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Poll: What do you do when channels go blank?
Disputes over fees that result in channels being blacked out seem to be occurring more regularly than ever, and as we've found out can even extend to internet access for streaming TV shows. So what would you do, or have you done when (insert channel here) goes off the air after negotiations for a new contract stall right before (insert major TV event here) airs and even John Kerry can't make it right? We remember the great Viacom dispute of 2008, if we had missed even a single episode of The Hills, there would have been serious repercussions for all involved.%Poll-54414%
Time Warner claims it's the HD king of New York with 150 channels, StartOver
Time Warner's thrown down the HD gauntlet on Verizon FiOS in New York City, adding 25 HD channels and claiming that it's got the juice now, with all the HD games of the nine sports teams and NY1 in HD. Beyond the new additions -- including but not limited to good ones like Fox Soccer Channel, CSPAN networks, HBO and Showtime throw-ins, a few Viacom networks like Nick HD, CMT HD and VH1 HD, and the rather dubious four additional Big Ten HD feeds alongside Gol TV HD on the sports tier -- it also mentions Start Over is enabled on "more than 25 HD channels in the New York area" although it's not immediately clear which ones. Multichannel News reports Verizon's fired back that despite having a mere 133 HD channels, qualities like picture quality, widgets and VOD tilt things back its way. While they continue to do battle over the crown and those MSG sports networks, we're pretty sure plenty of New York watchers are just sitting back and enjoying some soccer, movies and routine government meetings in HD right now.
AT&T's U-Verse trumpets second quarter gains, new features while sneaking in more HD streams
Judging by its own report, AT&T is proud to have grown U-Verse to 2.5 million TV customers while adding features like My Multiview, which lets users plug in four channels of their choice to watch at once, and the new Chicago Cubs branded Multiview app that enables local fans to view the main broadcast plus three of any six additional camera angles on one screen. But one of the biggest recent additions wasn't mentioned in these press releases, as it's quietly strengthened one of the weaknesses we've complained about most, increasing from two simultaneous HD streams per household to 3 (or 4, as pictured above by U-VerseUsers forum poster txskeets.) VP Jeff Weber tells us the upgrade covers the overwhelming majority of users, so watching ESPN in one room, Shark Week in another and DVRing iCarly all in high definition should be no problem now. We're still waiting to hear specifics about Xbox 360 and Windows Media Center tie-ins, but we'll make do with this item being checked off of the list for now.
Sony plans to launch Sony Pictures Movies HD, FEARNet linear channel later this year
Get ready for a few more movie channels to hit your guide listing, as the L.A. Times reports it's heard Sony is planning to launch two new channels later this year. The first is the familiar FEARNet, currently existing as a video on-demand only provider that it hopes to get in more homes by adding a traditional channel, and the other would be an all new Sony Pictures Movies HD venture. So far Sony Pictures hasn't pursued its own movie network in the US but it does have channels overseas, and this would be a high definition channel along the lines (and pricing) of MGM HD. It doesn't have the three screen flair of EPIX HD, but if we can get some OAR movies with proper surround sound, that would be something to look forward to.
Dish puts its HD channel list up for evaluation
After being called out by competitor DirecTV on its supposed counting shenanigans, Dish's only option was to put its list of channels on the web for easy comparison. We've also dropped the list in after the break for you to look, count and be impressed (or not.) We're not sure if anyone is really that moved by pure numbers at this point, whether or not a provider has the one channel you want instead of five you don't seems to be the key these days. Is having the most linear HD available what you're looking for, or is something else keeping you paying the service charge each month?
DirecTV raises its HD channels claim to 160, disses Dish for juking the numbers
We hadn't even finished counting Dish's 200 channels claim when DirecTV pops up with plans to add a whole slew of new HD networks as well. By its reckoning, tossing ESPNU HD, WGN HD, MSNBC HD, some additional DirecTV Cinema Channels and more puts it over 160 "around the clock HD channels", and executive VP Derek Chang couldn't resist tossing in a link to count them for yourself. He's laid the gauntlet down for Dish to put its channel lineup up for similar scrutiny, we'll see if the end result of this duel is more clarity in the channel/choices count wars. Check the full press release after the break.
Time Warner, Fox trade shots on who to blame when you can't see the bowl games
Time Warner didn't say who it was targeting with the heavily-slanted RollOverorGetTough (Spanish language version available at www.cederoponersefirme.com) website recently, but now that Fox has yelped like a hit dog and launched its own campaign at KeepFoxOn.com we can see where this is going. While Time Warner's latest press release claims victory from over 400,000 visitors overwhelmingly voting in favor of Getting Tough on price gouging programmers, Fox is claiming it seeks only "fair compensation" and is fulfilling its "responsibility" to prepare viewers for losing their channels. The Fox website hypes up switching to satellite and all the programming that could be lost if Time Warner does not opt to continue its agreement to carry Fox networks, and pointing out everything that's at stake: House, 24, several BCS games and more. The only ones we truly have sympathy for are the customers in the middle, hopefully this slapfight ends in time for them to avoid missing even a second of precious TV, just like the great Viacom near-miss of '08 - '09.
Time Warner wants to know if it should get tough about rate hikes
In a time when technology gets cheaper and cheaper, no one likes to pay more for the same thing and the most infamously cheap -- when it comes to paying for programming -- cable provider is looking for your support. You see, cable companies are like most corporations in America, they don't really produce anything as much as they market and mark up other people's work, so when the actual content producers like Fox, Disney/ABC and Universal increase the price of its content, those costs get passed onto your cable bill. Now Time Warner realizes it's stuck in between a rock and a hard place facing the decision to not carry your favorite show, or raise your rates -- because we know the cost isn't going to come out of the profits -- it hopes to gain your support to get tough with the providers by launching a new site where you can vote. We're really not sure what the answer is on this one, but we do wish the content producers weren't allowed to bundle channels, that way when Time Warner Cable decided to hold out on USA HD, it wouldn't also mean we couldn't watch Syfy HD.
BBC iPlayer relaunching as a dedicated Wii Channel
The BBC iPlayer, only available in the UK, is proof that streaming video can work on the Wii -- like the Wii no Ma service, Minna no Theater Wii, and the Nintendo Channel. Well, maybe not that last one, given the stuttery playback of Nintendo Week whenever we attempt to watch it. As rumored, the Wii's iPlayer is moving up from a nice browser-based app to its very own Wii Channel. BBC dated the launch of the new iPlayer download for November 18. It'll be a free download, and, once again, only available in the UK. We'd pay the licence fee if you'd let us, BBC! [Thanks, Bobulous!]
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! (Links continue after the break) Read - Dish Network Adds 2 More HD Markets Read - Comcast Boosts HD, Switches Basic Cable Channels to Digital (Michigan) Read - Pace Connects Set-Tops With Rovi Read - Valley TeleCom offers HD TV channels Read - AT&T U-verse Arrives in Mobile Read - DIRECTV Delivers Local HD Programming to Customers in Lexington, Ky. Read - Comcast Boosts HD To 100+ Channels In Western Wayne (Michigan) Read - Outdoor Channel Broadens Distribution in Oregon and Washington Markets Through Comcast... Read - Mega TV Is the First Spanish-Language Network to Launch Its High Definition Service on the Comcast System in South Florida
We predict that Europe will receive a new Wii channel tomorrow
Yes, we can accurately predict that a new Wii Channel will be available in Europe tomorrow, but only because Nintendo announced it. Nintendo has dug into its archive of Japanese Channels and dusted off the Today & Tomorrow Channel, which offers daily horoscopes for every Mii on your console, as well as astrologically-determined compatibility tests and lifestyle tips.You know who else didn't predict this? Nintendo of Europe. A spokesperson said last year that there were no plans to localize this channel. Maybe there were plans, but the Nintendo rep didn't know how to correctly interpret the signs.%Gallery-38341%[Thanks, Kevin!]
wowTwitter is a Twitter just for your characters
I'm not sure how well this will scale, but it's an interesting idea: while it's certainly possible to just create a Twitter account for your World of Warcraft characters (so anyone interested can always see what you're up to), the folks behind a new site called wowTwitter have gone a step further, and recreated Twitter's functionality specifically for Azeroth's virtual denizens. It's very barebones right now, but basically, after you register, you can punch in any of your characters, "verify" them by changing something about them in the Armory (like unequipping the piece of gear on your wrist), and then you can send and receive messages on that character, with special channels created for the guild, your realm, and so on. I thought it used Twitter somehow, but it seems completely separate: they're running their own database and servers, so while the two work the same way (there are "@" replies and hashtags), they don't interact at all.Which means they'll also have all of the problems that Twitter has had -- when only a few people are using your database, it runs fine, but if it starts to scale up at all, then you run into lots of "Fail Whale" downtime. And I'm not sure we need a whole other system just for WoW characters (though this one does have the nice bonus of "claiming" your character so it can't get impersonated). At any rate, they're in beta right now, and actually hosting a cash money prize contest for the most characters verified and tweets posted, so a link from us will probably show them how ready their system is. If it's your thing, go forth and wowTweet!
Wii Food Delivery Channel open for business in Japan
Today, Nintendo of Japan finally made it possible to invoke the proverbial "/pizza" through the Wii. The Demae Channel ("Food Delivery Channel"), a Wii channel that allows users to place delivery orders on the Wii, launched today.If you're in Japan and you like to eat food, you can now order pizza, curry, and other varieties of food using the Wii. Rather than paying through the system, you just pay the delivery guy as normal. Check out the video for a demo of the Demae Channel in action -- and a look at how expensive pizza is in Japan. 3,600 yen ($38) for a large Pizza Hut pizza?[Via Siliconera]
AT&T's U-verse: now with 100+ HD channels in every market
Look out, pay-TV providers -- AT&T just broke out the big stick and announced that it's now beaming at least 100 high-def channels in every last one of its markets. In fact, that's more HD channels than any local cable competitor in any existing U-verse market. Just in case you were wondering, customers won't be dinged any extra for the new additions, with HD service being included with the U450 tier and available for $10 per month with any other U-verse TV package. So yeah, we're stoked as can be for those with access to this stuff, but can we get a little market expansion going on now that the century mark has been passed?
Smile! Wii photo printing channel may leave Japan
Excellent news, fans of ... various ... services ... being made available through Wii Channels! There's one more item of Channel-related news out today. A trademark found on the European trademark database suggests that Nintendo is looking to take its Digicam Print Channel to Europe (and potentially elsewhere) as the "Photo Print Service Channel".The Digicam Print Channel, a service offered through a deal with Fujifilm, allows Wii owners to order prints of photos saved to an SD card, create customizable Nintendo-themed photo albums, and even order business cards featuring Nintendo backgrounds and Mii pictures. The business cards are available in Japan as Club Nintendo rewards. We've been coveting those Mii business cards for a while, though not enough to make our own imitation and just go to Kinko's. Being able to get the genuine article through the Wii would be lovely.
DirecTV adds Comedy Central HD, Engadget HD consolidates HD expansion news
Usually we don't like to post the same news twice, but by the looks of all the tips we've gotten pointing us to the fact that DirecTV added Comedy Central HD -- thanks by the way -- we figured it wouldn't hurt to ride on the exciting news to introduce a new weekly roundup post at Engadget HD. In the past, HD expansions were so few and far between that it was a very big deal around here, but in the past 6 months or so they're so common that we've decided to consolidate them into a weekly post. So from now on you can look for a weekly post with the tag channels that'll include every new HD channel on every provider for that week.
Cablevision gets official with 15 premium HD channels
We had every reason to believe that these channels were coming, but now Cablevision itself has stepped forward with a confirmation. Starting right about now (and continuing over a three-day period), customers of the carrier with HD set-top-boxes can find 15 new premium movie channels in high-def. Yep, the whole lot consists of HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, Starz and Encore variants, and while it's certainly not admitted, we have all ideas that these were added after the removal of the 15 VOOM HD networks a few months prior. Regardless of the motives, we better not hear a single complaint from movie buffs who happen to get their pay-TV from this carrier.[Image courtesy of Reuben]
Comcast brings a fresh trio to Philadelphia, PA
While citizens in the Philly suburbs of Willow Grove / Montgomery and Bucks Counties received these three last month, Comcast decided to wait awhile before bestowing them upon the residents of Philadelphia proper. As of now, USA HD, Discovery HD and SciFi HD have all been added, and if you're parked in the City of Brotherly Love, you can find 'em on slots 222, 224 and 226, respectively. The full release is after the break.
AT&T's U-verse TV picking up seven Viacom networks in HD
Just days after AT&T announced that NHL Network HD would be gliding over to U-verse TV, in flies a report stating that Viacom and AT&T have linked up on a sweet new deal. Said agreement will enable seven new networks to join the U-verse TV EPG: MTV HD, VH1 HD, CMT HD, BET HD, Nickelodeon HD, Comedy Central HD and Spike HD. The deal also "renews carriage of the MTVN and BETN channels and VOD content featured on AT&T U-verse TV, and provides for carriage of new international channels, including MTV India, later this year." Now, let's wait and see if those monthly rates creep up any after the fact.
Cablevision's probable VOOM HD replacement channels: they're all premiums
Okay, so Cablevision isn't apt to come right out and say that these newcomers are the replacements for the 15 VOOM HD networks that were marked for deletion late last year, but it may as well have. Coincidentally, 15 new high-def channels are reportedly lined up to join the Cablevision EPG in short order, though every single one is a premium movie channel. Encore HD, Starz Kids & Family HD, Starz Edge HD, HBO Signature HD, HBO Family HD, HBO Comedy HD, HBO Zone HD, HBO2 HD, HBO Latino HD, Action Max HD, More Max HD, @MAX HD, Outer MAX HD and Showtime Too HD are all expected to show up starting on January 21st, with rollouts continuing across all markets until January 23rd. We know, your first reaction is probably something along the lines of "What? All movie channels?," but at least you're getting something out of the deal -- if you opt to pay up, of course. [Thanks, LI PC Tech]
