Today's High-Def Headlines

HD Boom May Have Helped DirecTV, Hurt DISH - TV Week
Is the HD boom a blessing or a curse? That’s what some investors in satellite television services may be asking this month, after the two largest U.S. satellite TV delivery companies said the increase in high-definition programming may have had opposite effects on their bottom lines. “Other multichannel video providers may have more successfully marketed and promoted their HD programming packages and may also be better equipped to increase their HD offerings to respond to increasing consumer demand for this content,” DISH Network said in an SEC filing this week. DISH had about 50 HD channels at the end of last year, about half DirecTV’s number.

Cablevision Reports 40% HD Penetration - CED Magazine
While Comcast has recently seen its basic subscriber numbers slip, Cablevision added 1,155 basic subscribers in the fourth quarter, although total basic subscriber numbers were close to 2006 numbers. Cablevision added 43,000 digital video customers, which was a 7.4 increase year-over-year and a 1.7 percent increase sequentially. Cablevision COO Tom Rutledge said that Cablevision has a total of 2.6 million customers for its digital services, with one million, or almost 40 percent, of those subscribing to high-definition (HD) services.

Samsung Unveils World’s 1st 3D Plasma TV - Korea Times
Samsung Electronics has commercialized 3D PDP TVs, a world first, in partnership with Electronic Arts (EA), the world’s largest game contents provider. Samsung said the move reflects its ambitious strategy to take the lead in the 3D contents market as more and more consumers seek easy-to-use 3D home entertainment. The 50-inch ``PAVV Cannes 450’’ model is featured with the industry’s highest 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and can easily revive a deep black color thanks to the cutting-edge cell light control technology, according to the company.

Canon to Buy Quarter of Hitachi LCD Panel Unit - Reuters
Japanese camera and office equipment maker Canon said it will pay $403 million for a quarter stake in Hitachi's LCD panel business to get its own supply of parts for its cameras and copiers.
Canon and Matsushita Electric Industrial agreed in December to buy 24.9 percent each of the LCD panel maker, Hitachi Displays, now wholly owned by Hitachi. Wednesday's announcement of the price Canon will pay is the latest in a flurry of alliances in Japan's LCD panel and flat TV industry as companies seek ways to share hefty investment bills and hedge against the risk of oversupply.