NEWS
- HDNet Plans Themed Convention Coverage
HDNet will not provide gavel-to-gavel coverage of the Democratic and Republican Party conventions this August in HD, as it did in 2004, but the network will be offering extensive coverage of the event on Dan Rather Reports. more » » »
- Vaddio Launches ProductionVIEW HD
Another illustration that vendors are responding to the growing demand for HD products from smaller, less well-heeled outlets, can be found in Vaddio’s recent introduction of the ProductionVIEW HD multicamera control system. more » » »
Q&A
 Q&A: FiOS TV’s Terry Denson
With the recent announcement that Verizon is planning to add 25 HD channels to its FiOS TV lineup this July, the company will be offering some 60 HD channels. But as FiOS TV’s vice president of content and programming Terry Denson explains, that is only the beginning of the company’s expansion. more » » »
BRIEFING ROOM
- NAB Defends FCC’s ‘Viewability’ Order
(From a June 25 article at Broadcastingcable.com)
Broadcasters took aim at cable programmers attempting to overturn the Federal Communications Commission's "viewability" order, which requires cable operators to carry must-carry TV stations in analog and digital if necessary to give all of their customers viewable signals after the transition to digital. Cable programmers argue the order would limit the bandwidth MSOs have for other programming, including HD content. more » » »
- Special Report: Broadband Video Evolves
(From a June 23 issue of Broadcasting & Cable magazine)
Content providers are trying to raise the video quality of their offerings to deliver a TV-like experience to viewers who are consuming short clips or full-length shows on their PC or laptop screens. But offering better quality video without raising distribution costs to the point where broadband video becomes a money pit instead of a source of incremental revenue is the big issue and offering near HD video remains problematic. more » » »
- FCC Extends Comments Deadline on MPAA Filing
(From a June 23 article at Broadcastingcable.com)
The Federal Communications Commission gave everybody more time to weigh in on the Motion Picture Association of America's request for an FCC waiver that would allow it to restrict the copying of some HD movies by digital-video recorders. Comments had been due this week (June 25) and reply comments July 7, but citing requests from the National Association of Theater Owners for more time due to the complexity of the issues involved, the FCC extended the deadlines to July 21 and 31, respectively. more » » »
- Comcast, Big Ten Reach Long-Term Deal
(From a June 19 article at Broadcastingcable.com)
Comcast has agreed to an Aug. 15 launch of the Big Ten Network on its expanded basic tier in markets with Big Ten schools. Sticking points had been over where the channel was carried--sports tier, digital tier and basic--and the price. Big Ten was said to be asking over a dollar per subscriber, but a source familiar with the agreement puts the price at about 70 cents per sub. more » » »
- Three Comcast Networks To Go HD
(From a June 19 article at Broadcastingcable.com)
Cable giant Comcast said it will launch three of the programming networks it owns -- Versus, The Golf Channel and E! Entertainment Television -- in HD come December as part of the operator’s broad initiative to increase its slate of HD programming. Comcast currently provides a hybrid Versus/Golf HD channel that offers a mix of content from both networks. That channel will be replaced by the Versus HD channel, which will become an HD simulcast of the standard-definition Versus network. more » » »
- DirecTV Officially Debuts On-Demand Service
(From a June 30 article at Multichannel.com)
After months of testing, DirecTV Monday has officially launched its on-demand service to its subscribers across the county. It offers more than 4,000 standard-definition and HDTV titles, and is available at no additional charge to subscribers with a DirecTV PlusHD DVR or R22 DVR receiver. The service allows customers to download the programming of their choice from the satellite provider’s on-demand library to their DVRs to enjoy whenever they want. more » » »
- Comcast Picks DTA Partners
(From a June 26 article at Multichannel.com)
Comcast has selected three vendors to supply digital-to-analog converters—Motorola, Pace Micro Technology and Thomson—and will order up to 6 million of the devices in 2008, according to an industry executive familiar with the MSO’s plans. The operator wants to distribute the DTAs to analog video subscribers to unlock 250 Megahertz or more spectrum by retiring dozens of analog channels, which would free up space for HD content and other services. more » » »
- Evolution Launches MPEG-4 HD Solution For Small Ops
(From a June 23 article at Multichannel.com)
Evolution Digital launched its MPEG-4 digital headend solution for small cable operators, which the company claims can give systems with as little as 550 Megahertz of spectrum the ability to offer 400 high-definition channels. Evolution’s MPEG-4 digital solution includes headend equipment; set-tops; conditional access technology from Conax, a subsidiary of Norwegian telecom provider Telenor; and installation, integration and ongoing technical support. more » » »
- Comcast Media Center To Launch MPEG-4 VOD Service
(From a June 23 article at Multichannel.com)
Comcast Media Center (CMC) plans to distribute video-on-demand content in MPEG-4 format through SES Americom’s telco-oriented IP-Prime service, pending a definitive agreement between the two companies. CMC currently offers an MPEG-2 VOD service with more than 8,000 programming assets to cable operators nationwide. more » » »
- GlobeCast Invests In U.S. HDTV Upgrades
(From an June 23 article at Multichannel.com)
Content management and delivery company GlobeCast has upgraded its HDTV infrastructure and formed strategic alliances in the Americas in response to growing demand for the distribution and contribution of HD content between America and the rest of the world. Building on its HD fiber upgrade in 2007, GlobeCast has completed the next phase of its American HD strategy with the installation of state-of-the-art encoding and converting equipment at its broadcast center in Culver City, Calif. more » » »
- Vizio Ships Plasma, LCD TV Lines
(From a June 25 article at Twice.com)
Vizio said that in July it will ship 1080p LCD and plasma TVs in its XVT model series, which offers expanded features and extended performance with aggressive pricing. The first three models in the series include the 42-inch SV420XVT and 47-inch SV47XVT LCD HDTVs featuring 120Hz processing and the 50-inch VP505XVT plasma HDTV, with full 1,920 by 1080p resolution and Silicon Optix’s highly rated HQV video processing circuitry. more » » »
- Mitsubishi To Roll Out 3-D DLP Packages
(From a June 24 article at Twice.com)
Mitsubishi has entered cooperative agreements with NVIDIA and Aspen Media Products to distribute and promote use of PC-based 3-D video games with Mitsubishi DLP rear-projection sets. Starting in July, the three companies will make 3-D gaming systems, including a Mitsubishi HD DLP TV set, Aspen Media Products Windows Media server and various 3-D video games, available for demonstrations at select retailers. more » » »
AROUND THE WEB
- HD Truck Demand To Outstrip Supply
Sports Video Group reports that an explosion in HD sports programming by both regional and national networks could outstrip the supply of HD trucks this fall and make it difficult for some to find HD-capable production units. The NFL mandate for HD this season, the growth in regional sports coverage at all levels of college football, and a challenging credit market that makes it difficult for smaller providers to finance new/upgraded trucks are three key factors helping to exacerbate the shortage. more » » »
- WBBM Delays Move to New Chicago Studios
The Chicago Tribune reports that WBBM in Chicago is pushing back its Chicago Broadcast Center grand opening from July 21 to a yet-to-be-determined date in September. The later than expected move to the gleaming studios at Washington and Dearborn Streets, also means the station will delay its switch to high-definition digital transmission for newscasts and other local programming. more » » »
- AT&T Enables Two HD Streams for U-verse
Xchangemag.com reports that AT&T will start allowing subscribers to watch one HD stream while recording another on the U-verse IPTV service. The change is designed to make the product more competitive. While other telco TV offerings, such as Verizon’s FiOS supported multiple concurrent HD streams, U-verse did not. An AT&T spokesperson noted that they had begun making the change earlier this year but declined to say where the service was being offered. more » » »
- Bright House Eyes Improved HD Service
TMCnet reports that Bright House Networks, the nation’s sixth largest cable television operator is using the Sentry and Medius digital content monitoring solutions from Mixed Signals to improve the quality of its HD video and audio. Using those tools, the operator will closely monitor each program at the MPEG, IP and quality levels, an effort that Bright House hopes will resolve problems even before consumers are affected. Bright House Networks will also use Sentry to monitor digital ad insertions and data carousels. more » » »
- Studios Need To Help Retailers With Blu-ray
Video Business reports that top retailers at Home Media Expo panel are asking the Hollywood studios to do more to help them drive consumer interest in Blu-ray format. Blockbuster CEO Jim Keyes challenged studios to make it easier for retailers to stock the format in sufficient quantity to make an impression on consumers and stimulate demand among groups beyond early adopters. It’s a challenge for retailers to make the product available in sufficient quantity, given the relatively high price and low demand for Blu-ray at this point, Keyes said. Also at the panel, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment president Mike Dunn predicted that U.S. Blu-ray software sales this year will be “very close to $1 billion.” more » » »
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