ABC HDTV feed may be down next week

Update: The WMTW Chief Engineer confirmed that an ABC memo indicates that ABC HDTV feeds will be down across the nation next week. Thanks, WMTW!

We're not sure if this affects everyone or just the ABC affiliate in Portland, Maine, but WMTW is reporting that ABC affiliates won't have an HD feed next week. The expected downtime is from August 23rd to August 26th, during which time ABC is upgrading its HDTV facility.

Apparently, viewers won't be staring at a blank screen; ABC intends to provide an upconverted feed on their standard HD signals. We'll try to confirm with another ABC affiliate and provide an update in this post.

For now, don't count on watching "According to Jim" in HD next week. C'mon, you know you watch it! If you can't admit to it, then you need to post a comment over at TV Squad's "Five Guilty Pleasures" post.