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HDTV Listings for September 29, 2006
What we're watching: The latter half of Numb3rs' two-part season opener airs tonight on CBS, along with new episodes of Ghost Whisperer and Close to Home. As the baseball regular season comes to a close the Phillies face the Marlins on ESPN-HD.Our traditional high definition listings continue below.
HDTV Listings for September 28, 2006
What we're watching: The Office and My Name is Earl of course, although Shark (a.k.a. court-House) gets attention as well. ABC is premiering all-new series Ugly Betty at 8 before Grey's Anatomy and Six Degrees. The CW checks in as they kick off new seasons of Smallville and Supernatural. ESPN-HD has SEC football on tap for tonight as Auburn faces South Carolina while ESPN2-HD features the Orioles vs.Yankees.Our traditional high definition listings continue below.
HDTV Listings for September 27, 2006
What we're watching: One Tree Hill kicks off its new season tonight on The CW, however we're a bit confused about its partner, America's Next Top Model. The show has not previously been high-def to our knowledge, but a few sites are indicating it is. The CW's official site hasn't seen fit to provide information like resolution and surround sound information for any of their shows yet so we can't confirm, but we'll list it temporarily. Jericho is also back on CBS along with Kidnapped on NBC, we'll have to wait and see if these new shows last. You can get Doom on Xbox Live tonight or watch it on Cinemax, while Arrested Development continues on HDNet.Our traditional high-def listings continue below.
HDTV Listings for September 26, 2006
What we're watching: Since we forgot to mention the season finale of Brotherhood on Showtime yesterday, we'll check out the re-air tonight. New shows include the all-new Help Me Help You starring Ted Danson, and the season premiere of Gilmore Girls on CW. Smith is back on CBS while House and Standoff are new on Fox. Discovery HD is also a solid pick with Inside Look: Crash Test Dummies.
HDTV Listings for September 25, 2006
What we're watching: Finally an HD premiere from The CW, as Runaway, a series about a whole family on the run from the law begins tonight. Also airing for the first time is Heroes on NBC, as everyday people gain supernatural powers. Slightly less fantastic but still extraodinary is the return of the NFL to New Orleans, with the Saints home opener vs. Michael Vick and the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip received good reviews for its premiere episode and is back with number two, along with the whole CBS lineup bookended by new comedy The Class and CSI: Miami. If Heroes doesn't fulfill your sci-fi urge, there's still Star Trek: Enterprise on HDNet and Doom on Cinemax.Our traditional high-def listings continue below.
Where is HDNet on Comcast?
Mark Cuban's high-def network, HDNet, cannot be found on Comcast and with hockey season right around the corner, many fans want the network not because of the Hogan's Hero's reruns but the 52 high-def hockey games they are going to broadcast this year. Comcast owns the NHL high-def broadcast rights and you would think that they would want to provide their subscribers with the most possible high-def NHL content but it all boils down to one thing: money. Comcast is blaming subscribers by stating that they don't want to watch HDNet and plus, the station is very expensive. We highly doubt that Comcast subscribers would not want to watch the station as the vast majority of HDTV owners would agree that there is a dearth of programming on their current high-def stations and we will take anything we can get. Hogan's Hero's, hockey, anything HDNet can add to the good of the HD cause would be greatly appreciated. Mr. HDNet himself, Mark Cuban, was contacted and he said that they are trying to get a deal on the table but it's going to take the subscribers saying they want the NHL in HD via HDNet. Can you hear that in the distance? That's the grassroots stating to organize into a movement.
DIRECTV's magical, disapearing high-def station
DIRECTV has a crisis goin' on and the only way to resolve bandwidth issues is to turn off high-def stations. Sounds absurd right, but three weeks ago for the first [high-def] Football Sunday of the year, DIRECTV pulled the plug on TNT-HD for a bit. Then last Sunday HDNet drew the short end of the straw and this week Universal was cut during football time. The NFL Sunday Ticket is a major source of revenue for the provider and to be honest, people love the package. Every football game (most of 'em are in glorious high-def now), fast-forward games later in the day, the ability to watch six games at once -- it's the ONLY option for a true football fan but what about the other stations? Not everyone is a football fan and last week TNT-HD featured a NASCAR race, so naturally there were a lot of apprehensive race fans waiting to see if their source for high-def coverage was going to disappear, but instead DIRECTV cut HDNet without warning. DIRECTV has a problem and us, the viewers, are suffering because of it. We just wonder what station will be cut next week?
HDTV Listings for September 24, 2006
What we're watching: Desperate Housewives returns tonight, followed by the brand new show Brothers & Sisters starring Calista Flockhart. CBS is also kicking off brand new seasons of Cold Case and Without a Trace beginning at 9. Sunday Night football is in its appropriate slot as the Broncos face the Patriots at home, we'll see how Tom Brady continues to fare without Deion Branch. TNT has both Kill Bill's again tonight, if you can bear the inevitable stretching.Update: Noted season premieres of Without a Trace & Cold Case (Thanks Peter).Our traditional high-def listings continue below.
HDTV Listings for September 23, 2006
What we're watching: What game you get on ABC tonight depends on where you are, some will see Notre Dame at Michigan State while west coasters get USC vs. Arizona. If you missed the premieres of Smith, Jericho, Law & Order: SVU or Kidnapped, tonight you'll get a second chance at a first impression. Finally, for those who didn't already watch it via VOD, The Chronicles of Narnia is on Starz-HD.Our traditional high-def listings continue below.
HDTV Listings for September 22, 2006
What we're watching: The only Law & Order without a suffix kicks off its new season tonight on NBC, as well as Ghost Whisperer, Close to Home and NUMB3RS on CBS. Universal HD is reairing Ryder Cup play in primetime while ABC brings back last night's season premiere of Grey's Anatomy and a new ep of Men in Trees. Given the choice between golf and emotionally tormented surgeons, you know what our choice is (Grey's).Our traditional high definition listings continue below.
Mark Cuban: I would buy an HD DVD player today and wait for a dual box
Yes, we are fully ignoring the rest of this interview with Mark Cuban concerning his HD networks and business to focus on the ongoing format war. If you want to read it there is actually quite a bit of other interesting commentary on why HDNet isn't carried on more cable networks, how he plans to use Dan Rather and in the second part posted today, why the Emmys weren't broadcast in HD and what he thinks of the digital TV transition. But we must post about HD DVD and Blu-ray at least twice each day so we'll focus on that. Interestingly, he first says he would rather get a cheap HTPC and run high definition content off of that, but otherwise would choose HD DVD right now and a combo player later. This is a viewpoint seen in more than a few AV forums around the net, is Mark just a part of a niche HD DVD market or is this evidence that even a billionaire who can afford a 103-inch plasma HDTV thinks Blu-ray is way overpriced?
Mark Cuban is offering you a job in the movie biz...
Mark Cuban has a problem and it is kind of our fault. He wants people to go to the theater instead of staying home and enjoying their beautiful high-def TVs. O.K. he didn't say the last part but you can still feel his pain via his blog. Mr C. is concerned with the amount that studios/theaters spend on advertising verse how much tickets cost. It is definitely something that industry leaders are concerned about. Do you know that a studio might spend $12 bucks per person in ads and marketing to get you in the theater's seats? We all have spent a good amount on our home theaters, so what would get you out of your Berkline Theater Seats and away from your cheap bag of popcorn? Mark Cuban wants to know and is willing to pay you good money if it works.[via DVguru]
Arrested Development and Enterprise to be on HDNet
Millions of fans were disappointed when FOX canceled Arrested Development. While it's nothing new for HDNet to pick up canceled shows or canceled talent for that matter from the big 4 this are some of the first from FOX or UPN. It will be interesting to see how the quality compares to when the show was originally aired on FOX.At the same time they are also adding Star Trek: Enterprise, which is arguably the worst of the Star Trek genre, but hey it's in HD! We like this show, but we are required to by the geek by-laws. Some fans were lucky enough to catch the final two seasons in HD on their local UPN affiliate, but in some markets their affiliate wasn't up to the task. Thanks HDNet for continuing to add HD content even if they are the canceled shows. Hey at least it's better than Joan of Arcadia.Read:EnterpriseArrested Development [Via AVSForum]
MLS pushing "The Beautiful Game" on HDNet
In case you didn't have your fill of high definition round-ball football action during the World Cup on ABC & ESPN, Major League Soccer wants you to remember we play some soccer in HD over here too. They've scheduled 10 of the remaining 15 HDNet broadcast games, 7 of which will be exclusive to the network. All are broadcast in 1080i and 5.1 surround, the list of games scheduled so far follows.
Dan Rather is coming to HDNet
The rumors were right. Dan Rather is in fact entering the deep pockets of Mark Cuban and his personal high-def media outlet, HDNet. There isn't much info about the new contract but we do have the name of his new show: Dan Rather Reports. Apparently the show will feature "hard-edged field reports, interviews and investigative pieces." Sound good to us. Mark Cuban has a press announcement scheduled for 4 p.m. Pacific Time so check back later for more info.[via the LA Times]
HDNet to release their first HD DVD titles
HD DVD continues to roll on and today it is thanks to the vast library of shows from HDNet. Four discs are set to come from Mark Cuban's network next week exclusively via its online store. First up is The Best of GetOut! Volume 1 and then also, The Best of GetOut! Volume 2. In case you don't have HDNet, GetOut! is half travel show and half 'look at the pretty girls' show. The ladies take you to all the different night clubs and exciting exciting worldwide while hosting the show in nothing more then a bikini. It's down with taste though - well, sometimes... HDNet is also releasing two installments from HDNet World Report. There isn't any word yet on what these 'Best of' will include, but chances are they will be worth the money. The network isn't going to stop there. Oh no. They plan on releasing nearly a 100 titles in the coming months and years on HD DVD. Oh and yeah, they have plans to release "The Best of Bikini Destinations" Nice.These discs will only be available from HDNet's online store at first, but we have good money that they will make their way onto Amazon shortly. They will retail for $14.99 and you can pre-order them now.[via High-Def DVD Digest]
HDNet's coverage of the Space Shuttle launch [Take 3]
Well, if you weren't around on Saturday (or Sunday) and missed the riveting coverage of the Shuttle launch by HDNet, the weather gods have given you a second chance. The shuttle was suppose to launch on Saturday afternoon but it was delayed due to weather. HDNet had set up 14 high-def cameras and were broadcasting all the different sites and sounds of the launch. Greg Dobbs never seemed to run out of things to talk about ether during the pre-launch phase but we wonder what he is going to talk about a second time through. To be honest, it is kind of boring and high up on the nerdy scale but there were some really pretty shots of the area. Plus, what else are you going to watch on Tuesday morning in high-def?The coverage starts again at 10:00 a.m. this morning with the shuttle scheduled to launch at 2:30 p.m. if the weather holds off.
HD DVD and Blu-ray movies released on July 4th 2006
It was starting look like an off week for both HD DVD and Blu-ray, but a few days ago HDNet announced that they were going to release some of their original content on HD DVD. The new titles are available now on their online store. According to the HDNet employee that posted at AVS, they are planning on releasing Blu-ray titles as well.This brings the total to HD DVD 36 vs Blu-ray 13.HD DVD Best of Get Out! Volume 1 (HDNet) Best of Get Out! Volume 2 (HDNet) Best of HDNet World Report Volume 1 (HDNet) Best of HDNet World Report Volume 2 (HDNet)
HDNet Shuttle Launch coming to Oklahoma City Cox Cable subsribers
Oklahoma City and Tulsa Cox Cable subscribers are in for a treat. According to HDTV Oklahoma, HDNet's coverage of the shuttle launch is going to be aired on channel 740. The shuttle coverage is set to start at 10:00 a.m. EDT and so we assume (read: really no idea) that it would start at 9:00 a.m. Oklahoma time. If you have never seen HDNet's coverage of a Space Shuttle launch, you need to check this out. Well worth it.[thanks for the tip Noodlez]
HDNet's coverage of the Space Shuttle launch
Once again, HDNet is bring us great coverage of the Space Shuttle Discovery's launch. This is going to start at 10:00 a.m. EDT tomorrow, July 1st. You really need to watch this. Mark Cuban's HDNet does a fantastic job making one of the most boring events absolutly spectacular. They use 14 high-def cameras to cover almost every aspect of the launch including the suiting up of the astronauts at 10:00. Greg Dobbs is hosting the even but only to a point. HDNet has a long tradition of not interrupting the viewers experience. This means there isn't some network tool throwing in his two cents every few seconds. HDNet broadcasts the natural sounds of the area along with NASAs messages from mission control. It just makes for an better overall experience.You have got to check it out.
