Vatican Going HD

The world's smallest country will make the jump to high-def on April 15, with Vatican TV set to make its HD debut the day before Pope Benedict XVI's 80th birthday. I don't know where you'll actually be able to watch Vatican HD but will let you know if I find out.

DIRECTV Has Carriage Deals with 70 HD Channels

DIRECTV CFO Michael Palkovic told an investor conference yesterday that his company already has distribution deals in place with 70 high-def channels, some of which have been previously announced, and that his company is on track to begin offering the promised 100 HD channels by year-end. Some of those 100 will be sports channels counted within packages such as the NFL Sunday Ticket and MLB Extra Innings, which seems fair given that they are national HD channels each with their own unique programming (although they aren't offered year-round).

The DIRECTV exec also managed to get in a jab at rival satellite provider DISH Network, saying that “there are no Voom channels, there is nothing like that that people would consider not really quality channels. We’re talking USA [Network], Sci Fi [Channel], some of the Turner [Broadcasting System] networks, The Weather Channel, mainstream programming that’s been around for a long time that’s going to make the leap to HD.”

Thanks to Multichannel News for the quote.

DIRECTV Adds Local HD Nets in 4 More Markets

DIRECTV has begun offering local high-def broadcast networks in four more markets. They are:

• Greenville, SC
• Harrisburg, PA
• Jacksonville, FL
• Spokane, WA

The satcaster now offers HD locals in 53 markets covering two-thirds of U.S. TV households.

VOOM Adds More HD Content

From Multichannel News, VOOM HD has added 225 hours of high-def content from iD Distribution, an existing VOOM content provider. Among the new programs are:

• Ultra HD: Full Frontal Fashion 2007 and Kick Up Your Heels: A Full Frontal Special
• Treasure HD: Chasing History Home, Magnificent Obsessions and Treasure Seekers
• Rush HD: Tanner & Travis, The Northface Expedition and Y2006-2007 Events
• Equator HD: Day of the Dead and Semana Santa
• GamePlay HD: World Series of Video Games, Frag Files and GameSpotting
• WorldSport: Motorsport Ranch and Alpine Chronicles.

VOOM HD is a suite of 15 channels available through DISH Network.

New HD DVD Titles Announced

70 films will be released on HD DVD in the next few months, according to the studios that back that format. Here's the list:

March:
“Children of Men”, “Happy Feet”, “March of the Penguins”, “National Geographic: Relentless Enemies”

April:
“The Good Shepherd” (combo disc), “Smokin’ Aces” (combo disc), “Payback: Straight, The Director’s Cut”, “A Scanner Darkly”, “Dog Day Afternoon”, “School for Scoundrels”, “The Game”, “The Jerk”, “Feast”, “Freedom Writers”, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”, “Nutty Professor”, "Failure to Launch”

May:
“The Ultimate Matrix Collection”, “The Complete Matrix Trilogy”, “Dreamgirls”, “The 40-Year Old Virgin Unrated”, “Flags of Our Fathers: Special Collector’s Edition”, "The Hitcher” (combo disc), “Mission: Impossible”, “Mission: Impossible 2”, “Black Christmas” (2006), “Harsh Times”, “The Battle of the Bulge”, “The Road Warrior”, “The Fountain”, “Smokey & The Bandit”, “Alpha Dog” (combo disc), “The Skeleton Key”, “The River”, “Midnight Run”, “The Frighteners”, “Dragonheart”, “The Big Lebowski”, “Lost in Translation”

June:
“Bruce Almighty”, “Liar Liar”, “Coming To America”, “Born on the 4th of July”, “Daylight”, “Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life”, “Freedom: Vol.1”, “Yes Live in Montreux”, “Santana: Hymns for Peace”, “Deep Purple: They all Came Down to Montreux”, “Sneakers”, “Trading Places”, “Meet Joe Black”, “Being John Malkovich”, “Mystery Men”, “American Me”, “The Watcher”, “Bulletproof”, “Mallrats”

July:
“Shaun of the Dead”, “Billy Madison”, “The Cat in the Hat”, “The Untouchables”, “The Warriors”, “Dante’s Peak”, “The War”, “The Wedding Date”, “The Bourne Identity”, “In Good Company”, “Streets of Fire”, “Nutty Professor 2”, “Scent of a Woman”, “Darkman”, “Sea of Love”, “Deliver Us From Eva”

New USB Device Claims to Turn Laptop Into HDTV

A company called Plextor has developed a USB device called a Mini Digital HDTV Receiver that according to the company allows users to watch, pause, and record high-def TV content on most Windows-based laptop computers. From the announcement:

"Plextor's Mini Digital HDTV Receiver includes software that automatically scans for free air-to-air digital and HD signals in the area. The signals are pulled in by a digital flat antenna. The receiver features a Hi-Speed USB 2.0 interface for easy connectivity with laptops running Windows® 2000/XP/Vista(TM) operating systems. In this basic configuration, users can watch, pause, and record live TV with standard definition TV and HDTV video resolution. Recorded TV is converted to MPEG-2 files in real-time and stored on the hard disk drive."

The Mini Digital HDTV Receiver goes on sale next month and is priced at $99. I'll try to get my hands on one and let you all know how it works.

Cable Companies Want Ability to Downconvert DTV

With the Feburary 2009 shutdown of analog TV broadcasting less than two years away, industry types are starting to get a little antsy when it comes to planning for the transition to all-digital television. Loyal readers of this blog know all about the federal government's subsidy program consisting of $40 coupons towards the purchase of digital-to-analog converters, but most of the general public does not. Hence the need for an industry push for consumer education. Feb. '09 will be here sooner than anyone realizes.

But millions of consumers will be at the mercy of how their cable provider handles the DTV transition. There are essentially two options: [1] you are forced to get a digital cable box for every TV in your house, so that the picture still works on Feb. 17, 2009; or [2] the cable companies are allowed to downconvert the digital broadcast signals to analog at the cable headend and then transmit those analog signals to your analog TVs without the need for a special set-top box.

(Note that neither of these options results in a digital signal appearing on your analog TV. That ain't gonna happen. So if you want the all-digital signals, better upgrade your TVs by then.)

The cable industry really, really wants the ability to downconvert the signals at their headends. This way they don't have to try to force millions of digital set-top boxes on customers who may not want them. In the meantime, they'll push cable TV packages that give you analog service with a digital box (sometimes known as Enhanced Cable or Digital Starter) which only cost a buck or two more than regular analog cable TV.

Cable providers that have high digital cable penetration probably won't even bother with the downconversion and will instead force their last straggler customers without digital boxes to add them (or maybe they'll just give them away at that point).

You can read comments on the subject by the CEO of Time Warner Cable here.

“Planet Earth” Delivers

I hope that all of you tuned in to Discovery HD Theater’s debut of “Planet Earth” this past Sunday night. There were actually three episodes shown: “From Pole to Pole,” “Mountains” and “Ocean Deep, Ocean Wide.” If you didn’t catch them, Discovery is replaying them this weekend. If you did, you’ll likely agree with my assessment that it was probably the most spectacular footage I’ve ever seen on TV. It’s hard to know where to begin in describing it because so much of what’s being showed has never been seen before, at least not like this.

The shot that sticks in my mind is in “From Pole to Pole” when the great white shark swallows the seal in its gigantic jaws and actually jumps clear out of the water before creating an enormous crash of waves as it dives back in. The entire attack only took one second but thanks to an ultra-slow motion HD camera, Discovery’s photographers were able to stretch it into 47 seconds – which enables you to fully grasp the power on display before your eyes. At one point, the great white is completely out of the water, hovering in mid-air without any part of him touching the sea. Powerful of course, but graceful, too. I think I hit replay on my DVR four times, not quite believing that they could actually get this scene on film in such detail.

The next two installments of the 11-part series air this Sunday night ("Desert" and "Ice Worlds"). In the meantime, if you missed any of the first three episodes, you’ve still got time to catch up. I promise, it’s worth it. This is why HDTV was created.

Toshiba HD-DVD Players Now $100-200 Cheaper

Toshiba confirmed on Friday that it has cut the prices of its three HD DVD players by $100-200 each, with the entry-model HD-A2 now going for $399, the mid-level HD-A20 for $499 and the high-end HD-XA2 for $799. The new prices take effect on April 1 (no fooling).

More from TWICE.

Sharp Becomes Official HDTV of MLB

Sharp AQUOS is now the official HDTV of Major League Baseball under terms of a 3-year deal that will see Sharp spend "tens of millions of dollars" in advertising and sponsorship fees. Over 1,300 baseball games were broadcast in HD last season, with the same or more expected this year.

More from Mediaweek.

Cincinnati Fans May Not Get Reds in HD

From the Cincinnati Enquirer, FSN Ohio has inked a deal with Insight Communications for carriage of its high-def feed, thus enabling Reds fans in Northern Kentucky to watch 33 Reds games in HD when this season starts next week (for the geographically-challenged, Cincinnati is directly across the Ohio River from Northern Kentucky).

However, FSN Ohio still doesn't have an HD carriage agreement with Southwestern Ohio's dominant cable company, Time Warner Cable, and no one seems to know whether a deal can be reached before Opening Day. For the record, FSN Ohio HD is available on DIRECTV.

This blogger was born a Reds fan and hopes that his friends in Cincinnati will soon be able to watch Ken Griffey Jr., Adam Dunn, Aaron Harang and the boys in full HD glory.

Cablevision Adding Discovery HD & NatGeo HD

Cablevision is finally adding Discovery HD Theater to its lineup and will add National Geographic HD as well, with both changes coming any day now. Don't know what took them so long to add DHD, as it was among the first non-local broadcast HD channels offered by most cable and satellite providers 3-4 years ago. Regardless, it comes just in time for New York-area Cablevision customers to see the debut of "PLANET EARTH" this Sunday night.

Comcast, FSN Partner for Seattle Mariners HD

Cable giant Comcast and Fox Sports Net Northwest have inked a carriage agreement that will enable Seattle Mariners fans to watch all their team's home games in HD this season, beginning with the home opener on April 2nd. Six road games will also be shown in high-def.

FSN Northwest broadcasts 120 live events per year in high-definition, including the Seattle Sonics, Seattle Mariners, Portland Trail Blazers and NCAA football and basketball.

Industry Insider: PLANET EARTH to Rock Viewers’ Worlds in HD

By Clint Stinchcomb, Discovery HD Theater

As Mark previously reported here, Discovery HD Theater is premiering PLANET EARTH, a landmark HD series this Sunday at 8 PM ET. This has been an ambitious project to say the least. Five years ago, the BBC's Natural History Unit set out to chronicle animal life on earth like you’ve never seen it before. A small army of cinematographers, filming at 200 different locations around the world created the epic 11-part series PLANET EARTH.

I think what makes PLANET EARTH so remarkable is how it harkens back to the days of classic nature documentaries while also utilizing some of the most advanced technologies in HD today. From the Cineflex Heligimble camera stabilization system used to film distant animals and behaviors up close with out disturbing them, to the ultra-high-speed cameras used to capture rare animal predation, no angle is left unexplored.

One of my favorite features of the series is the production teams’ use of a computerized time-lapse system that ran for many months to display the changing seasons around the world, as well as sequences such as the aurora australis, sand storms in the Sahara, and the cherry blossoms blooming in Japan.

And while the technology used in the series is mind-blowing, the images you’ll see are even more so. Simply said, this series will take you places very few people have ever been before, like into Cave of the Swallows in Mexico, the world’s deepest cave at 1,300 feet; the remote Arctic island of Kong Karl Land home to dense populations of polar bears; and under the ice of Siberia’s Lake Baikal, the world’s largest lake, which is frozen for five months of the year. And seeing it all in HD makes it all the more real.

The series kicks off with a look at the north and south poles, with additional episodes dedicated to deserts, mountains, forests, deep oceans, shallow seas, the great plains, fresh water and caves. Sundays through April 22, PLANET EARTH will captivate you and have you wondering “how’d they get that on film…I mean in HD?”

INHD to Become Mojo

As previously reported in this blog, INHD will be renamed Mojo on May 1st, using the moniker of its primetime block of programming. As part of its re-christening, Mojo will target "an upscale male demographic," according to the Hollywood Reporter. About 6 million homes currently get INHD, often as part of a high-definition tier of service that includes ESPN HD and HDNet, among other channels.

LG: Expect $60 Digital-to-Analog Converters

An LG Electronics spokesman said yesterday at a public meeting on the DTV transition that his company will sell digital-to-analog converters for about $60 and that they will be available in early 2008. Still to be decided are issues such as getting the boxes into retail and how the federal government's $40 coupon subsidy program will be administered.

NBC's 'Nightly News' Makes HD Debut Next Week

One week from tonight NBC's Nightly News with Brian Williams will make its much-anticipated high-def debut, becoming the first evening news program to make the HD jump. Borrowing technology and lessons from both the Today Show and Saturday Night Live, NBC is putting the final touches on camera and set upgrades, with one of the major details being how to deal with 4:3 standard-def footage from the field (they'll either upconvert it or put it in regular format with "graphic wings" on each side to fill in the widescreen).

There are no specific timeframes for either the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric or ABC's World News Tonight with Charles Gibson to begin broadcasting in HD, although producers for both programs are currently evaluating their options.

More from Broadcasting & Cable.

JVC to Emphasize LCD Flat-Panel over D-ILA

JVC execs said at the company's dealer line show this week that they will begin emphasizing their LCD flat-panel displays at the expense of the JVC D-ILA variant of LCoS microdisplay technology. TWICE offers a fairly detailed report of the screen sizes and pricing you can expect to see this year, but suffice it to say that JVC has realized that the market for flat-panels is surging as prices fall. JVC also plans to do more marketing with warehouse retailers like Costco.

In related news, TWICE also reports that a deal has been reached by a U.S. private equity firm called TPG to buy JVC from current majority owner Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., also the parent company of Panasonic. Details of the transaction, including final purchase price, are still being negotiated.

If You Fund It, They Will Come

It only took a few days for manufacturers to leap on the government's detailed plans unveiled Monday for the digital-to-analog TV converter subsidy program. LG, Samsung and Thomson/RCA this week all announced plans for D/A converters that would be eligible for the NTIA's $40 coupon subsidy (read our take on it here).

As most of you know, the federal government has mandated an end to analog TV broadcasting by Feb. 17, 2009 -- just before that year's NCAA men's basketball tournament. Consumers owning the estimated 45 million analog TVs relying solely on over-the-air broadcasts will be forced to either replace them or outfit them with D/A converters using the $40 NTIA coupons.

DIRECTV Inks Deal with Disney for Future HD Nets

DIRECTV and Disney have come to terms on a carriage agreement for four Disney high-def networks currently in development: ABC Family HD, Disney Channel HD, ESPNEWS HD and Toon Disney HD. The latter three are expected to go live sometime early next year while no timetable for ABC Family HD was given.

Occasionally I am asked by consumers whether they should go with DIRECTV or DISH for satellite service. When it comes to HD, I suppose that depends on how patient you are. DISH clearly is far ahead of DIRECTV in the number of high-def channels available today: DISH has 30-34, depending on whether HD local channels are available in your area, while DIRECTV has 9-14, with the same caveat. (15 of DISH's channels came from the now-defunct VOOM satellite system.)

However, DIRECTV has said it plans to offer 100 national HD channels by year's end. This has always seemed a little implausible to me, as there are nowhere near 100 non-local HD channels yet available and many of the ones that are in development (like Disney's) won't be ready until next year. Regardless, DIRECTV's plans will at some point come to fruition and the question is whether DISH will be in a position to match its rival.

So again, what it boils down to is how much patience you have. If you want the most HD channels you can get today, DISH is the clear choice (unless Verizon FiOS TV or AT&T U-verse is available in your area, in which case those merit your serious consideration). But a year from now, DIRECTV may beg to differ.

NETGEAR Wireless HD Streaming Video Receiver Now Available

NETGEAR said today that it has begun shipping the $399 Digital Entertainer HD media receiver, a device that enables consumers to wirelessly stream HD content from their PC or Mac to their HDTV. About the size of a DVD player, the Digital Entertainer HD was named a "Best of CES" product by CNET, Laptop Magazine, the Chicago Tribune and others. The media receiver utilizes an HDMI connection to your HDTV and gives users the ability to stream digital content from Windows and Mac computers, network storage devices, USB media devices, and from online video sites such as YouTube and Flickr.

This sounds like a cool device -- if I get my hands on one, I'll report back on how well it works.

CNET Gives Decent Review to VIZIO 60" Plasma

Upstart HDTV manufacturer VIZIO has gotten a lot of ink lately on this page and others for its ability to capture market share through an extremely aggressive pricing strategy. One of its more prominent deals is a 60-inch plasma for $2,999 -- a price point that no other manufacturer comes particularly close to matching. CNET recently reviewed this display and gave it a 6.6 out of 10, saying that while the image quality isn't fantastic, the "VM60PHDTV's excellent value proposition will outweigh its picture quality issues for most viewers."

Read the full review here.

Industry Insider: Discovery HD's Clint Stinchcomb

Our second Industry Insider guest blogger is Clint Stinchcomb, Executive Vice President and General Manager, HDTV and New Media, Discovery Communications. Clint has one of the sharpest minds in the business and can take credit for much of the innovative programming you see on Discovery HD Theater.

Consumer Confusion? Not for Long.
By Clint Stinchcomb, Discovery Communications

A recent article published by the Wall Street Journal looks at the challenges that manufacturers face today when it comes to consumer confusion about high-definition technology. Citing a survey by Leichtman Research Group, which found that only half of the 24 million households with HDTV-ready sets actually get HDTV, the article concluded that most consumers really don’t understand what HDTV is at all. In truth, this has been an issue. People willing to lay down the substantial investment for an HDTV set have by and large believed that the path to that pristine picture quality is just a plug and play step away. Of course, we know differently and the fact is additional equipment and services are needed to really achieve the HDTV reality.

But people are getting it. The Leichtman Research survey was conducted in 2006 and already there’s been a huge educational shift in what the general public knows about HDTV. This is largely due to some impressive educational efforts being made by the cable television industry, retailers like Best Buy, manufacturers like Panasonic and programmers like us at Discovery. Our TheHDguru.com site has helped viewers breakdown what they need to know before they buy and what they need to get up and running after they bring their new HDTV home.

There may still be a lot of confusion out there, but this is the case with just about any new technology: A new computer operating system, MP-3 player, smart phones, etc. … if the end result is worthwhile – and HD picture quality truly is – consumers will take the time to figure it out.

Consumer interest in HDTV is at an all-time high, HDTV set prices are at an all-time low and education efforts are helping new HDTV owners connect the dots – the confluence of all these factors will be the antidote to “consumer confusion” on a large scale. I hope my friend Bruce Leichtman and his team will conduct a study in another six months because I think we’ll find a different scenario.

Government Details Digital TV Transition Plan

The U.S. Commerce Department's National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) yesterday took the wraps off of its digital television converter subsidy program that is designed to aid consumers in advance of the March 2009 analog TV shutoff. Starting next January, the program will offer up to two $40 vouchers to households that rely on over-the-air broadcasts -- vouchers that can be used towards the purchase of digital-to-analog converter boxes. If the program spends more than $990 million, the subsidized vouchers will not be available to cable or satellite customers since those systems are expected to have built-in converting methods. An additional $510 million would be made available if the initial $990 million runs out and consumers applying for vouchers from these funds would have to self-certify that they are not cable or satellite customers.

Industry groups have estimated that there are currently about 20 million U.S. households that rely exclusively on over-the-air broadcasts for watching TV. There are an estimated 45 million televisions in these 20 million households, and since the federal subsidy program can only fund about 33 million digital-to-analog converter boxes, it has come under fire from some members of Congress for being inadequately prepared to handle the DTV transition.

Our First "Industry Insider" Guest Blogger: Chief Manufacturing's Laurie Englert

As part of 1080eyes' continuing effort to make sure you receive the best consumer information out there on HDTV and related products, we've enlisted the services of several "Industry Insider" guest bloggers who will contribute content from time to time. The first of these is Laurie Englert, who is the Director of Marketing for Chief Manufacturing where she is responsible for marketing Flat Panel and Projector Mounting Solutions for both commercial and consumer market segments. "We put the cool in mounts! "

Why the Mount Matters
By Laurie Englert, Chief Manufacturing

It wasn’t that long ago that simply mounting a 42” flat panel TV tight to the wall was a big deal. It saved space and actually became a key design component in the layout of a room.

If that wasn’t cool enough, consumers and businesses alike realized they could do more with the flat panel TV by adding a swing arm to the back so it could be viewed from multiple angles and even from different rooms.

So, very quickly, what the back of a flat panel looked like started to matter. No one wanted to see cords hanging down or large pieces of metal coming out the back of the TV. This made it essential to make the design and look of mounts much more pleasing to see. Smooth, rounded arms replaced very rough, hard-angled arms, integrated cord management and even simple changes like more open, clean back plates became essential.

In fact, not only do consumers want the swing arms for flexibility but they also still want the TV to hug up against the wall. That’s why Chief also came up with In-wall Boxes to hold the arms and electrical in the box so the flat panel TV could still be low profile when not in use.

Discovery's "Planet Earth" Makes HD Debut 3/16

The Discovery Channel's Planet Earth nature miniseries, which has been in development for five years, will debut on Discovery HD Theater next Friday March 16th. Narrated by Sigourney Weaver, the conservation-oriented miniseries contains 11 one-hour episodes on topics including forests, mountains, plains oceans, freshwater, deserts and arctic environments that will air each Sunday from March 25 through April 22.

More from Multichannel News.

VIZIO Was Fastest Growing Flat-Panel Brand in '06

VIZIO put out a release this morning boasting of its status as the fastest growing flat-panel TV brand in 2006, according to DisplaySearch data. From the announcement:

"VIZIO enjoyed 618% growth in 2006 flat panel TV shipments, higher than any other brand. During the same 2006 period, the industry experienced a 136% increase. During the fourth quarter 2006 period VIZIO placed #5 in retail $ value in the explosive LCD TV category and was also #5 in units for 32"+ flat panel TVs."

VIZIO's lead offer is a 42-inch plasma display for a regular price of $999.99. The company also offers a 50-inch plasma for $1,699.99 and a 60-incher for $2,999.99. Also available are a slew of LCD flat-panel displays in sizes ranging from 20 inches to 47 inches.

Industry Leaders Contemplate Flat-Panel Prices

HDTV insiders gathered early this week in La Jolla, Calif. at the DisplaySearch Flat Panel Display Conference to discuss the future of prices, brands and inventories. Among some of the conclusions drawn are that there are too many LCD brands, prices are falling too quickly, the discount warehouse retailers are gaining market share at the expense of traditional electronics stores, and lesser known manufacturers like Vizio are surprising everyone with their ability to sell a large quantity of low-cost LCD displays.

More from CNET and TWICE.

WealthTV Strikes HD On Demand Deal with TWC

WealthTV, a content programmer based in San Diego that offers a variety of lifestyle programming, announced that its HD On Demand service is now being carried on Time Warner Cable's San Antonio system, with more to follow. The carriage deal represents Wealth's first foray into high-def VOD with a major cable operator. According to the companies:

"The Free on Demand high definition product offering features shows highlighting exotic travel, the newest cars and the latest medical advancements and more, all in brilliantly clear high definition. Time Warner Cable launched the new free service with nineteen titles and will be offering more than 20 hours of unique and original programs from WealthTV within the next 30 days. "

This is a very interesting development because most cable HD VOD offerings currently are pay-per-view movies and events, with little in the way of free high-def content on demand available from most of the nation's cable companies. It isn't easy for indepedent programmers -- those not owned or operated by the cable companies -- to gain carriage agreements (witness the fact that HDNet is still not available on Comcast, nor for that matter is Wealth), so this is smart first step for WealthTV to get its foot in the door of a major cable operator.

Charles Herring, WealthTV's president, has agreed to become one of our first "industry insider" bloggers as we here at 1080eyes strive to offer you a more varied perspective on what's happening in HDTV land. Perhaps he can provide us with some more color on future HD On Demand launches...

Newest Entrant in LCD Market: Honeywell

That's right, the company that probably made the thermostat in your home wants its brand on the next LCD flat-panel you buy. Honeywell won't actually manufacture the LCDs but rather will stick its brand on displays made by Soyo, a relatively unknown LCD manufacturer in Ontario, Calif. In return for Honeywell's brand prestige Soyo will pay the industrial giant a few million in royalties.

I don't know much about Soyo but Honeywell is apparently convinced that the smaller company's LCD displays are worthy of the Honeywell name. Time will tell whether or not that brand name will translate from the world of aircraft engines and thermostats to the television in your living room. Can LCDs from GE be far behind?

More from Forbes.

Movie Studio MGM Planning HD Network

MGM, the venerable Hollywood movie studio that boasts more than 4,000 films and hundreds of hours of television programming, is planning to launch a high-def channel by the end of this year. About one-quarter of the studio's movies are currently available in HD format. While no carriage agreements have been announced, industry speculation is that MGM HD would be most likely to show up initially on DIRECTV as part of its 100 high-def channels launched by year's end.

More from TVweek.

DIRECTV Uses HD to Win Support for MLB Deal

Many of you are likely aware that DIRECTV has an exclusive arrangement with the National Football League to broadcast out-of-market games through a package called NFL Sunday Ticket. This package generates billions of dollars for The League as well as innumerable subscribers for the satellite TV provider, since that's the only place hard-core football fans can go if they want the ability to watch every single game each Sunday. The cable industry and DISH Network understandably hate that deal, but it works out nicely for both the NFL and DIRECTV.

Now DIRECTV has its sights set on Major League Baseball. The satcaster is negotiating an exclusive deal with MLB that would generate about $700 million for baseball over seven years. In exchange, DIRECTV would own the exclusive rights to TV broadcasts of out-of-market games, effectively pulling that package from its current licensee In Demand and the cable companies that sell the season-long subscriptions. According to a variety of industry sources, the deal is all but signed, with DIRECTV also agreeing to guarantee carriage of MLB's new TV network that will hit the airwaves in 2009.

One argument that DIRECTV is making for why this deal is actually pro-consumer is that it will begin showing MLB games in high-def, like it does with most NFL Sunday Ticket games. For whatever reason, In Demand does not currently air any MLB games in HD. DIRECTV's primary case for being allowed an exclusive agreement for these games is that it will better utilize technology such as HD to enhance the fan experience.

To my knowledge this is not a deal that requires any kind of government regulatory approval. However, the issue has received a decent amount of media attention due to its opposition by one Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.). As an adamant Red Sox fan, the former presidential candidate and junior senator from the Bay State is apparently concerned that Red Sox fans around the country would be forced to dump their cable company for DIRECTV if they wanted to continue to watch their team's games. DIRECTV and MLB contend that the games will continue to be available online through MLB.TV, the league's live-game streaming video site.

It will be interesting to see whether Sen. Kerry can parlay his outrage with this deal into congressional hearings over the issue. Without any regulatory approval being necessary, I suppose the main argument against the deal may have something to do with anti-trust matters. However, the NFL Sunday Ticket has been exclusive to DIRECTV for years and seems to work well for everyone involved. My guess is that there will continue to be grumbling about the latest DIRECTV attempt to lock in a significant sports contract but it will ultimately sail through without too many problems.

Cox Cable, LIN TV Sign HDTV Carriage Agreement

Cox Communications and LIN TV announced today that they have reached a deal for Cox to carry LIN's local HD and digital broadcast channels on its cable systems in LIN markets. According to the companies:

"The deal enables hundreds of thousands of viewers to watch LIN TV's award-winning news, sports and entertainment programs in high-definition from the affiliate stations of WALA-TV (FOX) and WBPG-TV (CW) in the Mobile, Alabama - Pensacola, Florida DMA; WAVY-TV (NBC) and WVBT-TV (FOX) in the Norfolk, Virginia DMA; WNAC-TV (FOX) and WPRI-TV (CBS) in the Providence, Rhode Island DMA; WWLP-TV (NBC) in the Springfield, Massachusetts DMA, and WTNH-TV (ABC) and WCTX-TV (MyNetworkTV) in the Hartford - New Haven, Connecticut DMA."

These carriage negotiations between broadcasters and cable companies have gotten a bit rough lately (witness the annual spat between Comcast and Sinclair), so it's good to see some of these guys actually working out terms for the benefit of viewers in these markets.