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Engadget HD definitively answers: does cable, satellite, or fiber provide more HD?
You want to know -- nay, you deserve to know -- which service provides the most HD content. Engadget HD's got the answer, see how your HD provider stacks up.
Ask Engadget HD: Does cable, satellite, or fiber provide more HD?
Particularly of late, cable television providers have been bullying each other on the air and proudly proclaiming superiority in the high-definition department. One would immediately assume that there's some black and white somewhere in this equation, but honestly, things are pretty gray. Hard though it may be to believe, there actually isn't a clear cut answer to this week's Ask Engadget HD question, which comes to us from the bewildered mind of Brian: "I want an unbiased opinion, and more importantly, the facts. DISH Network is looking more and more like the leading HD provider with its weekly HD additions this past fall. However, now my local cable provider, Comcast, is running ads stating that it has More, More, More HD. My question is simple: who has more HD channels including and not including HD VOD?"The inability to find a clear cut answer hasn't stopped us from forging ahead in the past, and it won't be slowing us down today, either. Ready to plunge deep into the increasingly murky waters of HD offerings? Join us after the jump as we take a critical look at high-def options from DirecTV, DISH Network, Verizon, AT&T and a slew of traditional cable operators in order to best address the above inquiry.
RCN goes all digital in Chicago, shoots for 100 HD channels
Starting today, RCN will begin switching to all digital programming in Chicago, Illinois, a full year (and change) before all broadcast channels must do the same. Reportedly, the move will enable the cable provider to reclaim excess spectrum and recreate its cable offerings. More specifically, the 80 channel Signature package will be re-launching with 180 channels for the same price, and while we're not told exactly what new HD additions we'll find, a few newcomers are nevertheless promised. Additionally, subscribers in the area can expect more video-on-demand content and new channel pods which will purportedly "provide customers with the ability to pay only for the programming they want to watch." With all this freed up space, the firm's VP and General Manager Tom McKay has boldly proclaimed that it hopes to "make good on the promise of offering approximately 100 HD channels in the future," but sadly, "future" is as detailed as it got. 'Course, some users will need to grab a digital converter box or CableCARD to continue receiving service, but you already knew that, now didn't you?
Thompson Lower East Side hotel getting HDTV
We're sure it'll come as no surprise to anyone who has been keeping an eye on the progress of Thompson Hotels' forthcoming Lower East Side, but nevertheless, the five-star facility will indeed boast HDTV. Announced today, RCN has signed a multi-year deal to provide digital cable TV and high-definition services to all 140 guest rooms of the new hotel, which is set to open in Manhattan, New York in early 2008. Notably, we're not told whether any sort of HD VOD will be included, but the tricky part will be affording a single night stay to personally find out.
