HD TV

Outdoor Channel is building its high-definition presence with Charter Communications in North Texas.

As part of Charter’s all-digital initiative that encompasses an expansion of its high-definition channel lineup, Outdoor Channel HD will roll out to the MSO’s customers in Weatherford and Cleburne in early April.

Launches will continue through June with Charter subscribers in Fort Worth, Highland Park, Azle, Granbury and University Park gaining access to Outdoor Channel HD over that span. Deal terms were not disclosed.

HDTV adoption has more than tripled over the last five years, with three-fourths of American households now owning at least one high-definition TV set and 51% of U.S. homes owning at least two, according to a survey by Leichtman Research Group.

Over all, about 38% of all U.S. households now have multiple HDTV sets, up from 26% two years ago and 5% of all households five years ago, LRG said. About 59% of TV sets in HD households are HDTVs.

A new posting on the court’s docket raises the possibility of a settlement in the case of AMC Network’s Voom high definition programming service against Dish Network.
In a note, Tom Claps, an analyst with Susquehanna Financial Group who has been following the case closely, wrote that “the Court’s docket just posted an entry for Monday, October 22 at 9:30 a.m.—‘Pos. Settlement.’”
Claps said the court is not commenting on this new development.

The judge hearing the case of AMC Networks' Voom high definition programming services versus Dish Network ruled on Tuesday that Dish's expert on damages won't be allowed to testify during the trial.

According to Thomas Claps, an analyst for Susquehanna Financial Group, who has been following the trial closely, ruling by Judge Richard Lowe III is "another significant blow to Dish."

Comcast/NBCU on Wednesday held the first of  a series of planned D.C. demonstrations of NHK-developed Ultra-HD (Super Hi-Vision), the next generation, or perhaps the one after that, of high-definition TV.

Comcast teamed with the BBC and NHK of Japan to demo the technology, which has 16 times the resolution of current HD pictures -- 33 million pixels vs. about 2 million.