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AT&T bringing De La Hoya vs. Pacquiao to U-verse HD PPV
Regardless of his age or win total, Oscar De La Hoya is a preeminent eminence grise in the sport of boxing. That said, we understand that not everyone will be able to jet off to Las Vegas to see his December 6th matchup with Manny Pacquia, but those with AT&T's U-verse will be treated to The Dream Match in glistening high-def. 'Course, the pricing is apt to make you consider just visiting a bar ($65 for the HD PPV, $55 for the SD PPV), but who knows how inflated that tab could be by the end of the night. Decisions, decisions.[Image courtesy of PFW, thanks Anthony]
WWE HD pay-per-view events head to Cineplex theatres in Canada
We can't exactly say we saw this one coming, but considering that you can catch the Metropolitan Opera in a cinema, we suppose it's not all that shocking. Just days after WWE aired its first live event in high-definition, it has partnered up with Cineplex Entertainment to bring future pay-per-view broadcasts to the big screen. Starting this Sunday with Royal Rumble, Canucks will be able to purchase tickets for $13.95 to enjoy the carnage from within one of Cineplex's many Canadian theaters. If you're impressed, you can check out the full lineup of upcoming HD PPV wrestling events that will be shown on screen here. 'Course, it'll be hard to mimic what you're watching with all those immobile seats, but we're sure you can find a way to sneak a headlock or two in if nothing else.[Image courtesy of WWE]
WWE Royal Rumble confirmed for HD
Just as expected, the January 27, 2008 WWE Royal Rumble will indeed be airing in HD, and considering that the event itself sold out in five hours, catching it via HD pay-per-view is likely your best remaining option. Reportedly, the high-definition broadcast of Royal Rumble will be available via DirecTV and "digital cable" providers, but we're not entirely sure if it'll be accessible on every provider out there. Unfortunately, those requesting the event in HD will be dinged for an extra $10 ($49.95 versus $39.95 in SD), but hey, that's still a fair bit cheaper than snapping up a ticket from a scalper.[Thanks, gamedude420]
Royal Rumble to be WWE's first HD pay-per-view event?
Apparently, the WWE will finally be rolling out a major pay-per-view event in high-definition some 12 months after UFC did the same. According to a tipster, Time Warner Cable (partly owned by Time Warner, parent company of AOL, which owns Engadget) is gearing up to offer the WWE Royal Rumble PPV event in HD when it airs on January 27, 2008. Of course, this shouldn't be too surprising considering that WWE was already planning to switch Smackdown to HD next month, but for fans of the sport, we're sure they'll be delighted to have the PPV matches in 1080i, too. We'll let you know if we hear anything official.[Thanks, DG]
Dish Network to add nine HD pay-per-view channels on September 12th
Shortly after playing down DirecTV's claims of offering up 100 HD channels, Dish Network is apparently readying nine more of its own. Of course, these additions will be pay-per-view only, but it's more HD regardless. According to a page in the latest issue of Dish Magazine, the satellite operator will "add nine new pay-per-view HD movie channels to its lineup on September 12th." The channels will occupy numbers 531, 534 - 537, 540 - 542, and 539 (which will be a simulcast of channel 9467). Keep an eye (or both) out for the new options to open up in just three weeks.
NDS partners with VBox to deliver HD pay-TV content to PCs
If you're the type who digs HD, but would rather catch it on one of your two (or more) HD-capable displays connected to your computer, NDS has struck a deal with VBox to bring HD pay-TV content to your PC -- without the need for potentially costly upgrades. The agreement allows PC users to receive "broadcast content on VBox's Cat's Eye PC-TV receiver," which would store / playback footage like any typical DVR, while NDS' VideoGuard PC would provide the obligatory DRM kick to keep content owners pacified. VBox's Cat's Eye Premium is a newly unveiled receiver designed to deliver content optimized for IP distribution, which essentially provides "digital set-top box functionality in a PC environment" by interfacing with the computer's USB port or PCI slot. Content is received in the same way as typical TV owners, but is channeled into your PC via USB / PCI instead of component of HDMI, and it's strapped down by NDS' USB encryption key which is required for the whole rig to operate correctly; in addition, VBox also offers routers and gateways in case you're interested in slinging that content to various machines via Ethernet. Neither NDS nor VBox made mention of just how much this snazzy sounding setup would run PC users, but hopefully we'll be seeing the deal yield some forward progress soon after CES concludes.
