All HBO Channels to be HD.

[Bebop]

http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/06/12/hbo-to-go-hd-on-all-26-of-their-channels/

[oz]

Nice, but will TWC add any of them?  Nah.

[borghe]

DirecTV has announced that they will be carrying 11 of them starting in September. These include HBO Family E/W, HBO Latino, HBO West, Max East/West, MoreMax, HBO2 and HBO Signature (don't remember if those are just East or East/West).

[LoadStar]

Will HBO be dropping the analog feeds of all these stations?

At least to me, it would only make sense, particularly for a movie network, to only broadcast the HD channel, and let the cable operators downconvert and letterbox them if they don't want to or can't carry them in HD.

[Bebop]

Will HBO be dropping the analog feeds of all these stations?

At least to me, it would only make sense, particularly for a movie network, to only broadcast the HD channel, and let the cable operators downconvert and letterbox them if they don't want to or can't carry them in HD.

No reason to keep analog in the long run. Your cable/satellite box can output resolution for your TV's need.

[LoadStar]

No reason to keep analog in the long run. Your cable/satellite box can output resolution for your TV's need.

Sorry. Meant SD, not analog.

[gparris]

If and when the contracts are signed for all the HD channels that HBO and Cinemax that are then actually available the question becomes will the bandwidth/capacity be available on cable systems for delivery?

FIOS has the capacity now and Directv with MPEG4, for just eleven of these 26...so will these disappear over time like Encore HD did because nobody wanted it (or had the space)?:confused:

[Bebop]

Sorry. Meant SD, not analog.

I knew you meant SD.

[mhz40]

Will HBO be dropping the analog feeds of all these stations?

At least to me, it would only make sense, particularly for a movie network, to only broadcast the HD channel, and let the cable operators downconvert and letterbox them if they don't want to or can't carry them in HD.

IMO, it will be a long time before everyone has the capability to receive HD content everywhere in their homes, so both formats will need to be available for the foreseeable future.
Given this premise, I'd be infinitely cheaper for HBO to simply to continue to support both formats, than have every cable operator across the country spend money to transcode every HD stream.
In either scenario (HBO provided or transcode), bandwidth is wasted, as both versions of each service would continue to require it's own space in the pipeline to the home.
IMO everything will be DVR'd in 5 years anyway, so why continue to put all this stuff out there in linear fashion?  If I were a system operator and was being strangled by bandwidth issues, I'd go back to one feed of HBO, Cinemax HE etc.. to support the real-time events and content HBO wanted to manage (Soprano series etc...)  and make the rest of the content available on VoD.

[Bebop]

IMO, it will be a long time before everyone has the capability to receive HD content everywhere in their homes, so both formats will need to be available for the foreseeable future.
Given this premise, I'd be infinitely cheaper for HBO to simply to continue to support both formats, than have every cable operator across the country spend money to transcode every HD stream..

Cable operators don't need to transcode HD stream. Since HBO is a paid premium service.  It's required  a cable/satellite box to receive the paid channels.  You can't just pickup HBO channels with your TV's cable tuner. The box will do all the work of outputting any HD contents to 480i for your old TV.

[mhz40]

Cable operators don't need to transcode HD stream. Since HBO is a paid premium service.  It's required  a cable/satellite box to receive the paid channels.  You can't just pickup HBO channels with your TV's cable tuner. The box will do all the work of outputting any HD contents to 480i for your old TV.

I think you may be thinking only in terms of new installs.  Yes, this would be a great way to go on that front.  However there are hundreds of thousands of SD units already deployed.  IMO, companies are not going to buy an HD set top for every existing HBO customer and run a service call to swap them out... or run a service call for every time someone decides to upgrade to this premium service.

[Bebop]

I don't know what the situation with TW is? But, from their advertisement, they are trying to get all their customer to go digital.

It's probably going to be a lot cheaper for them to replace their boxes with new ones than to keep supporting old boxes.

[gparris]

Recently, Staten Island, TWC-NYC eliminated its analogue channels (or most of them, anyway), leading the way for more than 100 HD channels in capacity.
This meant everyone, (or almost everyone) there with TWC service had to obtain a box to get the standard cable service (non-HD).
It isn't clear if TWC followed the Comcast Chicagoland model of keeping a few analogue channels - or not - but the point is - these cable systems have the "backbone" to do something that TWC Wisconsin does not.

Now, there is plenty of space for those HBOHD and CinemaxHD channels, too, in this NYC location.

Heck, I would revel at just getting CinemaxHD and StarzHD (one channel each) right now, but our local TWC Wisconsin doesn't want to do the delivery.
TWC in Staten Island has since offered several HD channels that other NYC boroughs do not have yet, including MHD, A&EHD and most recently, The Movie Channel HD.
Of course, that is NYC, not Wisconsin...big surprise.

[oz]

Cablevision Systems Corp. said on Thursday it will have the capability to carry more than 500 channels of high definition television programming by year-end as competition mounts from satellite TV and telephone operators.

The New York-based cable operator also said it will add 15 new HD channels from Voom HD Networks starting June 26, amounting to a total of 40 HD programming services for Cablevision digital cable TV customers.

U.S. cable operators have been waging a marketing offensive against satellite TV operators in a bid to convince the public they will have the capability to deliver the most high definition channels.

Large flat-screen HD TVs have been one of the hottest selling consumer electronics segments in the United States for several years, prompting satellite and cable companies to vie for subscribers by touting the quality of HD video for their TVs.

"Over the next few years, HD will move from a nice-to-have to must-have," said Craig Moffett, analyst at Bernstein Research.

The competition is even more intense in Cablevision's regions where phone companies Verizon Communications and AT&T Inc. are rolling out advanced digital TV services that are ready to carry HD services.

"Satellite and phone company TV providers continue to talk about their plans for HD, but Cablevision is actually doing something about it," said John Trierweiler, Cablevision's senior vice president of product management.

DirecTV Group Inc., the leading U.S. satellite TV provider, has promised to offer as many as 150 HD channels by the end of the year. It is planning to launch a new satellite over the summer to increase its HD broadcast capacity.

Moffett said modern cable plants such as Cablevision's could offer virtually unlimited HD channels thanks to technology such as switched broadcast video. But sheer capacity does not mean there is enough television programming to fill available channels, whether on cable, satellite or via phone operators.

"There's a big difference between HD channel slots and HD channels," said Moffett.

Comcast Corp., the No. 1 U.S. cable operator, said it will have around 400 HD 'choices' by the end of the year and as many as 800 by the end of 2008. Comcast spokespeople have explained HD 'choices' will include video- on-demand channels, as well as HD linear broadcast channels.

Voom, which is owned by Cablevision unit Rainbow Media, will provide Cablevision with specialist HD channels such as HDNews, Monsters HD, Gameplay HD and Kung Fu HD.

"There will probably be something like 30 mainstream TV channels on any of the operators by the end of the year," Moffett said.

Cablevision shares were down 6 cents at $35.92 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

[Bebop]

I think you may be thinking only in terms of new installs.  Yes, this would be a great way to go on that front.  However there are hundreds of thousands of SD units already deployed.  IMO, companies are not going to buy an HD set top for every existing HBO customer and run a service call to swap them out... or run a service call for every time someone decides to upgrade to this premium service.

Well, maybe the cable operators will have to transcode after all. HBO HD will be in Mpeg-4. Don't think many cable operators are broadcasting in Mpeg-4.

http://telecompetitor.com/node/184