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Peoria, IL gets another three HD channels courtesy of Comcast
Peoria and surrounding areas in Illinois already picked up 22 new HD channels back in May, but knowing just how unsatisfied high-def junkies are, we're sure locals are already itching for a few more. As of now, resident Comcast subscribers can find FOX News HD, FX HD and SPEED HD on the EPG, though there's no indication that more are on the way. 'Tis a shame too, given that your door is probably frozen shut right now, leaving you no alternative but to turn to HDTV for entertainment.
Chicago's Conrad Hotel getting HDTV services courtesy of RCN
RCN's locking down lodging deals like it's going out of style, and just days after cementing one with Highgate Hotels in New York, here we have another with Chicago's Conrad Hotel. Soon, said luxury venue will be able to provide guests with all-digital cable TV and HDTV services. Each of the 311 guest rooms will present said content on a 42-inch plasma, though there's no exact word on when the agreement will be implemented. And yeah, considering the per-night rates here, you'd better stay locked inside around 90% of the time in order to come close to making it worthwhile.
Comcast readies DOCSIS 3.0 rollouts for Chicago, Atlanta, Baltimore and Ft. Wayne
Comcast promised us all a few months back that it would be bringing its wicked fast DOCSIS 3.0 technology to a handful of other big markets before too long, and today the carrier has chosen to reveal the next four places where said service will be made available. The high-speed internet service, which is capable of hitting 50Mbps down / 5Mbps up, will be launched "over the next several weeks" in Chicago, Atlanta, Baltimore and Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Don't see your city listed? Hang tight -- the next wave should be announced in the not-too-distant future.
Wide Open West lands ESPN2, ABC Family and Disney in HD
Wide Open West delivered three high-def stations to its markets in September, and now it's about to followup with three more in December. Effective December 18th, WOW! subscribers in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Evansville will be treated to ESPN2 HD, ABC Family HD and Disney HD, and NFL Network will be relocating from the HD Pak to the HD lineup on Digital Basic Cable. Let's just call it an early present, shall we?[Thanks, Wes and David]
AT&T well on its way to offering U-verse TV in Springfield, IL
It should come as no surprise that AT&T is hard at work expanding its U-verse network in the state of Illinois. After all, the carrier agreed to provide U-verse to "all areas of the state" in exchange for a license that covered Chicago. At any rate, a new report in The State Journal-Register asserts that AT&T is "well along with construction of a fiber-optic network on the north side of Springfield," and construction was affirmed to be in progress by an unnamed company spokeswoman. Sadly, no estimated launch date was talked about, but we suppose it's hard to grumble about progress.
DISH Network expands MPEG-4 delivery, adds HD locals in six markets
Just a few short days after DISH Network transitioned 11 of its East Coast markets to MPEG-4, in comes word that it has added 21 more (all classified as "East Coast") to bump the grand total to 52 regions. In somewhat related news, we've also learned that six more DMAs can look forward to HD locals today. In no particular order, we've got Columbia-Jefferson City, Missouri; Des Moines-Ames, Iowa; Lincoln and Hastings-Kearney, Nebraska; Omaha, Nebraska; Quincy-Hannibal-Keokuk, Illinois; and Waco-Temple-Bryan, Texas joining the fray. The half dozen new additions means that DISH now serves up HD locals in 76 markets across the US, and it hopefully also means that the next wave isn't too far behind.Read - DISH Network MPEG-4 expansionRead - DISH Network HD locals expansion
Panasonic's tru2way-enabled TH-50PZ80Q plasma lands in Chicago retailer
We were told yesterday that Panasonic's 50-inch VIERA TH-50PZ80Q plasma had made landfall in Chicago at Abt Electronics, and here we have the images to prove it. America's first live commercial tru2way deployment is underway, and this is the spot if you're looking to be among the first to indulge. All yours for $2,299 (the HDTV, that is) -- enjoy the pics below if you're far, far away from the Windy City.%Gallery-34758%[Thanks, Mark]
Panasonic reveals first tru2way HDTVs in Chicago and Denver
We already saw Panasonic's 50-inch TH-50PZ80Q plasma doing the tru2way thing at CEDIA 2008, but the official lever has just been pulled in Denver and Chicago. As of today, Comcast's tru2way platform is active in the aforesaid cities, and the very first tru2way-capable HDTVs are arriving to retail. Eager consumers in the Windy or Mile High City who are ready to ditch the set-top-box altogether without sacrificing VOD and such can polish off their wounded credit cards, as both a 42-inch (TH-42PZ80Q; $1,599.95) and 50-inch (TH-50PZ80Q; $2,999.95) VIERA plasma will be on sale by "late October." As for the rest of the US anxious to dip in the cool, cool waters of tru2way? A few undisclosed locales should be going live with the service "in the coming months," though your guess is as good as ours as to what exactly that means.
Courts dismiss iPhone battery lawsuit
If you remember when the first, first-generation iPhone launched, Jose Trujillo sued Apple over the fact that the handset has a non-removable battery. That lawsuit has now been dismissed. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly said in his opinion, "Apple disclosed on the outside of the iPhone package that the [battery has] limited recharge cycles and may eventually need to be replaced by [an] Apple service provider." "Under the circumstances, no reasonable jury could find that deception occurred." Trujillo sued Apple in Illinois state court in July 2007, accusing the company of consumer fraud. [Via MacRumors and Bloomberg.com.]
RCN gifts Chicago with a whole slew of new HD channels
Over the weekend, RCN decided to give locals a few more compelling reasons to not switch to one of those other carriers. A whole mess of new high-def stations appeared on the EPG, including a number of HBOs and premium channels and a handful of standard stations. We're talking MyNetworkTV (WPWR Chicago), Lifetime HD, ABC Family HD, Disney HD, Toon Disney HD, FOX News HD, FOX Business HD, ESPNews HD, Speed HD, NHL HD, Golf / Versus HD and all of the previously hinted-at premiums. Tap the read link for the full rundown, and get ready to spend some serious hours in front of the tube.[Thanks, Nick]
Wide Open West adds an HD trifecta
Man, it has been awhile since Wide Open West subscribers saw a new HD channel hit their EPG. Thankfully, it looks like the drought is over, with FX HD, History HD and FOX News HD coming to Chicago, Columbus, Evansville and Michigan. No word on whether any others are on the way, but let's celebrate this small victory before begging for more, shall we?[Thanks, David]
Chicago's CBS 2 going HD on September 22nd
With practically every other broadcast station in Chicago already beaming out local news in HD, we can only say that it's about time CBS 2 made its move. As the station slides to a new headquarters at Dearborn and Washington Streets across from Daley Plaza, it will also begin airing its newscasts in beautiful high-definition. We're hearing that ratings have been on the decline of late (that's what you get for not keeping with the program!), but hopefully the switch to HD will be a shot in the arm, er, meter. Give it a look on September 22nd.[Thanks, Stephen]
AT&T installing utility cabinets in Naperville, giving away U-verse surprise
Silly AT&T -- don't you know by now that installing those cabinets of yours is a dead giveaway that U-verse is coming? According to a report from the Daily Herald, said carrier is installing the first of 135 utility cabinets around the city (which sits about 30 miles west of Chicago; more information on service areas here), and Greg Jones, project manager for the city, is hoping that "increased competition among service providers will benefit residents." That competition he refers to is none other than AT&T's fiber-based U-verse TV / internet / phone service, but it'll take some three years to get those 135 boxes installed. Oh, and don't even pretend that AT&T isn't madly in love with Illinois, it's pretty obvious at this point.
Charter reaches agreement with Big Ten Network just in time to see Ohio State be totally awesome
Charter's next on the block to add the Big Ten Network and "related programming" in time for Saturday's football openers. No word whether or not this will include the HD version of the network, or if it will be in time for the start of the season, but it is definitely on the way. In a minor footnote, Charter mentioned that in addition to carrying the BTN across its systems in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Northern Illinois it's also reupping Jim Tressel's snazzy sweatervest collection, teaching Terrelle Pryor the correct name of "the University of Ohio State University" and teaching Ohio State how to defend against the spread offense. Good times all around.
Comcast lighting up 15 HD channels in Chicago, Illinois
Is this a trend we spot, or just a small flurry of Comcast expansions that sadly won't affect the rest of the nation? While we're obviously hoping, praying, pleading for the former to be true, citizens of Chicago, Illinois can expect a whopping 15 new high-def stations to arrive on their EPG in a matter of days. Aside from the highly-anticipated Big Ten Network launch, users will also find Weather Channel HD (270), FX HD (267), Fox News HD (265), Bravo HD (278), NFL Network HD (234), SPEED HD (237) and our personal favorite, QVC HD on slot 282. Check the read link for the full list, or just turn to QVC HD and zone out for a few days.[Thanks, cypherstream]
RCN signs on to provide Chicago's TheWit Hotel with HDTV
With the battle in full force between AT&T and local cable carriers RCN / Comcast, we're seeing more than just price wars breaking out. RCN has decided to flex its muscle in a different way by inking a deal to provide Chicago's TheWit Hotel with HDTV programming. Currently, the venue is still under construction, but by the time the doors swing open for guests in May of 2009, the carrier should have high-def material piped to all 298 rooms. Mmm, the sweet, sweet scent of competition in the air.
Chicago's WGN takes local news to HD
Whoa, WGN news is lookin' good in high-definition! The superstation has finally taken a hint and got with the program by unveiling its HD newscasts. Viewers can tune in locally on Chicago's local CW affiliate, while national onlookers can switch over to WGN America HD. Check the read link for more high-resolution screen captures.[Thanks John and Stephen]
AT&T fires up U-verse in more of Chicago market
As the race continues to see who can spread their fiber-based networks across more US territory first, AT&T is hoping to excite quite a few Chicago residents by stringing U-verse to around "175 towns in the Chicago market, including many Northwest and West suburbs." Make no mistake -- AT&T's gunning for Comcast here, but unfortunately, it doesn't look as if 2 HD / 2 SD will be rolled out at this time. No specifics on communities were passed along, so if you're in the area and looking for a change, phone up this carrier and see what transpires.
AT&T's U-verse could head to Glen Ellyn, IL
Go on AT&T, dance like nobody's watchin'. Just days after hearing that U-verse would likely find a home in Baton Rouge, LA and certain parts of Alabama, along comes a tidbit suggesting that West Chicago could be next. According to an article within the latest Glen Ellyn Newsletter, AT&T will be "performing an infrastructure upgrade" to its system in Glen Ellyn over the next six to nine months "in order to provide better phone service, enhance and expand its DSL offerings and introduce a new video service to residents." Project Lightspeed, as it's dubbed, will reportedly begin to roll out as early as this month, but there's no telling how long it'll take to be totally installed. For more details, hit up the PDF in the read link below and scroll to the bottom of page 4.[Thanks, Matt]
Ten best technology-infused hotels in Chicago get listed
Considering the absolute mess that O'Hare International is, we'd wager that you'll end up there a time or two on business or pleasure ventures. If so, chances are you'll be anxious to tune into a bit of HDTV after a long day in the Windy City. The Chicago Tribune has taken the liberty of breaking down the top ten best tech hotels Chi-town has to offer, and unsurprisingly, Hyatt properties -- you know, those with the Plug Panel -- were ranked quite highly. Additionally, Hard Rock Hotel Chicago is currently undergoing a pricey technology renovation that will be completed in 2009, and while it's not mentioned (could have something to do with all those construction workers still in the bathrooms), we'd imagine the Chicagoland aloft will hit the list next July.
