AT&T Announces HD, Expanded U-verse Features
By Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News, 11/28/2006 1:23:00 PM
AT&T Tuesday officially announced the availability of HD programming to San Antonio subscribers to its U-verse TV service and detailed other new features including the ability to schedule digital-video-recorder programs via the Web.
The company said it is offering “more than 25 HD channels” in the market, including HD broadcasts of local NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox affiliates, as well as several HD cable networks, including ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD, NFL Network HD, HBO HD, Cinemax HD, Showtime HD, The Movie Channel HD, Starz HD, Discovery HD Theater, TNT HD, Universal HD, HDNet, HDNet Movies, A&E HD, HGTV HD, Food Network HD and National Geographic Channel HD.
All of the HD channels are currently live in San Antonio, which is the only area where U-verse is currently available. A report earlier Monday on U-verse customer-forum site UverseUsers.com said a limited number were initially viewable.
Additional new features AT&T is offering include Web-based access to subscribers' DVRs; the availability of new set-top boxes from Motorola; and the ability to record up to four standard-definition programs at once using a DVR receiver.
AT&T is currently offering a single HD stream. Spokeswoman Jenny Parker said the telco plans to enable a second HD stream in 2007, which will allow subscribers to use two streams of HD programming and still have two standard-definition streams to either watch or record.
New U-verse TV HD customers can receive two months of free HD programming, after which HD service is $10 extra per month.
AT&T continues to say that U-verse services will be available in Houston in late November, and that they will be available in a total of 15 markets by the end of the year. The company hasn’t disclosed which additional cities will be covered in the expanded rollout.
