DISH Network to Carry 10 VOOM HD Channels

EchoStar Communications said today that its DISH Network satellite TV service will expand its high-definition channel lineup by adding 10 of the original VOOM HD networks, expected to be available May 1. The 10 VOOM HD networks added will include RUSH HD, Gallery HD, Rave HD, Ultra HD, Equator HD, Monsters HD, Animania HD, Majestic HD, HD News and Guy TV HD.

DISH is currently running a promotion in which new customers receive six free months of HD programming (regularly $9.99 a month) with a one-year contract. Existing VOOM customers are also guaranteed next-day installation.

With the addition of the 10 VOOM networks, DISH now offers 17 high-def channels in addition to HD pay-per-view, which will vault it ahead of cable competitors (and DIRECTV) in most markets.

In a related announcement, Rainbow Media Holdings said this morning that it will license the VOOM 21 to any cable or satellite provider that is interested, and that DISH is expected to add the remaining 11 channels of the VOOM 21 sometime in 2006.

HDNet Films Inks Deal with Director Soderbergh

2929 Entertainment and HDNet Films announced this morning that they have entered into a partnership with Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh to direct six high-definition films that will be released simultaneously across theatrical, TV and home video platforms. HDNet pioneered this new distribution strategy with "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room" and is planning "to mine its diverse holdings" to produce the new films in HD.

Soderbergh will have creative control over the films' content, the first of which is called "Bubble" and is a murder-mystery set in a small town in Ohio. Soderbergh has directed such notable films as "Erin Brokovich," "Traffic," "Solaris," "Ocean's Eleven," "Ocean's Twelve," and "Sex, Lies, and Videotape."

2929 Entertainment was created by Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner and now owns Rysher Entertainment, Landmark Theaters, Magnolia Pictures Distribution, an interest in Lions Gate Entertainment, 2929 Productions and HDNet Films, along with HDNet and HDNet Movies.

HP Unveils New Line of HDTVs

HP took the wraps off its new line of plasma, LCD and DLP HDTVs at the Home Entertainment Expo Thursday, unveiling a total of 10 new models under the brand HP Pavilion. The TVs all include new HP Visual Fidelity technologies that the company says provide enhanced image quality and color. In the LCD and plasma displays, Visual Fidelity technologies provide information about a room's ambient lighting to the TV which then enhances sharpness and color that best complement the room. In the DLPs, HP says that Visual Fidelity double the pixel resolution.

HP's new DLPs are the company's first foray into microdisplays and are available with both 1080p and 720p TI chips. The 1080p models are 65-inches and 58-inches, while the 720p versions are 58- and 50-inches. All will be available for purchase this summer. The DLP models feature a lighted front-connection panel designed with a slot under the TV so audio/visual cables can be easily connected from the front and hidden from view.

HP Pavilion plasmas are 50" and 42" that the company says use next-gen phosphors to create images that are 10 percent brighter than conventional panels. The flat-panel LCDs are available in 37-, 32- and 26-inch models and like the plasma and DLPs, will hit retail in late summer. Both the LCD and plasma models come with a piano-black finish and curved-edge design.

All of HP's new HDTVs are CableCARD ready.

The company also announced the availability of three new models of standard and high-definition HP Digital Entertainment Centers - devices that allow consumers to personalize and manage their TV viewing, movies, music, photos and videos using one remote control. New functionality on certain models includes the ability to record over-the-air high-definition programming and store up to 55 hours of HD content.

Cablevision Says YES to Yankees in HD

Cablevision and the Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network (YES) announced this week that YES HD will be available to Cablevision's digital cable customers with an HD box at no additional charge. In addition to broadcasting all of the NY Yankees home games from the Bronx in HD, YES also will show a few Yanks road games against the defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox and the cross-town rival NY Mets. All home games of basketball's New Jersey Nets are also broadcast in HD on YES.

Cablevision now offers an industry-leading 17 channels in HD.

Samsung and Microsoft Team Up for Xbox HD

Samsung and Microsoft said today at the Home Entertainment Expo in New York that they have formed an alliance in conjunction with the launch of the new Xbox gaming console, which is HD-capable. Microsoft has chosen Samsung as its exclusive HDTV worldwide marketing partner for the HD Xbox, and to promote the launch, the two companies will place 25,000 Samsung 23-inch LCD HDTVs in Xbox retail kiosks around the world. That particular LCD (model LNR238W) offers what Samsung says is a "super-fast" 12 millisecond pixel switching speed that enables intense action while overcoming any motion artifacts. In addition, Samsung says its Fixed Pixel Device is designed to eliminate scan lines, helping gameplay to be smooth and free of flickering.

The marketing alliance will include cinema, POS, television, print, on-line and various other media efforts.

Comcast Adds 428K HD/DVR Subs in Q1

Comcast said today that it deployed 428,000 HD and/or DVR boxes in the first quarter and now has 1.6 million such set-tops deployed throughout its service territory. The company plans to spend an additional $200-300 million this year on capital expenditures, a decent chunk of which will be used to acquire more high-def DVR boxes that are currently on back order in many of its markets.

NBC's 'Conan' Now in HD; 'SNL' to Follow This Fall

NBC's "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" began broadcasting in high-def Tuesday night, joining "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" as the only late-night programs offered in HD. NBC's mainstay comedy program "Saturday Night Live" will be shown in high-def beginning this October, giving NBC a formidable lineup of variety-type programming in HD. The New York Post reports that "The Late Show With David Letterman" will be in high-def "sooner rather than later," although an exact timetable has not been released.

I have to say that personally, the main reason I watch Leno over Letterman is because Leno is in HD and has been for a number of years now. Letterman is oftentimes funnier, but Leno's show looks great in high-def and really contrasts well when compared to Dave's. I'm usually not up late enough often enough to watch Conan, but would be much more inclined to DVR it now that it's in high-def. (I generally find Conan to be more amusing than either Leno or Letterman, anyway.)

Likewise, "SNL," which is a lot less funny today than it was when I was growing up, should benefit from the upgrade to HDTV. I've said it before: HD can make otherwise average programming seem much better than it otherwise would (or really is), just because the picture and sound are of such higher quality than standard TV.

Sharp Reports Strong LCD Sales

Sharp Corp. reported in its annual earnings that it experienced record LCD sales in the last fiscal year, a key factor in its 27% increase in profits over the previous year. LCD television sales were up 78% from the year prior and are expected to rise by another 29% this year. The electronics maker also stated that it plans to hike its capital spending by 3.3% this year, most of which will be spent on an eighth-generation plant where it will make a much greater number of 40-inch LCD panels. That facility is expected to be online by the fall of 2006.

You can read the full Bloomberg story with all the financial details here.

Silicon Valley CEOs Support Hard Cutoff Date for Analog TV

The CEOs of nine leading high-tech companies sent a letter to Congressman Joe Barton, chairman of the House Commerce Committee, today expressing their support of a hard cutoff date for the transition to digital television. In the letter, the heads of Intel, IBM, HP, Dell, Motorola, Applied Materials, NCR, Unisys and EMC said that they favor a "date certain" for the analog cutoff, although they did not address when specifically that date should be. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the letter also stated the CEOs' support of using a portion of the proceeds of the sale of the analog spectrum to subsidize the purchase of analog-to-digital converter boxes for people who currently utilize over-the-air broadcasts rather than cable or satellite service (about 15% of the TV population).

DIRECTV Launches New HD Satellite

DIRECTV this morning successfully launched its new high-def satellite into orbit, the first step for the satcaster in bringing HD local channels to American consumers. The new satellite, dubbed Spaceway F1, is the first of two Ka-band satellites that will launch this year (the other goes up in June). With these two new birds, DIRECTV will be able to begin offering additional HD channels like ESPN2 HD as well as HD local channels in the top 12 U.S. markets. Two more satellites, DIRECT 10 and 11, will are scheduled to launch in 2007. Combined, the four satellites will provide additional capacity to deliver more than 1,500 local HD and more than 150 national HD channels and other advanced programming services to consumers.

The first group of markets to receive local HD channels via Spaceway F1 includes New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco, Dallas, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Detroit, Houston and Tampa. These markets represent nearly 36 million homes or 32.8 percent of all U.S. TV households.

Discovery HD Theater to Simulcast "Alien Planet"

Discovery HD Theater will air "Alien Planet" May 14th in the high-def network's first ever simulcast done in conjunction with the Discovery Channel. According to DHDT, the theme of "Alien Planet" is what happens when we find life outside our own planet. Through computer generated imagery, animation and special effects, viewers are taken on a virtual mission to a planet called Darwin IV, which is 6.5 million light years from Earth. There is also in-depth scientific commentary from luminaries such as Stephen Hawking and George Lucas.

DHDT will also premiere "The Science of Star Wars" on May 18. This original series consists of three hour-long episodes: "Man and Machine," "Space Cowboys" and "War, Weaponry and The Force."

Verizon Adds Showtime HD to FiOS TV Lineup

Verizon announced today that it has reached a carriage agreement for its FiOS TV service with Showtime Networks that includes Showtime HD and The Movie Channel HD. Both high-def networks will be available to Showtime and TMC subscribers at no additional charge.

Verizon has been busy over the last few weeks, having inked agreements with Showtime HD, Starz HDTV and Universal HD, in addition to their non-HD counterparts. FiOS TV is Verizon's fiber-to-the-premises initiative that will launch later this year in select markets.

TNT HD Launches on Comcast

UPDATE: This deal was officially announced by the two companies Monday.

It hasn't been officially announced, but posters to several Internet message boards are reporting that TNT HD launched on Comcast late last week in time for the first round of the National Basketball Association's playoff games. Comcast HD subscribers in Atlanta, Detroit, Indianapolis, Nashville and Washington, D.C. report being able to watch TNT HD, which in addition to the NBA also airs programming such as "Law & Order," professional golf and theatrical movies in high-def.

TNT HD is now carried on Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks on cable, and DISH Network on satellite. I was personally a little surprised that DIRECTV didn't reach a carriage deal by the start of the NBA playoffs, which DISH did a year ago. Two more basketball games air tonight, with the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics facing off at 7:00pm EDT and the Dallas Mavericks taking on the Houston Rockets at 9:30pm EDT.

Discovery HD Theater to Launch in Canada

Discovery Communications has filed a joint venture application with the Canadian government to offer Discovery HD Theater by the end of this year. In a statement, Discovery said that after it gains approval, DHDT will become Canada's first 24-hour high-definition specialty service. Programming, however, will differ somewhat from what DHDT offers in the U.S., with a focus on original Canadian productions and live programming events in addition to traditional DHDT fare originating from the U.S. and around the world. When it launches, Discovery will offer it free of charge for a period of time as a way for viewers to sample the service.

HDNet to Air Dallas Mavs Playoff Games in HD

HDNet said Friday that it will air Games 2 through 5 of the Dallas Mavericks' playoff series versus the Houston Rockets. The telecasts will only be available to viewers in Texas, who are likely the fans most interested in the in-state rivalry. HDNet and the Mavs are of course both owned by billionaire Mark Cuban.

DISH Network Offering Deals to VOOM Customers

DISH Network, like DIRECTV, is reaching out to VOOM customers about to lose their service at the end of this month. According to the company, DISH will provide next-day installation and 6 months of free HD programming with proof of VOOM subscribership.

DIRECTV, as we previously reported, is offering a $200 mail-in rebate towards the purchase of a new HD system.

Discovery HD Theater to Take Mother's Day by Storm

Discovery HD Theater said this week that it will premiere "RISK TAKERS: HURRICANE HUNTER" and "SUPERVOLCANO," two rather un-motherlike programs on Mother's Day, May 8th. According to the network:

"RISK TAKERS is an exclusive Discovery HD Theater series which explores the real lives, real events and real chances involved in some of the world's most dangerous professions. On Mother's Day the premiere episode will be HURRICANE HUNTER, a profile of an extreme weather journalist who travels across the USA photographing nature's deadlist storms...and trying to keep himself out of harm's way. SUPERVOLCANO was the hit 2-hour docudrama which aired on Discovery Channel 10 days ago and was the highest rated primetime program of all ad supported cable networks -- over 5 million viewers."

Hitachi Promoting Plasmas with Hollywood's Help

Hitachi is partnering with Paramount Pictures to promote its plasma TVs in the upcoming Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg picture "War of the Worlds." Based on the H.G. Wells novel, the movie is set for release June 29. Hitachi said Thursday that the campaign will include global advertising, marketing and product placement as part of its "The Ultimate Visual Experience" initiative. Kazuhiro Tachibana, Hitachi's Consumer Business Group general manager, said that “We are thrilled that our high-quality products will not only be seen in the film, but will also be leveraged for a global promotion.”

Hitachi said in a release that it is wrapping its summer ad campaign around what is expected to be among the biggest blockbuster films of the year because there are no other events with real worldwide appeal -- like soccer's World Cup or the Olympics -- this year.

DIRECTV Reaches Out to VOOM Customers

DIRECTV said today that it is offering displaced VOOM customers a $200 mail-in rebate on DIRECTV high-def equipment, including HD receivers and HD DVRs with TiVo. To receive the rebate, VOOM customers have to purchase a DIRECTV HD system before June 30th, subscribe to any Total Choice programming package for one year and also sign up for the HD programming package (which costs $10.99 a month but is currently free for 3 months). VOOM customers can get a DIRECTV HD system installed for as low as $99 after rebate or can instead use the rebate towards the purchase of the $999 HD TiVo. The rebate form is available along with more information at www.directv.com/VOOM.

This promotion won't a huge moneymaker for DIRECTV, because even if it signed up every one of VOOM's customers, the satellite giant would only add fewer than 50,000 new customers -- a small blip for a company that currently has nearly 14 million subscribers. Nevertheless, this is an attractive option for VOOM customers who are facing the imminent shutdown of their beloved service at the end of this month.

Adelphia to be Acquired by Time Warner and Comcast

While it's a bit ancillary to the HD industry, a big shakeup in the cable industry occured this week as Adelphia agreed to be acquired by Comcast and Time Warner Cable, the two largest cable providers in the U.S., for $17.6 billion in cash and stock. When the transaction is completed in 9 to 12 months, Time Warner will receive about 3.5 million Adelphia customers, including those in Los Angeles, Cleveland, upstate New York, the Carolinas and Maine, which are all complementary with current Time Warner cable systems. Multichannel News reports that Time Warner will also take over Comcast's systems in L.A. and Orange County, making Time Warner the dominant cable provider in the lucrative Southern California market. Time Warner will also receive Comcast's 600,000 subscribers in Dallas.

For its part, Comcast will pick up Adelphia's operations and subscribers in Florida, Boston, Pittsburgh, Hartford (Conn.), Colorado Springs and Vermont. According to Multichannel News, it will also take over Time Warner Cable's operations in Minneapolis, Memphis, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida (Cape Coral and St. Augustine). Comcast's subscriber base will increase by 1.8 million, to a grand total of 23.3 million.

Time Warner plans to spend $650 million in the next three years to upgrade Adelphia's operations in certain markets. Currently, 85% of Adelphia's systems have already been upgraded to 750-megahertz or better. This is good news for Adelphia customers in areas where advanced services like HD and DVR are not yet available, and probably means that Time Warner will accelerate Adelphia's development and deployment of Voice Over IP (VoIP) services, which Time Warner has already rolled out in all of its markets.

Compromise on High-Def DVD Standard in the Works

As a follow-up to the piece I ran last week regarding a potential thaw in the relations between the backers of Blu-ray and HD DVD, it appears as though progress is being made towards a compromise. In fact, Reuters and The Nihon Keizai Business Daily are reporting that a Sony source says an agreement could come yet this month.

This is a tremendous development in the advancement of next-generation DVDs, which will be capable of recording and playing high-definition content. Apparently the two groups have decided that yet another standards battle in the consumer electronics industry is a lose-lose proposition for all concerned.

HDMI Reports Adoption Milestone

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) has now been adopted by more than 200 companies worldwide, HDMI Licensing LLC announced at a tradeshow in Shanghai this week. HDMI adopters include cable/connector, semiconductor, system and test equipment vendors in the United States, Asia-Pacific, China, Japan and Europe. Hollywood studios, cable operators and satellite operators also support HDMI.

The FCC has mandated that after July 1st of this year, all 36-inch and larger and half of all 25-inch to 35-inch "Digital Cable-Ready" (i.e. those with CableCARD) TVs must feature an HDMI-HDCP or DVI-HDCP input. Additionally, all cable HD set-top boxes must feature HDMI or DVI output.

This raises a notable point, which is that just because various devices feature HDMI or DVI inputs or outputs, doesn't necessarily mean that they are functional. For example, the high-def DVR set-top boxes that were installed by my cable provider have DVI ports on the back but the cable company hasn't yet activated them. My plasma has DVI inputs, but they are useless right now without the corresponding outputs from the HD-DVR box. (The box also has a DOCSIS cable modem and ethernet port, also neither of which are currently enabled.) So while HDMI and DVI offer better picture quality (and sound quality in the case of HDMI) than traditional component video, they're of little use if the cable or satellite provider chooses not to make use of the more advanced technology.

Analog Cutoff Looking Increasingly Less Likely in '06

Key congressional lawmakers are increasingly vocalizing their opposition to an end of 2006 cutoff of analog broadcasting, leaving an extension of that deadline to 2007 or beyond as the most viable option. Senator Conrad Burns of Montana told the National Association of Broadcasters convention this week that he has to protect the citizens of his state who utilize over-the-air antennas to receive free broadcast programming but haven't yet upgraded to digital TV/HDTV. According to Multichannel News, Senator Burns also said that he doesn't see much support in the Senate for a hard cutoff date next year. Reps. Greg Walden of Oregon and Eliot Engel of New York echoed Sen. Burns' sentiments, with Rep. Walden saying that "“I don’t want to be the one in my office on New Year’s Day of 2007 when everybody starts calling saying, ‘Why did you turn off my TV?"

In contrast, Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, who chairs the House Energy & Commerce Committee and is leading the charge for a 2006 analog cutoff, told the NAB gathering that he doubts opponents of his soon-to-be-introduced legislation have enough votes to block its passage. Rep. Barton did say that he would be open to extending the deadline as long as it wasn't several years down the road.

Microsoft and Warner Bros. to Hook Up for HD DVDs

Microsoft and Warner Bros. are teaming up to utilize the software maker's Windows Media Video 9 technology to offer high-definition DVDs. The Hollywood Reporter says that Warner Home Video will begin using the products in Q4 of this year, although there's no word yet on specific movie and television titles that will be released as part of this project. According to Warner's chief technology officer Chris Cookson:

"Warner Bros. has evaluated the video quality of VC-1 and found it to be outstanding, making it an ideal format for the delivery of high-definition content. By releasing a wide range of titles in VC-1, we are creating great new opportunities to bring high-definition video to consumers."

WMV 9 is Microsoft's version of the industry standard VC-1.

CNET Reviews New Samsung DLPs

If you're in the market for a DLP and are considering Samsung, check out CNET's initial reviews of several of the latest '05 models which feature TI's 1080p DLP chip. Full reviews will appear later when the units hit retail in early summer.

For the record, when it comes to HDTV reviews my top 3 picks for reviewing publications are (in no particular order) Sound & Vision Magazine, Home Theater Magazine and CNET.

Verizon Inks Deal for Universal HD on FiOS TV

Verizon announced Monday that it has reached an agreement with NBC Universal Cable for carriage of a number of NBC Uni cable networks, including Universal HD, on its forthcoming FiOS TV service. For the unitiated or unaware, FiOS TV is Verizon's venture into the video services business utilizing fiber-to-the-premises technology. Verizon has been aggressive in inking these carriage deals, having last week signed one for Starz HDTV. Here's the official description:

"Verizon FiOS TV will offer customers a competitive alternative to cable or satellite. In addition to the NBC Cable and Broadcast channels, FiOS TV will also deliver hundreds of other digital video channels, high-definition programming, video-on-demand content, music channels, an interactive programming guide and other customer-friendly features via the company's fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) broadband network. Verizon is already constructing FTTP networks in half the states where it offers landline communications service. Customers will be able to buy FiOS TV as a stand-alone service or packaged with voice and FiOS high-speed data services, which are already available in some areas."

CEA, Broadcasters Continue War of Words Over DTV

Consumer Electronics Association head Gary Shapiro said yesterday that the nation's broadcasters need to stop focusing on government regulation and embrace the transition to digital television. In a speech to the National Association of Broadcasters, Shapiro lambasted the group for what he called its misleading attack on the CEA's efforts to accelerate the DTV transition by encouraging the FCC to advance the deadline for manufacturers to include digital tuners in all TVs 25 to 36 inches from July 1, 2006 to March 1, 2006. In exchange, CEA wants the FCC to eliminate the July 1, 2005 deadline that currently requires half of all TVs 25 to 36 inches to include digital tuners. The CEA believes that the NAB is falsely accusing the electronics industry of delaying the DTV transition.

The constant bickering among the consumer electronics manufacturers, the broadcasters and the cable operators with regards to the DTV transition is getting rather tiresome. These groups all have different goals with respect to digital television to be sure, and I can appreciate their respective associations' needs to feel like they are adequately representing their memberships' views to policymakers in Washington, D.C. However, I believe that consumers would like to see three things with respect to DTV: lower prices, more options and no forced obsolescence of their existing analog TVs in the near future. Reasonable people can disagree about the steps needed to attain these goals, but all sides in this debate would benefit if the rhetoric were turned down just a bit.

EchoStar to Buy VOOM Programming?

EchoStar may be keen to buy VOOM's 21 HD channels in addition to its Rainbow-1 satellite, according to CEO Charlie Ergen. The head of the DISH Network said this week that his company is debating whether or not to acquire the VOOM 21 that is currently operated by Cablevision subsidiary Rainbow DBS. According to the Long Island Business News and the Sky Report, Ergen made the comments during his monthly "Charlie Chat" broadcast on the DISH Network.

At this point, I would imagine that Cablevision would be willing to part with the VOOM 21 for a fairly cheap price. It has already entered into an agreement to sell the VOOM satellite to EchoStar for $200 million, and apparently has no desire to actually air the Rainbow DBS programming as part of Cablevision's HD package (which I suppose gives some indication of what Cablevision thinks about the quality of the content). I would caution EchoStar about overpaying for the VOOM 21, but there's no need. Charlie Ergen is as shrewd a negotiator as you'll find in this business, and he's no fool when it comes to spending his company's money.

Verizon Brings Starz HDTV on Board for FiOS TV

Verizon announced this week that it has signed a carriage agreement with Starz Entertainment Group for Starz premium movie channels including Starz HDTV and Starz On Demand. Verizon's fiber-based FiOS TV is set to launch later this year and will offer Starz HDTV at no additional charge for Starz subscribers (essentially the same deal as is offered to Starz customers on existing cable and satellite platforms).

Verizon also stated that it is in the process of negotiating with other premium services for FiOS TV.

INHD to Air Three MLB Games Next Week

Cable high-def network INHD said Thursday that it will air three nationally televised Major League Baseball games next week, beginning with Sunday's matchup between my San Diego Padres and the rival Los Angeles Dodgers at 4:10pm ET. On Monday, INHD will show the Detroit Tigers against the Baltimore Orioles at 7:05 ET, while Tuesday's game will feature the Minnesota Twins vs. the Chicago White Sox at 8:05 ET.

INHD said that it will show at least three MLB games in high-def each week of the regular season, which I believe is great for the fans and for the industry. Sadly, INHD isn't available on my cable system yet, but there's always hope they'll get a deal done soon.

Sony Open to Blu-ray and HD DVD Discussions

The Sony exec in charge of the company's foray into next-gen Blu-ray DVDs said this week that his company is open to discussions with the backers of the competing HD DVD about the development of a single standard. However, no efforts have yet been made by either side towards such a goal. Sony's Yukinori Kawauchi told Reuters in an interview that from a consumer perspective, "one format is better than two."

This is perhaps the first real sign that there may be a thawing in the cold war between Blu-ray and HD DVD. Up to this point, it has essentially been a battle of press releases as backers of the rival technologies scramble to bring on board Hollywood studios and other technology companies like Apple to show support for their format. What's clear, however, is that a future with both technologies won't be a victory for anyone, consumers especially. (Just ask the SACD and DVD-Audio crowd how well two standards work.) The industry needs to settle on a single format that can be brought to market as quickly and affordably as possible. I've said it before and I'll reiterate my position: HD DVD may be the better short term solution, as it appears to be more compatible with existing DVD technology and will probably be less expensive for consumers to purchase. Long term, Blu-ray will probably win out because of the additional storage capacity it offers.

Here's hoping that the two sides can get together and work out some kind of settlement that aids the cause of both HD DVD and Blu-ray while ultimately focusing primarily on the consumers who will be the ones adopting next-gen DVD technology.

Consumers Want National Georgraphic Channel in HD

The National Geographic Channel released results of a Beta Group study this week showing, among other things, that consumers rate it the network they would most like to see in high-def. Study respondents also rated NatGeo the second most distinctive cable and broadcast network and third in high quality of programming.

It's not surprising to me that consumers would want to see the National Geographic Channel in HD, as the type of programming it offers is perfect for the medium. Just look at the popularity of Discovery HD Theater among HDTV owners for confirmation of that theory. However, releasing those kind of survey results only makes sense if the debut of NatGeo in HD is imminent, and I have not heard anything suggesting that is the case. If consumers want to see it in HD, give it to 'em in HD! (I realize it's not quite that simple, but hopefully you see my point.)

"Little 500" Bicycle Races to Air Live on HDNet

HDNet will show the Little 500 bicycle races at Indiana University Friday and Saturday. The Little 500 is the largest collegiate cycling event in the nation and is attended by more than 20,000 people. The broadcast of the women's race begins at 5pm ET Friday, while the men's race begins 3pm ET Saturday. HDNet founder Mark Cuban is an alum of Indiana.

Cox Inks Deal for NFL Network HD

Cox Communications said Monday that it has reached a deal with to carry the NFL Network HD, which it will launch late this summer in time for the league's preseason. This past season, the NFL Network aired one "Game of the Week" each week in high-def. Cox joins Comcast and Adelphia in signing distribution deals with NFL Network HD, although not every Comcast and Adelphia system actually carries the network as of now.

1080p DLP Chips Shipping Now: TI

Texas Instruments said Monday that it's 1920 x 1080 HD DLP chips have been fully qualified and are now in production shipment to customers. DLP TVs from manufacturers like LG, Mitsubishi, Samsung and Toshiba are expected to be at retail as early as July. Mitsubishi intro'd five new 1080p DLP models -- ranging in screen size from 52 inches to 73 inches -- at its dealer show on Monday. According to TI, the new 1080p chips offer better sharpness, enhanced colors, darker black levels and improved contrast ratios (above 5000:1) over the previous generation of 720p DLP chips.

I have to say that the 1080p DLP models I saw at CES from the above manufacturers did offer an absolutely stunning picture quality. Here's an easy prediction: they'll sell quite well once they hit retail this summer, and will give plasma and LCD a much more serious competitive threat.

Mitsubishi Intros New Plasma, DLP and LCD Lines

Mitsubishi said Friday at its dealer show that it has launched a series of new plasma, LCD flat-panel, DLP and LCD rear-projection HDTV displays. The new DLPs run on TI's 1080p chip and include either a 160 GB or 250 GB hard disc drive for up to 16 to 25 hours of digital video recording. They also come with two tuners so that users can watch one HD program while recording another, and are Digital Cable Ready using CableCARD. Two HDMI inputs and a nine-format memory card reader are also standard equipment.

Mitsubishi's new plasmas come in either 42- or 50-inch models and feature 12-bit color processing along with the company's BrightCell plasma technology that Mitsubishi says produces sharper, more detailed picture quality. The 42-inch model has 1024 x 768 resolution while the 50-incher comes in at 1365 x 768, and HDMI is standard on both, as are bottom-mounted speakers and a height-adjustable stand.

The company's new line of

VOOM to be Shut Down April 30th

Cablevision said in an SEC filing this morning that it has decided to shut down its fledgling VOOM satellite HD service following the March 31st termination of an agreement with chairman Chuck Dolan and Rainbow DBS CEO Tom Dolan to keep the company alive. Cablevision's board said that it will begin advising customers that VOOM will officially cease providing service on April 30th and that the company's management has already begun implementing shut down steps.

Cablevision is in the process of analyzing whether the VOOM 21 HD channels can be marketed to other satellite and cable providers as part of the Rainbow programming operations.

It's a sad day in the media business when an innovative competitor is lost, because although it only had fewer than 50,000 customers, VOOM was far ahead of the rest of the industry in delivering HD content. With a programming lineup that includes stalwarts like ESPN HD and HBO HD but also the less-carried Universal HD, TNT HD and WealthTV HD, among others, VOOM was truly on the cutting edge of HDTV. Unfortunately, given the consolidation that has taken hold in the media industry as of late, along with the economies of scale that come with being a multi-billion dollar player, there just isn't room for start-up service providers anymore.

Not that VOOM is without fault in this saga, however. Its network of installers seemed ill-trained on the intricacies of many parts of the installation process, most notably the over-the-air antennas needed to pull down local broadcast channels in HD. The company began its retail distribution strategy by inking a deal with Sears, which seemed illogical considering at the time VOOM was touting itself as a premium satellite service and backing that up with a premium $750 price tag for the equipment. The company spent heavily on marketing, but over the last year was losing customers as fast as it was signing them up.

With a few exceptions I never found the VOOM 21 to be all that compelling. In fact, I would be surprised if it gains any carriage deals with larger cable and satellite providers given the difficulty much more established brands like Universal HD and TNT HD are having in doing the same. However, in the final analysis, VOOM did one thing really well and that was deliver HD programming. VOOM made it its mission to seek out new HD networks and bring them on board as quickly as possible, and that is a lesson I hope the other cable and satellite providers will take to heart.

Discovery HD Theater Spending Big on "Atlas HD"

I sat down with Discovery HD Theater chief Clint Stinchcomb at the NCTA National Show to talk about "Atlas HD," his network's ambitious world culture anthology program set to debut next spring. He told me that the first installment of the series will focus on China and will introduce viewers to Chinese topography, culture, politics and sports. Countries to follow in 2006 include Brazil, Australia and Italy, with France, India and Egypt slated for '07. There will be one new country each quarter, with simulcasts airing on the Discovery Channel in non-HD format. The series was originally slated to begin this year, but Discovery execs decided that it needed to be less encyclopedic and more narrative. Total cost of the 30-country series is expected to run about $65 million.

Universal HD Exec Talks Strategy with 1080eye

Universal HD said at the NCTA National Show this week that it has gained additional carriage agreements with cable companies Cox Communications and Charter Communications. Ron Lamprecht, director of new media for the network, told this blogger that Uni HD is now available in 26 million cable homes and that its goal is to feature the best HD programming available on the NBC Cable networks (USA, Sci-Fi Channel, etc.) and from Universal Pictures. Universal HD broadcast 66 hours of live U.S. Open tennis last September and also will broadcast the first two days of the Master's golf tournament this week in high-def. Other programming highlights include the Westminster Dog Show and "Battlestar Gallactica" from the Sci-Fi Channel. Universal HD is currently in discussions with all the major cable operators regarding carriage and has found that they are most concerned with quality of programming rather than quantity. Specifically, Lamprecht says that the cable operators want to see more sports, more big movies and more quality scripted series like "Law & Order: SVU." However, don't expect to see MSNBC or CNBC in HD anytime soon.

HDNet to Show Pope's Funeral In HD

HDNet said that it will cover the funeral of Pope John Paul II in high-def as part of its World Report news series. "Honoring the Pope's Life and Legacy" will air Wednesday night at 9:45pm EDT and "The Funeral of Pope John Paul II" will be broadcast Sunday at 8pm EDT and 11pm EDT. HDNet appears to be the only news organization with plans to show the funeral in HD, which given the backdrop of St. Peter's Basilica and the throngs of crowds, will no doubt look amazing in high-def.

Canon Looking at Entry Into HDTV Market

Japanese electronics giant Canon wants a piece of the flat-panel TV business and may buy a smaller company like JVC as a means of entering the fray. The company is already working on SED technology (surface conduction electron emitting display) with Toshiba, which some in the industry believe will eventually replace LCD and plasma displays, but Canon's CEO may want a quicker means of entry into HDTVs. He told Reuters in an interview that his company is not yet seriously pondering an acquisition, but that it prefers to manufacture its own products and as of now has no facilities that can churn out televisions.

NASCAR, HDNet Announce '05 Race Schedule

HDNet and NASCAR announced this week the schedule for the second season of NASCAR's high-definition television package on HDNet. This year, HDNet will feature 20 live telecasts from the NASCAR Grand National Division, a tier of NASCAR's regional racing series which includes the Busch North Series and West Series.

"NASCAR Grand National Division on HDNet" coverage began Jan. 30 from Phoenix International Raceway, and continues Saturday, April 9, with a West Series race, the Lucas Oil 150 at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield, Calif. The first Busch North Series race on HDNet will be at Thompson International Speedway on Sunday, June 12. HDNet's coverage will also feature select races from NASCAR's AutoZone Elite Division.

NY Yankees in HD on Comcast and DIRECTV

I missed this last week, but Comcast and DIRECTV have reached agreements to broadcast New York Yankees games in high-def this season on the regional Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network (YES). 64 home games will be shown in HD, in addition to five games away from the Bronx when the Yanks travel to Boston to the play the Red Sox. One game against the New York Mets will also be aired in HD. Multichannel News reports that YES will show all 70 Yankees HD games in 1080i.

Panasonic to Produce Nearly 5 Million Plasmas Next Year

Panasonic said this week that it expects to churn out 4.8 million plasma displays by next year, one-third of which will be sold in the U.S. The company also said that this fiscal year, sales of plasmas and LCD flat-panels would exceed CRTs for the first time. Panasonic is also doubling its marketing budget for digital products such as plasmas.

Moxi Gets Comcast Trial, New Deal With Samsung

Digeo announced during the cable industry's National Show in San Francisco this week that it has reached a deal with Comcast for a field trial deployment of its Moxi DVR software platform in the cable giant's Huntsville, Alabama system. Moxi is the software behind the Motorola Broadband Media Center (BMC) that has already been deployed by Charter Communications in various markets and Adelphia Communications in Southern California.

Comcast is showing a fair amount of initiative in DVR lately, having inked a deal with TiVo last month and now with Moxi. It already has deployed Motorola high-def DVRs in the majority of its markets.

Samsung and Digeo also said that they have developed "Moxi II," which is essentially an upgraded, cheaper version of the current Motorola BMC with Moxi. The Moxi II from Samsung will also allow for multi-room high-def DVR capabilities using Mini Moxi II's, an upgrade over the also just-announced Mini Moxi that does not support HD. Adelphia and Charter will launch the Moxi II this fall.

WealthTV HD Launches on Charter

Charter Communications has begun broadcasting WealthTV in HD in Reno, Nevada and San Luis Obispo, California systems, WealthTV president Charles Herring told this blogger at the cable industry's National Show in San Francisco. His company now has carriage deals with "16 or 17" cable operators and the new agreements are in many markets being promoted with radio spots. WealthTV also used the National Show to showcase its original programming, including "The Empire's New Clothes," a profile of present-day Russia that draws on the country's history to show the strides it has made in culture, government and economy.

Consumers Demand CableCARDS: CEA

The Consumer Electronics Association said this week that its internal research shows consumers are demanding Digital Cable Ready HDTVs with built-in CableCARD technology. The report was released at the cable industry's big annual convention in San Francisco, where the CEA said that 7 in 10 consumers say their next TV will be Digital Cable Ready. 3 million HDTVs with CableCARD technology will be sold this year, up from 1 million in '04 after the technology was introduced mid-year.

2007 DTV Transition Date Looking More Likely

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are apparently warming up to the nation's broadcasters' position that a Dec. 31, 2006 deadline for the transition to digital TV is too soon, and an extension of that deadline for another year is looking increasingly likely. Congressman Joe Barton, the chairman of the House Commerce Committee and the most vocal supporter of a hard deadline at the end of '06, plans to introduce legislation soon governing the DTV transition, but will negotiate with other members of his committee before deciding when the deadline should be. Multichannel News reports that many members of Congress consider the DTV transition to be a high priority and vow that it will be dealt with this year.

HDNet to Premiere Enron Movie April 22nd

HDNet announced that the theatrical premiere of "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room" will coincide with its debut on HDNet Movies on Sunday April 22nd at 8pm and 11pm EDT. After its one-day premiere on TV, it will be offered in traditional PPV, VOD and DVD windows. HDNet also said that production will begin in April on "One Last Thing..." starring "Sex and the City's" Cynthia Nixon and Michael Angarano from "Will and Grace."