Tonight's HD Picks

Here are my top picks for what's on in HD this evening.

1. NBA Basketball: Cleveland @ Detroit - TNT HD 8:15/5:15
2. The 2007 Scripps National Spelling Bee - ABC HD 8:00
3. Planet Earth: Desert - Discovery HD 8:00
4. NASCAR Coca Cola 600 - HDNet 8:00/5:00
5. Clear & Present Danger - HDNet Movies 8:05/5:05
7. Music in High Places: Goo Goo Dolls - MHD 9:00/6:00

More on Plasma vs. LCD

It's a slow news day but I did pick up an interesting tidbit from DisplaySearch by way of the Consumer Electronics Association:

"Plasma TVs are expected to grow 83% to 16.9 million units in 2009, while LCD TV sales are expected to nearly triple to 112 million in that year."
That's a pretty interesting statistic when you think about it. Most industries would be pretty happy with an 83% growth rate over the next couple of years, but when your primary competitor is tripling its own growth rate in the same period of time -- and outselling you by nearly 100 million units -- it's enough to cause a plasma company executive many a sleepless night.

Tonight's HD Picks

Here are my top picks for what's on in HD tonight:

1. NBA Basketball: Utah @ San Antonio - ESPN HD 9:00/6:00
2. MLB Baseball: Indians @ Red Sox - ESPN2 HD 7:00/4:00
3. Extreme Engineering: Space Tower - Discovery HD 8:00/5:00
4. Supervolcano - Discovery HD 9:00/6:00
5. Cathedrals of the Game: Petco Park - MOJO HD 8:30/5:30
6. The Show - MOJO HD 10:00/7:00
7. MTV Live: The Foo Fighters - MHD 5:00/2:00

VIZIO Intros LCD TVs in Wal-Mart

I read a statistic the other day that something like 90% of Americans have shopped at a Wal-Mart, which is something of an amazing fact (if true). VIZIO must have read the same thing because this morning the upstart flat-panel TV manufacturer announced the launch of its line of LCD TVs in Wal-Mart stores. The arrangement is a win-win for both companies as VIZIO gets distribution in the world's largest retailer while Wal-Mart can now offer one of the fastest-growing brands in the business.

I referred to VIZIO as an upstart -- which they are when compared to consumer electronics pioneers like Sony, Panasonic and, well, Pioneer -- but the company's flat-panel market share numbers are impressive. According to DisplaySearch data, VIZIO is the industry leader in the 37", 42", 47" and 60"+ flat panel market segments. This from a company most people had never heard of just a year or two ago.

Now that's an amazing statistic.

Tonight's HD Picks

Here are my top picks for what's on in HD tonight:

1. House (season finale) - FOX HD 9:00
2. NBA Basketball: Detroit @ Cleveland - TNT HD 8:15/5:15
3. MLB Baseball: Giants @ Mets - ESPN HD 7:00/4:00
4. 2007 French Open - ESPN2 HD noon/9:00am
5. Anatomy of an FA-18 - Discovery HD 6:00/3:00
6. Cathedrals of the Game: Wrigley Field - MOJO HD 5:00/2:00
7. Is It Real? Life on Mars - National Geographic HD 8:00

SED: RIP?

Toshiba and Canon, which have been working on a new flat-panel technology called surface-conduction electron-emitter display for what seems like forever, said last Friday that the first SED TVs will not ship by the end of this year as previously planned. The development and production of SED TVs on a large scale has been the hang-up, and with prices of LCD and plasma TVs falling by as much as 40% last year, the SED production process needs to be made more efficient if Canon hopes to be price-competitive with the flat-panel displays currently in the market.

No word yet on when the SED TVs might be available, or if they ever will. More from TWICE.

This Weekend's HD Picks

There's a lot going on this holiday weekend in the world of HD programming, so here are my top picks:

FRIDAY
1. 1000 Places to See Before You Die: Cambodia - Discovery HD 8:00
2. The Matrix Revolutions - HBO HD 7:45
3. Star Wars: Episode III - Cinemax HD 8:00
4. Star Wars: Episode IV - Cinemax HD 10:00
5. VH1 Storytellers: Dave Matthews Band - MHD 10:00

SATURDAY
1. Baseball: Phillies @ Braves - FOX HD 3:55/12:55
OR
1. Baseball: Cubs @ Dodgers - FOX HD 3:55/12:55
2. NBA Basketball: San Antonio @ Utah - ABC HD 8:30/5:30
3. Discoveries...Spain - HDNet 9:00am
4. NASCAR Busch Series at Charlotte - ESPN2 HD 8:00
5. Mission: Impossible III - Showtime HD 9:00
6. The 40-Year Old Virgin - HBO HD 10:30

SUNDAY
1. Indianapolis 500 - ABC HD noon/9:00am
2. NBA Basketball: Detroit @ Cleveland - TNT HD 8:30/5:30
3. MLB Baseball: Cleveland @ Detroit - ESPN HD 8:00/5:00
4. NASCAR Nextel Cup Coca-Cola 600 - FOX HD 5:00/2:00
5. The Shawshank Redemption - Cinemax HD 10:00

MONDAY
1. NBA Basketball: San Antonio @ Utah - ESPN HD 9:00/6:00
2. Cathedrals of the Game: San Diego's Petco Park - MOJO 5:00

C-SPAN Gets in on HDTV Action

If you've ever watched a session of Congress on C-SPAN, you probably came to the same conclusion I did: this would be really riveting stuff if only it were in high-def. Well, the good folks at C-SPAN have felt your pain, although you won't be seeing Teddy Kennedy or John McCain in HD anytime soon (for that we should all give thanks).

C-SPAN's 107-minute documentary The Capitol will be available to cable companies nationwide to offer on their free HD On Demand platforms. The ten-hour series features the architecture, art and history of our national legislature's home, and was C-SPAN's first programming ever shot using HD cameras when it debuted last summer.

More from Multichannel News.

Tonight's HD Picks

Here are my top picks for what's on in HD this evening.

1. NBA Basketball: Cleveland @ Detroit - TNT HD 8:15/5:15
2. VH1 Rock Honors: 2007 - MHD 9:00
2. The Green Land - Discovery HD 9:00
3. Planet Earth: Caves - Discovery HD 8:00
4. NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Racing - HDNet 9:00/6:00
5. Cobb - HDNet Movies 6:05

ESPN HD Now Free to Time Warner Customers

Time Warner Cable customers nationwide no longer will have to subscribe to a separate HD tier for $5-10 a month to get ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD under terms of the new contract between ESPN parent Disney and Time Warner. The HD tier Time Warner offers will now feature four channels: HDNet, HDNet Movies, MOJO HD and Universal HD. Multichannel News has the full story.

This is great news for consumers. I've never been a fan of the HD tier because in my opinion it adds one more layer of confusion to the HD buying process. Many customers don't realize they need a special HD set-top box from their cable or satellite provider to watch actual HD programming on their new HDTVs, and even fewer know that they need to subscribe to a separate tier of service to get all of the HD channels their cable company offers. My personal wish would be for HD tiers to be eliminated altogether -- and if Comcast can live without them, so can the rest of the cable industry.

However, if I'm running HDNet, MOJO or Universal, I'm not very happy with the transfer of ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD to the basic HD package. I haven't seen any specific research addressing this issue, but my guess is that a large percentage of people who subscribe to the $5-10 HD tier from Time Warner do so because that's the only way to get ESPN HD. With that element removed from the equation, I'm betting that many consumers will no longer subscribe to the HD tier since HDNet, MOJO and Universal are unfamiliar brands to consumers just becoming acquainted with high-def.

Hopefully this move by Time Warner will be the first step towards eliminating the HD tiers entirely.

Versus/Golf HD Teeing Off On Cablevision

New York City-area cable provider Cablevision said today that it is adding Versus/Golf to its high-def lineup. Coming in time for the NHL's Stanley Cup Finals between the Ottawa Senators and the Anaheim Ducks, the addition of Versus/Golf HD also means that Cablevision customers will be able to catch a number of PGA Tour golf tournaments in high-def as well.

Samsung Still the Top HDTV Brand Worldwide

DisplaySearch released the results of its Quarterly Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report showing that Samsung remains the world's biggest HDTV maker in terms of both revenue and units shipped. There's a slew of great data in here so I'd advise checking out the link above to read more, but here are some of the HD highlights:

"By brand, Samsung was #1 on a unit basis for the third consecutive quarter with a 12% share on 37% Y/Y growth, as shown in Table 1, and was also the #1 brand on a revenue basis for the fifth consecutive quarter with a 16% share on 34% growth, as shown in Table 2. By technology on a revenue basis, it was #1 in LCDs, #2 in MD RPTVs and PDPs and #3 in CRTs. Samsung also remained #1 in HD (720p/1080i) units and revenues. By region, Samsung was

#1 in Eastern and Western Europe and in North America in both units and revenues
#1 on a revenue basis and #2 on a unit basis in Asia Pacific
#2 in Middle East/Africa in both units and revenues
#3 in Latin America in both units and revenues.

LGE was the #2 brand on a unit basis for the third consecutive quarter and rose from #4 to #3 on a revenue basis. By technology, LGE was #1 in CRTs in units and revenues, was #2 in PDPs on a unit basis and #3 in revenues, and was #5 in units and revenues in LCD TVs. By region, LGE was

#1 in units and revenues in Latin America and Middle East/Africa
#1 on a unit basis and #2 on a revenue basis in Asia Pacific
#2 in both units and revenues in Eastern Europe
#4 in units and revenues in Western Europe

Sony remained #1 in 1080p TV units and revenues. It was also #1 in MD RPTV units and revenues and was #2 in LCD TV units and revenues, slightly behind Samsung on a revenue basis. By region on a revenue basis, Sony was in the top five in every region excluding China:

#2 in Japan and North America
#3 in Western Europe, Asia Pacific and Middle East/Africa
#4 in Latin America
#5 in Eastern Europe"

Panasonic & Hitachi in Plasma Deal

Leading plasma display manufacturers Matsushita (parent company of Panasonic) and Hitachi said today that they have formed a venture that will enable them to supply each other with very large plasma panels. Under terms of the alliance, Matsushita/Panasonic will supply Hitachi with 103-inch panels while Hitachi will sell its 85-inch panels to Matsushita/Panasonic.

An interesting trend towards cooperation has developed recently among HDTV manufacturers you would ordinarily think of as competitors. LG and Samsung announced a similar initiative last week, while LCD makers Sony and Samsung have been in cohoots for some time now. LG and Philips also collaborated to form LG.Philips LCD Co.

With flat-panel TV prices falling as much as they have over the last few years, it's really no wonder that companies like these feel forced to get in bed together. Call it a marriage of convenience, or perhaps survival...

Tonight's HD Picks

Here are my top picks for what's on in HD tonight:

1. Lost (season finale) - ABC 9:00
2. MLB Baseball: Red Sox @ Yankees - ESPN HD 7:00/4:00
3. Extreme Engineering: Big Easy Rebuild - Discovery HD Theater 8:00
4. Cathedrals of the Game: Camden Yards - MOJO HD 8:00
5. Cathedrals of the Game: SBC Park - MOJO HD 8:30

DIRECTV Inks Deal for 11 More HD Channels

DIRECTV said today that it has agreements in place with 11 additional HD networks to launch this September after its new satellite is in place. The new channels are:

Animal Planet
CNBC
Chiller
Discovery Channel
TLC
The Science Channel
Starz East
Starz West
Starz Edge
Starz Comedy
Starz Kids & Family

This is great news for HD owners everywhere because either you're with DIRECTV and you'll get a slew of new channels in high-def, or you're with one of their competitors who will feel the need to add to their own HD channel lineups to stay competitive. Either way, we all win.

Two questions, however that I'll try to get answered: 1] What exactly is "Chiller in HD" and 2] What does the impending launch of the Discovery Channel HD simulcast and the other three Discovery networks (Animal Planet, Science Channel, TLC) mean for Discovery HD Theater?

Comcast Launching A&E HD, Food HD, HGTV HD

Comcast has added A&E HD, Food Network HD and HGTV HD in its Boston cable system and is in the process of launching those high-def nets in other markets such as San Francisco.

Tonight's HD Picks

Here are my top picks for what's on in HD tonight:

1. NBA Basketball: Utah @ San Antonio - ESPN HD 9:00/6:00
2. NHL Hockey: Detroit @ Anaheim - Versus HD 9:00/6:00
3. HDNet World Report - HDNet 9:00/6:00
4. American Idol (season finale part 1) - FOX HD 8:00
5. Wild Spaces: Secret Yosemite - National Geographic HD 10:00

Comcast to Launch Portland Sports Net

Comcast announced yesterday that it has partnered with pro basketball's Portland Trailblazers to launch Comcast SportsNet Northwest this fall. The new regional sports net will carry 28 of the Blazers home games in HD (out of 36 total).

Comcast SportsNet operates eight sports networks that televise more than 1,600 live sporting events annually and deliver local and national sports news, analysis and commentary to more than 27 million cable and satellite homes. Comcast SportsNet's networks are: Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, Comcast SportsNet West, SportsNet New York, The Mtn. - MountainWest Sports Network, CSS, and Comcast Local Detroit. These networks provide live game coverage of the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals, and Chicago Blackhawks; the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers, Washington Wizards, Chicago Bulls, and Sacramento Kings; and MLB's Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, and New York Mets; as well as a comprehensive mix of college and minor league sports events.

Additionally, last month Comcast announced that it will acquire Cablevision's stakes in FSN New England and FSN Bay Area. Following the completion of those transactions, which are anticipated to close later this year pending regulatory approval, Comcast SportsNet will manage those two networks, home to the NBA's Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors, MLB's San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics, the NHL's San Jose Sharks, and other sports programming.

Sharp Opening AQUOS Lounges in Shopping Malls

Sharp said today that it has signed a deal with the Taubman Centers developer of shopping malls to create "AQUOS Entertainment Lounges" in ten shopping centers around the country. Each lounge will have one to three 42" to 65" 1080p LCD flat-panel displays playing various types of HD programming.

The malls are the Beverly Center, Los Angeles; Cherry Creek, Denver; Dolphin Mall, Miami; Fair Oaks Mall, Fairfax, Va.; International Plaza, Tampa, Fla.; Northlake Mall, Charlotte, N.C.; The Mall at Short Hills, Short Hills, N.J.; Twelve Oaks Mall, Novi, Mich.; Woodfield Shopping Center, Schaumburg, Ill.; and The Shops at Willow Bend, Plano, Texas.

Tonight's HD Picks

Here are my top picks for what's on in HD tonight:

1. Baseball: Red Sox @ Yankees - ESPN HD 7:00/4:00
2. NBA Basketball: Cleveland @ Detroit - TNT HD 8:15/5:15
3. 24 (two-hour season finale) - FOX HD 8:00
4. Heroes (season finale) - NBC HD 9:00
5. The Science of Star Wars - Discovery HD 6:00

Smokin' Hot LCD Flat-Panel Deal

Normally I don't shrill for a particular manufacturer or service provider's product, but occasionally I will alert you all to a particularly good deal. One found its way into my inbox this morning, courtesy of Buy.com - it's a 32" VIZIO VX32L widescreen LCD HDTV (refurbished) for the ridiculously low price of $439.99. Yes, it's a refurb, but for just north of $400, this would be a great TV for a secondary room like a home-office, a kids playroom or a master bedroom.

Check it out for yourself here.

Round 3 in DIRECTV vs. Cable HDTV War

First, Time Warner Cable sued DIRECTV over its television ads promoting the satellite provider's alleged HD superiority over cable HD. Then Comcast came out with a third-party study showing that consumers in some unspecified area preferred Comcast's high-def picture quality to that of both DIRECTV and DISH. Now DIRECTV is suing Comcast over the results of that study, alleging "false advertising and deceptive trade practices."

Ugh. Would it be too much to ask that all these companies just launch as many high-quality HD channels as quickly as possible and forget about the litigation? Yeah, I suppose it would...

This Weekend's HD Picks

There's a lot going on this weekend in the world of HD programming, so here are my top picks:

FRIDAY
1. NBA Basketball: Cleveland @ New Jersey - ESPN HD 7:00/4:00
2. Baseball: Roger Clemens Makes First Start - ESPN2 HD 7:00/4:00
3. 1000 Places to See Before You Die: Nepal - Discovery HD 8:00
4. NBA Basketball: Phoenix @ San Antonio - ESPN HD 9:30/6:30
5. Clear & Present Danger - HDNet Movies 6:05
6. NASCAR Minnesota 150 - HDNet 11:00

SATURDAY
1. Baseball: Yankees @ Mets - FOX HD 3:55/12:55
OR
1. Baseball: White Sox @ Cubs - FOX HD 3:55/12:55
2. 1000 Places to See Before You Die: S. Africa - Discovery HD 8:00
3. Planet Earth: Mountains - Discovery HD 5:00
4. Married to the Mob - HDNet Movies 8:15/5:15 & 11:45/8:45
5. The Preakness - ESPN HD 2:00/11:00

SUNDAY
1. Indy 500 Bump Day - ABC HD 10:00am
2. NBA Basketball: Utah @ San Antonio - ABC HD 3:30/12:30
3. The Simpsons (season finale & 400th episode) - FOX HD 8:00
4. Sunday Night Baseball: Mets @ Yankees - ESPN HD 8:00/5:00
5. The Sopranos - HBO HD 9:00
6. Desperate Housewives (season finale) - ABC HD 9:00
7. Entourage - HBO HD 10:00
8. The Tudors - Showtime HD 10:00

Tonight's HD Picks

There's a whole crop of season finales on tonight (which will make my job a lot tougher come next week), so below are my top picks for what's on in HD this evening.

By the way, for those of you reading this who may have just purchased your HDTV, remember that to get the HD channels listed below you'll need a cable or satellite HD box, or an over-the-air antenna with digital tuner. And keep in mind that the channel numbers will be different, so if your local NBC affiliate is channel 4, on cable HD it might be 204, 704 or 904. Drop me a line if you have any questions and I'll help you sort it out.

1. The Office - NBC HD 8:00 (season finale)
2. NBA Basketball: Detroit @ Chicago - ESPN HD 8:00/5:00
3. Grey's Anatomy - ABC HD 9:00 (season finale)
4. Scrubs - NBC HD 9:00 (season finale)
5. Planet Earth: Fresh Water - Discovery HD 8:00
6. NHL Hockey: Detroit @ Anaheim - MOJO/Versus HD 9:00/6:00

HP Wades Into 1080p LCD TV Waters

HP, which initially unveiled its 1080p LCD TVs at this year's CES, today announced their retail availability. From TWICE:

"The 720p lineup will include the 32W-inch LC3272N ($899 suggested retail) and 37W-inch LC3772N ($1,199) LCD TV models, and the 42W- LC4272N ($1,399) and 50-inch ($2,099) plasma models.

"Step-up 1,080p LCD TV models include the 42W- LC4276N ($1,899) and 47W-inch LC4776N ($2,499). Both will include 1,200:1 contrast ratios and 6 ms response times."

LG.Philips Expects Falling LCD Prices to Stabilize

Anticipating strong consumer demand and a reduced supply of inventory, LG.Philips LCD executives said yesterday at an industry panel that they believe LCD panel prices will decline about 15% in 2007, half of the 30% decline experienced last year. LG.Philips is the second-largest manufacturer of large LCD flat-panels, behind Samsung.

LCD flat-panel TVs are largely winning the battle with rival plasma displays in the sub-50 inch category, while plasma still holds a large lead in 50-inches and bigger.

Tonight's HD Picks

Here are my top picks for what's on in HD tonight:

1. Lost - ABC 10:00
2. Wednesday Night Baseball: Detroit @ Boston - ESPN HD 7:30/4:30
3. NBA Basketball: New Jersey @ Cleveland - TNT HD 8:00/5:00
4. NBA Basketball: San Antonio @ Phoenix - TNT HD 10:30/7:30
5. Extreme Engineering: Biggest Warship - Discovery HD Theater 8:00
6. Cathedrals of the Game: Busch Stadium - MOJO HD 8:00
7. Cathedrals of the Game: Dodger Stadium - MOJO HD 8:30

Major Launch: ABC Planning Online HD Channel

The major broadcast networks have been tripping over themselves to offer their primetime programming online over the last year or two, but the experience of actually watching a TV show in a small window on your small PC screen has been underwhelming, particularly for HDTV owners used to something a little more, well, watchable. ABC feels our pain and said today that it will launch an online streaming HD channel this July with content from its most popular shows like Lost, Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives. When the fall season starts in September, even more shows will be available online in 1280x720 HD.

Kudos to ABC for jumping ahead of its rival networks in embracing HD online. With a properly equipped router that can stream from your PC to your TV, you might even be able to time-shift your TV viewing on your big screen without the use of a DVR, which would be very cool. (I've got one now that I'm getting ready to review.)

Any wagers on how quickly CBS, NBC and FOX will follow suit?

The 4 C's Meet HDTV

With plasma and LCD TV prices falling precipitously over the last couple of years, the hyper-competitive market has forced manufacturers to come up with new ways to stem the tide of increased sales that actually result in lower profits. To that end, you can now buy a solid 24-karat gold 71-inch plasma TV from LG Electronics for a cool $80,000. (The standard version of that model carries a pricetag of $15,000.)

If you're thinking that a solid gold plasma just isn't quite as ostentatious as your style demands, an Italian company called Keymat Industrie may have your number. How does a diamond-encrusted 40-inch flat-panel sound to you? If you've got 130 grand, you too can mount this beauty above your fireplace.

More from Forbes.

Sony LCD Growth Can't Offset PlayStation Losses

I won't get into too much detail here because frankly, I'm not sure how many of you care about company earnings results. Sony said today that although its sales were up nearly 13% in the fourth quarter thanks in large measure to Bravia LCD TVs, the company reported an overall loss of more than half a billion dollars due in part to price competition for PS2 and PS3 gaming systems.

If you want to read more, check out TWICE.

Tonight's HD Picks

Here are my top picks for what's on in HD tonight:

1. NBA Basketball: Chicago @ Detroit - TNT HD 8:00/5:00
2. House - FOX HD 9:00
3. NBA Basketball: Golden State @ Utah - TNT HD 10:30/7:30
4. Tank Overhaul: The Sherman - Discovery HD 8:00
5. American Idol - FOX HD 8:00

Four New HD Networks on Tap at Discovery

Discovery Networks, parent company of a number of cable channels, is planning to launch TLC, Animal Planet, The Science Channel and The Discovery Channel in HD this fall, according to a report in TV Week. As most of you know, Discovery HD Theater has been around for several years and is essentially a compilation of top-rated programming from Discovery's various networks, inlcuding the four aforementioned, the Travel Channel and a few others.

Discovery is also planning two more HD networks for the first quarter of 2008, although no word yet on which two those will be. (I'd wager good money that one of them is the Travel Channel.) It is also unclear what will happen to Discovery HD Theater once many of the networks from which it gets its programming go high-def themselves.

Tonight's HD Picks

Here are my top picks for what's on in HD tonight:

1. Baseball: Chicago Cubs vs. NY Mets - ESPN HD 7:00/4:00
2. NBA Basketball: Cleveland vs. New Jersey - TNT HD 7:00/4:00
3. 24 - FOX HD 9:00
4. Heroes - NBC HD 9:00
5. NBA Basketball: Phoenix vs. San Antonio - TNT HD 9:30/6:30

Mitsubishi Debuts New LCD & DLP Models

Mitsubishi unveiled a slew of new LCD flat panel and DLP HDTVs, all 1080p. From the release:

New LCD Flat Panel Models at a Glance
The 133 Series 1080p LCD flat panel HDTVs include the 40-inch LT-40133 (Suggested Value Price $2699), 46-inch LT-46133 (Suggested Value Price $3399) and 52-inch LT-52133 (Suggested Value Price $4499) and offers a high contrast picture with x.v.Color(TM), PerfectColor(TM), Easy Connect(TM), and three rear HDMI(TM) 1.3 Inputs. The 40-inch 134 Series LT-40134 (Suggested Value Price $2899) includes PerfectColor(TM) and PerfecTint(TM), and adds NetCommand(R) and a side HDMI(TM) 1.3 input. The 144 Series which includes the 46-inch LT-46144 (Suggested Value Price $3899) and 52-inch LT-52144 (Suggested Value Price $5099) offers PerfectColor(TM) and component side input and adds Smooth120Hz(TM) for true 120Hz 1080p LCD flat panel performance. Smooth120Hz(TM) enables the display of more fluid and smoother fast-moving images, free from motion blur. The Diamond LT-46244 (Suggested Value Price $4499) and Diamond LT-52244 (Suggested Value Price $5699) round out the new models and feature the full complement of 133 Series features plus Smooth120Hz(TM), PerfecTint(TM), a CableCARD(TM) slot, TV Guide Daily(R), NetCommand(R) and a side HDMI(TM) input.

New DLP Models at a Glance
Mitsubishi's 733 Series 1080p DLP(R) HDTVs come in the 57-inch WD-57733 (Suggested Value Price $2499), the 65-inch WD-65733 (Suggested Value Price $2999) and the 73-inch WD-73733 (Suggested Value Price $4699), and each offers the 6-Color Light Engine(TM); x.v.Color(TM), PerfectColor(TM); Easy Connect(TM); three rear HDMI(TM) 1.3 inputs; and a front HD component input.

The 734 Series comes in the same sizes: the 57-inch WD-57734 (Suggested Value Price $2799), the 65-inch WD-65734, and the 73-inch WD-73734 and includes all of the 733 features plus Dark Detailer(TM) for deep blacks and rich dark scene detail. The 734 models also boast PerfecTint(TM); DeepField(TM) Imager for dynamic contrast adjustment within an image; SharpEdge(TM) for stunning picture precision and crisp, sharp object edges; a front HDMI(TM) input; and NetCommand(R) for easy on-screen home theater control and set-up.
Three Diamond models, available in the 57-inch WD-57833 (Suggested Value Price $3399), the 65-inch WD-65833 (Suggested Value Price $3999) and the 73-inch WD-73833 (Suggested Value Price $5899), offer the ultimate HDTV experience. The 833 Series includes some key features above and beyond the 734 Series including Smooth120Hz(TM) for more fluid and smoother moving images free from motion blur; TV Guide On Screen(R) 9.0; Game FX - 3D game capability; IEEE1394; and an RS232C input.

This Weekend's HD Picks

There's a lot going on this weekend in the world of HD programming, so here are my top picks:

FRIDAY
1. 1000 Places to See Before You Die: Italy - Discovery HD 8:00
2. NBA Basketball: Utah @ Golden State - ESPN HD 9:00/6:00
3. Mission Impossible III - Showtime HD 9:45/6:45

SATURDAY
1. Indy 500 Pole Day - ABC HD noon
2. NBA Basketball: Cleveland @ New Jersey - ESPN HD 5:00/2:00
3. NBA Basketball: Phoenix @ San Antonio - ABC HD 5:15/2:15
4. Destination HD: Naples - Discovery HD 8:00
5. Boxing: De La Hoya vs. Mayweather (replay) - HBO HD 10:00

SUNDAY
1. NBA Basketball: Detroit @ Chicago - ABC HD 12:30pm/9:30am
2. Sunday Night Baseball: Detroit @ Minnesota - ESPN HD 8:00/5:00
3. The Sopranos - HBO HD 9:00
4. Desperate Housewives - ABC HD 9:00
5. Entourage - HBO HD 10:00
6. The Tudors - Showtime HD 10:00

Is Cable Embarrassed About Its HD Efforts?

Sometimes in life, what isn't said is more important than what is. Case in point: the big Cable Show earlier this week in Las Vegas. You would think that with all of the focus other industries are placing on HDTV, cable would want to highlight its efforts as well. To the contrary...not only were there absolutely zero breakout sessions devoted to cable HD, virtually none of the high-powered panelists in the general sessions even uttered the word HDTV. Contrast this lack of HD content with the countless sessions about topics such as OCAP, DOCSIS 3.0, interactive advertising and online video. Seemed a little odd to me, so I started asking people about it.

For those of you who haven't attended, the Cable Show is an opportunity for programming networks and equipment vendors to showcase their wares to cable company representatives who wander around the show looking for the coolest tchotchkes or celebrities to get their photos taken with. So as an example, the new Big Ten Network (owned by Fox Cable Networks) featured college basketball coaches Thad Matta of Ohio State, Tom Izzo of Michigan State and Bruce Weber of Illinois, along with former Wisconsin football coach Barry Alvarez, signing autographs to promote the upcoming launch of the Big Ten Network.

I asked a number of executives from HD programmers why there was such a lack of interest in high-def from the cable industry at the show. Off the record, several told me that the general perception right now among programmers is that the satellite companies and telcos are innovating while the cable providers are litigating, a reference to the Time Warner Cable lawsuit against DIRECTV's HD ads. Having panels at the Cable Show about HDTV would merely highlight cable's apparent insecurities about its current HD positioning against its competitors.

When you consider that in many U.S. markets the local cable company only offers 15-20 HD channels compared to 27-31 from the local telco and up to 40 from satellite, it's little wonder some HD programmers feel like they're getting the short shrift from cable. When DIRECTV begins offering 100 national HD channels later this year after the launch of its new satellite, the disparity will be exacerbated even further.

Now I tend to be technology-agnostic when it comes to HDTV. Every provider has its challenges, whether they come in the form of network bandwidth, signal compression or service deployment. From a consumer perspective, I'd be happy connecting two empty toilet paper rolls and a piece of dental floss to the back of my plasma TV if it could get me 50 HD channels. However, when cable refuses to talk about HDTV at its biggest event of the year, and programmers who deal with them express serious doubts about cable's willingness to innovate, it seems to me that speaks volumes about the state of the industry today.

Tonight's HD Picks

Here are my top picks for what's on in HD tonight:

1. The Office - NBC 8:42 (not a typo)

2. Grey's Anatomy - ABC 9:00

3. NBA Basketball: Detroit @ Chicago - ESPN HD 9:00/6:00

4. My Name Is Earl - NBC 8:00 (season finale)

5. Planet Earth: Mountains - Discovery HD 8:00

Flat-Panel Supply Chain Highlights Global Economy

USA Today has an interesting piece detailing how the construction of a flat-panel TV at what have become cut-rate costs requires an increasingly global supply chain. Most of you reading this blog realize that the vast majority of HDTVs are produced at least partially in Asia, but often the assembly is done somewhere else, like Mexico, before the TVs arrive in the U.S. for sale.

This story also features a brief history of flat-panel displays, including why there are very few American companies doing much of anything in this fast-growing space.

New Pioneer Plasmas Promise Better Black Levels

Pioneer today unveiled its new lineup of plasma displays that the company says will feature the best black levels of any TV you can buy. The eight new PDPs (four Pioneer, four Pioneer Elite) will begin appearing on store shelves in June. The 42" models will be priced at $2,700 and $3,200 (Elite) while the 50-inchers will go for $3,500 and $4,500 (Elite).

Pioneer's new 50" 1080p plasmas will debut in September at a suggested retail price of $5,000 and $6,000 (Elite). The 60-inch 1080p displays will cost $1,500 more.

History Channel HD to Debut on DIRECTV in Sept.

History buffs out there (like me) will appreciate the fact that The History Channel will launch in high-definition this September on DIRECTV. A&E HD will also be added to the DIRECTV HD lineup at that time. From the release:

"The History Channel HD™ will simulcast the entire The History Channel lineup of original, non-fiction series and specials. The HD experience will serve to create a stunning new dimension for the compelling content and powerful storytelling that only The History Channel can provide. THC HD will feature a diverse range of programming including hit series Lost Worlds, Dogfights, Digging for the Truth, Cities of the Underworld, and Mega Disasters, and the recently announced Ice Road Truckers, The Universe and Human Weapon as well as thought-provoking specials such as Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed, The Lost Book of Nostradamus, The Hunt for John Wilkes Booth and Stalking Jihad."

Back from The Cable Show

I've been out in Vegas at the big annual Cable Show the last couple of days -- hence the lack of blogging on this page. There were some interesting announcements made at the show, which I'll detail in a minute, and I also was able to convince a few additional HD execs to come on board as part of our "Industry Insider" series of guest bloggers.

If you have any questions about anything that went on at the show, use the comments feature to ask.

DISH Adds Cinemax HD, 2 Regional Sports Nets

DISH Network said today that it has added Cinemax HD to its national high-def channel lineup as well as Sun Sports HD and SportsSouth HD to its regional lineups in the southern U.S.

Movies playing on Cinemax HD this summer will include X-Men: The Last Stand, Superman Returns, Lady in the Water, Miami Vice and The Departed.

DISH added seven other regional sports networks (RSNs) to its high-def lineup last week.

This Weekend's HD Picks

There's a lot going on this weekend in the world of HD programming, so here are my top picks:

FRIDAY
1. NBA Basketball: Toronto @ New Jersey - ESPN HD 8:00/5:00
2. 1000 Places to See Before You Die: France - Discovery HD 8:00
3. Gold Fever (Documentary) - MOJO HD (f/k/a INHD) 8:00

SATURDAY
1. Boxing: De La Hoya vs. Mayweather - HBO PPV HD 9:00/6:00
2. NBA Basketball: Utah @ Houston - TNT HD 9:30/6:30
3. Destination HD: Croatia - Discovery HD 8:00

SUNDAY
1. The Sopranos - HBO HD 9:00
2. Entourage - HBO HD 10:00
3. The Tudors - Showtime HD 10:00
4. Sunday Night Baseball: Philly @ San Fran. - ESPN HD 8:00/5:00
5. Desperate Housewives - ABC HD 9:00

3D HDTV Could Come This Month

A couple months back I reported that the National Basketball Association experimented with 3D HDTV technology at the NBA All-Star Game festivities. Now word comes from Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic that if the Phoenix Suns make the Western Conference finals, the team is hoping to showcase at least one of the games (presumably a road game) in 3D HD on a 40' x 60' screen at the U.S. Airways Center.

Read Bickley's piece here for yourself to get the details.

Tonight's HD Picks

Here are my top picks for what's on in HD tonight:

1. The Office - NBC 8:36 (not a typo)
2. Grey's Anatomy - ABC 9:00 (2 hours)
3. NBA Basketball: Houston @ Utah - TNT HD 8:00/5:00
4. NBA Basketball: Dallas @ Golden St. - TNT HD 10:30/7:30
5. Planet Earth: From Pole to Pole - Discovery HD 8:00

The Planet Earth episode is a repeat now that the entire 11-part miniseries has run its course, but it was the best of the 11 in my humble opinion, and now that the series became the most-watched non-sports or news event in cable TV history, here's your chance to catch it the second time around.

It's Comcast vs. DIRECTV in HD Quality Dispute

You've undoubtedly seen the various DIRECTV HD ads that have been running for the past year or so featuring stars like Jessica Simpson, Charlie Sheen, William Shatner and soon, Pam Anderson reprising their past roles in "The Dukes of Hazzard," "Major League" etc. Time Warner Cable sued DIRECTV based on the satcaster's claim that it offered the best-quality HD picture, to which DIRECTV responded by inserting the word "soon" in its latest ads. A judge then ruled in DIRECTV's favor, saying that by claiming it will "soon" offer more and better HD channels, the satellite provider was in the clear.

Comcast has decided to up the ante, taking the fight from the courtroom to the, well, lab room. The cable giant enlisted the services of a TV research firm called Frank N. Magid Associates to compare the HD picture quality of a Comcast cable signal to DIRECTV and DISH Network on identical HDTVs. Consumers were then asked to say which picture they preferred. According to Magid, 66% of the 309 consumers preferred Comcast over DIRECTV; 70% preferred Comcast to DISH.

When asked for comment by TV Week, a DIRECTV spokesman questioned the methodology used in the study. According to Magid, the HD signals were rotated among the HDTVs to eliminate set bias, and consumers were also shown a variety of different high-def programming from different genres and channels.

The results of this study look a tiny bit self-serving to me. The biggest flaw I see in this study is that the research firm could only use the cable signal from one Comcast system at one location. We don't know whether or not the cable system in question is representative of a typical Comcast system or whether the one Magid used has been completely upgraded, thereby offering more bandwidth and better-quality HD pictures.

The issue with cable is that there are a number of factors that determine the quality of picture you'll get from your local cable company -- like whether it has invested a significant amount of money in upgrading its local system and whether it's is in the middle of a digital simulcast transition to reclaim analog bandwidth. Comcast, as the biggest cable provider of them all, has fairly wide variations among its local systems in what it is able to offer.

Don't get me wrong -- satellite has issues too, specifically with regards to bandwidth and signal compression. My recommendation is that you take all of these factors into consideration when making your cable vs. satellite buying decision.

I'd like to hear from readers as to why they chose cable or satellite HD service and whether they had one before switching to the other.

Discovery's "Planet Earth" Sets Ratings Records

Arguably the most spectacular production ever made for television, Discovery HD Theater's Planet Earth was also one of the most watched. Over 65 million people watched the 11-part miniseries, which became the highest-rated natural history program ever on cable TV. Excluding sports and news, Planet Earth was the most-viewed program in cable history.

If you watched any of the series, you like me are probably not surprised at this report. Every single HDTV owner should have been watching this series, and judging by the numbers, I'd say most of them were.

More from Multichannel News.

LG Spending $25M on 1080p Ad Campaign

LG Electronics said today that it will spend $25 million in the U.S. and even more globally to highlight its "Full HD" line of 1080p LCD flat-panel and plasma displays. The theme of the campaign is "Don't Just Watch It, Live It."

Tonight's HD Picks

Here are my top picks for what's on in HD tonight:

1. Lost - ABC 10:00 ET/PT
2. Wednesday Night Baseball: Philly vs. Atlanta - ESPN HD 7:30/4:30
3. NBA Basketball: Denver vs. San Antonio (Suns up 3-1) - TNT HD 8:00/5:00
4. NBA Basketball: L.A. Lakers vs. Phoenix (Spurs up 3-1) - TNT HD 10:30/7:30
5. Extreme Engineering: Mega Tunnel - Discovery HD Theater 8:00 ET/PT

Sopranos Star to Pitch Toshiba LCDs and HD DVD

Toshiba said today that it has developed a new marketing campaign to promote its LCD flat-panel REGZA line as well as its HD DVD players. The ads will feature "The Sopranos" star Michael Imperioli, who plays Tony Soprano's nephew Christopher Moltisanti (he's actually Tony's wife Carmella's cousin but Tony essentially adopted him as his nephew when Christopher's dad was killed).

The LCD TV print campaign will include publications such as Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, Entertainment Weekly, Wired and Men's Journal while the HD DVD ads will appear in print and online publications including TWICE, Sound & Vision, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, Wired and Men's Journal.

Tonight's HD Picks

Here are my top picks for what's on in HD tonight:

1. House - FOX 9:00 ET/PT
2. NBA Basketball: New Jersey vs. Toronto (Nets lead 3-1) - TNT HD 7:00/4:00
3. NBA Basketball: Golden State vs. Dallas (Warriors lead 3-1) - TNT HD 9:30/6:30
4. Bloody Sunday - HDNet Movies 10:35/7:35
5. American Idol - FOX 8:00 ET/PT

I stopped watching American Idol several weeks ago after it became clear that this season's group of contestants quite frankly just aren't as good or interesting as in years past. Nevertheless, someone's still watching it...

AT&T Brings 27 HD Channels to Los Angeles

AT&T confirmed recent industry speculation by announcing today that it has launched its U-verse IPTV service in parts of the Los Angeles area. Part of the attraction of U-verse is its 27 HD channels, which are now available in parts of Altadena, Anaheim, Burbank, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Glendale, Laguna Niguel, Orange County, Santa Ana, Santa Clarita, Simi Valley (Ventura County) and Tustin. In addition, parts of the city of Riverside, County of Riverside, Corona and Norco have U-verse available now as well.

For those of you who live in the L.A. area, you know too well the problems that dominant cable provider Time Warner has been experiencing with the integration of the former Adelphia and Comcast properties into its cable system. My guess is that with AT&T U-verse and Verizon FiOS TV now available throughout much of L.A., Time Warner Cable will be forced to implement some fairly major changes quickly if it hopes to stay ahead of its competition.

Here's the official announcement.

Starz to Launch 3 New HD Channels

Starz Entertainment announced today that the East Coast feeds of Starz Comedy, Starz Edge, and Starz Kids & Family will be available in high-def by the end of this summer. They will join the East and West feeds of the primary Starz HD channel, as well as Starz On Demand HD and Encore On Demand HD.

Some of the movies to be shown in HD include Cars, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.

This is good stuff. I'm always happy to report on new HD channel launches, although it will be interesting to see how easily Starz is able to secure carriage deals for its 3 new HD channels.

Tonight's HD Picks

Here are my top 5 picks for what's on in HD tonight:

1. 24 - FOX HD 9:00 ET/PT
2. Monday Night Baseball: St. Louis vs. Milwaukee - ESPN HD 7:00/4:00
3. Jesse James: Legend, Outlaw, Terrorist - Discovery HD 9:00 ET/PT
4. NBA Basketball: Utah vs. Houston (series tied 2-2) - TNT HD 8:00/5:00
5. NBA Basketball: San Antonio vs. Denver (Spurs lead 2-1) - TNT HD 10:30/7:30

Is Over-The-Air for You?

The AP ran a story over the weekend that got picked up by many news outlets around the country regarding the attractiveness of using an antenna to capture over-the-air (OTA) HD broadcast signals. The main arguments in favor of OTA compared to cable or satellite are that [1] it's free, and [2] the picture quality can be better than a compressed signal from your cable or satellite provider.

The biggest downside to OTA is that many of the channels you're used to watching aren't available with an antenna. For example, here's a partial list of some of the programs I watch during the week:

- The Sopranos (HBO)
- 24 (FOX)
- House (FOX)
- Entourage (HBO)
- The Office (NBC)
- The Tudors (Showtime)
- Lost (ABC)
- Friday Night Lights (NBC)
- various sporting events (broadcast, ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, Cox 4, etc.)

The first thing that comes to mind is that I watch too much TV. To which I would say "that's my job." Regardless, a quick glance at my normal viewing habits shows that at least half of what I watch in HD is non-broadcast, meaning that I need a cable or satellite high-def box to see it. I can live without a lot of things, but do not take away my Padres or Sopranos in high-def.

So the bottom line here is that when you're considering your HD programming options, I would highly recommend you take a look at your weekly TV schedule and figure out whether most of what you watch is on your local broadcast networks. If so, then OTA via antenna may make sense (depending on local geography). If you watch a decent amount of cable network programming, you'll need a cable or satellite HD receiver to get your high-def fix.

Weather Channel Updates HD Progress

The Weather Channel is spending $50 million to build a new studio for its high-def launch next year, an ambitious capital campaign that the network regards as crucial for its long-term success. Although the Weather Channel will launch on DIRECTV HD this fall, that channel will be an upconverted version of the standard-def offering rather than a true high-def network. The Weather Channel HD is expected to make its debut in mid-2008, at which time its standard-def channel will be a downconverted version of the HD channel.

How much of The Weather Channel do you watch now and how will it being in HD impact your viewing habits?

Sharp Sold 6 Million LCD TVs in '06

While plasma manufacturers seem to be struggling, rival LCD maker Sharp reported that it sold 6.03 million LCD TVs last fiscal year, 1.5 times the number it sold the prior year. You may be wondering how Sharp was able to increase the average selling price of its LCD TVs by 7% when flat-panel prices are falling across the board; the company says that its focus on larger-screen TVs helped offset declining prices. In fact, Sharp aims to increase the proportion of LCD TVs it sells that are over 30 inches from 55% of all TVs last year to 80% this year.

Sharp also said that nearly 81% of the TVs it sold in the second half of last year that were over 37 inches were 1080p, a figure it plans to bump up to over 90% this year.

Plasma Problems Prompt Planned Plant Postponement

I'm feeling alliterative today...

Just three months after it announced plans for a new $840 million plasma production plant in Japan, Hitachi said today that it is putting those expansion plans on hold for now due to a glut in supply and falling demand for PDPs. Instead, Hitachi now plans to increase capacity at its three existing PDP plants from 3.6 million panels a year to 4 million.

Curious About HDTV Power Consumption?

The folks at CNET were, so they put more than 50 models to the test. Not surprisingly, the larger TVs used more power than the smaller ones. The full results provide some interesting data regarding HDTV total cost of ownership.

Blu-ray Opens Big Sales Lead Over HD DVD

Maybe it's due to Sony's inclusion of a Blu-ray Disc player in the new PlayStation 3 or perhaps it's due to wider Hollywood studio acceptance, but Blu-ray Disc sales far surpassed those of rival HD DVD in the first quarter. In Q1, more than 1.2 million high-definition DVDs were sold, 70% of which were Blu-ray. Even in movies like "The Departed" that were released on both Blu-ray and HD DVD, Blu-ray still won out handily.

More details from the Hollywood Reporter.

HD Channel Updates for Comcast, DIRECTV, TWC

I haven't seen any official announcements, but some quick online research has shown me that Comcast has added A&E HD and National Geographic HD in a number of its systems around the country. It has also added ESPN2 HD in virtually all of its markets and is pressing forward with the launch of the dual-themed Versus/Golf HD, leveraging two Comcast-owned cable channels. Lastly on the Comcast front, the cable giant has added Universal HD and MHD to most of its cable HD lineups nationwide.

In related news, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks have launched or are launching ESPN2 HD in all their systems nationwide.

DIRECTV has launched a preview version of National Geographic HD that airs a limited amount of NGC content on channel 98. More here.

Verizon FiOS Adds 3 More HD Channels

Verizon announced today that it has added three new HD channels to its FiOS TV service: HGTV HD, Food Network HD and Lifetime Movie Network HD (LMN). It's the first launch on a major video provider for the latter channel, while the first two are both offered by DISH Network, AT&T U-verse and a few others.

Olevia Re-Ups Deal with ESPN

Syntax-Brillian, the parent company of the Olevia LCD brand, said today that it has extended its marketing and promotional agreement with ESPN to run through August 2008. Interestingly, "Syntax-Brillian has secured the rights to integrate the ESPN HD logo marks as well as exclusive ESPN HD content for co-branded, in-store advertising and promotional purposes through 2008."

For those of you who watch any of the ESPN properties even occasionally, you know that the Olevia ads are about as ubiquitous as those for athlete's foot remedies and male body sprays (Tag, I'm talking about you). Olevia, while producing a decent quality LCD display, finds itself in a similar position as Haier, a once obscure Chinese TV brand that used a sports connection in the form of an NBA sponsorship to distinguish itself from the dozens of competing LCD makers.

Poker Goes HD for the First Time

ESPN will air this summer's World Series of Poker in high-def for the first time, bucking reality TV's general shunning of HD technology due to its higher costs. You can read more at TV Week.

The best part about this news is that since ESPN2 reruns this poker tourney seemingly hundreds of times throughout the year, at least it'll finally be in HD. The players themselves may not look better in high-def, but I'm guessing that Phil Hellmuth's tantrums will be more entertaining.

LG Losing Money on Flat-Panel TVs

The flat-panel price war has taken its toll on one of the industry's biggest players, LG Electronics, which reported yesterday that although flat-panel sales were up in the first quarter, the company actually lost money on those sales.

LG's Digital Display group reported an increase in sales to $2.93 billion or 1.5% over last year. The problem is that those sales came at an operating loss of nearly $3 million.

Bottom line: the flat-panel TV price war is good for consumers but bad for the manufacturers. At some point you have to figure that there will be some inevitable consolidation in the industry to weed out the weaker players.

Panasonic's Anti-Glare Plasma Gets Good Reviews

If you've ever watched a plasma TV in a bright room, you know that glare from external light sources can be a big distraction to what you're watching. At certain particularly sunny times the display can morph into nothing short of a mirror, a substantial impediment to your viewing pleasure.

Panasonic has developed anti-glare techology for its newest generation of plasma displays, hitting store shelves as you read this. CNET for one gives it high marks, which you can read here. They conclude, and I concur, that Panasonic offers one of the best plasmas you can buy, and perhaps the best overall value.

Seattle's NBC Affiliate Embraces HD for News

Normally I don't post too much about local broadcast affiliates making the jump to HD for their newscasts. Sure it's newsworthy if you live in, say San Diego, and the local CBS station there is now broadcasting its 5:00 or 6:00 news in high-def. But the rest of the country probably doesn't care all that much.

In the case of Seattle NBC affiliate KING, though, I was struck by the sheer quantity of news programming that will now be shown in HD. Here's the list:

-- KING 5 Morning News (5:00AM-7:00AM)
-- KING 5 Morning News on KONG (7:00AM-9:00AM)
-- KING 5 News at Noon (12:00PM-1:00PM)
-- Replay: KING 5 News at Noon on Kong (1:00PM-2:00PM)
-- KING 5 News at 5 (5:00PM-6:00PM)
-- NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams (6:00PM-6:30PM)
-- KING 5 News at 6:30 (6:30PM-7:00PM)
-- Evening Magazine (7:00PM-7:30PM)
-- KING 5 News at 10 on KONG (10:00PM-10:30PM)
-- KING 5 News at 11 (11:00PM-11:30PM)
-- KING 5 Weekend Morning News-Sat. (6:00AM-10:00AM)
-- Gardening with Cisco (Saturday) (10:00AM-10:30AM)
-- KING 5 Weekend Morning News-Sun. (6:00AM-9:30AM)
-- Northwest Backroads (Sunday) (7:00PM-7:30PM)

Evening news is one thing, but weekend news? And the noon news? Kudos to the news producers at KING Seattle for their obvious love of HD technology.

Samsung to Intro Dual-Format Blu-ray HD DVD

Samsung Electronics said today that it will support Blu-ray as well as HD DVD and plans to launch a dual-format player in time for the Christmas holiday shopping season.
Samsung has been selling Blu-ray players since last year and despite Blu-ray's sales dominance in the initial months, Samsung apparently decided to hedge its bets and support both formats.

Perhaps the fact that rival LG Electronics intro'd its dual-format Blu-ray HD DVD player in January and began selling it last month had something to do with it...

Sony Planning to Sell OLED TVs This Year

Showing off its foray into the relatively new world of OLED (organic light emitting diode) displays at an industry tradeshow in Tokyo this week, Sony executives said they plan to introduce an OLED TV for sale sometime later this year. Reputed to be clearer and brighter than either LCD or plasma, it would appear at first glance to be problematic for Sony, among the world leaders in LCD displays. However, at least initially Sony plans to sell OLEDs at much higher prices than comparable LCDs, attempting to confer upon them a status symbol that places OLED above LCD and plasma on the flat-panel TV pecking order.

Plasma Prices Plunge, But Displays Sold Are Up

The plasma vs. LCD war is apparently taking its toll on plasma prices, with market research firm NPD Group reporting that industry plasma revenues dropped 16 percent this February compared to last year. This drop marked the first time plasma revenue fell year over year. The average price for a 50-inch PDP – the top moneymaker for PDP manufacturers in terms of total sales – was $2,040

However, the news wasn’t all bad for Panasonic, Pioneer, LG, Samsung et al. Measured in terms of actual units (PDPs) sold, the plasma market is doing well, with a 30 percent increase over last year.

By way of comparison, LCD TV revenues increased 58 percent over last year.

More from PC Magazine/Yahoo.

Panasonic's 1080p 42" Plasma -- Should You Care?

Matsushita, parent company of Panasonic, will intro the world's first 42-inch 1080p plasma display in Japan on April 27th. U.S. pricing will be around $2,500 when it hits our store shelves in June -- a steep $900 premium over the company's newest 1024 x 768 model that debuted last month. More from Reuters.

I really don't see a ton of significance with the 42" 1080p PDP -- for the same money you can get a pretty nice 50" 1366 x 768 plasma and I guarantee that you'll appreciate the extra 8 inches far more than the increased resolution. In fact, at CES this year I was in the Panasonic booth where they had 1080p images playing on both standard and 1080p plasmas. I could honestly only see a difference on 2 of the 10 or so images -- and the Panasonic guy I talked to told me he could really only see an improved picture on 3 of them.

So while 1080p has a lot of buzz these days and Matsushita undoubtedly felt pressured to produce a sub-50" 1080p plasma display to compete with LCD makers like Sony and Sharp, it's hard for me to advise people that 1080p is worth the price premium right now.

ESPN2 HD Now Available on Cable One

Cable One, a midsize cable provider with about three-quarters of a million customers in 19 states, has launched ESPN2 HD as part of its $5 a month HD tier. Other channels in the HD package are A&E HD, Discovery HD Theater, ESPN HD, Food Network HD, HGTV HD and National Geographic Channel HD.

AT&T Offering Free HD Service for a Year

As part of its bid to lure customers from cable, AT&T is offering free HD programming for one year to people who sign up for its U-verse IPTV service, AT&T DISH Network or AT&T DIRECTV. The offer applies to new customers who live in the AT&T 22-state service region and is worth up to $240.

AT&T U-verse offers 25-27 HD channels where it is available while AT&T DISH Network offers up to 34 channels (including local broadcast networks in some markets).

Using free HD programming to win customers from cable is a solid strategy by AT&T. Some cable companies charge extra for an HD box while others charge extra for an HD tier of channels. Freeing up customers from either of these charges while also offering more HD channels than cable in many markets makes both AT&T U-verse and AT&T DISH all the more compelling.

Four New Markets Get HD Locals from DIRECTV

DIRECTV said today that local HD broadcast channels are now available in four new markets: Albuquerque, Buffalo, New Orleans and Tulsa. DIRECTV now offers local HD broadcast channels in 57 cities, representing more than 69 percent of U.S. TV households.

College Hoops Title Game a Letdown in HD

I don't know whether to blame CBS or my local cable provider Time Warner, but last night's college basketball championship game between Florida and Ohio State was one of the worst HD broadcasts I've seen in a long time -- and not just because I'm a Buckeyes fan. The picture pixelated more times than I could count, with the audio still coming through okay but the video becoming snowy and then freezing up altogether for several seconds at a time.

Normally I'd chalk something like this up to bad timing for it to occur during a major event like this, but I read reports of similar complaints from viewers in other parts of the country following Saturday's two Final Four matchups -- also on CBS.

In addition, another point that leads me to believe this was a CBS rather than a Time Warner Cable problem was the fact that "Prison Break," which came on FOX during the second half of the basketball game, exhibited no such problems. One would think that CBS, which often claims to be the leader among the broadcast networks in HD content, would have this stuff figured out by now.

NESN HD Now On Verizon FiOS in Boston

Just in time for baseball season, Verizon announced that customers of its FiOS TV service in Boston will be able to watch the New England Sports Network (NESN) in high-def. There will be no additional charge for accessing NESN HD; viewers just need to have a FiOS TV HD receiver.

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.

CompUSA to Close Over Half Its Stores

As part of a broad restructuring CompUSA said today that it will close 126 of its 229 U.S. stores in the next 2-3 months, including all but 8 in California. All 4 stores in San Diego, where I live, will soon close, as they apparently were among the poor-perfomers. As part of the restructuring, CompUSA will receive a $440 million cash infusion, which may strike some as throwing good money after bad.

Some of you are probably wondering what this has to do with HDTV since CompUSA is mostly a computers/networking shop. And therein lies part of the problem. About three years ago the retailer made a move to enter the consumer electronics market, stocking its stores with plasma TVs and the like in an effort to better compete with Best Buy, Circuit City and Fry's.

That effort has been a dismal failure. I don't know anyone who's ever bought an HDTV at CompUSA; indeed with the name of the store, most people wouldn't even think to look there. The CE and PC retail market segments are so competitive that this company is going to have to seriously rethink its strategy if it has any hopes of keeping the remaining 103 stores open for any length of time.