May 10, 2007
Cable Networks Make HD Gains
The National Cable & Telecommunications Show in Las Vegas is the backdrop for a number of HD-related announcements from cable networks.
In terms of real-world developments it was ESPN’s launch of more non-live sporting event HD programming on Monday that set the tone. Cold Pizza made the move from New York City to ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, Conn. and was also rechristened First Take in the process. First Take was moved to Bristol so the show could better take advantage of our newsgathering and technical abilities,” says Bryan Burns, ESPN VP, strategic business planning and development. “Our HD affiliates and subscribers are the recipients of our moving the show to Bristol to make it better as all of our facilities are HD.” ESPN also shifted Mike and Mike in the Morning to HD. Burns says the program has gathered a solid following on TV and any steps to
make the show better required a move to HD.
“There's no reason to take the work product "down" to SD when you can use the HD output and access product that has been produced and stored in the system,” he adds. As for filling in the rest of the ESPN schedule Burns says it will be done in a logical progression based on HD equipment availability and fiscal responsibility.
The History Channel says it will move to HD in September with a 24-hour HD simulcast channel available on DirecTV. “The History Channel HD will give our history fanatics an unparalleled view of history with stunning clarity and rich perspective that they will find nowhere else on the television landscape,” says David Zagin, executive vice president of distribution at History parent A&E Television Networks.
Starz Entertainment also has made much of its decision to expand its HD offerings with HD versions of Starz Comedy, Starz Edge and Starz Kids and Family East Coast feeds.
President and chief operating officer Bill Myers says the move is in step with pioneering work the network did with digital cable, multiplex, on-demand and even online content.
The Weather Channel also is in the middle of a $50 million initiative to switch all live and recorded programming to high-definition. The network expects to complete the HD transition by mid-2008.
Each network is taking advantage of more cost-effective HD production techniques but all have one goal.
“Working with our affiliates, we will make a major effort to convince HD-set owners that their televisions are good for more than just watching DVDs,” Myers said.
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Nielsen Takes On HD
Over the years the HD viewer has remained a mystery to the networks. The actual number of HD sets in the market has been hazy and the number of HD set owners who actually watch HD channels is unclear.
But Nielsen Media Research, beginning in November, will begin to clear up the picture as it relates to HD viewers when it offers a universe estimate of both HD capable homes (those that have an HD set and can receive signals) and HD receivable homes (those that have also signed on for HD services with a cable or satellite provider). “Our goal is to allow our clients to have a cross-section of households and better understand viewing patterns,” says Tom Ziangas, Nielsen Media Research cable group SVP of sales and marketing.
Ziangas says that both definitions of HD set owners will be important. “HD capable provides the potential number of how big the HD pie can be and how quickly it can grow while the receivable homes are important to understand what is going on in the home,” he explains. “We’ll be able to see if viewing habits change like moving away from standard-definition channels.”
Nielsen field researchers this summer will visit each of its 12,000 homes and report whether or not a home has an HD set and receives HD programming.
“If you call up people and ask them if they have HD they might say yes simply because they have a DVD player,” says Ziangas of the benefit of first-hand observation.
The HD universe estimate is the first step in offering actual HD ratings. “We plan on offering HD ratings by the end of the year and by the beginning of 2008 we’ll be able to provide that information to clients who want it,” says Ziangas. “All the networks are in it.”
Reaction from clients has been positive. “Based on research we have completed to date we expect Nielsen data to confirm that the HD audience is a premium audience, sought after by advertisers and that these viewers are more engaged with HD content,” says Artie Bulgrin, ESPN SVP, research and development.
If HD prove that HD viewers are a premium audience Bulgrin says HD ad rates theoretically could rise. “A premium should be justified if the audience delivered is considered a premium audience and the HD environment delivers better ad performance,” he says.
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Glowpoint Adds HD to Arsenal
A new HD video conferencing service from Glowpoint could prove ideal for news and sports networks that consistently interview subjects from remote production facilities.
Glowpoint’s system builds on the same principles of teleconferencing, delivering audio and video signals over high-speed telco, cable, and fiber links.
The company has 14 datacenters nationwide that serve as hubs to route the signals. In recent years networks like ESPN and the NFL Network have relied on the system to cut costs and provide more flexibility in terms of coverage.
Dan Boland, Glowpoint senior director, broadcasting services, says the addition of HD delivery (it requires 2560 Kbps to deliver 720p images at 60 frames per second) will be a boon for news programs that interview guests from different bureaus around the country.
“This is not going to replace satellite transmission or the need for a satellite truck but it is great for a producer who wants to routinely go to a fixed location,” he says. “They no longer have to book satellite time or have talent subservient to the transponder schedule.”
The cost for an HD circuit that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week is approximately $2,500 a month based on a one-year contract. Glowpoint provides the camera system, teleprompter, and transmission gear in a small suitcase system. The new HD version will cost approximately $40,000.
“The Sony HG90 camera we’ll be using delivers beautiful, knockout images,” says Boland. Boland says the HD version will be vastly superior to the SD version because the SD video conferencing codec tosses out half of the SD resolution in order to cut bandwidth. But the HD version will be full 720p.
“From soup-to-nuts the amortized cost over two years is about $3,500 a month and that’s a no-brainer if a program will broadcast from the location once a month,” adds Boland.
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Correction
A headline above a story about QVC's purchase of HD equipment in the April 26 HD Update suggested the home shopping channel was making an imminent switch to high definition. That's not true, for the moment. A spokeswoman says QVC has the gear in place to get ready to make the switch at some later date.
Chyron Goes Hyper for HD Graphics
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Bill Hendler
Chief Technlogy Officer
Chyron |
With nearly 50 local TV stations now offering HD newscasts in some form or fashion the big question is how does going widescreen HD change workflows based on the needs of 4:3 standard definition broadcasts? Bill Hendler, chief technology officer of Chyron, a leading provider of HD and SD graphics equipment, discussed the transition.
Q: How does going HD change the way graphics are created?
A: The real issue is the need to create graphics for both 16:9 and 4:3. Chyron has utilities that can automatically format the content appropriately for the screen and what that means is basically center-cutting the widescreen graphic or padding the sides of 4:3 graphics. You want to be able to use graphics in both formats without scaling artifacts like turning a circle into an oval.
Q: Which is more popular? Center cutting or padding?
A: If a graphics artist creates in 16:9 and protects for 4:3 they’ll be in good shape. In sports, for example, the trend for the past three or four years has been to build in 16:9.
Q: Is there an advantage to that approach?
A: There’s a lot more room for graphics if you design for 16:9. News departments are always looking for ways to put more information on air without stepping on the signal. And it also offers a premium source of information for HD viewers that can distinguish the HD service without intruding on the 4:3 service.
Q: Is it more difficult to create HD graphics than SD graphics?
A: There are six times as many pixels in HD so it takes more horsepower than doing SD. The trick for us and other manufacturers is achieving parity with recent SD workflows. But thanks to the videogame business advancements is graphics accelerators make that easier.
Our Hyper X2, for example, is substantially more powerful, particularly in a multi-channel HD environment. And we’ve brought HD capabilities into our entire product line so there can be HD channel branding.
--Interviewed by Ken Kerschbaumer
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RCN Offers More HD Sports
(From a May 4 article at BroadcastingCable.com)
Cable operator RCN is giving its HD programming lineup a boost with the addition of SportsNet NY (SNY) to its roster. SNY is home of the New York Mets and also focuses heavily on the NFL’s New York Jets. The HD version is found on channel 735.
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Starz Expands HD Offerings
(From a May 1 article at BroadcastingCable.com)
Premium cable programmer Starz Entertainment will launch three new HD channels this year. In addition to the established Starz HD channel, which is available in both East and West Coast feeds, Starz will now offer East Coast feeds of Starz Comedy, Starz Edge, and Starz Kids & Family in high-definition. The new channels are expected to launch by late summer.
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Kaleidoscope Cable: Artist Pitches Screen-Saver Channel
(From a May 7 article at BroadcastingCable.com)
A company called ArtStream hopes it has the answer for home decorators looking to make large flat-panel displays offer more than just a dark screen when not active. The company is pitching cable operators at the National Cable & Telecommunications Association convention in Las Vegas this week on a new HD channel, kind of like a screen saver, that would turn those big sets into pieces of electronic art, rather than equipment, when not being used to watch shows.
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Comcast: Our HD Looks Best
(From a May 7 article at Multichannel.com)
Comcast has launched a series of national print and radio ads that claim Comcast delivers a better HD image than DirecTV or Dish Network. And it has a survey of 309 people that it says backs up the claim. According to the survey, among those who expressed a preference, 65.6% picked Comcast over DirecTV and 69.92% picked Comcast over Dish Network. The ads will also counter DirecTV’s claims that it has more HD channels available by emphasizing the HD on-demand selections available through Comcast.
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45 Stations Providing HD News
(From an April 27 story on broadcastingcable.com)
Forty-five local broadcasters are now airing high-definition newscasts after seven stations jumped into the fray in the last week of April. The new entries span a wide range of geography, affiliations and market size: WSOC, the Cox station and ABC affiliate in Charlotte, N.C (DMA #26).; KCBS and KCAL, the CBS owned-and-operated stations in Los Angeles (DMA #2); KFSN, the ABC O&O in Fresno, Calif. (DMA #55); KTVK, Belo’s independent station in Phoenix (DMA #13); and Cordillera stations and NBC affiliates KVOA Tucson (DMA #70) and WLEX Lexington, Ky. (DMA #63). WLEX, which launched on April 26, is actually the second station to offer HD news in the Lexington market, following CBS affiliate and Gray Television station WKYT, which launched on April 13.
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Big Ten Sets Staff, Adds HD Programming
(From a May 7 article at Multichannel.com)
The Big Ten Network will produce more than 350 events and 1,000 hours of content in HD when it launches in August. Big Ten Network President Mark Silverman also announced at the NCTA convention in Las Vegas that all of its studio programming will be in HD.
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Digeo to Cut Pricing on Moxi HD DVR
(From a May 7 article at Multichannel.com)
Digeo says cable operators will be able to purchase the next-generation of the Moxi HD DVR for one-third less than the current version. The goal, says CEO Mike Fidler, is to bring the cost of the box in line with competitive offerings. The DVR will have 160 gigabytes of storage capacity, twice that of Digeo’s current models. Fidler said the company tested the box with up to 1 terabyte of external storage -- enough space for 1,000 hours of video.
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Band(width) on the Run
(From a May 7 article in Multichannel News)
Cable operators are beginning to realize that the current competitive landscape will require a quicker technical transition to ensure they can offer as many HD channels as DBS or telco services. Time Warner Cable will spend about $200 million this year on “sustainable network initiatives” that include digital simulcasting and switched digital video to open up more bandwidth. Smaller operators also recognize the need. “The biggest push is HD content right now,” said Buckeye CableSystem director of engineering Jim Brown. “That’s a competitive thing, really.”
For more…
The Weather Channel to Spend $50M on HD
(From an April 27 article in Multichannel News)
The Weather Channel has broken ground on a new studio as part of a $50 million upgrade to ready for high-definition telecasts. The project includes building a new, 1,100-square-foot studio at its Atlanta headquarters that will be outfitted with HD cameras and other equipment, as well as converting “tens of thousands” of on-screen graphics for HD. The Weather Channel HD will launch with DirecTV in September however at first it will be an SD upconvert. Carriage discussions with other operators are ongoing.
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DISH Adds Regional HD Sports Nets
(From a May 7 article at TWICE.com)
EchoStar has added two new HD regional sports networks to its DISH satellite TV service. The two new HD RSNs, Sun Sports and SportSouth (both owned by Fox) give EchoStar’s DISH satellite service a total of nine high-definition regional sports networks (RSNs) to date. The service added seven others last month. EchoStar said it will continue to explore carriage of additional HD RSNs throughout the year.
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Canon Announces First AVCHD Camcorder
(From a May 7 article in TWICE)
Canon will ship its first high-definition camcorder based on the AVCHD format to dealers this August. The HR10 records 1080i video to standard DVD discs. It features a 10x optical zoom lens with image stabilization, the company’s Instant AF system, HDMI output, and a new 2.7-inch LCD screen with a 135-degree viewing angle. According to Canon, the new LCD screen offers the widest color gamut on any of its consumer camcorder to date, with a glare-resistant coating for viewing in difficult lighting conditions. The HR10 will retail for an estimated $1,199.
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Sony Debuts Flash-Based HD Camcorder, 100GB HDD Units
(From a May 7 article in TWICE)
Sony’s first high-definition camcorder capable of recording to flash memory and a trio of 100GB hard disk drive (HDD) models have been added to its Sony Style online store. The HD camcorders are Sony's first to employ its "x.v.Color" technology, which is based on the x.v.YCC color standard. According to Sony, adhering to the new standard lets the camcorders "reproduce a much wider data range of colors than the conventional sRGB standard.” The three 100GB HDD-based camcorders record in standard definition and were not among the raft of new camcorders Sony introduced at International CES.
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LG Launches 1080p Ad Campaign
(From a May 3 article at TWICE.com)
LG Electronics kicked off its new global integrated marketing campaign for “Full HD 1080p” flat-panel TVs, which will carry the “Don’t Just Watch It, Live It” tag line. The company’s first fully integrated marketing campaign commences today in the United States and will extend through the Christmas selling season. The effort will also roll out to more than 70 countries over the next month, the company said. LG Electronics will invest about $25 million in the United States and substantially more globally to highlight its 1080p LCD and plasma HDTVs.
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Mitsubishi Tees Up PGA HD Sponsorship Deal
(From an April 23 article at TWICE.com)
Mitsubishi Electric entered a three-year HDTV marketing partnership with the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) that includes the use of Mitsubishi-branded Diamond Vision LED scoreboards throughout the PGA Tour. Under the deal, Mitsubishi Electric becomes "the official high-definition television of the PGA Tour" and Champions Tour, as well as the "official large video display provider of the PGA Tour." Mitsubishi is to provide 22 Diamond Vision LED scoreboards that will debut at The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass May 7-13.
For more…
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NTV-Plus Launches HD in Russia
CNews reports that NTV-Plus has become the first Russian company to introduce the high-definition format television broadcasting system. However analysts doubt that HDTV will catch on with Russians not because of the high cost of TV sets but rather the high cost associated with getting a signal. To enjoy it Russian users would need an LCD TV or a plasma display with a special plug connection, as well as a receiver they can acquire at NTV for $600. That is why analysts believe HDTV will not be popular with Russians in the nearest future. NTV-Plus invested about $3.5 million dollars into the equipment and transmission is 1080i at 25 frames per second.
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BBC Approves Free HD Via Satellite
TechDigest TV reports that the BBC has been given approval by the BBC Trust to launch a nationally available free-to-view satellite service as a joint venture with ITV under the Freesat banner, offering both Standard and High Definition (SD and HD) enabled digital satellite TV from Spring 2008. According to a BBC statement, consumers will be offered up to 200 channels plus full digital satellite interactivity and high definition capability all without a subscription and with a choice of equipment, including both SD and HD receivers and a range of installation options.
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HD Makes Antennas Hip Again
SignonSanDiego.com reports that antennas are in vogue in certain areas for HD reception. “Eighty-year-old technology is being redesigned and rejiggered to deliver the best picture quality,” said Richard Schneider, president of Antennas Direct. “It's an interesting irony.” A few years ago, Schneider started an assembly line in his garage and sold antennas out of the trunk of his car. Now his Eureka, Mo.-based company has seven employees and did $1.4 million in sales last year. He expects revenue to double in 2007. “People thought I was nuts. They were laughing at me when I told them I was starting an antenna company,” Schneider said.
For more…
The Indy 500 To Make HD Debut
The Indianapolis Star reports that the Indianapolis 500 will be televised in HD for the first time on May 27. ESPN Sports, in conjunction with the Speedway's IMS Productions, delivers all the programming for the race on ABC, plus shows on qualification days. The debut of the technology at the Speedway will be Saturday during pole day. Dave Gass, director of engineering at IMS Productions, says the move required a significant financial investment, perhaps as much as twice that of the standard equipment.
For more…
BBC Multiplexing Technology A Challenge
CNET in the UK reports on the intricacies of the UK HDTV transmission standard that have been laid out in a new white paper from the BBC. The BBC relies on spatial multiplexing to allow for two bitstreams to be sent on one frequency (each bitstream is sent at different times). Its up to a technology called MIMO (multiple-input, multiple-output) to help the receiver tell which one is which so it can decode them into two separate bitstreams and from there decode them into the various channels.
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