players this holiday season, Sony said today. The exclusive deal, which will begin this fall and continue “at least through the holiday season,” will feature Sony’s $499 BDP-S300 Blu-ray player, which is scheduled to arrive at Target in October, and the currently available PlayStation3 video game console, which also plays Blu-ray Disc movies.

Microsoft Cuts Price of Xbox 360 HD DVD Add-On - Washington Post
Microsoft Corp. on Thursday said it would trim the price of an HD DVD player add-on for its Xbox 360 video game console and give away movies with the player, in a bid to support the format. Microsoft trimmed the price of the player to $179 from $199, and said it will add five free movies for buyers between Aug. 1 and Sept. 30.

Samsung Unveils Duo HD Deck - TWICE
Samsung formally introduced its latest HD optical disc player line on Wednesday, including the company’s previously announced first dual-format HD DVD/Blu-ray player. The new dual-format player — dubbed the BD-UP5000 Duo HD player (shipping in the fourth quarter at a $1,049 suggested retail) — is the new flagship of Samsung’s high-definition player line.

Today's High-Def Headlines

Latest Comcast-DirecTV Skirmish Over Ads - Multichannel News
In the latest chapter of a legal soap opera, Comcast Monday asked a federal judge to issue a temporary restraining order to bar DirecTV from running a new flight of TV ads involving a survey of home-theater installers. The direct-broadcast satellite provider said it’s already stopped airing the spots.

VisionQuest Introduces a New Stylish and Elegant 46" Full HD 1080p Rembrandt
the coming weeks, consumers will finally be able to set their eyes on a new stylish and elegant 46" Full HD 1080p VisionQuest LCD television (LVQ-46EF2AU). It features a brilliant 1920x1080 resolution and 16.7 Million color display, truly providing the highest level of viewing experience high-definition has to offer.

Denon Unveils Its First Blu-ray Player - TWICE
Denon announced a broad product launch at its national dealer/rep show, where the D&M Holdings brand unveiled its first Blu-ray Disc player, an expanded networked-audio selection, and its first six A/V receivers that decode all standard and optional surround-sound formats approved for use on Blu-ray and HD DVD discs.

Today's High-Def Headlines

TiVo Debuts $299 HD DVR for Cable - Multichannel News
As part of a lobbying campaign to win the hearts and minds of cable operators, TiVo today announced a lower-priced HD digital-video recorder, the TiVo HD box, which, at $299, is nearly one-third the price of the $799 TiVo Series 3 HD DVR. Scheduled to be available in retail channels in August, TiVo HD is designed “exclusively for cable,” according to the company, with support for multistream CableCARDs.

NYC City Hall Gets 103” Plasma Makeover - TWICE
Panasonic’s 103-inch 1080p plasma TV is the new centerpiece of the renovated New York City Hall “bullpen,” which reopened today after a major renovation to the entire building.
Panasonic, working with the assistance of Tom Campbell, technology advisor to Mayor Michael Bloomberg on the system, donated the $69,999 monster high-definition TV to the city of New York for the new high-tech central command complex, dubbed “the bullpen.”

Toshiba Ships First U.S. Notebook Computer with HD DVD-R Drive
Toshiba's Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced the availability of the Qosmio(R) G45-AV680, a cutting-edge audio-video notebook computer with Dolby(R) surround sound technology and the first U.S. model to feature an HD DVD-R optical drive and full 1080p playback resolution.

Samsung SDI Reports $150M Net Loss - TWICE
Samsung SDI, a manufacturer of plasma display panels (PDPs) and cathode ray tubes for TVs, posted a worse-than-expected $150.9 million net loss Friday, blaming falling plasma TV prices for the result. The company said continued forecasts for falling prices and compressed margins do not bode well for a significant turnaround in the near term.

Today's High-Def Headlines

Consumers Cooling Off on Extended Warranties - Minneapolis Star Tribune
This year, Americans will spend an estimated $6 billion on extended warranties for electronic goods. But as consumers' comfort level with technology grows, and as they have wisened to the economics of such plans, the popularity of warranties is showing signs of waning.

Samsung Targets Early Adopters Wth Set Top Boxes - Broadcasting & Cable
When the digital-TV transition takes effect in February 2009, consumers with analog-only sets will need converter boxes to maintain over-the-air service. But, while LG Electronics plans to sell low-cost boxes at retail stores aimed at those poor souls without digital service, Samsung is taking a different tack.

Digital TV Transition: Not Getting the Picture - National Journal/Dallas News
The switch to digital-only television signals in early 2009 will usher in the most substantive changes to American TV in generations. Because of the government-imposed deadline, tens of millions of households will have to buy new equipment in order to keep their analog sets functioning, and the change will affect nearly everyone's viewing habits.

GalleryPlayer Announces All New 80 Half-Hour Blocks of HD Programming
GalleryPlayer, best known for having one of the largest libraries of rights-protected, high definition imagery in the world, today announced the availability of 80 all new half-hour blocks of HD programming at the CTAM 2007 Summit in Washington, DC. This announcement is in addition to the 40 hour-long blocks of programming the Company has previously produced.

LG Unveils 'Opus' LCD TV Series - TWICE
LG Electronics staged a summer line review at renowned art auction house Christie’s on Thursday to unveil what it calls its own consumer electronics “masterpieces.” Highlighting the presentation was the company’s new flagship LBX LCD TV series, dubbed “Opus,” which features 1080p HD resolution and 120Hz frame-rate technology.

Corning Announces Breakthrough Optical Fiber Technology
Corning's breakthrough is based on a nanoStructures(TM) optical fiber design that allows the cabled fiber to be bent around very tight corners with virtually no signal loss. These improved attributes will enable telecommunications carriers to economically offer true high-speed Internet, voice and HDTV services to virtually all commercial and residential (apartment and condominium) buildings.

Today's High-Def Headlines

JVC Announces New 3CCD High-Def HDD Camcorder
JVC Company of America today announced the launch of a new consumer high definition camcorder that combines a 3-CCD image sensor, high definition 1440 x 1080 recording and embedded 60GB hard disk storage in a compact size that fits in the palm of the hand.

Toshiba Extends 5 Free HD DVD Offer - TWICE
Toshiba has extended its five free HD DVD disc promotion, called “The Perfect Offer,” until Sept. 30, 2007, the company announced Wednesday.

Disney Sets Blu-ray Disc Tour - TWICE
The Walt Disney Studios and its sponsoring partner Panasonic yesterday announced the launch of Disney’s Magical Blu-ray Tour, which will visit 18 malls nationwide beginning Aug. 17. The tour focus on providing clarity for the growing consumer confusion around high-definition home entertainment and educating them on the benefits of Blu-ray Disc technology.

Samsung Puts 3D Into HDTVs - CNET TV
ZDNet Executive Editor David Berlind talks to Samsung's manager of HDTV product planning, Dan Schinasi, about the company's new 3D HD rear-projection television. To enable 3D content on the TV, users will need Samsung proprietary software, a PC, a DVI card and 3D glasses.

Today's High-Def Headlines

I'm back after a few days off, so without further ado here are the day's top stories:

Cox Inks Deal for National Geographic HD - Multichannel News
Cox Communications will soon offer every high-def customer National Geographic HD under terms of a carriage deal announced yesterday. Full rollout will take place this year and next.

Comcast Adds 4 HD Channels in Chicago - Multichannel News
Comcast high-def customers in the Second City now have access to A&E HD, Food Network HD, HGTV HD and National Geographic HD. Comcast began rolling out these high-def nets in Boston a couple months back and has made them available in select markets throughout the U.S.

A Closer Look at Samsung's Wireless Plasma - CNET TV
CNET/ZDNet Executive Editor David Berlind talks to Samsung's senior manager for plasma TV marketing, Bill Dickey, about the company's new FPT 5084 50-inch wireless flat-panel TV.

Honeywell Develops New Materials to Enhance Flat-Panel Displays
Not normally a name you associate with HDTVs, industrial titan Honeywell has launched new materials for the production of flat panel displays aimed at reducing manufacturing costs and power consumption while improving color uniformity and device lifespan. Honeywell developed the new materials in conjunction with the U.S. Display Consortium.

Samsung Rolls Out New HDTVs for Holiday Season

Samsung yesterday intro'd its new HDTV models for the holiday shopping season, a lineup that includes a plasma with Wi-Fi, LED-based LCD flat-panel displays and 3D technology for DLPs. More from TWICE.

Today's High-Def Headlines

VIZIO Inks Endorsement Deal with NFL MVP LaDainian Tomlinson
Fast-growing flat-panel HDTV brand VIZIO has signed the San Diego Chargers' star running back to be its first celebrity spokesman. Among other duties, Tomlinson will make appearances on behalf of VIZIO at various events, the first of which has LT hosting ESPN's ESPY pre-party tonight at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, CA.

MavTV Going HD in '08 - Multichannel News
Men's channel MavTV is planning an HD launch early next year. The network features a variety of original sports and gaming content, much of which is already shot in high-def.

29% of Cable TV Customers Own an HDTV - CTAM
The Cable & Telecom Association for Marketing has released a study showing that the number of cable TV households with an HDTV set has doubled in the last year, from 15% in '06 to 29% this year. 41% of digital cable TV homes own an HDTV.

Epson & Atlantic Technology Intro "Prosumer" Home Theater - TWICE
Specialty home theater shops will soon have a new complete system to offer their customers, courtesy of Epson and Atlantic Technology. For $6,999 a 1080p Epson 3LCD front-projector is combined with an Atlantic integrated surround speaker system. A 720p version is available for a couple grand less.

DISH Adding Plethora of New HD Channels

DISH Network just announced that beginning tomorrow it is adding HD game-only baseball content from 8 additional Regional Sports Networks, listed below. That's 17 total, counting the 9 HD RSNs it launched a couple months back.

FSN Arizona
FSN Cincinnati
FSN Detroit
FSN North
FSN Northwest
FSN Pittsburgh
SportsNet New York
SportsTime Ohio

Also, starting August 15th, DISH will add 7 national HD channels:

Animal Planet HD
Discovery HD
History HD
MHD (MTV, CMT, VH1)
Science Channel HD
TLC HD
Versus/Golf HD

This is great news for DISH HD customers, and indeed, for the entire industry. With DIRECTV having just launched its new high-def satellite on Friday, and DISH now launching a slew of new high-def channels, the cable companies will be forced to continue to expand their own HD channel lineups, and all consumers -- whether cable, satellite or telco customers -- will win.

Sundance & Universal HD Team Up

The Sundance Channel and Universal HD announced this morning that they have joined forces to broadcast a block of Sundance's HD programming beginning August 1st. The branded programming block, presented by Microsoft, will run Wednesdays through December 26th, showcasing Sundance Channel's original series "Iconoclasts," "Big Ideas for a Small Planet" and "Live from Abbey Road" in high definition.

This is a good move for both networks. Universal will benefit from some outside content while Sundance gets an established medium for some of its high-def programming. I would imagine that this is the beginning of the development of a standalone Sundance HD channel, although Robert Redford's people haven't given any details of when such an offering might come to fruition.

Today's High-Def Headlines

DIRECTV's HD Satellite Hits the Skies -- DIRECTV Corp.
DIRECTV on Friday successfully launched its newest satellite, the bird that in early September will begin delivering the first of 100 new HD channels by the end of the year. DIRECTV 10 was launched at 6:16 pm PT Friday evening from Kazakhstan; DIRECTV 11 will hit the atmosphere sometime next spring.

CNET's Top-Rated HDTVs -- CNET Reviews/SFGate.com
CNET released its best of HDTV ratings across all high-def technologies, with Pioneer scoring some key recommendations.

Sony Drops PS3 Price -- Reuters
After initially denying that a price cut for its new PlayStation 3 with Blu-ray Disc player was in the works, Sony today said that it is dropping the PS3 price by $100, putting it more in line with the Xbox 360 but still double the price of the Nintendo Wii.

AMD Turns PCs into HDTVs -- AMD
AMD today announced two new solutions that offer HDTV viewing and digital video recording (DVR) capabilities on desktop and notebook PCs.

ESPN's 'The Bronx is Burning' Reviewed -- The Boston Globe
Perhaps the biggest newspaper in Boston isn't the best place to get an unbiased review of a New York Yankees-themed miniseries, but here it is. The program debuts tonight on ESPN HD at 10:00 after Major League Baseball's Home Run Derby.

OLED Takes Aim at LCD

Reuters runs a good piece today on the evolution of OLED technology and how it seems poised to eventually pose a serious threat to LCD flat-panel displays. On the plus side for OLED are its power savings over LCD (as much as 40% more efficient) and its thinner size (no backlighting). On the minus side are its higher cost (nearly twice as expensive as LCD) and its lack of history as a TV technology (up until this year OLED has been confined to car radios, MP3 players and cell phones).

The article doesn't mention it, but OLED would presumably take market share from plasma as well.

If the biggest hurdle a new technology faces is its high cost, that seems to me to be a surmountable challenge. Flat-panel TVs have become quite mainstream and if a new flat-panel technology comes out that uses less power, potentially produces better picture quality and is thinner than anything anyone's ever seen, it will be in demand and prices will fall as demand picks up.

However, OLED still has quite a road to travel before it becomes a serious player in the HDTV landscape.

Warner Putting Brakes on Total HD Disc

Warner Bros., finding a lack of interest from its fellow Hollywood studios, is delaying the introduction of its Total HD disc that has the same movie in both Blu-ray and HD DVD formats on one disc. The problem for Warner is that it is one of only two studios that have embraced both formats (Paramount is the other), while just Universal is using HD DVD. All of the other studios have lined up behind Blu-ray and thus don't see much of a need for the Total HD disc.

From a consumer perspective, Total HD makes sense because it eliminates the concern about choosing the "wrong" next-gen DVD player. From a business perspective, however, HD DVD is losing the battle in Hollywood, and with just two studios taking a format-agnostic stance, Total HD backers clearly have some work to do to get it further off the ground.

Today's High-Def Headlines

Cox Brings HD Movies On Demand to San Diego
Cox Cable is launching HD Movies On Demand, initially in San Diego and then coming to Northern Virginia and Oklahoma City. More markets will get it later this summer. More than 20 HD movies are currently offered.

Amazon, Microsoft Push HD DVD To Indies - TWICE
The online giant and software king want independent movie producers to release films on HD DVD.

LG Uses New Technique For PDP Production - TWICE
One of LG's plasma manufacturing facilities is utilizing a new technique that results in 8 panels from a single substrate rather than 6. Monthly capacity will increase by 22 percent.

HDTV Content Revenues in Asia Pacific to Double in 5 Years - InStat
Revenues from high-def TV content are projected by InStat to grow from $3.67 billion this year to $8 billion in 2011. Japan and Australia currently lead the region in HD but the 2008 Olympics in Beijing are expected to spark Chinese HD content growth.

Industry Insider: Motorola's Peter Boonstra

I recently conducted an online interview with Peter Boonstra, Motorola's product manager in charge of Follow Me TV™, which is the company's whole-home DVR solution. We touched on the next generation of cable HD set-top boxes, the new FCC regulations regarding the unbundling of security from cable boxes (designed to spur retail competition) and the evolution of multi-room DVR. In the coming weeks I'll be interviewed on Motorola's blog in return about HDTV technology and content from the consumer perspective.

Practically speaking, what do the new post-July 1st regulations regarding the unbundling of integrated security/CableCards from the cable set-top box mean for new and existing cable HD customers?

In terms of technology and consumer experience, CableCARDs shouldn’t change a thing for cable HD customers. If existing customers choose to upgrade a set-top (for example, from an HD-only set-top to an HD DVR), they’ll end up with a CableCARD set-top. But having a CableCARD or “host” set-top won’t change functionality. In fact, most cable companies are shipping the new host set-tops with the CableCARD already embedded, so consumers likely won’t notice the difference at all. In the future, having unbundled security will make it possible to have set-top portability, meaning consumers can take their set-tops with them wherever they go, whether that set-top is bought at retail or leased through an operator.

The good news for consumers is that many of the new host set-tops from Motorola are also OCAP-ready. OCAP stands for Open Cable Application Platform, and the platform will allow cable operators to develop and deploy new TV applications faster. So if you’ve been looking for a way to access your HD DVR set-top from anywhere in house, OCAP is likely to get that feature (Motorola calls it “Follow Me TV”) to you sooner rather than later.

What are the benefits to consumers in leasing an HD STB from their cable provider rather than buying one in retail?

For the vast majority of consumers, leasing an HD set-top from a cable operator is the best option today. First you have to compare the cost of spending a few dollars a month versus paying several hundred dollars to buy an HD set-top at retail. However, the argument goes beyond price. A set-top that’s leased can easily be replaced, fixed or upgraded. And as OCAP is rolled out, those upgrades can be done with a software download right to the set-top.

There will always be a niche group of customers who want to buy high-end set-tops they can tinker with. But most consumers don’t want to have to think about how they watch TV; they’d rather just watch it. And for those people, leasing a set-top makes the most sense.

What new advancements are we going to see out of the next generation of HD and HD-DVR STBs? Integrated Ethernet ports? VoIP and/or broadband Internet modems? Wi-Fi connections? DVD players and/or recorders?

It’s pretty clear that integration with the Internet is on its way, but I think we’ll see other applications first from the cable and telecom operators. We’ve seen operators in the labs testing out new OCAP applications like traffic and weather tickers, more interactive program guides and light gaming. I also think Follow Me TV is going to become a lot more common later this year and in 2008. Verizon currently uses Motorola’s Follow Me TV solution to power its Home Media DVR service. I believe we’ll see the cable operators start to add similar functionality. This includes the ability to create an extended network between set-tops, computers, and other IP-based devices in the home to enable seamless sharing of content (like viewing PC-based digital photos on your HD TV or listening to your digital music on the stereo attached to your set-top.)

Now that the triple-play (voice, video and data) has become a reality, I think we’ll also see more services that take advantage of that bundle. As a simple example, with IP-based telephony (VoIP), it’s a logical next step to offer services like caller ID on your TV and Web access to your voicemail.

Sony has developed the Bravia Internet Video Link that lets users download/stream content from the web directly to their TVs. Does Motorola have anything similar in the pipeline that could be integrated into an HD STB?

Sure. The difference is that we are constantly working with operators to determine what technology to roll out and when. It’s a balancing act. If operators roll out a new feature too soon and it doesn’t get high adoption, then they have to readjust their financial resources. If you look at what’s most in demand right now, it’s probably HDTV, DVR and VOD. That means that those applications are probably getting highest priority with operators.

With multi-room DVR, how soon will cable companies offer consumers the ability to not only record and watch HD content on the primary HDTV but also on the secondary HDTVs?

Everyone recognizes the importance of HDTV. I think when whole-home DVR rolls out on a wider scale, which is probably later this year and in 2008, HDTV will be part of it.

Do some cable companies give their customers the ability to attach an external hard drive to their HD-DVR to record additional HD content and perhaps even permanently store it? The technology exists today but my understanding is that most cable customers with HD-DVRs can’t actually utilize it (I don’t believe I can with my Motorola Moxi HD-DVR).

Yes, Motorola will soon be enabling the external SATA port on the HD DVR to allow recording of additional content.