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AT&T, DirecTV, Verizon push Comcast & Cablevision for HD sports channels
After the FCC closed the terrestrial loophole we knew it wouldn't be long until satellite and IPTV providers started moving on the cable companies regarding access to high definition versions of their regional sports networks and now they have. Multichannel News reports AT&T has put in its request for access to HD feeds of the MSG Network, while DirecTV and DISH Network have done the same for Comcast and its SportsNet Philadelphia channel. Today, Verizon filed a supplement to its existing Program access Complaint to the FCC asking it to force Cablevision into opening up those MSG and MSG+ HD feeds. so far, Comcast has had no response at all, while Cablevision maintains that providing standard def access to U-Verse and FiOS satisfies its requirements under the current laws -- although it certainly doesn't match our standard of common decency -- the rest is up to the courts, lawyers and the FCC.
Cablevision starts "limited deployment" of network DVR
The future has finally arrived, as New York-area Cablevision subscribers are getting their first taste of cloud based DVRs. Light Reading reports an email from spokesman Jim Maiella confirmed limited deployments which may be too late to securely record Lou Diamond Philips for our later viewing pleasure, but should quickly become more common as the cable company has already expressed plans to stop buying physical DVRs later this year. Even after legal entanglements have held things up for years we're not quite ready to switch away from local storage options yet, but any of you guinea pigs out there are more than welcome to share your opinions of it.
Comcast, TWC and Cablevision make friendly, team up for NYC-wide WiFi
And Comcast makes three. Two years after Cablevision started rolling out hotspots in the Big Apple and less than a month after Time Warner joined it, Comcast has gotten buddy-buddy with the pair in their efforts to blanket New York City with WiFi. If you subscribe to any one of their data services, you now get free access to all three, and can use your existing login at any Optimum, Time Warner or Xfinity hotspot across the city. In a press release, Cablevision executive John Bickham said the agreement might be "the first of many." We wonder if by banding together, cable might one day compete with the telcos on wireless connectivity, the way they now do with home internet and television services. Still, the best laid plans... Full press release after the break.
Cablevision considering ultra-cheap unlimited cellphone service?
Cable companies have been pushing into wireless with more urgency than ever lately -- take Cox and Comcast, just to name a couple -- and now it seems Cablevision is taking a good, hard look at launching a cellphone service under its Optimum brand. Current service subscribers are being asked if they'd be interested in "unlimited calling, texting, and internet data access" for $29.95 a month, which is ridiculously, mind-numbingly low for such a package if Cablevision is actually capable of delivering. It seems they'll try to bridge the gap by launching the service with a WiFi slant -- presumably using UMA -- falling back to cellular on the road when you're outside the range of one of Optimum's hotspots. They're promising "a variety of smartphone choices that offer features comparable to those offered by iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry," so hey, if the price is right and the service actually works, why not? There's no word on when Optimum might launch this action, but we have a hard time believing many of the people that got the survey actually responded "no." [Thanks, Maikel]
HD channel expansion roundup
Once upon a time, a smattering of new HD channels in one major metropolitan area was a huge deal. Nowadays, it's almost expected that one area or another will experience some HD expansion each week. In order to keep things nice and tidy around here, we deliver high-def expansions, market expansions and anything else dealing with HD channel growth right here. If we missed an area that you're familiar with, drop us a line in comments so everyone can catch up. The more the merrier, we say! Read - Cablevision Launches ESPNU In Standard-Definition And HD Read - Cable Tech Pavilion to Highlight 3DTV, Tru2way Read - Rapids To Regionally Broadcast 2010 Games On KWGN/Channel 2 In High Definition Read - Fox Sports Kansas City announces Royals High Definition TV schedule Read - All Regular Season Cards Games in HD on FSM Read - Digital age coming for Comcast TV subscribers (Boulder, CO) Read - Suddenlink changing cable, Internet service in Alexandria area (Louisiana)
3D hockey nets positive reviews, biggest surprise of the night was a Rangers win
The secret behind MSG's surprise 3D broadcast of last night's Rangers/Islanders hockey game? It came together in a two week turnaround which repurposed equipment laying around between stops at a recent Black Eyed Peas concert and next month's NAB show in Las Vegas. Judging by the reviews it was worth the effort with more than a few indicating an interest in buying 3DTVs to check things out at home next time -- while it aired on Cablevision, all the reports we found were based on the screens located at the arena itself. Not everyone agreed on the best aspects of the new production: Christopher Botta of Fanhouse preferred a lack of "reaching through the screen" gimmicks while the New York Times report asked for more opportunities to feel like the players are popping out at the viewer, even though they found the standard HDTV feed "flat, underlit and distant" in comparison. We couldn't find any complaints regarding those ever-present 3D glasses, though issues like someone walking in front of the camera or on screen graphics appearing to leap off the screen revealed there's still a few kinks to work out (camera placement may be further adjusted during an upcoming renovation.) The appeal of 3D sports for fans has already been established, we're wondering if playing in a more 3D-ready arena might be used to convince Lebron or other stars to play home games at MSG, in the meantime, check out all the reviews and a few behind the scenes videos embedded after the break.
Time Warner Cable enables city-wide WiFi for NYC subscribers
If you're a Time Warner Cable subscriber in the greater NYC area, your life just got a little bit better this morning. TWC has come to an agreement with Cablevision, allowing the former's subscribers to tap in to the city-wide WiFi the latter started rolling out way back in 2008. No, we're not talking unbroken coverage from the Hudson to the East Rivers, but there are thousands of Optimum-branded hotspots all over the boroughs that cover plenty of parks and rail stations across the city. Unfortunately TWC isn't opening this up to all of its subscribers, just NYC-based ones, but if you have the requisite @nyc.rr.com suffix on your e-mail address hit that source link and find yourself a hotspot. [Photo credit: David Corby]
Cablevision bumps Comcast to the back, 3D sports at home starts next week
Just as Comcast leapfrogged DirecTV's 3D plans, its claim to the first live HD 3D event has been stolen away by Cablevision, which will broadcast a Rangers/Islanders NHL matchup Wednesday, shown both in a special viewing party in the Theater at Madison Square Garden and on iO TV channel 1300 (if you already have a 3DTV but not Cablevision then keep an eye on your channel guide as, like the Masters broadcast, it may be shared with other networks.) While this is probably just the beginning of another FCC battle over who it will have to share the broadcasts with, MSG is just focusing on keeping a trend going since it was one of the first to jump on HDTV production of NBA and NHL games way back in 1998 and plans to keep 3D broadcasts coming over the next year with more games and concerts. Production is being handled by 3ality Digital, previously responsible for the BCS game that turned some of our preconceived notions about 3D with its BCS National Championship broadcast a little over a year ago, which plans to use 5 cameras from a lower angle than usual to resemble the perspective of the actual players -- minus concussion-inducing blindside hits to the head. Anyone willing to host a viewing party? We're totally down to bring snacks... if you'll cover our 3D glasses. [Thanks, William & Vinny]
Court rules against Comcast, Cablevision on new FCC program access rules
Comcast and Cablevision's quest to keep the HD feeds of the networks they own off of satellite and telco services was again dealt a loss Friday when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld new FCC rules requiring them to share. Neither found that pleasing, with Comcast citing the continued exclusivity of NFL Sunday Ticket and NASCAR Hot Pass to DirecTV, while Cablevision whined about its latest spat with ABC. This might not be the end of things however, as the court voted the FCC could later rescind the rule if it decides it "is no longer timely," and it will likely play a part in the ongoing discussions over Comcast's proposed purchase of NBC.
WABC-7 comes back on Cablevision, return to Oscar watching at DEFCON 4
Just that fast, the situation has been defused, as ABC-7 has suddenly reappeared on the screens of Cablevision viewers. It's been off for less than a day but despite missing a great Magic/Lakers matchup earlier in the day it's on just in time to see if Avatar actually takes the Best Picture trophy home for the 3D camp. The statement from WABC-TV president Rebecca Campbell: "We've made significant progress, and have reached an agreement in principle that recognizes the fair value of ABC7, with deal points that we expect to finalize with Cablevision. Given this movement, we're pleased to announce that ABC7 will return to Cablevision households while we work to complete our negotiations." No word on what those "deal points" are, but as long as our friend @Gartenberg gets to watch his Castle it's probably all for the best.
WABC-7 pulled from Cablevision on the eve of the Oscars or two days before Lost
Depending on your personal calendar, the removal of WABC-7's signal from Cablevision in New York is potentially tragic for different reasons but all in all it's a very familiar scene. Fresh off its standoff with Scripps over Food Network and HGTV, Cablevision is rumbling with Disney over the same issue that nearly caused Time Warner customers to miss Fox-broadcasted bowl games around New Years Day (and yes, Senator John Kerry is involved, again) -- will the cable company pay to carry what's available free OTA? With both sides firmly dug in slinging accusations back and forth via screen crawls and press releases (propaganda from both sides embedded after the break) the most interesting wrinkle is Cablevision's suggestion that users just go online and check out primetime programming via ABC.com or Hulu (or grab an antenna for some digital TV love, whatever works.) These things can turn at a moments notice so we'll wait see if the fighting is resolved in time for an afternoon NBA Finals flashback as the Lakers take on the Magic, or for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards at 8:30 p.m. No matter what happens, if things aren't back to normal by Tuesday we'd evacuate the city, a Lostie without their fix is a dangerous thing.
Cablevision's new 'PC to TV Media Relay' slings PC media to your cable box, fuzzy on the details
It's been done before, and in many ways, but Cablevision's new plan for slinging what's on your PC to your TV might be one of the most interesting tries yet. Dubbed "PC to TV Media Relay," the new service will let subscribers that get their broadband internet and cable TV from Cablevision load up a bit of software on their Windows PC (a Mac version is forthcoming) that pushes whatever is on the computer through to a dedicated channel on the cable box. The real win here is the absolute lack of new hardware that's required (as far as we can tell), though we're guessing Cablevision is doing something fancy on the back end to route the video locally instead of streaming it over the entire internet. The service will start trials in June, and is a pretty overt move to keep users from dropping their cable TV service altogether as internet video continues to gain steam and Intel Wireless Display makes something like this into default functionality. In all, it's hard not to see this as just a stopgap, but it's certainly an intriguing one.
Food Network, HGTV are back on Cablevision
It took three weeks, but Scripps & Cablevision have settled their differences, allowing Food Network and HGTV to return to New York area cable customers this afternoon. Both sides had plenty of tough talk New Year's Day when the channels disappeared, but all that's faded into the general "we're glad to be back on" PR-speak. Terms of the agreement weren't disclosed but we hear Bobby Flay and Guy Fieri will be suiting up for the Knicks tonight, which could explain the lengthy negotiations.
FCC sides against cable companies restricting local sports HD feeds
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/television/FCC_Sides_Against_Cable_Restricting_Sports_HD_Feeds'; Recently cable companies, most notably Cablevision, have been refusing to share high definition feeds of sports networks they owned and cited a loophole in the FCC's regulations as justification for doing so. Today the FCC voted 4-1 to close the "terrestrial loophole" that previously only required satellite delivered programming to be made available to competitors. Verizon, AT&T, DirecTV and Dish Network are predictable pleased by the ruling, but we wouldn't assume the various MSG networks will be showing up in your FiOS guide right away. This ruling just allows the affected parties to go through a complaint process and show how they are being harmed before the FCC might take any action, and dissenting voter Robert McDowell indicated he expects to see the ruling challenged in court. Unfortunately he did not mean the basketball court, otherwise we could just tie this in with the Lebron-to-the-Knicks rumors and call it a day.
It's 2010 - Fox is still on TWC (for now) but Food & HGTV are off Cablevision
As two digits flipped over last night we waited to see if Fox and Time Warner Cable would work out their differences or turn channels dark.... and waited... and waited until we finally dozed off. As it stands, thanks to a series of extensions and ongoing negotiations, the channels are still on, but there's no new deal. As long as that remains to be the case, many football fans and several members of the government should be quite pleased, but in a New Year's Day surprise, Cablevision has rid itself of two networks on its service - Food Network and HGTV. While we've been upset by reports of some odd aspect ratio stretching on HGTV, these channels have their own fans that are upset to see them missing. Cablevision's posture seems to be that they won't be coming back, but parent company Scripps has already launched campaigns at ILoveHGTV.com and ILoveFoodNetwork.com for viewers to appeal for their return. We'll keep an eye on the ongoing Fox/TWC spat, though we're sure they wouldn't suddenly let channels go dark right before the Sugar Bowl tonight, would they?
Cablevision asks FCC for a waiver to encrypt all Clear QAM channels
Flying in the face of those who think that cable operators are allowed to encrypt every channel, Cablevision has petitioned the FCC for a waiver to do just that. Evidently it is argued that even the basic tier should encrypted to save money on truck rolls that are currently required to disconnect service. As usual, the FCC is requesting the comment of opposing views, so it's not to late to be heard. But it seems to us that Cablevision is going to have a hard time arguing to protect these channels in the clear, when it's the every same channels you can get for free with an antenna. Add in all the customers who brought home a new TV and just plugged it into the cable and did a channel scan, and you have yourselves a waiver we'd like to see denied. [Thanks, Mike]
AT&T also has a grudge against Cablevision
Looks like Verizon's not the only one to have beef with Cablevision's treatment of its MSG HD channels, now that AT&T has also petitioned the FCC to compel the cabler to sell the high definition feeds to its competitors. AT&T cites stats showing high definition is a big deal for consumers, with 45% saying they'd switch providers for a superior sports package, claiming it can't compete in Connecticut without the networks. Just as before, Cablevision claims it can do as it likes, that it already sells them every single game (in SD format) and that AT&T is a bigger company that doesn't need a bailout. We've had plenty of summertimes squabbles about who was and wasn't playing by the rules that ended with one side claiming they'd take their ball and go home, but we usually didn't bring the FCC in to settle it. The FCC is still on a five month clock to consider the complaints and the "terrestrial loophole," 'til it responds we can't guess how this one will end.
Verizon / Cablevision MSG HD channel squabble goes to the FCC
NYC Metro FiOS subs will look on with interest as Verizon has petitioned the FCC to rule on whether or not Cablevision can continue to refuse offering its MSG channels in high definition to FiOS customers. Naturally Cablevision has responded calling the idea of a regulatory bailout for a phone company ten times its size "absurd," and claiming that it doesn't have to license its local HD programming to anyone. As Multichannel News explains, at issue is the "terrestrial loophole" which requires satellite delivered programming to be made available to competitors, but since the MSG channels aren't that rule does not apply. Still, it could be a while before we know if local Rangers, Knicks, Islanders, Devils and Sabers games are coming to FiOS as Verizon has asked for a decisions within five months, which, while not in time for the basketball season, should still be made well ahead of the Knicks ever being any good again.Read - Verizon Petitions FCC to Rule on Cablevision's Refusal to Make MSG Channels Available in HDRead - Verizon Files Program Access Complaint Against Cablevision
Cable companies miss tru2way deadline, insist it's no big deal
Remember that tru2way-related Memorandum of Understanding that was all the rage about this time last year? It appears the 6 cable companies haven't lived up to at least one part of their agreement, collectively missing the deadline of July 1 to have 100% of their digital cable headends compatible. No word on how close they got, but Comcast, Cox, Time Warner, Charter, Cablevision and Bright House still insist it's "not that far off" though we don't see how missing important milestones is helping move the technology forwards.
Supreme Court declines to hear remote storage DVR appeal, cloud recording is on the way
It seems like Cablevision and others have been trying to roll out "remote storage" network DVRs forever, and now that the Supreme Court has decided against hearing the appeal of the Hollywood studios looking to block it, they should finally be able to deliver as soon as this summer. Of course, there's benefits to having a locally stored copy of I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, but just in case we forgot to queue up a recording, the power went out or suffered some other manner of catastrophe, we'd still have access to all the Lou Diamond Phillips anyone could ask for, and there's really no way the highest court in the land could get in the way of that.
