DISH’s Ergen Expects 100 HD Nets, 100 Local HD Markets - MCN
Conceding that delays in satellite launches hurt DISH Network competitively, CEO Charlie Ergen said Tuesday that the satellite provider will have 100 national HD networks and local HD channels in 100 markets by the end of the year. Postponement of several satellite launches last year hamstrung the satellite provider’s efforts to expand its local HD offering, he told analysts. At the end of last year, DISH Network had about 70 national HD networks and local HD in 34 markets.
DTV Transition Top of Mind for House, Senate - MCN
Oversight of the digital-TV transition will dominate the broadcast legislative agenda in both the House and Senate, according to key staffers from both houses and both sides of the aisle. That message was delivered to a roomful of broadcasters--organizers estimated it at at about 600--attending the National Association of Broadcasters' State Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. Those broadcasters are in town to meet with Federal Communications Commission officials and legislators.
Voom Files Suit Against EchoStar - MCN
An intra-family battle is brewing between Rainbow Media’s Voom suite of high-definition services and Voom satellite owner EchoStar Satellite LLC. Earlier this month, New York State Supreme Court judge Richard Lowe granted Voom a preliminary injunction/temporary restraining order barring EchoStar’s Dish Network from moving the HD service’s 15 channels to a lower-penetrated HD tier, according to sources close to both parties.
Source: Samsung Finalizing LCD Line Talks With Sony - Reuters/News.com
Samsung Electronics is in the final stages of talks with Sony to jointly build a new LCD production line, a Samsung source said on Wednesday, soothing concerns that their alliance is in jeopardy.
Sony, which unveiled plans to invest in Sharp's new panel plant on Tuesday, and the South Korean company may also cooperate on another, bigger line for liquid crystal display (LCD) panels used in flat-screen TVs, according to the source, who declined to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
HD Theater Wants You to Pick Next Sunrise Earth
HD Theater is going to produce another five episodes of Sunrise Earth this summer, which will premiere late in 3rd Quarter. They are again allowing viewers to select the settings for the next five episodes and you can vote now through March 3rd on HD Theater's website.
The list of ten settings include:
1. Northwest Territories, Canada, Arctic Tundra: Witness thousands of migrating porcupine caribou on an Arctic refuge tundra, under the midnight sun. See the herd move across a remote, wild, and spectacular landscape.
2. Kyoto, Japan, Japanese Garden: In the Land of the Rising Sun, gardens have been works of art for centuries. Stones, water, plants and unique feng shui promote morning rituals and meditation.
3. Kruger National Park, South Africa: Lion, elephant, rhino, leopard, buffalo in South Afica’s largest game reserve. The ultimate wildlife sunrise experience.
4. The Outback, Australia: A barren, huge expanse of earth, filled with teeming life that surprises the stark setting with bustling morning activity.
5. Arches National Park, Utah: A red rock blaze of sculpted arches, fins, and towers. Colorful springtime bloom in southwest Utah’s high desert.
6. Sandhill Cranes, Platte River, Nebraska: World’s largest concentration of cranes put on a dazzling sunrise show. Annual spring migration stop is bird watching paradise.
7. Easter Island, South Pacific: Mysterious huge volcanic rock statutes carved by ancient society on this isolated Polynesian island. Sunrise of secrets yet to be revealed.
8. Remote Fjords, Norway, Midnight Sun: The sun sets, then rises in one episode. Mountains, fjords, and a red sky in the land of the midnight sun.
9. Venice, Italy: Floating gently down canals to capture a sunrise that blends distinctive old world architecture with an age old relationship to the sea.
10. Alpine Meadow, British Columbia: Snowmelt streams, flowers, and birds herald the coming of summer from a high altitude Rocky Mountain setting.
The list of ten settings include:
1. Northwest Territories, Canada, Arctic Tundra: Witness thousands of migrating porcupine caribou on an Arctic refuge tundra, under the midnight sun. See the herd move across a remote, wild, and spectacular landscape.
2. Kyoto, Japan, Japanese Garden: In the Land of the Rising Sun, gardens have been works of art for centuries. Stones, water, plants and unique feng shui promote morning rituals and meditation.
3. Kruger National Park, South Africa: Lion, elephant, rhino, leopard, buffalo in South Afica’s largest game reserve. The ultimate wildlife sunrise experience.
4. The Outback, Australia: A barren, huge expanse of earth, filled with teeming life that surprises the stark setting with bustling morning activity.
5. Arches National Park, Utah: A red rock blaze of sculpted arches, fins, and towers. Colorful springtime bloom in southwest Utah’s high desert.
6. Sandhill Cranes, Platte River, Nebraska: World’s largest concentration of cranes put on a dazzling sunrise show. Annual spring migration stop is bird watching paradise.
7. Easter Island, South Pacific: Mysterious huge volcanic rock statutes carved by ancient society on this isolated Polynesian island. Sunrise of secrets yet to be revealed.
8. Remote Fjords, Norway, Midnight Sun: The sun sets, then rises in one episode. Mountains, fjords, and a red sky in the land of the midnight sun.
9. Venice, Italy: Floating gently down canals to capture a sunrise that blends distinctive old world architecture with an age old relationship to the sea.
10. Alpine Meadow, British Columbia: Snowmelt streams, flowers, and birds herald the coming of summer from a high altitude Rocky Mountain setting.
Today's High-Def Headlines
CBS Sports to Offer Free High-Def NCAA Basketball Content - Mediaweek
CBS Sports is partnering with cable operators to offer high definition, video-on-demand content of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship tournament, including customized highlights of 63 tournament games. Comcast and Bresnan are the first two cable operators to sign on. The highlights and other content will be available free to cable MSO partners and their VOD customers. And customers will be able to search for specific game highlights.
Sharp, Sony Agree On LCD Joint Venture - TWICE
Sony Corp. and Sharp Electronics confirmed reports that they will begin a new joint LCD venture that will have Sony own a one-third stake in Sharp’s newest LCD plant. The new factory is slated to open in 2010 and will produce panels for each companies TV lines is a 10th generation LCD manufacturing facility.
Sony Unveils 2 BD Players, 21 Bravia LCD TVs - TWICE
With the Blu-ray Disc HD disc format now unchallenged by format rivals, Sony introduced two new Blu-ray Disc players, both of which will be compatible with forthcoming BD Live Web-enabled interactive content, and offered a second viewing of the spring 2008 Bravia LCD TV lineup — 21 SKUs in eight model series — during its dealer show in Las Vegas on Monday. The new TVs will join the previously announced XEL-1 11-inch OLED HDTV set, which started shipping to dealers in January at a $2,500 suggested retail.
LCD, 1080p Drive Super Bowl Sales - TWICE
LCD TVs dominated television sales in the days leading up to the Super Bowl, according to U.S. retail point-of-sale data released by The NPD Group on Thursday. U.S. retail sales of LCD TVs accounted for nearly $250 million the week of the Super Bowl (week ending Feb. 2, 2008) and captured almost 80 percent of all TV unit sales and revenue, the market analysts said.
Pioneer to Stop Making 42-Inch Plasma Panels: Report - Reuters
Pioneer Corp will stop making 42-inch plasma panels and instead buy panels in that size and smaller from Panasonic maker Matsushita Electric Industrial or Hitachi Ltd to turn around its loss-making flat TV business, the Asahi newspaper said. Japanese consumer and auto electronics maker Pioneer will end output of such panels at a plant in Kagoshima prefecture in southern Japan as early as March 2009.
Microsoft Pulls Plug on HD DVD Players - AP
Microsoft Corp. said it will stop making HD DVD players for its Xbox 360 video game system after Toshiba Corp. ceded the high-definition video format battle to Sony Corp.'s Blu-ray. Microsoft said Saturday it would continue to provide standard warranty support for its HD DVD players. Toshiba President Atsutoshi Nishida last week estimated about 300,000 people own the Microsoft video player, sold as a separate $130 add-on for the Xbox 360.
Studios Try to Save the DVD - NY Times
The victory of Sony's new Blu-ray high-definition disc over a rival format, Toshiba's HD DVD, masks a problem facing Hollywood studios: the overall decline of the DVD market. Domestic DVD sales fell 3.2 percent last year to $15.9 billion, according to Adams Media Research, the first annual drop in the medium's history. Adams projects another decline in 2008, to $15.4 billion, and a similar dip for 2009. So instead of celebrating the Blu-ray format--which remains a nascent business--the studios are scrambling to introduce an array of initiatives aimed at propping up the broader market.
MASN To Broadcast Orioles, Washington Nationals; Add HD - MCN
The Mid-Atlantic Sports Network will televise all Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles baseball games for the second year and will add high-definition cablecasts to the schedule this season. In all, the regional sports network will televise 80 games in HD, split evenly between the two teams and focusing on key contests such the inter-league play pittying the Nationals and Orioles against each other. Cable and satellite partners will carry the HD contests on their HD programming tiers.
Good Looks Ahead: What's Next for HDTV? - PC World
But the next step for HDTV isn't about technology per se. It's about the experience of watching, which brings previously peripheral considerations--such as design, ease of use, and integrated audio--to the fore. As a result, you'll not only like what you see on your set, but you'll also have a better time experiencing that content in your home. Five years ago, just about any flat-panel television could induce oohs and aahs, and high-definition was a rarity. Today, although flat-panel HDTVs are in only 25 percent of American households, they're common enough that the gee-whiz factor is gone. So where do HDTVs go from here?
CBS Sports is partnering with cable operators to offer high definition, video-on-demand content of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship tournament, including customized highlights of 63 tournament games. Comcast and Bresnan are the first two cable operators to sign on. The highlights and other content will be available free to cable MSO partners and their VOD customers. And customers will be able to search for specific game highlights.
Sharp, Sony Agree On LCD Joint Venture - TWICE
Sony Corp. and Sharp Electronics confirmed reports that they will begin a new joint LCD venture that will have Sony own a one-third stake in Sharp’s newest LCD plant. The new factory is slated to open in 2010 and will produce panels for each companies TV lines is a 10th generation LCD manufacturing facility.
Sony Unveils 2 BD Players, 21 Bravia LCD TVs - TWICE
With the Blu-ray Disc HD disc format now unchallenged by format rivals, Sony introduced two new Blu-ray Disc players, both of which will be compatible with forthcoming BD Live Web-enabled interactive content, and offered a second viewing of the spring 2008 Bravia LCD TV lineup — 21 SKUs in eight model series — during its dealer show in Las Vegas on Monday. The new TVs will join the previously announced XEL-1 11-inch OLED HDTV set, which started shipping to dealers in January at a $2,500 suggested retail.
LCD, 1080p Drive Super Bowl Sales - TWICE
LCD TVs dominated television sales in the days leading up to the Super Bowl, according to U.S. retail point-of-sale data released by The NPD Group on Thursday. U.S. retail sales of LCD TVs accounted for nearly $250 million the week of the Super Bowl (week ending Feb. 2, 2008) and captured almost 80 percent of all TV unit sales and revenue, the market analysts said.
Pioneer to Stop Making 42-Inch Plasma Panels: Report - Reuters
Pioneer Corp will stop making 42-inch plasma panels and instead buy panels in that size and smaller from Panasonic maker Matsushita Electric Industrial or Hitachi Ltd to turn around its loss-making flat TV business, the Asahi newspaper said. Japanese consumer and auto electronics maker Pioneer will end output of such panels at a plant in Kagoshima prefecture in southern Japan as early as March 2009.
Microsoft Pulls Plug on HD DVD Players - AP
Microsoft Corp. said it will stop making HD DVD players for its Xbox 360 video game system after Toshiba Corp. ceded the high-definition video format battle to Sony Corp.'s Blu-ray. Microsoft said Saturday it would continue to provide standard warranty support for its HD DVD players. Toshiba President Atsutoshi Nishida last week estimated about 300,000 people own the Microsoft video player, sold as a separate $130 add-on for the Xbox 360.
Studios Try to Save the DVD - NY Times
The victory of Sony's new Blu-ray high-definition disc over a rival format, Toshiba's HD DVD, masks a problem facing Hollywood studios: the overall decline of the DVD market. Domestic DVD sales fell 3.2 percent last year to $15.9 billion, according to Adams Media Research, the first annual drop in the medium's history. Adams projects another decline in 2008, to $15.4 billion, and a similar dip for 2009. So instead of celebrating the Blu-ray format--which remains a nascent business--the studios are scrambling to introduce an array of initiatives aimed at propping up the broader market.
MASN To Broadcast Orioles, Washington Nationals; Add HD - MCN
The Mid-Atlantic Sports Network will televise all Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles baseball games for the second year and will add high-definition cablecasts to the schedule this season. In all, the regional sports network will televise 80 games in HD, split evenly between the two teams and focusing on key contests such the inter-league play pittying the Nationals and Orioles against each other. Cable and satellite partners will carry the HD contests on their HD programming tiers.
Good Looks Ahead: What's Next for HDTV? - PC World
But the next step for HDTV isn't about technology per se. It's about the experience of watching, which brings previously peripheral considerations--such as design, ease of use, and integrated audio--to the fore. As a result, you'll not only like what you see on your set, but you'll also have a better time experiencing that content in your home. Five years ago, just about any flat-panel television could induce oohs and aahs, and high-definition was a rarity. Today, although flat-panel HDTVs are in only 25 percent of American households, they're common enough that the gee-whiz factor is gone. So where do HDTVs go from here?
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Today's High-Def Headlines
Paramount Seals Blu-ray Sweep - Hollywood Reporter
All six major Hollywood studios are now in the Blu-ray Disc camp, a day after Toshiba has pulled the plug on HD DVD and Blu-ray became effectively the only next-gen game in town. Paramount Home Entertainment quietly came onboard via a statement sent exclusively to The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday. Universal Studios Home Entertainment, in contrast, cast its lot with Blu-ray within hours of Toshiba's announcement Tuesday morning that it was ending the format war by ceasing the development, manufacture and marketing of HD DVD players by the end of March.
SportsTime Ohio Connects With High-Definition Pitch - MCN
No fooling, SportsTime Ohio says it will take the full high-definition plunge on April 1. The regional sports network said that as of that date it will present all of its coverage of Cleveland Indians baseball games, as well as its original fare in HD. With 150 games between SportsTime Ohio and NBC’s Cleveland affiliate, WKYC, the Indians, according to officials at the network, would thus join the New York Yankees and Mets, the Chicago Cubs and White Sox, the Boston Red Sox and the Colorado Rockies as Major League baseball franchises that will have all of their regional/local 2008 game telecasts in the enhanced format.
DirecTV, Dish Network Team Up to Lobby FCC on Local HD - MCN
Fierce competitors DirecTV and Dish Network teamed up to try and stop the Federal Communications Commission from requiring satellite operators to carry all broadcast HD signals in markets where they carry any of them starting in February 2009. Currently, satellite operators have to carry all TV stations in any market where they choose to carry at least one. The FCC is considering extending that to HDTV signals after the transition to digital. While Dish Network and DirecTV said they are willing eventually to carry all, they argued that the FCC should phase in the requirement over four years.
NFL Network Sacked By Dish - MCN
The NFL Network has taken another distribution sack. Dish Network dropped the pro football league’s in-house channel from its America’s Top 100 Package, moving it to the Americas Top 200 package Feb. 20. That means NFL Network has lost about 4 million subscribers -- America’s Top 100 reaches an estimated 12 million subscribers, versus some 8 million for America’s Top 200 -- reducing its base to some 31 million.
U.S. Broadcasters Expect to Meet Milestone for Digital Over-the-Air Transmission
One year before the nationwide mandatory sign-off of analog television transmission, scheduled for February 17, 2009, U.S. broadcasters said they expect to meet this major milestone as part of their ongoing transition to the adoption of digital TV (DTV). 66 percent of broadcasters plan to provide consumers with more programming in HD, with its significantly superior picture and sound quality.
DIRECTV To Offer First Interactive, Multi-Screen Coverage of Masters Tournament
DIRECTV will offer its customers an unprecedented level of coverage during the 2008 Masters Golf Tournament through a unique multi-channel broadcast package. The new service will combine live CBS and ESPN coverage of the Tournament with additional views of the legendary Augusta National Golf Club course, access to complete Tournament leader board information, hole-by-hole player statistics, scores, a course tour and on-demand Masters video clips. All Masters channels will be available in both HD and standard-definition to all DIRECTV customers.
All six major Hollywood studios are now in the Blu-ray Disc camp, a day after Toshiba has pulled the plug on HD DVD and Blu-ray became effectively the only next-gen game in town. Paramount Home Entertainment quietly came onboard via a statement sent exclusively to The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday. Universal Studios Home Entertainment, in contrast, cast its lot with Blu-ray within hours of Toshiba's announcement Tuesday morning that it was ending the format war by ceasing the development, manufacture and marketing of HD DVD players by the end of March.
SportsTime Ohio Connects With High-Definition Pitch - MCN
No fooling, SportsTime Ohio says it will take the full high-definition plunge on April 1. The regional sports network said that as of that date it will present all of its coverage of Cleveland Indians baseball games, as well as its original fare in HD. With 150 games between SportsTime Ohio and NBC’s Cleveland affiliate, WKYC, the Indians, according to officials at the network, would thus join the New York Yankees and Mets, the Chicago Cubs and White Sox, the Boston Red Sox and the Colorado Rockies as Major League baseball franchises that will have all of their regional/local 2008 game telecasts in the enhanced format.
DirecTV, Dish Network Team Up to Lobby FCC on Local HD - MCN
Fierce competitors DirecTV and Dish Network teamed up to try and stop the Federal Communications Commission from requiring satellite operators to carry all broadcast HD signals in markets where they carry any of them starting in February 2009. Currently, satellite operators have to carry all TV stations in any market where they choose to carry at least one. The FCC is considering extending that to HDTV signals after the transition to digital. While Dish Network and DirecTV said they are willing eventually to carry all, they argued that the FCC should phase in the requirement over four years.
NFL Network Sacked By Dish - MCN
The NFL Network has taken another distribution sack. Dish Network dropped the pro football league’s in-house channel from its America’s Top 100 Package, moving it to the Americas Top 200 package Feb. 20. That means NFL Network has lost about 4 million subscribers -- America’s Top 100 reaches an estimated 12 million subscribers, versus some 8 million for America’s Top 200 -- reducing its base to some 31 million.
U.S. Broadcasters Expect to Meet Milestone for Digital Over-the-Air Transmission
One year before the nationwide mandatory sign-off of analog television transmission, scheduled for February 17, 2009, U.S. broadcasters said they expect to meet this major milestone as part of their ongoing transition to the adoption of digital TV (DTV). 66 percent of broadcasters plan to provide consumers with more programming in HD, with its significantly superior picture and sound quality.
DIRECTV To Offer First Interactive, Multi-Screen Coverage of Masters Tournament
DIRECTV will offer its customers an unprecedented level of coverage during the 2008 Masters Golf Tournament through a unique multi-channel broadcast package. The new service will combine live CBS and ESPN coverage of the Tournament with additional views of the legendary Augusta National Golf Club course, access to complete Tournament leader board information, hole-by-hole player statistics, scores, a course tour and on-demand Masters video clips. All Masters channels will be available in both HD and standard-definition to all DIRECTV customers.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
HD DVD Surrenders
It's notable that a format war which dragged on for years has ended so abruptly. HD DVD developer Toshiba said today that it will cease producing and marketing its high-def DVD technology, raising the white flag to rival Blu-ray. For Toshiba, the writing was on the wall after Wal-Mart, Netflix and the Warner Bros. movie studio all decided within the last two weeks to back Blu-ray over HD DVD, momentum that Toshiba could not surmount.
Most observers believed since the beginning that Blu-ray offered superior technology over HD DVD, primarily due to its higher storage capacity. This fact more than any other is what attracted most of the major Hollywood studios to Blu-ray since it offered them the ability to package additional deleted scenes, alternate endings and interactive features with their movie titles. HD DVD's main selling point was its lower pricing, which Toshiba argued would enable it to get into U.S. homes more quickly. When prices for players of each format were slashed this past holiday shopping season, HD DVD's price advantage was steadily eroded.
As the format war dragged on, it became clear that the lack of a single standard high-def DVD technology was hampering efforts to get the new machines into consumers' hands, who rightly feared that their new purchase would become obsolete if the other standard ultimately won out. This is the situation in which HD DVD adopters now find themselves. Toshiba said today that it will continue to support these customers, although it's difficult to imagine that it will devote much in the way of resources to a dead product.
This news may not be as significant as Fidel Castro stepping down as dictator of Cuba, today's other big news. However, Blu-ray's triumph over HD DVD is a positive development for the consumer electronics industry as it removes a large overhang that prevented millions of consumers from making the leap to next-gen DVD. Expect Blu-ray sales to skyrocket in the coming months, but before we close this chapter, let's give Toshiba a little credit for putting competitive pressure on Sony. HD DVD may be gone, but its presence in the market forced Blu-ray backers to sharpen their game and cut their prices far more quickly than they would have had HD DVD never existed. In the end, the market won -- and today, consumers did too.
Most observers believed since the beginning that Blu-ray offered superior technology over HD DVD, primarily due to its higher storage capacity. This fact more than any other is what attracted most of the major Hollywood studios to Blu-ray since it offered them the ability to package additional deleted scenes, alternate endings and interactive features with their movie titles. HD DVD's main selling point was its lower pricing, which Toshiba argued would enable it to get into U.S. homes more quickly. When prices for players of each format were slashed this past holiday shopping season, HD DVD's price advantage was steadily eroded.
As the format war dragged on, it became clear that the lack of a single standard high-def DVD technology was hampering efforts to get the new machines into consumers' hands, who rightly feared that their new purchase would become obsolete if the other standard ultimately won out. This is the situation in which HD DVD adopters now find themselves. Toshiba said today that it will continue to support these customers, although it's difficult to imagine that it will devote much in the way of resources to a dead product.
This news may not be as significant as Fidel Castro stepping down as dictator of Cuba, today's other big news. However, Blu-ray's triumph over HD DVD is a positive development for the consumer electronics industry as it removes a large overhang that prevented millions of consumers from making the leap to next-gen DVD. Expect Blu-ray sales to skyrocket in the coming months, but before we close this chapter, let's give Toshiba a little credit for putting competitive pressure on Sony. HD DVD may be gone, but its presence in the market forced Blu-ray backers to sharpen their game and cut their prices far more quickly than they would have had HD DVD never existed. In the end, the market won -- and today, consumers did too.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Today's High-Def Headlines
Toshiba to Give Up on HD Format, Ceding Field to Sony - Reuters
The Toshiba Corporation is planning to give up on its HD DVD format for high-definition DVDs, formally conceding defeat to the competing Blu-ray technology backed by Sony, according to a company official. A source at Toshiba confirmed a report by the public broadcaster NHK that it was getting ready to pull the plug. He said an official announcement could come as early as this week.
Toshiba Considering Quitting HD DVD - AP
Sony's Blu-ray technology is emerging as the likely winner in the format battle for the next generation of DVD players after Toshiba appeared ready to ditch its HD DVD business. Such a move would help consumers know which system to invest in and would likely boost sales in Blu-ray gadgets, analysts say. But it will disappoint the 1 million people around the world estimated by Toshiba who have already bought HD DVD players.
Wal-Mart To Back Blu-ray - TWICE
Wal-Mart will back Blu-ray exclusively in its 4,000 Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores in the United States by June, the chain said in a statement on its Web site Friday. The Wal-Mart announcement is the third blow to HD DVD this week, the other two being decisions by Best Buy and Netflix to back Blu-ray. Wal-Mart will continue to sell through remaining HD DVD product, but in less than 30 days customers will see a more predominant move toward Blu-ray in stores, clubs and online, the chain said.
MGM HD Roars Into Second City - MCN
RCN launched MGM HD in Chicago, the biggest of several recent rollouts and carriage contracts for the studio's dedicated high-definition service. MGM HD, which earlier had reached carriage contracts with DirecTV and Verizon's FiOS TV service, is up and running in the Windy City via a company-wide distribution deal with RCN.
Half Of UK Men Would Swap Sex For 50 Inch TV - Reuters
Nearly half of British men surveyed would give up sex for six months in return for a 50-inch plasma TV, a survey -- perhaps unsurprisingly carried out for a firm selling televisions -- said on Friday. Electrical retailer Comet surveyed 2,000 Britons, asking them what they would give up for a large television, one of the latest consumer "must-haves." The firm found 47 percent of men would give up sex for half a year, compared to just over a third of women.
The Toshiba Corporation is planning to give up on its HD DVD format for high-definition DVDs, formally conceding defeat to the competing Blu-ray technology backed by Sony, according to a company official. A source at Toshiba confirmed a report by the public broadcaster NHK that it was getting ready to pull the plug. He said an official announcement could come as early as this week.
Toshiba Considering Quitting HD DVD - AP
Sony's Blu-ray technology is emerging as the likely winner in the format battle for the next generation of DVD players after Toshiba appeared ready to ditch its HD DVD business. Such a move would help consumers know which system to invest in and would likely boost sales in Blu-ray gadgets, analysts say. But it will disappoint the 1 million people around the world estimated by Toshiba who have already bought HD DVD players.
Wal-Mart To Back Blu-ray - TWICE
Wal-Mart will back Blu-ray exclusively in its 4,000 Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores in the United States by June, the chain said in a statement on its Web site Friday. The Wal-Mart announcement is the third blow to HD DVD this week, the other two being decisions by Best Buy and Netflix to back Blu-ray. Wal-Mart will continue to sell through remaining HD DVD product, but in less than 30 days customers will see a more predominant move toward Blu-ray in stores, clubs and online, the chain said.
MGM HD Roars Into Second City - MCN
RCN launched MGM HD in Chicago, the biggest of several recent rollouts and carriage contracts for the studio's dedicated high-definition service. MGM HD, which earlier had reached carriage contracts with DirecTV and Verizon's FiOS TV service, is up and running in the Windy City via a company-wide distribution deal with RCN.
Half Of UK Men Would Swap Sex For 50 Inch TV - Reuters
Nearly half of British men surveyed would give up sex for six months in return for a 50-inch plasma TV, a survey -- perhaps unsurprisingly carried out for a firm selling televisions -- said on Friday. Electrical retailer Comet surveyed 2,000 Britons, asking them what they would give up for a large television, one of the latest consumer "must-haves." The firm found 47 percent of men would give up sex for half a year, compared to just over a third of women.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Today's High-Def Headlines
Apple Releases Apple TV Upgrade - Information Week
Apple has quietly released its awaited Apple TV software upgrade that allows people to rent movies from Apple's iTunes online music store directly from their TVs. For Apple TV owners, version 2.0 is installed automatically as the device, which streams video content from a Macintosh or PC to a digital television, periodically checks for upgrades. DVD-quality movies are available to rent on iTunes for $2.99 for older titles and $3.99 for new ones. High-definition versions cost a dollar more.
HD, DVRs Drive Strong Q4 For DirecTV - MCN
With its long-awaited merger with Liberty Media expected in a few weeks, DirecTV Group reported a surprisingly strong fourth quarter, with revenue and cash flow up by 14% each, driven by gains in HDTV and digital video recorder offerings. HD and DVR customers made up more than 50% of gross additions in the fourth quarter, up from 33% of gross additions in the same period in 2006.
Stores Misinform Shoppers About Digital TV Switch, Study Says - Raleigh News-Observer
Employees at the nation's top retail stores are giving out bad information about the country's upcoming switch to digital TV. But when the North Carolina Public Interest Research Group sent secret shoppers into the country's top five retail stores last fall, they found store employees were as confused as customers. According to the study, in North Carolina, employees at Wal-Mart, Circuit City, Best Buy, Target and Radio Shack gave inaccurate information about the date of the switch 30 percent of the time. They gave inaccurate information about converter boxes 70 percent of the time.
iSuppli: Samsung Tops In Q4 LCD TV Share - TWICE
Samsung outpaced all brands in North American LCD TV market share during the fourth quarter of 2007, knocking Vizio, the leader for the prior two quarters back to third place, according to a flat-panel TV brand share report issued by market research firm iSuppli. Samsung’s fourth quarter unit-shipment market share rose to 14.2 percent, up from 12.8 percent in the third quarter, iSuppli said.
DIRECTV Accelerates Into 2008 With Upgrades to NASCAR HOTPASS Service
As NASCAR continues to push the envelope with new technologies and innovations in racing, DIRECTV continues to raise the bar as well by offering its 2008 NASCAR HOTPASS service for the first time in high-definition, delivering 13 additional live audio feeds of driver/pit crew communications and offering fans a chance to become a member of the NASCAR HOTPASS broadcast team. Fans subscribing to the service in 2008 will enjoy these new upgrades beginning with the Daytona 500 and throughout the NASCAR SPRINT Cup Series season.
Apple has quietly released its awaited Apple TV software upgrade that allows people to rent movies from Apple's iTunes online music store directly from their TVs. For Apple TV owners, version 2.0 is installed automatically as the device, which streams video content from a Macintosh or PC to a digital television, periodically checks for upgrades. DVD-quality movies are available to rent on iTunes for $2.99 for older titles and $3.99 for new ones. High-definition versions cost a dollar more.
HD, DVRs Drive Strong Q4 For DirecTV - MCN
With its long-awaited merger with Liberty Media expected in a few weeks, DirecTV Group reported a surprisingly strong fourth quarter, with revenue and cash flow up by 14% each, driven by gains in HDTV and digital video recorder offerings. HD and DVR customers made up more than 50% of gross additions in the fourth quarter, up from 33% of gross additions in the same period in 2006.
Stores Misinform Shoppers About Digital TV Switch, Study Says - Raleigh News-Observer
Employees at the nation's top retail stores are giving out bad information about the country's upcoming switch to digital TV. But when the North Carolina Public Interest Research Group sent secret shoppers into the country's top five retail stores last fall, they found store employees were as confused as customers. According to the study, in North Carolina, employees at Wal-Mart, Circuit City, Best Buy, Target and Radio Shack gave inaccurate information about the date of the switch 30 percent of the time. They gave inaccurate information about converter boxes 70 percent of the time.
iSuppli: Samsung Tops In Q4 LCD TV Share - TWICE
Samsung outpaced all brands in North American LCD TV market share during the fourth quarter of 2007, knocking Vizio, the leader for the prior two quarters back to third place, according to a flat-panel TV brand share report issued by market research firm iSuppli. Samsung’s fourth quarter unit-shipment market share rose to 14.2 percent, up from 12.8 percent in the third quarter, iSuppli said.
DIRECTV Accelerates Into 2008 With Upgrades to NASCAR HOTPASS Service
As NASCAR continues to push the envelope with new technologies and innovations in racing, DIRECTV continues to raise the bar as well by offering its 2008 NASCAR HOTPASS service for the first time in high-definition, delivering 13 additional live audio feeds of driver/pit crew communications and offering fans a chance to become a member of the NASCAR HOTPASS broadcast team. Fans subscribing to the service in 2008 will enjoy these new upgrades beginning with the Daytona 500 and throughout the NASCAR SPRINT Cup Series season.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Today's High-Def Headlines
Q4 Plasma Unit Sales Up, Revenue Down - TWICE
Sales of plasma display panel (PDP) TVs in the United States hit “an all-time quarterly high” in fourth quarter of 2007, as overall sales grew 5 percent from the same period a year earlier, according to a new “PDP TV Market Review” issued by Quixel Research. However, overall revenue for the PDP category was down sharply in 2007 as price pressure from the LCD TV category compressed average selling prices. In addition, Quixel noted that “there were very few 1080p models to support growth.”
Hill Lawmakers Want DTV Czar - MCN
Senate Commerce Committee chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) and House Energy and Commerce Committee John Dingell (D-Mich.) sent President Bush a letter asking him to create a digital TV transition task force headed by Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin. “A coordinated federal effort to oversee the transition is essential,” the lawmakers said in a letter dated Feb. 8. Both lawmakers fear too many consumers are ill-informed about the most important shift in broadcast TV since the introduction of color pictures decades ago.
Martin Might Be Shifting On DBS Must Carry - MCN
Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin might be retreating from his plan dealing with the carriage of local TV signals by satellite carriers DirecTV and Dish Network in early 2009 after the digital TV transition. Martin’s new approach was contained in prepared House testimony he is planning to deliver Wednesday before the Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee.
Sales of plasma display panel (PDP) TVs in the United States hit “an all-time quarterly high” in fourth quarter of 2007, as overall sales grew 5 percent from the same period a year earlier, according to a new “PDP TV Market Review” issued by Quixel Research. However, overall revenue for the PDP category was down sharply in 2007 as price pressure from the LCD TV category compressed average selling prices. In addition, Quixel noted that “there were very few 1080p models to support growth.”
Hill Lawmakers Want DTV Czar - MCN
Senate Commerce Committee chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) and House Energy and Commerce Committee John Dingell (D-Mich.) sent President Bush a letter asking him to create a digital TV transition task force headed by Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin. “A coordinated federal effort to oversee the transition is essential,” the lawmakers said in a letter dated Feb. 8. Both lawmakers fear too many consumers are ill-informed about the most important shift in broadcast TV since the introduction of color pictures decades ago.
Martin Might Be Shifting On DBS Must Carry - MCN
Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin might be retreating from his plan dealing with the carriage of local TV signals by satellite carriers DirecTV and Dish Network in early 2009 after the digital TV transition. Martin’s new approach was contained in prepared House testimony he is planning to deliver Wednesday before the Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Today's High-Def Headlines
Best Buy To Push Blu-ray Over HD DVD In Stores - TWICE
Best Buy stopped short of announcing exclusive support for Blu-ray Disc, but starting in March the chain will begin “prominently showcasing” Blu-ray Disc hardware and software in its retail stores and online. The giant CE retail chain said the decision was made to give consumers direction and clear up confusion that remains in the ongoing HD disc format war. The company noted that it will continue to carry an assortment of HD DVD products for customers who want them.
All-Star LED Team Quietly Working on Blu-ray Successors - CNET News.com
Blu-ray is finally getting some momentum in the market, and two secretive start-ups are already looking at ways to replace the standard, or at least retrofit it. Kaai and Soraa are trying to develop lasers and LEDs that could, conceivably, replace conventional LEDs in the lighting market and serve as a standard for optical data storage, Ford Tamer, the newest partner at Khosla Ventures, said in an interview. The firm has invested in both companies.
Smithsonian Channel Inks Distribution Deals With Charter, FiOS - MCN
Smithsonian Channel has reached an affiliate agreement with Verizon FiOS TV and gained additional distribution on systems owned by Charter Communications. The addition of these new distributors, according to network officials, makes Smithsonian Channel available to 22 million households. The network, which offers historical, cultural and scientific programming, already had carriage on satellite leader DirecTV and on Charter systems in the New Orleans area. The new deals, terms of which were not disclosed, also include Smithsonian Channel On Demand, which is available in both standard and high-definition formats.
Wal-Mart Stocks DTV Converters - MCN
Wal-Mart Stores said Monday it has stocked Magnavox digital-to-analog TV converters in its 3,400 U.S. retail locations, as the government prepares to start issuing $40 coupons for the boxes starting next week. The boxes will allow analog TVs to continue receiving over-the-air broadcasts after Feb. 17, 2009, when local TV stations are required to cease their analog broadcasts.
Best Buy stopped short of announcing exclusive support for Blu-ray Disc, but starting in March the chain will begin “prominently showcasing” Blu-ray Disc hardware and software in its retail stores and online. The giant CE retail chain said the decision was made to give consumers direction and clear up confusion that remains in the ongoing HD disc format war. The company noted that it will continue to carry an assortment of HD DVD products for customers who want them.
All-Star LED Team Quietly Working on Blu-ray Successors - CNET News.com
Blu-ray is finally getting some momentum in the market, and two secretive start-ups are already looking at ways to replace the standard, or at least retrofit it. Kaai and Soraa are trying to develop lasers and LEDs that could, conceivably, replace conventional LEDs in the lighting market and serve as a standard for optical data storage, Ford Tamer, the newest partner at Khosla Ventures, said in an interview. The firm has invested in both companies.
Smithsonian Channel Inks Distribution Deals With Charter, FiOS - MCN
Smithsonian Channel has reached an affiliate agreement with Verizon FiOS TV and gained additional distribution on systems owned by Charter Communications. The addition of these new distributors, according to network officials, makes Smithsonian Channel available to 22 million households. The network, which offers historical, cultural and scientific programming, already had carriage on satellite leader DirecTV and on Charter systems in the New Orleans area. The new deals, terms of which were not disclosed, also include Smithsonian Channel On Demand, which is available in both standard and high-definition formats.
Wal-Mart Stocks DTV Converters - MCN
Wal-Mart Stores said Monday it has stocked Magnavox digital-to-analog TV converters in its 3,400 U.S. retail locations, as the government prepares to start issuing $40 coupons for the boxes starting next week. The boxes will allow analog TVs to continue receiving over-the-air broadcasts after Feb. 17, 2009, when local TV stations are required to cease their analog broadcasts.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Today's High-Def Headlines
Netflix Chooses Blu-ray Over HD DVD - CNET News.com
Online video rental company Netflix said on Monday it would exclusively stock Blu-ray high-definition DVDs after a decision by some the world's biggest movie studios in favor of the Sony developed format. Netflix has stocked DVDs using both Blu-ray and the competing HD DVD format developed by Toshiba since they first came on the market in early 2006.
Blu-ray's Lead Narrows - TWICE
Despite aggressive price promotions on HD DVD players from Toshiba, sales of Blu-ray Disc players continued to outsell HD DVD units by a wide margin through the week ending January 26, according to leaked NPD Group reports, but the gap has narrowed significantly from reports issued two weeks earlier. Dedicated Blu-ray Disc player sales, which omit video game consoles, represented 65 percent of unit volume share during the period and 69 percent of retail sales dollars, according to the leaked data. HD DVD players accounted for 28 percent of hardware unit sales and 14 percent of overall HD disc retail dollars.
Time Warner Escalates HD War with HD on Start Over - CED
Deliberately sticking it to DirecTV and Dish Network, Time Warner Cable said it will start offering high-definition (HD) content through Start Over, a service TWC CEO Glenn Britt said the DBS companies simply cannot match. In its analyst briefing accompanying the announcement of its Q4 financial results, TWC said it launched Start Over HD in its South Carolina division. The company did not comment on how the rollout of HD on Start Over would track with the rollout of Start Over in general, but HD Start Over apparently will not be immediately available everywhere that Start Over is introduced.
Hallmark Movie Channel Sets April HD Debut On DirecTV - MCN
Hallmark Movie Channel's high-definition simulcast will debut Wednesday, April 2, on DirecTV with a new on-air look for the existing channel, a library full of Hallmark Hall of Fame made-for-TV flicks such as Sarah Plain and Tall and a strategy that includes one programming “event” per quarter. The first such primetime event for the network, now in about 10 million homes as a four-year-old standard-definition spinoff of Hallmark Channel, is the four-hour miniseries Son of the Dragon, a retelling of the Thief of Baghdad story starring David Carradine, John Reardon, Rupert Graves and Desiree Siahann.
Many Obstacles to Digital TV Reception, Study Says
Nearly six million people with digital receivers may still lose TV signals when digital-only broadcasts begin next February, a new study says. The study by Centris, a market research firm in Los Angeles, found gaps in broadcast signals that may leave an estimated 5.9 million TV sets unable to receive as many channels as they did before the changeover. It may affect even those who bought the government-approved converter boxes or a new digital TV. To keep broadcast reception, many viewers may have to buy new outdoor antennas, the study found.
Placing High-Def Bets - MCN
The popularity of high-definition television among consumers is never more apparent than around Super Bowl time. The Consumer Electronics Association estimated that about 2.4 million HDTV sets were sold between the start of the year and the big game. But for programmers, ramping up their high-def game can be a high-stakes gamble. While no one wants to lose the affluent viewers who are embracing HDTV, the transition to the HD world carries a significant price tag in new facilities, studios, equipment, satellite transponders, and higher production budgets; and new revenue to cover those costs have been slow to emerge. (ed. note: This article is an intro for profiles of the strategies of 8 HD networks: Big Ten Network, Discovery, ESPN, Mojo, National Geographic, Speed Channel, WealthTV & The Weather Channel.)
Online video rental company Netflix said on Monday it would exclusively stock Blu-ray high-definition DVDs after a decision by some the world's biggest movie studios in favor of the Sony developed format. Netflix has stocked DVDs using both Blu-ray and the competing HD DVD format developed by Toshiba since they first came on the market in early 2006.
Blu-ray's Lead Narrows - TWICE
Despite aggressive price promotions on HD DVD players from Toshiba, sales of Blu-ray Disc players continued to outsell HD DVD units by a wide margin through the week ending January 26, according to leaked NPD Group reports, but the gap has narrowed significantly from reports issued two weeks earlier. Dedicated Blu-ray Disc player sales, which omit video game consoles, represented 65 percent of unit volume share during the period and 69 percent of retail sales dollars, according to the leaked data. HD DVD players accounted for 28 percent of hardware unit sales and 14 percent of overall HD disc retail dollars.
Time Warner Escalates HD War with HD on Start Over - CED
Deliberately sticking it to DirecTV and Dish Network, Time Warner Cable said it will start offering high-definition (HD) content through Start Over, a service TWC CEO Glenn Britt said the DBS companies simply cannot match. In its analyst briefing accompanying the announcement of its Q4 financial results, TWC said it launched Start Over HD in its South Carolina division. The company did not comment on how the rollout of HD on Start Over would track with the rollout of Start Over in general, but HD Start Over apparently will not be immediately available everywhere that Start Over is introduced.
Hallmark Movie Channel Sets April HD Debut On DirecTV - MCN
Hallmark Movie Channel's high-definition simulcast will debut Wednesday, April 2, on DirecTV with a new on-air look for the existing channel, a library full of Hallmark Hall of Fame made-for-TV flicks such as Sarah Plain and Tall and a strategy that includes one programming “event” per quarter. The first such primetime event for the network, now in about 10 million homes as a four-year-old standard-definition spinoff of Hallmark Channel, is the four-hour miniseries Son of the Dragon, a retelling of the Thief of Baghdad story starring David Carradine, John Reardon, Rupert Graves and Desiree Siahann.
Many Obstacles to Digital TV Reception, Study Says
Nearly six million people with digital receivers may still lose TV signals when digital-only broadcasts begin next February, a new study says. The study by Centris, a market research firm in Los Angeles, found gaps in broadcast signals that may leave an estimated 5.9 million TV sets unable to receive as many channels as they did before the changeover. It may affect even those who bought the government-approved converter boxes or a new digital TV. To keep broadcast reception, many viewers may have to buy new outdoor antennas, the study found.
Placing High-Def Bets - MCN
The popularity of high-definition television among consumers is never more apparent than around Super Bowl time. The Consumer Electronics Association estimated that about 2.4 million HDTV sets were sold between the start of the year and the big game. But for programmers, ramping up their high-def game can be a high-stakes gamble. While no one wants to lose the affluent viewers who are embracing HDTV, the transition to the HD world carries a significant price tag in new facilities, studios, equipment, satellite transponders, and higher production budgets; and new revenue to cover those costs have been slow to emerge. (ed. note: This article is an intro for profiles of the strategies of 8 HD networks: Big Ten Network, Discovery, ESPN, Mojo, National Geographic, Speed Channel, WealthTV & The Weather Channel.)
Friday, February 08, 2008
Sony Begins Selling OLED TV at Select Retailers
Sony's new OLED TV wowed audiences at last month's Consumer Electronics Show and now it's available for purchase -- that is, if you can justify spending $2,500 for an 11-inch TV.
According to Sony and Abt, a Chicago retailer that's stocking it, major benefits include: a super-thin 3mm screen (half the thickness of a standard CD jewel case), better color, and a 1,000,000 to 1 contrast ratio that's about 1,000 times better than the average LCD TV. These and other features are achieved through the use of an organic material that emits light, rather than depending on a backlight like other HDTV technologies.
The buzz about this thing is so great that I'd almost consider buying it just to have the coolest HDTV around. Problem is that Sony will undoubtedly come out with an OLED that's twice the size by next year's CES, leaving anyone who buys this one with an 11-inch TV. Think about exactly how small that is...
Check out more specs here.
According to Sony and Abt, a Chicago retailer that's stocking it, major benefits include: a super-thin 3mm screen (half the thickness of a standard CD jewel case), better color, and a 1,000,000 to 1 contrast ratio that's about 1,000 times better than the average LCD TV. These and other features are achieved through the use of an organic material that emits light, rather than depending on a backlight like other HDTV technologies.
The buzz about this thing is so great that I'd almost consider buying it just to have the coolest HDTV around. Problem is that Sony will undoubtedly come out with an OLED that's twice the size by next year's CES, leaving anyone who buys this one with an 11-inch TV. Think about exactly how small that is...
Check out more specs here.
Today's High-Def Headlines
Cox Faces HDTV Set-Top Shortages - MCN
Cox Communications’ stash of high-definition set-tops is running low in at least three markets, a problem the operator characterized as a “brief issue” stemming from recent efforts at boosting its digital-cable penetration rate. A customer-service representative for Cox’s Kansas/Arkansas system said there is a one- to two-week delay in getting an HD set-top or HD DVR, while a sales rep in Orange County, Calif., said there is up to a two-week wait for HD DVRs pending a shipment of new units from Motorola. In New England, which serves Rhode Island and parts of Connecticut, a Cox agent said it will be “weeks” before Motorola HD set-tops are available.
Verizon Runs Short on HD Boxes - MCN
Verizon Communications, which recently signed up its 1 millionth FiOS TV subscriber, has been forced to tell some new customers to sit tight for a few weeks before they can get high-definition service because it has a limited number of HD set-tops and digital video recorders in stock. The phone company has had to “backorder HD and HD DVR set-top boxes for some customers in the short term,” Verizon manager of media relations Heather Wilner said.
North American HDTV Sales Grew About 60% in 4Q - TV Week
North American high-definition television sales grew about 60% to 10 million units in the fourth quarter as Samsung and Sony gained market share at the expense of Sharp and other manufacturers, NPD Group unit DisplaySearch said. The number of flat-panel units, which include liquid-crystal display and plasma display panel televisions, increased 56% last quarter in the U.S. and Canada, as TV makers produced fewer rear-projection TVs, DisplaySearch said.
Cable Providers May Deliver HD Movie Knockout Blow - TV Week
In the war for high-definition movie viewers, Netflix is trying to bust Blockbuster, Blu-ray is bruising HD DVD and Apple’s iTunes is trying to undo Amazon.com’s Unbox and Vudu. They may all want to duck, though, because the cable companies are coming out swinging. Comcast, Cox Communications and Cablevision all said this week that they’ve either developed or are working on methods to deliver high-definition films to as many as 33 million subscribers the same day such titles are available on DVD.
Speed HD Launches With NASCAR Coverage - MCN
The Feb. 7 launch of Fox Cable Networks’ third 24-hour high-definition channel, Speed HD, is part of a much larger investment in new HD facilities that have allowed the programming group to expand its HD offering. As part of that effort, Fox has expanded satellite capacity, inked long-term leases for mobile trucks, revamped its Los Angeles studios for HD production and built a multimillion dollar studio in Chicago for the Big Ten Network. It is currently in the process of building an HD facility in Houston that should come online in March and is planning to build a new facility for Speed.
DIRECTV Now Delivers Local HD Programming In 76 U.S. Cities
DIRECTV, Inc. is now offering local HD programming to customers in 76 markets across the United States with the launch of four new HD markets today. DIRECTV customers in Cedar Rapids-Waterloo, Iowa; Louisville, Ky.; Paducah, Ky., and Wichita, Kan., now have access to local broadcast networks in HD. With the addition of these four new markets, DIRECTV now offers access to local HD broadcast channels to nearly 76 percent of U.S. TV households.
A New Cable for Your Maze - NY Times Circuits
The back of a high-definition television can easily turn into a snake pit of cables. Out of that mess comes yet another cable, but it is supposed to make everything simple. The HDMI, which stands for high-definition multimedia interface, is used to transfer digital sound and video signals from various devices to the TV without degrading those signals.
DTV Players Preview Digital Future At Best Buy Event - TWICE
A Best Buy store in Washington D.C. set the stage today for the kick-off of the DTV converter-box-coupon program in an event that looked for all the world like the Yalta conference. It didn’t quite rise to the level of the allied powers convening to decide the fate of the post-war world, but it did unite the major players involved in the switch from analog to digital in the TV world.
Xbox 360 HD DVD Player Now $129.99 - GameDaily
The HD movie player has come down in price by $50 and still carries an offer for five free movies. It probably isn't a sign of the overall health of the HD DVD market, however...
Cox Communications’ stash of high-definition set-tops is running low in at least three markets, a problem the operator characterized as a “brief issue” stemming from recent efforts at boosting its digital-cable penetration rate. A customer-service representative for Cox’s Kansas/Arkansas system said there is a one- to two-week delay in getting an HD set-top or HD DVR, while a sales rep in Orange County, Calif., said there is up to a two-week wait for HD DVRs pending a shipment of new units from Motorola. In New England, which serves Rhode Island and parts of Connecticut, a Cox agent said it will be “weeks” before Motorola HD set-tops are available.
Verizon Runs Short on HD Boxes - MCN
Verizon Communications, which recently signed up its 1 millionth FiOS TV subscriber, has been forced to tell some new customers to sit tight for a few weeks before they can get high-definition service because it has a limited number of HD set-tops and digital video recorders in stock. The phone company has had to “backorder HD and HD DVR set-top boxes for some customers in the short term,” Verizon manager of media relations Heather Wilner said.
North American HDTV Sales Grew About 60% in 4Q - TV Week
North American high-definition television sales grew about 60% to 10 million units in the fourth quarter as Samsung and Sony gained market share at the expense of Sharp and other manufacturers, NPD Group unit DisplaySearch said. The number of flat-panel units, which include liquid-crystal display and plasma display panel televisions, increased 56% last quarter in the U.S. and Canada, as TV makers produced fewer rear-projection TVs, DisplaySearch said.
Cable Providers May Deliver HD Movie Knockout Blow - TV Week
In the war for high-definition movie viewers, Netflix is trying to bust Blockbuster, Blu-ray is bruising HD DVD and Apple’s iTunes is trying to undo Amazon.com’s Unbox and Vudu. They may all want to duck, though, because the cable companies are coming out swinging. Comcast, Cox Communications and Cablevision all said this week that they’ve either developed or are working on methods to deliver high-definition films to as many as 33 million subscribers the same day such titles are available on DVD.
Speed HD Launches With NASCAR Coverage - MCN
The Feb. 7 launch of Fox Cable Networks’ third 24-hour high-definition channel, Speed HD, is part of a much larger investment in new HD facilities that have allowed the programming group to expand its HD offering. As part of that effort, Fox has expanded satellite capacity, inked long-term leases for mobile trucks, revamped its Los Angeles studios for HD production and built a multimillion dollar studio in Chicago for the Big Ten Network. It is currently in the process of building an HD facility in Houston that should come online in March and is planning to build a new facility for Speed.
DIRECTV Now Delivers Local HD Programming In 76 U.S. Cities
DIRECTV, Inc. is now offering local HD programming to customers in 76 markets across the United States with the launch of four new HD markets today. DIRECTV customers in Cedar Rapids-Waterloo, Iowa; Louisville, Ky.; Paducah, Ky., and Wichita, Kan., now have access to local broadcast networks in HD. With the addition of these four new markets, DIRECTV now offers access to local HD broadcast channels to nearly 76 percent of U.S. TV households.
A New Cable for Your Maze - NY Times Circuits
The back of a high-definition television can easily turn into a snake pit of cables. Out of that mess comes yet another cable, but it is supposed to make everything simple. The HDMI, which stands for high-definition multimedia interface, is used to transfer digital sound and video signals from various devices to the TV without degrading those signals.
DTV Players Preview Digital Future At Best Buy Event - TWICE
A Best Buy store in Washington D.C. set the stage today for the kick-off of the DTV converter-box-coupon program in an event that looked for all the world like the Yalta conference. It didn’t quite rise to the level of the allied powers convening to decide the fate of the post-war world, but it did unite the major players involved in the switch from analog to digital in the TV world.
Xbox 360 HD DVD Player Now $129.99 - GameDaily
The HD movie player has come down in price by $50 and still carries an offer for five free movies. It probably isn't a sign of the overall health of the HD DVD market, however...
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
The Channel I'd Most Like to Get in HD is...
The Travel Channel. An HD simulcast exists, being slowly rolled out across Cox cable systems nationwide, but it hasn't come yet to DirecTV or Time Warner (I have both). If I lived a mile west, I'd be able to get it since Cox covers that part of my town, but as it is I'll have to wait for DirecTV to get it on their platform.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Today's High-Def Headlines
Resolution and Contrast: A Guide to Big-Screen TV Buying - San Diego U-T
When shopping for a big-screen TV, the choices and technology can be overwhelming. In the end, you should purchase the television that's within your budget and that also has a crisp picture quality and design that appeals to your taste. Still, there are issues to be aware of when perusing the TV showrooms.
Sharpening Up Your New HDTV - Forbes
Getting a brand new high-definition TV should be an enjoyable experience, but when you open up that big box you could also be opening up a frustrating can of worms. HDTVs are complicated gadgets. It's not like the old days when you could just plug a TV into the wall and everything magically worked. HDTVs require a little nuance and a little knowledge.
Consumer Reports' Latest Tests of HDTVs Show Quality Up, Prices Down
There's no need to wait any longer to buy an HDTV. That's the advice from Consumer Reports. Tests of 101 plasma, LCD, and rear-projection TVs for the March issue yielded more sets with top scores for picture quality than in years past. CR also reveals that prices are down as much as 40 percent on some TVs, so consumers continue to get more bang for their buck.
Panasonic TH-58PZ750U: Panasonic's Pricey Plasma - CNET Reviews
Panasonic produced a dizzying array of plasma HDTVs in 2007, with four full lines of multiple screen sizes each. The company's 2008 plasma lineup looks to be just as varied. Until it arrives this spring, the TH-PZ750U series--represented in this review by the 58-inch TH-58PZ750U--remains the company's flagship. Panasonic differentiates this model from the step-down TH-58PZ700U we reviewed earlier by including an additional HDMI input on the front panel.
When shopping for a big-screen TV, the choices and technology can be overwhelming. In the end, you should purchase the television that's within your budget and that also has a crisp picture quality and design that appeals to your taste. Still, there are issues to be aware of when perusing the TV showrooms.
Sharpening Up Your New HDTV - Forbes
Getting a brand new high-definition TV should be an enjoyable experience, but when you open up that big box you could also be opening up a frustrating can of worms. HDTVs are complicated gadgets. It's not like the old days when you could just plug a TV into the wall and everything magically worked. HDTVs require a little nuance and a little knowledge.
Consumer Reports' Latest Tests of HDTVs Show Quality Up, Prices Down
There's no need to wait any longer to buy an HDTV. That's the advice from Consumer Reports. Tests of 101 plasma, LCD, and rear-projection TVs for the March issue yielded more sets with top scores for picture quality than in years past. CR also reveals that prices are down as much as 40 percent on some TVs, so consumers continue to get more bang for their buck.
Panasonic TH-58PZ750U: Panasonic's Pricey Plasma - CNET Reviews
Panasonic produced a dizzying array of plasma HDTVs in 2007, with four full lines of multiple screen sizes each. The company's 2008 plasma lineup looks to be just as varied. Until it arrives this spring, the TH-PZ750U series--represented in this review by the 58-inch TH-58PZ750U--remains the company's flagship. Panasonic differentiates this model from the step-down TH-58PZ700U we reviewed earlier by including an additional HDMI input on the front panel.
Friday, February 01, 2008
Today's High-Def Headlines
ESPN Preps Australian HD Launch - MCN
ESPN will go high-def Down Under. The sports giant will launch its initial ESPN-branded high-definition service outside the United States, when it begins televising ESPN HD Australia sometime in the middle of this year. Not a simulcast of ESPN domestic product, the service, which will feature major sporting events and local programming tailored specifically for Aussie sports fans, will be one of four new HD channels added by Foxtel in Australia.
Pioneer Reports Revenue Decline - TWICE
Pioneer Electronics on Thursday said its fiscal third-quarter consolidated operating revenue declined 1.7 percent, due in part to decreased sales of plasma displays and DVD recorders. Overall plasma display sales declined due to decreases in home-use sales in Europe and North America, despite higher home-use sales in Japan, and due to decreases in OEM and business-use sales, Pioneer said. Plasma display sales accounted for approximately 42 percent of home electronics sales.
Sharp Profit Up 5.5% on LCD Panel Demand - Reuters
Japanese tech conglomerate Sharp Electronics reported a 5.5 percent rise in quarterly operating profit to a record high, as rivals delayed opening new plants, slowing price declines for the big LCD panels it specializes in. That more than offset steep TV price falls for Sharp--the world's third-largest LCD TV maker, behind Samsung Electronics and Sony--and higher silicon raw material prices that hurt profits at its solar-cell unit.
ESPN will go high-def Down Under. The sports giant will launch its initial ESPN-branded high-definition service outside the United States, when it begins televising ESPN HD Australia sometime in the middle of this year. Not a simulcast of ESPN domestic product, the service, which will feature major sporting events and local programming tailored specifically for Aussie sports fans, will be one of four new HD channels added by Foxtel in Australia.
Pioneer Reports Revenue Decline - TWICE
Pioneer Electronics on Thursday said its fiscal third-quarter consolidated operating revenue declined 1.7 percent, due in part to decreased sales of plasma displays and DVD recorders. Overall plasma display sales declined due to decreases in home-use sales in Europe and North America, despite higher home-use sales in Japan, and due to decreases in OEM and business-use sales, Pioneer said. Plasma display sales accounted for approximately 42 percent of home electronics sales.
Sharp Profit Up 5.5% on LCD Panel Demand - Reuters
Japanese tech conglomerate Sharp Electronics reported a 5.5 percent rise in quarterly operating profit to a record high, as rivals delayed opening new plants, slowing price declines for the big LCD panels it specializes in. That more than offset steep TV price falls for Sharp--the world's third-largest LCD TV maker, behind Samsung Electronics and Sony--and higher silicon raw material prices that hurt profits at its solar-cell unit.
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