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DirecTV accused of lying about number of HD channels

November 2nd, 2009, 12:47 pm by

Spotted: Phillip Swann, who tracks the TV industry at TVPredictions, calls out DirecTV on its claims to be the top provider of HD channels.

“So, how does DIRECTV hide this fact in its marketing campaigns? And, how does it still claim to be the nation’s HD leader?
Lie, of course.”

Ouch! He writes that DirecTV’s claim to have 130 HD channels includes 18 pay-per-view channels and “other sleight-of-hand tricks.” If you care about the controversy or to see how your TV provider stacks up, see his report at “DIRECTV: Still Lying About HDTV.”

More on HD channels:

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FiOS gives 4 more reasons for cable subscribers to be jealous

September 30th, 2009, 1:23 am by

Verizon FiOS signIf you’ve wondered what high-definition TV channels actually exist, look to Verizon FiOS, which became Orange County’s leader in HD channels this year.

The company announced it will add more HD channels on Thursday, Oct. 1. The new HD channels are AMC HD, on channel 731; WE TV (Women’s Entertainment), channel 649; IFC HD, channel 894; and Fuse HD on channel 716. That brings the Verizon’s total to 133 HD channels in Orange County (see my new chart “Verizon FiOS HD Channels).

Local cable customers, meanwhile, are lucky if they’re getting 60, which to the cable providers’ credit is at least 20 percent more than was offered last year. Cable companies are also trying out different technologies to make more channels available.

FiOS HD
1 A&E HD
2 ABC-KABC HD
3 ABC Family HD
4 ABC Live Well
5 Action Max HD
6 Action Max HD
7 Animal Planet HD
8 At Max HD
9 Big Ten Network HD
Click HERE for the full list.

The big problem with FiOS TV service is that very few people can order the service. In Orange County, the number of FiOS-eligible cities hasn’t changed in months. Those cities with partial service are Brea, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, La Habra, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach,  Stanton, Westminster and certain unincorporated areas.

But if you can order service, the channels seem to keep coming.  (Any FiOS customers notice a price increase?) FiOS has added at least 20 HD channels since February. Also, cable TV companies are at or near their maximum capacity. Verizon is nowhere near hitting its limit.

Jon Davies, a FiOS spokesman explained to me (again) why this fiber-optic cable TV service has so much room. Essentially, Verizon has three streams to each house it serves: One delivers HD and standard-definition video, a second one delivers Internet and voice service, and the third is upstream link for users to, for example, upload videos online faster (at 20 Mbps). Davies says: Read the rest of this entry »

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Time Warner continues to unify O.C., L.A. cable TV systems

September 28th, 2009, 8:35 am by

Time Warner Cable signIt’s been nearly one year since I spoke to Time Warner’s local president to find out what it was doing in Orange County. Essentially, the company was merging three different cable systems into one after previously acquiring bits of Adelphia and Comcast.

Unfortunately, the president is no longer with the company and the three cable systems haven’t been completely merged. But Time Warner continues to plow away to unify the different platforms, said Darryl Ryan, director of media relations for Time Warner’s West region. He’s not sure how much progress the company has made since acquiring Adelphia three years ago.

The benefit of having one system, like Cox Communications does in Orange County, means one cable TV system, one lineup of channels, one type of software and one billing system. This helps customer service employees stay focused and learn one system instead of three. Without the unity, customers are treated differently. For example, customers in Costa Mesa, or former Comcast territory, get 72 HD channels, while everyone else in Orange County,  including Huntington Beach, are at 60 HD channels (see charts below).

“Right now we generally have two HD lineups, former Comcast (customers some parts of Orange County the South Bay area, Santa Clarita and a portion of San Fernando) and everywhere else. In the former Comcast areas subscribers have a few more HD channels. We are working to get subscribers all of our subscribers up to the same number of HD channels,” Ryan said.

The company is testing ways to squeeze more channels into its system using switched digital video, which turns some regular channels into on-demand only. Time Warner has previously said it is planning to move the least popular channels to this technology and fill the opening with channels more people want. I’m fine with that because that’s good news for almost all customers, although TiVo users with CableCARDs will need to get an adapter.

Here are the available HD channels in Costa Mesa vs. rest of Orange County: Read the rest of this entry »

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Verizon FiOS ups HD count with NBA TV

September 23rd, 2009, 1:53 pm by

NBA TVVerizon continues to add new channels as fast as it can solidify contracts. The latest is NBA TV and the NBA League Pass, a treat for basketball fans willing to spend a wad of cash.

NBA TV launches next week on Channel 89 (standard definition) and Channel 589 in high definition. The 24-hour, all-basketball-all-the-time channel is included with FiOS TV Extreme service, which starts at $58/month.

NBA League Pass, which broadcasts up to 40 out-of-market NBA games live, will cost you. It’s $169 if you order by Nov. 4 and $189 after that. The NBA League Pass will be on standard-definition channels 1490 to 1494, with one HD channel on 1489.

This brings FiOS’ HD channel count to 118, according to Verizon.

Verizon FiOS offers service in limited areas of Orange County. Cities with partial coverage include Brea, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, La Habra, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, Stanton, Westminster and certain unincorporated areas.

Recent sports TV news:

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Time Warner hints at 100 HD channels coming to SoCal

September 23rd, 2009, 6:56 am by

Time Warner CableNews that Time Warner Cable picked BigBand Networks to provide switched digital video technology means one major thing for cable customers: More high definition channels are coming sooner than later.

The Redwood City-based BigBand announced its new cable customer  in a press release. BigBand will handle Time Warner’s Los Angeles operation, which includes Orange County. BigBand is also deploying switched digital video in Time Warner’s New York and Dallas systems.

Cable TV companies have limited space to stream channels 24/7 in the cable line that feeds TV directly to a customer’s house. Switched digital video allows the cable company to turn some of those channel streams into a video-on-demand channel, which frees up space to add more HD channels or other new content.

Orange County’s former president of Time Warner operations mentioned this was coming last year. But so far, the technology has not been implemented here. Time Warner has been testing this in San Fernando Valley.

So far, the only customers that will be affected by the change are those with TiVos and CableCARDs. See my past stories about what to do if you’re in this situation:

In a press release, Time Warner says technology has allowed the company to offer over 100 HD channels to customers, plus more HD Video on demand, said Kevin Leddy, Time Warner Cable’s executive vice president of technology policy and product management.

“We have launched (switched digital video) in over 20 markets to date and know firsthand that, if we want to deploy new programming options for our customers, SDV is the fastest, most cost effective method for our existing network,” he said. ”With the bandwidth that has been reclaimed Time Warner Cable is able to offer over 100 high definition channels to our customers …”

Can anyone guess what those 100 channels are?

Here’s a look at what the HD channels currently offered in Huntington Beach: Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • • • • | 16 Comments »

Cox offers O.C. free peek at Versus sports channel

September 17th, 2009, 2:28 pm by

Versus TV, a sports channelCox Communications is offering its Orange County customers a free preview of Versus, the sports channel known for broadcasting bull riding, hockey and college football. Versus is the channel that caused a big hubbub last month when DirecTV customers stopped carrying it. (Whoops, I didn’t mean customers.)

Versus, on channel 334  and channel 717 765 for HD, is free to all Cox digital customers until Nov. 30. (Corrected 9/21/09)

The channel, previously called the Outdoor Life Network, changed its name to Versus in 2006. Cox picked up the HD channel in 2007, and it’s now is part of Cox’s Sports and Info digital tier. That tier starts at $62.49 and includes standard digital cable TV service.

Versus is also part of Time Warner Cable’s lineup (channel 267 and 469), Verizon FiOS (Channel 90 and 590), AT&T U-verse (channel 640 and 1640) and Dish Network (151).

Dish is also offering its customers free access to the channel until Dec. 2.

More TV news:

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • • • • • | 7 Comments »

Verizon FiOS to get HBO HD, Cinemax HD on demand

September 9th, 2009, 5:17 pm by

Verizon FiOSNoted: Verizon FiOS is already the leader in high-definition channels, and today it added a few more.

But it’s not completely new content. Rather, it’s more on-demand channels. HBO HD and Cinemax HD will offer select movies and shows on demand to customers who already subscribe to the premium channels. The service starts this fall.

For movie-loving FiOS TV customers, Verizon is beefing up its FiOS Movie package with on-demand content from The Movie Channel and Starz.

Premium channels are not part of any FiOS starter plans. They cost extra and are not cheap, anywhere from $11.99 to $15.99 each per month. The bundled price for all three — HBO, Cinemax and Movie channels — is $35. By comparison, Time Warner Cable charges $15/month for one premium, or $37 for 3.

A current lineup of Verizon FiOS channels for Southern California is available HERE.

Recent Verizon FiOS news:

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Pressure your TV provider to add BBC America HD

July 30th, 2009, 3:58 pm by

BBC America HDNoted: BBC America HD launched on July 20 to, well,  nobody, as the Nerdgasmic blog points out. That is, no TV providers offer the new channel to viewers in the U.S.

Since I know readers here are really into HD, it’s worth mentioning that if this channel is important to you, BBC America offers a convenient way to ask your cable/satellite/whatever TV provider to offer it. Just go to this page and fill out your request: *LINK* (I just did!)

Get your own BBC America HD

Recent news on new HD channels:

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