Just wondering how it looks and sounds, and what the content is like...

spring break in HD?? wooo!

and to answer ur question, nope.

Still a couple days from launch, so I'd imagine not.

January 16.

do they have a website yet?

do they have a website yet?

You'd think they would start advertising by now, but no. And nothing on MTV.com.

And we really don't have any idea what's going to be on this channel at all? I mean, not even a general idea? Are we going to see music videos (HA!) or the Real World or old MTV movies or what?

I guess I won't worry about all that until D* adds the channel, which should be sometime in 2008...

does anyone know who is getting this at launch.

And we really don't have any idea what's going to be on this channel at all? I mean, not even a general idea?Sure we do.

It will carry hip hop, rock, country, pop, reggaeton, soul and other music, original music-based programming and other content.

MHD programs will include MHD Top Ten and MHD Video Stew, in-studio events and interviews with artists.

"I don't think we could have found a better locale to give viewers a spectacular backdrop for MHD than Vail and the Colorado Rockies," said Tony Dunaif, senior vice president of business development for MTV Networks Music Group.

The channel will feature original music based programming as well as HDTV acquisitions and original content from the MTV, VH1, and CMT family of services including popular series such as MTV Unplugged, MTV2 $2 Bill concerts, VH1 Storytellers and CMT Crossroads, as well as network specials including the MTV Video Music Awards and the CMT Music Awards. Distribution details for MHD and a full programming schedule will be announced closer to launch.

MHD, the new HDTV music television network launching on January 16, today announced an original series of live concert specials shooting January 11 and 12 in Breckenridge, Colorado. Entitled "Music With Altitude," the concert specials featuring Dashboard Confessional, country superstar Gary Allan, Goo Goo Dolls and up-and-coming recording artist and reality television star Cheyenne Kimball will be shot during Ullr Fest, an annual week-long Winter festival in Breckenridge.

Sounds like most (if not all) music videos will be upconverts.

does anyone know who is getting this at launch.Cox. That's all that's been announced, so far.

I think eventually TRL will be HD

old Aeon Flux episodes in HD?

:D

I think eventually TRL will be HD

How sure are you ? :cool:

From HD Update(B&C Multichannel News)

MHD Rocks (As A Truck Rolls) in HD

MTV's MHD service doesn't kick off until Monday, Jan. 16, but the network this week is hard at work recording music concerts in Colorado that promise to get the service off to a rocking start. Cox Cable is the only operator that has agreed to carry the service but the network is in discussions with all the major cable and satellite operators to strike deals.

MTV, always one to buck the system, is doing it again by building its own massive 54-foot production truck, one of the largest in the nation. The vast majority of networks rent their trucks from truck vendors as maintenance and other issues make it cost-prohibitive to own a truck unless it's in use every day. But MTV faced a challenge when it began looking around for a mobile unit suitable for its production needs.

"One of the issues we have is that most remote TV production is for sports but we're only doing entertainment," says Steve Kaufman, SVP, MTV Networks Production Operations and Technology. "We had problems finding trucks suitable for entertainment, as there were only a couple in the country."

Not surprisingly, MTV's audio needs are the big difference between MTV's truck and the typical sports truck. Live programs, for example, will be mixed for both stereo and Dolby Surround Sound. Pre-recorded programs will be recorded in stereo and then the Surround mix will be derived from a 48-track audio recording. Other gear in the truck includes a full complement of Ikegami HD cameras with Fujinon lenses and a Sony MVS-8000 production switcher.

Vail, Colo. will serve as a home to MTV's HD service until mid-April. Then it's off to another beautiful location that will serve as the home base for MHD during the summer. "We'll be using Sony HDV camcorders to record the VJ links and other interstitials," says Kaufman. "The material looks great and it's easy to handle the HDV gear."

Cox Cable in Santa Barbara will be carrying MTV HD starting on launch day.

Hey, a fellow Santa Barbaran

I want my MTV!

7ate9 Entertainment Creates On-Air Campaign For MHD, The High Definition Music Television Network From MTV Networks Music Group

7ate9, Leader in Branded Content, Create and Deliver MHD Launch Campaign.

Hollywood, California (PRWEB) January 13, 2006 -- 7ate9, a leader in innovative marketing and television production, will deliver eye-popping broadcast spots for MHD, the high definition music television network launching January 16th from MTV Networks Music Group, a division of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIAB).

7ate9 Entertainment conceived, directed and produced the launch campaign in a four-week period. The comedic spots compared bad musicians [rappers at a bus stop, guy in the shower, a one Woman Band, and a Karaoke virgin] to the very best HD concert content. The idea being “if this is music” - insert bad singer- “This is music in HD” – insert High Definition concert footage.

In development of the spots, 7ate9 Director, Artur Spigel expressed, “The ultimate challenge was to create spots with stories that would breakthrough the TV clutter and launch a cutting edge entertainment network”.

The HD shoot utilized the Sony F-900 HD CAM, included locations throughout Los Angeles, and featured 15 principal talent.

7ate9 will continue to support MHD: producing interstitials, on-air promos, and other branded content.


http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/1/prweb331906.htm

I Want to see Beavis and "The Great Cornholio" in glorious HD! :)

Already been shown on HBO-HD, RE: Beavis and Butthead Do America

Cox oklahoma city and tulsa will be adding it on Channel 739 as of Jan 16th.

Can I just say that I hate all you people that are actually getting this channel? :D

BTW, how do you know you're getting it? Is your provider's website showing it?

Can I just say that I hate all you people that are actually getting this channel? :D

BTW, how do you know you're getting it? Is your provider's website showing it?


Someone posted in our local Tulsa thread that a CSR rep from Cox told him the start date and channel number. I'm not sure if Shane confirmed the info in this same manner or not.

Cox OKC reportedly announced it in an insert to their latest monthly customer billing. Cox Tulsa CSR read me today the internal memo announcement, including channel assignment, effective for Mon., 1/16.

Cox OKC reportedly announced it in an insert to their latest monthly customer billing.

Ditto Santa Barbara.

Hopefully Cox in Orange County will be getting it as well, we deserve it since we don't have Universal HD which means no Monk in HD.

Rocky Mountain high def
New MTV channel promises peak viewing high above Vail

By Mark Brown, Rocky Mountain News
January 14, 2006

The view outside the studio where George Oliphant works is breathtaking: skiers and snowboarders streaking by, enjoying a sunny day on Vail Mountain.
High atop the ski mecca, MTV Networks has blown out what used to be old office space. In its place is a new TV studio with cathedral ceilings, mocked up as a rustic mountain cabin with two large windows looking out over a seemingly endless stretch of snowcapped Rocky Mountain peaks.

Meanwhile, down the road in Breckenridge, stagehands are putting the finishing touches on a stage and set for concerts by the Goo Goo Dolls, Dashboard Confessional and others.

Welcome to ground zero for MHD, the newest MTV channel. Starting Monday, it will offer concerts, interviews, videos and other programming 24 hours a day in high definition, bringing the Rockies into homes across the nation in dazzling detail.

(But not yet in Colorado homes: MTV has a deal only with Cox Cable on a nationwide basis. So even though some of the channel's concerts are filmed in Colorado, you can't see them here yet. That's likely to change soon, MTV officials say, as their distribution team works out deals with cable providers. )

High-definition TV had largely been a hypothetical for many consumers - something they'd heard of but rarely seen. But it's finally happening as costs drop and more content hits the airwaves.

It's also a strange time, says MTV executive producer-director Alex Coletti, who pioneered MTV Networks' Unplugged series, worked on VH1's Storytellers series and was in Breckenridge this week to shoot the concerts for MHD.

"We're at a time now where the rules keep getting rewritten," Coletti says. "It's a constant learning curve."

Ready for a close-up?

Fans of live music will find plenty of it on MHD, including the concert series that started with this week filming in Breckenridge. The series includes a Goo Goo Dolls concert that was shot Thursday night.

"I'm not really a technophile," says Johnny Rzeznik of the band, who took time out from mixing the new album, Let Love In, to fly in special for the Breckenridge concert. "But it's just nice to be asked to be involved in something that's new and cutting edge."

MHD also will have access to the concerts of four MTV-related networks: VH1, MTV, MTV2 and Country Music Television.

"We have the luxury of being able to show five of their music shows: Life in Rhymes, Two-Dollar Bill, Unplugged, Crossroads and Storytellers," Oliphant says.

Even without high-definition broadcast quality, MTV has been shooting that way, building up a cache of pristine shows for MHD.

"Knowing this channel was coming, for the past year or year and a half, we've been shooting all our shows in high def, converting them for air but saving a high-def master with 5.1 audio. Now I've got a shelf full of stuff I can't wait to get out there," Coletti says.

"One of the cool things about MHD is not just the music videos we show you but the opportunity to show you all of our live music series in HDTV," Oliphant says. "It's kinda like watching a live concert sitting at home on the couch, except the guy in the back row is not spilling beer on you and you don't need the earplugs. It just pops."

Coletti recalls the first time he was wowed by the promise of high definition, using an early analog version of it to tape Aerosmith for Unplugged in 1990.

"We did dabble in it even then, and it was an amazing experience. The guy in the back row is wearing his credential. How did I see that, this guy in the audience? It made you all of a sudden really have to pay attention to lighting, set direction," Coletti says. "Makeup artists will be the hot commodity in the high-def world. It's a beautiful format, but it doesn't let you get away with anything."

Even youthful artists who don't have anything to worry about worry about it.

"I did the Alicia Keys Unplugged in high def. We were watching it back together," Coletti says. "She was like 'Wow, you see everything. That close-up is really tight.' But I said, 'Listen emotionally to what you're singing.' She said, 'Yeah, that's what it has got to be.' "

The next phase

MTV Networks Executive Vice President Jeff Yapp oversees the Vail operation, which launches a new phase for the network.

"I find that each delivery or technology change tends to expand the business and the opportunity," he says. "You go back in time when there was newspaper and radio showed up and was going to kill it. I love the one where the VCR was going to kill theatrical. It added dramatically to the business."

For the viewer, high definition "just puts you in the concert," Coletti says. "Someone once said to me that music on TV was the third-best way to enjoy it. . . . I think this gets it to No. 2 on that list. It captures it in such a way that it really adds to the emotion.

"Also shooting in the wider format, the 6:9 format, allows so much more composition-wise and camera work-wise."

Taping on top of Vail Mountain daily in the studio will help emphasize that improvement: With high def, the soaring outdoor shots will be broadcast in stunning quality.

"It's crazy. . . . It's like a painting," Oliphant says. "That's why we chose Vail. You have the peaks, the contrast of the blues and whites with the trees. Everything just pops. It's a beautiful location."

"We're going to see these mountains and it's going to be gorgeous," Coletti says. "You can get more creative visually because you want to do it justice."

They've already filmed 360-degree views around the top of the mountain as backdrops and plan to do a lot more outside work. They can use the studio exclusively if the weather doesn't cooperate, but this week gave them picture-perfect working conditions.

"When we have the opportunity, like on a bluebird day like today - we get out and try to take advantage of everything that Vail and the mountain and town have to offer," Oliphant says.

Oliphant is very nearly a Colorado native, as his family moved to Steamboat Springs when he was 1. After graduating from Steamboat Springs High School in 1994, he hit a variety of colleges, including one in London where he spent a year, and graduated from the University of Colorado before moving to New York to get into the entertainment business. He eventually landed a full-time job with MTV as a VJ.

The production will stay in Vail through the end of the ski season and then move to another gorgeous backdrop ("Tropical is the word on the street," Oliphant says).

The new look

Even non-aficionados notice the visual improvement. Coletti, who produces the MTV Video Music Awards, recently went to 24p video technology for the live show. The format is a high-definition process for broadcast that looks like film.

"The 24p look replicated film so well that people couldn't comprehend that it was live," he said of comments he got after the broadcast. "I had to get on the phone with the press and explain that the show was live. Whether you know what 24p is or not, people intuitively knew it was different."

"The two things feed each other," Yapp says. "The content gets better and better. And the (TV-set) price will continue to drop. When you go to your friend's house and watch the Super Bowl on HD for the first time, it's a life-changing experience."

All the great sound and high-resolution in the world do no good if the performance isn't there, Coletti reiterates. In the Born To Run boxed set recently released by Bruce Springsteen, there's a DVD of a 1975 London concert that's shot far too dark for most of the film and features odd camera angles at times and a fashion disaster on the part of the E Street Band. The performance, however, is explosive.

"When he crawls on the stage, . . . my God. That's one of those that could have been shot on a black-and-white VHS and that still would have shown through. . . . That's the live DVD of the year," Coletti says.

"This is another vehicle (for artists) to communicate through. But it's all on them."

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/movies/article/0,2792,DRMN_23_4386589,00.html

"Knowing this channel was coming, for the past year or year and a half, we've been shooting all our shows in high def, converting them for air but saving a high-def master with 5.1 audio. Now I've got a shelf full of stuff I can't wait to get out there," Coletti says.

WOO HOO!

Now sets in the sad reality that I won't be seeing this channel... :(

Only two days to go. It's not looking good for launch day.

still no website for them, and 1 lone carrier

Looks like Comcast will have to wait months before we ever see it. For launching soon it is a bit too quiet.

MHD on air
Laura A. Ball
January 15, 2006

VAIL MOUNTAIN - Neil Sharma and Morgan Hertzan are putting on their gloves and protective eyewear. They have a very important job to do - and it has nothing to do with the brid flu.

"We spread MTV," said Hertzan, head of programming for for MTV's new high definition music channel, MHD, as he loosened his ski boots.

Hertzan and Senior Director of Business Operations and Strategy Sharma are two of the masterminds responsible for the inception, programming, videos, logos and image of the new network, which launches today. Lucky for them, they happen to be spreading MTV's newest epidemic from Eagle's Nest atop Vail Mountain, where they get to enjoy some of the best skiing in the world.

"A couple of years ago we saw a gap in high definition programming and no one really delivering live music and artists the way they should be seen in high definition," Sharma said. "High definition technology enhances music and also panoramic views like this."

Lucky for viewers, MHD means more music videos and more live music shown in the best visual technology available. The network launches at 6 p.m. (E.S.T.) on Cox Communications television as well as Verizon. MHD may be viewed in parts of Florida and California beginning today, but not the Vail Valley - not yet.

"Trust me, we know that Colorado's a priority for us," Sharma said. "In a perfect world, we'd be everywhere in front of everybody and that's what we're working hard at right now with all the major television operators."

Why Vail? Why not

The new MHD studio at Eagle's Nest on Vail Mountain is replete with a roaring digital fireplace and views of Vail's renown slopes.
Shane Macomber/Vail Daily

Browse Vail Daily Photos

"We looked at virtually every ski resort in Colorado and Utah," Hertzan said. "We were up here shooting last year for MTVu and I thought to myself, 'This has to be the most beautiful view of any building in the world.'"

The spectacular view, as well as the infrastructure that already existed at Eagle's Nest, like the building and gondola, and the shear traffic, made the choice pretty obvious, Hertzan said.

"We want this brand, which is a new one for MTV Networks, in front of as many eyeballs as possible," Sharma added. "Where better than the biggest mountain in the world?"

Vail Resort's Vail's chief operating officer, Bill Jensen, said he's happy with the marriage, being that MHD's target audience falls into the 20-40 age group Vail Mountain tries to attract.

"It's not going to change Vail's image but it's going to take Vail's image and communicate it to a broader market," said Jensen.

The state-of-the-art glass walled studio overlooking Vail's renown slopes, replete with a roaring digital fireplace and sunny stone walls, will serve as homebase for MHD programming being filmed locally. George Oliphant, former VJ for MTVu, MTV's college network, will host 36 hours of original footage, which will include "MHD Uncompressed: Top 10 High-def Countdown" and themed video hours announced from the studio, on the mountain or somewhere in the valley. For example, if he is about to announce a new reggae video, the crew might flim Oliphant announcing it at 8150 where The Wailers are playing.

Later in 2006, U.S. Team freestyle skier and former CU wide receiver Jeremy Bloom will join Oliphant as an on-air VJ when he returns from the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turino, Italy.

Seeing stars

Eagle's Nest is already a great place for stargazing and, but with MHD headquarters taking over the locale both musicians and actors will be in view this season.

"Right now, if you're A-list you can get on MHD," Oliphant said.

But who?

"I can say people are coming, but I can't say names," Hertzan said.

MHD might even dig up some local stars.

"We'd love to feature some local artists from around Vail and Colorado," Hertzan said. "These ski towns have such great musical heritage."

Stay tuned

MHD programming will feature a conglomeration of shows shot in high definition for various MTV Networks Music Group's channels including:

"Two Dollar Bill," a live music series featuring indie rockers like My Chemical Romance and System of a Down.

"Storytellers," a show feauturing legendary artists talking about their songs and music, like Coldplay's Chris Martin describing naming his song "Yellow" because he was sitting on the Yellow Pages.

"Crossroads," which features hip rocker pop groups and matches them with a country group, like Bon Jovi and Sugarland or John Foggerty and Keith Urban.

"UnPlugged," which showcases live acoustic performances by artists like Alicia Keys.

Award shows: "MTV Video Music Award" and "CMT Music Awards."

Local programming shot for MHD will include:

"MHD Uncompressed: Top 10 High-def Countdown," VJ George Oliphant will introduce a top 10 video countdown from a Vail Valley location.

Themed Video Hours, on which Oliphant will introduce high-def hip-hop, rock and country video hours from a Vail Valley location.

"Music With Altitude Concert Series," this live music series featuring Dashboard Confessional, the Goo Goo Dolls and country star Gary Allan was shot in Breckenridge Jan. 11-12.

http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20060115/AE/101150018

Looks like Cox in OC doesn't have it yet:

http://cox.com/OC/ChannelLink/LineupResults_full.asp

But it does confirm that Santa Barbara has it:

http://cox.com/santabarbara/channellink/LineupResults_full.asp

wow actual music programming? how long will this last?

I have Verizon FIOS, but do not see any channels in the HD section that appear to be added. This channel will come on 5pm Dallas time. Will keep my eyes open for it. Glad to hear Verizon will be one of the first to get it, now we will have to see if it was worth it.

FYI- Cox CSR advises that the actual programming begins at 5:00 pm CST.

How about that? I had no idea we (Cox KS) were getting this today. I just looked at my last bill online, and there is a note that I missed. It's on the guide but currently off air. I don't want to hear anything from the peanut gallery about not having it :) ! We still don't have ABC, NBC, FOX, or ESPN2. Want to trade?

I guess here in the phoenix (Cox) we aren't getting it today. I don't see any info in our guide...bummer

Donald :-)

They seem to be programming in 4-hour blocks (repeating endlessly?): 5:00PM CST, 9:00PM, 1:00AM, 5:00AM, 9:00AM, 1:00PM.


January 16: 5:00PM, 9:00PM
January 17: 1:00AM, 5:00AM, 9:00AM, 1:00PM, 5:00PM, 9:00PM
...

February 17: 1:00AM, 5:00AM, 9:00AM, 1:00PM, 5:00PM, 9:00PM
February 18: 1:00AM, 5:00AM, 9:00AM, 1:00PM, 5:00PM, 9:00PM

Source: http://tulsa.cox.net/cci/tvlistings

I just saw the channel update this morning (Cox, Baton Rouge). I'll be watching at 5 Central. This Generation-Xer wants his MTV!

I just saw the channel update this morning (Cox, Baton Rouge). I'll be watching at 5 Central. This Generation-Xer wants his MTV!


What do you mean, "channel update"?

What do you mean, "channel update"?

My guess is that is Gen X'r talk for "he saw the channel displayed on his cable's electronic program guide". :)

Yadda Yadda,

Too bad none of Viacom's (no)M(usic)TV channels ever show music videos anymore, at least any that are worth seeing.

I just watched several videos in HD, pretty good picture. COX OKC

It's on now and looks pretty good. Thus far just videos in HD 16x9. 2.0 audio so far.

Started off with:

Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz
Alicia Keys - Unplugged

There has only been one commercial for mitsubishi so far. It looks great so far

Alicia Keys was in 5.1...

I'm jealous!

Well, it's 5pm central time, and I have yet to see this channel on Verizon's guide. I expected it to be with the other HD channels!

Looks like they switched to a VH1 Storytellers now doing Coldplay. Not 5.1 but darn good PQ.

Good start.

1. Seems that programming may focus on concerts (small venue?), judging from broadcast so far and from musicians featured in ads (Kanye West, Dave Matthews Band, System of a Down, Bon Jovi).
2. Logo is larger than most here would like, barely translucent and the letters MHD are constantly moving, creating a distraction.
3. Ads are in HD, so far. MHD and Mistubishi. (See: http://www.digitalproducer.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=36799 ) Not much variety- wonder if these will seem like Summer Olympics "chips and salsa" ad after a month.
4. Only SD content has been MLKing tributes.
5. PQ on par with INHD & HDNet. Sound quality OK, not fantastic.
6. Very loud station i.d., an animated set of trumpeting horns.
7. 1st 3 hours were concerts. 4th hour has been music videos, a mix of MTV, VH1 and CMT.
8. 2d block of 4 hours began with Kanye West concert, not a repeat of programming shown in 1st 4 hours.

Has anyone seen MTV acknowledge this channel launch on their other TV channels like MTV. The website still has no mention of it.

Worst launch of a channel if you ask me, unless it's not ready for primetime and just a beta release

Alicia Keys was in 5.1...

She was looking good too.

Mods, I guess it time to change the topic to "Yes" since we know have confirmation from viewers!

Got it in Pensacola. Still no ABC or Fox, but we have MHD. The pq is excellent. Much better than InHD - at least here. So far, though, the audio has been 2.0. The HD commercials are a nice touch.

Please list the provider and location you are watching MHD on.

Topic title changed.

Well, I've got Cox in omaha, and just checked to see if MHD was there, and unfortunately, it's not. I'll do some more research and try to find out when this will be in more Cox markets.

Cox in Tulsa. No sign of reality tv programming yet. Now seems about an equal mix of concerts and videos, across broad spectrum of musical tastes. See post #50 above for other observations.

Cox in Roanoke, VA on channel 729

Hmm, concerts and music videos, what a concept Viacom! C'mon D*, add this to the lineup.

Hmm, concerts and music videos, what a concept Viacom! C'mon D*, add this to the lineup.

No add TNTHD or MAXHD. this is junk.

Hmmmmm........


still nothing here from Verizon FIOS. I hope they add it soon!

No add TNTHD or MAXHD. this is junk.

TNTHD isn't that great, the PQ is subpar (coming from Comcast). MaxHD would be nice. But this would be nice to have on regularly, especially when warming up the display.

So far, to me, it's pretty much the same as other providers. Some content looks GREAT, some just looks average.

The bug/logo is going to bother people. The movement of the logo is going to please burn-in freaks, but it annoys the heck out of me. If it annoys me, I imagine it will annoy most everyone.

I just turned it on and Bon Jovi is playing on CMT crossroads. It looks very very good. Almost PBS OTA good.

Very sharp, lots of detail. The kind of thing that screams "this is HDTV". OTOH, I saw some content last night that did not excite me as far as PQ. So like I said, it's just about like all providers/channels.

Cox cable Tulsa and only my opinion.

I emailed Cox here in Rhode Island and they say they havn't been informed of any info on when and if the channel will be added here...
So what I don't understand is why If Cox signed to carry this channel, and they are the only carrier as of now, why isn't it broadcast everywhere? Does that mean that not everyone will eventually see it, or is it normal that they add it gradually to all the differnt parts of the country....
Rick

I just called Cox in Omaha, and they didn't even know that the new channel existed, and proceeded to tell me that Cox must not be carrying the channel anywhere. I don't get it.

I just called Cox in Omaha, and they didn't even know that the new channel existed, and proceeded to tell me that Cox must not be carrying the channel anywhere. I don't get it.


I think we know more of what is going on than most of the employees at Cox..
Rick

Cox is starting to acknowledge MHD on its website on local pages.

Oklahoma City and Tulsa HD lineups:



http://cox.com/oklahoma/hdtv/hdchannels.asp

Well what is it? MTVHD or CMTHD or VH1HD?
The channel might not be that bad if I can know when there will be programming on it that I like.
This morning it seemed like CMTHD, which is OK for me.

Its obviously going to be a mix for the forseeable future. They only have 1 HD channel.

As quoted in post #26 above, "MHD also will have access to the concerts of four MTV-related networks: VH1, MTV, MTV2 and Country Music Television. We have the luxury of being able to show five of their music shows: Life in Rhymes, Two-Dollar Bill, Unplugged, Crossroads and Storytellers." Thus it is a broad spectrum of programming.

I saw an excellent concert last night from Crossroads, pairing Ronnie Milsap and Los Lonely Boys. It was obvious they really enjoyed working together. Crossroads is designed to mix together country music performers with those from different musical genres. There are several episodes on their web page that I hope show up on MHD. See here: http://www.cmt.com/shows/dyn/cmt_crossroads/episode_list.jhtml

Its obviously going to be a mix for the forseeable future. They only have 1 HD channel.

Well, I know, but how are you supposed to know when something is going to be on that you might like?

I do really like crossroads as well, but it would be nice to know when it is one.

Pau,
I do agree that they need to differentiate what is coming on when via the guide but it's still very early in their launch.

Overall I agree with Chris(woodrow) except the logo isn't bothersome to me.
I saw an excellent concert last night from Crossroads, pairing Ronnie Milsap and Los Lonely Boys. It was obvious they really enjoyed working together
Ditto. It's quite excellent!

Later last night they started showing some of the 2 dollar bill concerts such as TI(rap) and others. Before that they were showing country. After that they were showing some Springsteen.

Some 5.1, some 2.0. Hard to peg.

Flipping channels before going to bed the night before last I came across MHD's Bon Jovi concert. I have to agree with Woodrow. That show is what HD is all about.

Beautiful lighting effects.

Currently playing:

"This episode of CMT Crossroads pairs two of the most electrifying guitarists and performers to hit the stage -- legendary rocker John Fogerty and country star Keith Urban. The show was taped in front of an invitation-only audience in Los Angeles.

A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Fogerty is one of America's greatest singer-songwriters and musicians. "Bad Moon Rising," "Who'll Stop the Rain," "Lodi," "Looking out My Back Door," "The Old Man Down the Road," "Proud Mary" and "Centerfield" are just a few of the rock standards he created both as a solo artist and with his seminal '60s and '70s band Creedence Clearwater Revival. Fogerty blended rockabilly, R&B, swamp rock and country music into a potent mix all his own. In addition to his revered work with CCR, he released hit solo albums such as Centerfield (1985), Eye of The Zombie (1986) and the Grammy-winning Blue Moon Swamp (1997). In 2004, he produced and released Deja Vu All Over Again and joined Bruce Springsteen on the Vote for Change tour.

Urban won the Country Music Association's male vocalist trophy in 2004. He has been electrifying audiences across the country since his debut release in 1999 and has sold millions of albums. He earned three 2005 Grammy nominations including best male country vocal performance and best country album for Be Here. That album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's country album and went platinum in just six weeks. He recently celebrated his fifth No. 1 single ("Days Go By"), has had eight consecutive Top 5 songs and has performed to packed houses all over the world.

The original CMT series, CMT Crossroads, teams country music stars with music stars from other genres -- pop, rock, R&B -- to play together, swap stories and share their common love of music. "

Last night they started to show some of the Vail locales with a host. PQ is still gorgeous.

You all are lucky. I would like to have seen some of the shows mentioned above.
ohh yeah, but can you watch your DBS/Cable co's serivce on your Cell Phones/Game systems :p (I currently can't, but my DBS provider soon will provide it?)

Given the Cox/Sprint deal, we should be able to do that shortly and program our DVR's with our cell phone.

Sprint signed that deal with Cox, Comcast and several other large cable companies.

still nothing from Verizon FIOS on this channel!

Just like that press release on page two said.... I just didn't know it would happen so soon:

The 2005 MTV Video Music Awards are showing on MHD right now. I tuned in about 30 minutes ago so I' don't know how long it's been on. Looks like they shot it in HD.:)

Looks fantastic

Some shots require sidebars, for which they are using a shot of bubbles rising up through water. Hardly needed...most shots are HD.

and BTW, LOTS of hot looking chicks in HD...

just for clarity:

The sidebars are being used during the nomination phase when showing the different videos up for an award. All else is great looking HD. Jessica Simpson(basically wearing lingerie) is on stage right now.

I may really like this channel.

Now Jessica Alba is onstage...whoa...

every day I tune to MHD and see the same stuff I saw on opening day. I have been thinking they are showing the same 4 hour block of programing all week.
The guy in Vail was on every day this week. Same repeated show not a different one.
The way you all tell it there is different stuff on every day. I just dont see it that way. I'm kind of bummed and think it is a waist of bandwidth so far.
The country stuff is closer to rock than what you normaly see on CMT

So you've seen the awards show? Because if it was on, I missed it.

I'll admit, I have not been glued to the TV, or the channel since it launched, so I've missed stuff.

Remember the old NBC line..."if you haven't seen it, then it's new to you".

;)

Also, IMO, this is a sign of things to come. I'm not even in to pop culture(current pop culture anyway), but I'm enjoying this. The PQ, at times, is top notch. The content will attract younger viewers at some point. Especially when the content expands, which I'm sure it will.

IMO, this channel is a winner, except for the bug/logo.

I'm sad that more people cannot see this. If the VMA's were in HD for everyone, there would be a thread.:)

Can anyone confirm the VMA's have been shown on MHD before tonight?

OMG, you guys should see Eva Longoria

My jaw is on the floor as I type...

She introduced Mariah Carey...who is doing a remote SD performance.:(

One of the best looking HD presentations I've ever seen.

Folks who saw the 2005 show on MTV might remember the Kelly Clarkson act at the end. It involved water being showered down on her as she jumps around singing. It held together better than anything like that I've seen. Throughout the show, lots of strobe lights and such with only a SLIGHT hint of blocking, in the most EXTREME situations. I mean, I had to strain to see any issues.

Thanks to Cox and MHD, and Mitsubishi too I guess.:D

OMG, you guys should see Eva Longoria

My jaw is on the floor as I type...

She introduced Mariah Carey...who is doing a remote SD performance.:(

I'm jealous :) Where the heck is Comcast? Heeeellllllooo?

Michael (waiting for his MHD)

<- wishes he had MHD :(

Can anyone confirm the VMA's have been shown on MHD before tonight?
I watch it every day and have not yet seen the VMA's yet until tonight.

It's now my default "nothing else is on so I'll put something in HD on.. channel.

None of their reality show programs have showed up yet... which is a great thing!

Now playing:

"New Jersey-based rockers Bon Jovi and certified platinum country trio Sugarland unite for an episode of the critically acclaimed series CMT Crossroads. Before an invitation-only audience at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom, Bon Jovi and Sugarland performed songs from both groups, including the Bon Jovi hits "Livin' on a Prayer," "Wanted Dead or Alive" and "You Give Love a Bad Name," as well as Sugarland's hit, "Baby Girl." This episode also includes the premiere live performance of "Who Says You Can't Go Home?" -- a collaboration from Bon Jovi's album, Have a Nice Day, featuring Sugarland lead singer, Jennifer Nettles."

The PQ is stunning. Especially Jennifer Nettles.

I agree with others posting above that the only real complaint about the channel so far is that it needs accurate program listing information, so that one could actually plan when to watch one of the concert programs.

Just watched the bon jovi/sugarland crossroads here in macon ga on cox and it was great...i had seen it on cmt before and this was no upconversion..they must have filmed it in high def...picture was great..sound was not dolby digital although all the mitsubishi ads are in DD and sound great..been watching it for afew days now and there are no commercials other than quick cool mitsubishi blurbs once in awhile...no other ads at all...so far an excellent station!!! need program info

forgot to mention in macon ga its on channel 717

While I'm not a big country fan, the Sugarland concert was great. The Los Lonely Boys concert was another great one as well.

Chris(woodrow), they replayed the MTV awards again today towards the end of the CBS football game. You weren't kidding about how hot some of the women were!

While I'm not a big country fan, the Sugarland concert was great. The Los Lonely Boys concert was another great one as well.

Chris(woodrow), they replayed the MTV awards again today towards the end of the CBS football game. You weren't kidding about how hot some of the women were!
Shane,

The VMA's show will be big on this forum for years to come.:)

I'm assuming all MTV VMA's will be HD from here on out via MHD.

<- wishes he had MHD :(

I'm with ya brother! C'mon Directv!

I'm with ya brother! C'mon Directv!

DirecTV is not getting MTV-HD... Insted they got CD-USA.
.. Ohhh please DirecTV.. Raise the HD-package price by $20 and add MTV-HD.
(Still not gonna happen.)

Woodrow,
yeah seeing all of MTV VMA's in HD would be nice.

Flipped channels today while at lunch and saw a new concert I have not yet seen.

Foo Fighters. Was in Dolby 2.0 but a great concert! This tells me and I'm maybe wrong that they are filtering in new stuff on a weekly basis.

Real dark and gloomy look to it so it's not one you will use to show off to your buddies. The country concerts seem to be the ones to show off. Alot of hot women in the audience on those.

Now playing (& not on last week, to my knowledge):

"They have been friends for more than two decades, collaborated on numerous projects, sold more than 200 million albums combined, and now they are reuniting musically for the first time in nearly 20 years for CMT Crossroads. Along with stellar performances during the once-in-a-lifetime performance of the musical hits known around the world, this episode of CMT Crossroads includes intimate and comical moments with Lionel Richie and Kenny Rogers discussing their professional collaboration and personal stories surrounding their 25-year friendship.

The personal and professional relationship between these two megastars was spawned when they collaborated on one of Rogers' biggest career hits, "Lady," written and produced by Richie especially for Rogers. In the years that followed their initial pairing, Richie and Rogers collaborated on numerous album projects with Richie producing such Rogers classics as "I Don't Need You," "Share Your Love" and "Through the Years." In 1985, Richie and Rogers became part of history with "We Are the World" and the two last worked together nearly 20 years ago, in 1986, on "Hands Across America." Now, on the 25th anniversary of the recording of "Lady," Richie and Rogers reunite for CMT Crossroads.

Enjoying a level of artistry and longevity matched only by a select few, Richie has assembled an amazing list of accomplishments, including five Grammys, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award and sales in excess of 100 million albums worldwide. He has notched 22 Top 10 hits and had nine consecutive years of No.1 songs on the charts. "Three Times a Lady" "Still," "Endless Love," "Truly," "Lady," "Hello," "All Night Long (All Night)," "Say You, Say Me" and "Easy" are standards that have been woven into the fabric of pop culture. Richie completed a sold-out worldwide arena tour in support of his 2004 release Just for You and recently helped celebrate the 20th anniversary of the USA for Africa single, "We Are the World," which he co-wrote to benefit African famine relief.

In the span of nearly five decades, Rogers has recorded 61 albums, which have sold more than 105 million units worldwide. His numerous accolades include three Grammy Awards, 11 People's Choice Awards, 18 American Music Awards, eight Academy of Country Music Awards and five Country Music Association Awards. In addition, he was named favorite singer of all time in a PM Magazine/USA Today poll in 1986, and in 1989 readers of People magazine voted Rogers favorite male focalist. Rogers, who continues to tour and record, is an avid photographer who has released three books showcasing his photographs."

just saw both a coldplay and a greenday concert on mhd and both were in high-def..the coldplay was a vh1 storytellers filmed in hi-def and the green day show was also in hi-def but not sure if it was for a vh1 show or not..i believe it was a concert in miami...both looked awesome in clarity so i'm sure they were not upconversions..at least on cox here in georgia

I saw the Green Day show as well. I think it was an MTV show. PQ was great.

I think MHD is slowly adding new content weekly like I thought.

I've been finding myself tuning to this channel more and more. Even though the Foo Fighters were in DD2.0 last night, the concert was excellent. I will view this channel much more than UHD.

Anyone hearing when Cox will start offering this to other areas? I called but of course they didn't know anything about the channel..
Rick In Rhode Island

As of today, Jan 25, MHD is on Cox cable in San Diego

As of today, Jan 25, MHD is on Cox cable in San Diego

Thats close to phoenix! Maybe we'll get it soon....please...

Donald :)

I watched some of the Coldplay concert. I have not followed the music scene in years. This channel has peaked my curiousity in new music coming out. Very nice picture and sound. I am pleasantly surprised by this channel.

Looks like another new concert. The Vines on the 2$Bill Concert series.

Come on, Comcast. Your killing me here!

Come on, Comcast. Your killing me here!

Apparently they are still negotiating:


MTV on the slopes
By Dave Burdick | Wednesday January 25, 2006

But at 3:30 on a recent Thursday afternoon in this ski resort town, more than a few horned-helmet-wearing, shield-toting beer drinkers can be seen among the throng of several hundred cheering girls and boys who've assembled for a taping of "Music With Altitude: MHD in Breckenridge," part of MTV's just-launched high-definition channel, MHD.

Used to the sunnier climate of its Florida home base, Dashboard takes the stage for its mid-afternoon gig quite bundled up, with each band member wearing fingerless gloves to allow for guitar-playing in the freezing mountain air. Lead singer Chris Carrabba remained upbeat, if somewhat hurried.

"I must admit you have much better skiing here," Carrabba tells his fans, his breath visible, "than I do in south Florida."

Carrabba and his bandmates, along with the Goo Goo Dolls, have been flown in to Colorado to help inaugurate MTV's newest spin-off, which - for the winter, anyway - is based out of Aspen and Vail Resorts' four ski areas. The 24-hour, all-music channel launched last week in some markets through Cox Cable - but it's not yet available in Colorado. MTV Networks officials say they're currently in talks with other cable providers, such as Comcast, to bring MHD to more markets.

"I can't think of a more beautiful core venue than something right in the middle of the Rocky Mountains," says Morgan Hertzan, executive producer of the "Music With Altitude" concert series, which debuts March 11, and MHD's head or production and planning. "No television producer can produce beauty better than nature."

In addition to re-airing traditional MTV content, MHD will feature popular programs from sister networks VH1 and CMT. Shows already tapped for MHD's schedule include "Crossroads," "$2 Bill," "Unplugged," "Storytellers" and "Life in Rhymes."

The recent taping of the Dashboard episode of "Music With Altitude" - and three other episodes, featuring the Goo Goo Dolls, Cheyenne and Gary Allan - coincided with Breckenridge's Ullr Fest, an annual celebration of Ullr, the Norse god of snow. Legend has it that if Ullr's happy, he'll bring more snow to the area. Judging by the end-of-week weather, Ullr and Sunna, the Norse god of sun, may have cooperated to bring powder and brilliant blue skies to the slopes for MHD's channel-launching concerts.

Conveniently, the network has struck a deal with Vail Resorts - which owns and operates the Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone ski areas - that should allow MHD to capture plenty of nature - all in sparkling high-definition.

"The goal is to have them travel to all four Colorado resorts," says Nicky DeFord, a Vail Resorts spokesperson. MHD kicked off in Breckenridge in part, DeFord said, because it's more accessible to Front Range music fans than Vail, and because "Breckenridge has a different feel."

Live concerts and hi-def music videos will be the bulk of MHD's programming.

"The focus is music," says Hertzan, heading off the oft-asked question about music programming - or the lack thereof these days - on MTV. He says that MHD will feature "no reality programming. No non-music programming."

MTV Networks has been working on the station for about 18 months, shooting much of its regular programming in high-definition despite having no venue for it at the time. Now, MHD can broadcast all of that material - along with original programming such as "Music with Altitude" and "Uncompressed," a show hosted by VJ George Oliphant and U.S. Olympic skier and former Colorado Buffalo Jeremy Bloom.

Oliphant and Bloom will split time hosting "Uncompressed," with Bloom dropping in when he's got time off from his preparations for the Olympics and the upcoming NFL draft.

"Jeremy is incredibly telegenic," Hertzan says. "We thought it was a great fit."

Bloom's service at MHD will end at the close of ski season, when MHD's seasonal studios will move to a yet-to-be-announced location, likely somewhere in a warmer climate.

Oliphant, 29, graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2000 after studying film and theater. His face was one that helped launch MTV's college-targeted channel, mtvU, when it was still called CTN. He stuck with the channel all the way through last year, when he began working on MHD.

"I think they tapped me for it because I'm a skiing VJ," Oliphant says. "They don't have a lot of skiing VJs."

Oliphant, who grew up in Steamboat and now lives in Avon, says he's excited to switch over to MHD, in part because he'd been playing the role of a college student-VJ on mtvU for several years.

"Now I get to say my real age," he says. "How much longer were they going to believe I was a college student?"

Other shows planned for MHD include "Roadie Trip," hosted by Mayleen Ramey. Ramey, who introduced Dashboard during the band's "Music With Altitude" concert, will present a geographical music education during each episode, touring U.S. cities and exploring each locale's musical history. The first episode will focus on San Francisco, where Neal Schon of Journey will serve as Ramey's tour guide.

To recap, that's Journey in high-definition.

Aged Journey in high-definition.

Just sayin'.

http://boulderdirt.com/music/article.cfm/5321/MTV_on_the_slopes

Still waiting for that channel here on Verizon FIOS! :(

Come on, Comcast. Your killing me here!

They haven't added ANY new HD channels in months. I know TNT-HD is coming (already on in a lot of areas). Tons of other HD channels coming on line and Comcast isn't adding any of them.

I saw a commercial for MHD on MTV Jams. That's the only advertising I've seen so far.

Getting tired of waiting for Comcast to get new channels to, Seems like they really don't care about what we want once they have all the customers. I still don't even have cbs hd and the cable tech guy that came out here once told me its cause they didn't like the deal they were offered. Like Comcast can't afford to add new channels, Yeah right give me a break there only like the biggest cable company in the usa.

This reviewer's first person account of April 2005 television taping:

"The brand-new Two River Theater is tiny: legal capacity is 352. There weren't many more people than that in the audience. They removed the last row of seats (or weren't allowed to use them yet) and had the sound crew up there, along with what looked like the Sony VIP's. There were also some rows of chairs on the stage, behind Bruce; allegedly these were supposed to be for people in a younger demographic and were classified as "bleacher seats" but ended up being rows of folding chairs. There were monitors facing them so they could hear just fine, and at least half of them had a view of Bruce at the piano I would have gladly traded places with them for.

Our seats were in the house proper, left side. When we walked in and sat down, there were cameras on tripods on both corners of the stage. This meant that there would be a tripod in front of our seats. Not long before the broadcast began, the tripods were suddenly removed and the cameramen hand-held everything. I think we would have been fine but it was certainly stunning to have this utterly unobstructed view of Bruce Springsteen literally feet away.

The setlist consisted of eight songs (remember, this is for a one hour broadcast that will probably in total end up with 46 minutes of actual program time). I know, eight songs seems like nothing, but imagine the feeling of Bruce Springsteen playing a private concert in your living room. Eight songs would seem like an eternity, especially if he decided he didn't like how they came out and played them more than once.

Devils and Dust: I liked this song live a lot better than I did studio, but the boyfriend felt the opposite way. Bruce used this song to outline what I called "Advanced Songwriting 101," in which he took the song apart line by line, but it wasn't so much an explication of the song as it was an explanation of how he writes a song and how a song comes together for him. He puts a lot of stock in a title, somehow a good title makes everything click for him (significant to me because I feel the same way). Line by line, what role each element was playing, tradeoffs made, symbolism, the tie between the melody and the lyrics and its role in not only propelling the song but creating tension and feeling. "Did I know all of this when I was writing the song? No! Did I feel all of this when I was writing the song? Yes."

Blinded By the Light: Here we realized that the night was likely going to be a smaller version of Somerville, based on the song choice and what he was saying. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, go read this article and then come back here.) He had to be quicker than he was in Somerville (time constraints), and there were some lines that could have been grouped under the "self-explanatory" category he's fond of using that he chose not to (do I need to draw you a picture? No, I don't think so). It was hard not to sing along, but he encouraged us to do so at the end for the "I was blinded" refrain. Talked about burning up the rhyming dictionary, the mention of Manfred Mann and how this was his only number one hit.

Brilliant Disguise: This was an obvious choice, and I was glad to see Patti come out to join Bruce for it. Here, the explanation preceded the song, Bruce talking about how some people might feel that it was a song about betrayal, but that it was more about questioning. Here is when he began to discuss the issue that I felt was nothing short of a completely jaw-dropping revelation: the disarming, matter-of-fact acknowledgement of the differences between "Bruce Springsteen" and bruce springsteen. The latter gentleman used to favor strip clubs back in the good old, pre-lap dance days (these are his words, not mine; I'm having a little trouble with this); but "Bruce Springsteen" could never be caught dead at such an establishment. He then related running into a couple outside of such a place (leading me to think for a sinking few seconds we would waste precious time on "Pilgrim In The Temple of Love," and then common sense set in), and how they said, "Bruce! You're not supposed to be here!" And his response was a highly amusing, quasi-existential subterfuge about the differences between the two people and how "Bruce" didn't even know that bruce was there at that moment.

This was, of course, the perfect moment for Mrs. Springsteen to make her entrance, and I would have loved to have heard their off-mic conversation when she walked onstage. And I am struck, yet again, by how much love there is between the two of them, it is glowing and visible and undeniable.

Nebraska: He played this one twice; immediately upon finishing the first version, he stopped and said that he was going to play it again: "They told me I could do it over if I wanted to." The explanation was almost identical to Somerville, except that he didn't discuss the point that I feel is so critical about this song in particular - his role in taking his audience to places they might not normally find themselves. Considering that there are people in the fanbase that think Bruce was "wrong" to have written about the Starkweather killings, it's not a small point. (Later, driving home and analyzing the show, the boyfriend offered that he wished this one hadn't made the setlist, that it was a fine song but he didn't like the music. I offered Bruce's point from his commentary about "Devils and Dust" and that maybe we weren't supposed to like the music.)

Jesus Was an Only Son: Moving to the piano ("Oh, the possibilities," murmured the boyfriend, salivating). This is a new song from Devils and Dust. As soon as it finished, I said, "Gosh, I wish he'd decide he didn't like how that one went because I don't think I got it all" and sure enough, one more time. I don't want to turn this into a D&D review based on two songs but I will say that I wasn't that impressed. Sure, it's The Greatest Story Ever Told but - as Bruce himself said later, if you don't push yourself into the song, then it's just flat. I thought the explanation about the song and what was behind it, writing about Jesus as a son, from his mother's perspective, and how that relates to his feelings about his growing teenage sons was fantastic, given the role that the father-son dynamic has played as a theme and a catalyst in Bruce's work, but if a song needs that much of an explanation every time to make it a good song, then it might not be isn't all that good.

It did, however, lead me to consider how Bruce's work may change in perspective over the next few years. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to look at the ages of his sons and to realize that he's got to be thinking: "They're leaving home soon. Did i do a good job? Will they be okay? Did i give them what they needed to become good people?" It's logical that he'll be wanting to explore that, but likely it's going to be less "Adam raised a Cain"and more along the lines of "Jesus".

Waiting on a Sunny Day: "Sometimes the reason you write a song is so you can hear an audience sing it back at you" is what we heard about Bruce's relationship to the pop tradition at Somerville, and once again, he talked about that tonight -- except here, he spoke lovingly of wanting to sing like Smokey Robinson (and actually attempted that legendary falsetto for a heart-stopping 30 seconds).

The Rising: Another do-over. I am not sure I was fond of the arrangement of this one, especially compared to how it was performed in Somerville. But given the do-over, I'm not sure Bruce was all that thrilled with it either. For me, the arrangement was too passive, and not driving enough. It was interesting to hear the line-by-line on this one because he saw it as far more general as we as fans interpreted the song, and how there was even significance in the "li-li-li"'s.

Thunder Road: Another one he had to play twice, struggling with the piano outro a bit, but my god, I could have sat there and listened to him play it all night. This was, without a doubt, the moment of a lifetime for a Springsteen fan. In my humble opinion, "Thunder Road" is the mother of all Springsteen songs. In Somerville, the quote was that "Thunder Road" represented the moment when everything seemed possible. Here, Bruce expanded on that theme, line by line, summating with the thought that "This was my invitation to the world." Driving home later, the boyfriend (for whom this is #1) said, "It's his invitation to everything about rock and roll" and I replied, "No. It's his invitation to EVERYTHING." The invitation, the themes of freedom and liberation and escape and life and living and seizing the moment and attempting the impossible, he touched on all of it in his comments. I was so overwhelmed by what he was saying that it is hard for me now to recall it with any precision whatsoever, but I do know that it was a vicious battle inside to not start weeping openly.

This is probably a good time to talk about the audience. While everyone was on their best behavior, I did want to kill the inconsiderate Neanderthal behind me that felt the need to say something OUT LOUD DURING THE PERFORMANCE about the fact that Bruce clearly sang "sways" and not "waves". I will quote the boyfriend here, since he says it better than I do: "Oh my god. IT DOESN?T MATTER. It does not change the song, the performance or the image of Mary walking across the porch one iota whatsoever whether it is sways or waves. I will personally kill anyone who asks that question with my bare hands.? Springsteen fans: get over it. There is no issue more irrelevant in Springsteen fandom than this one, except maybe whether "Terry" in "Backstreets" is male or female, and of course, why Bruce has a song called "My Lover Man".

::getting off of soapbox::

The Q&A: many people are up in arms over this "lost opportunity" so I guess I must be one of the only people on the planet who (despite the Backstreets contest) had zero expectations from anything related to MTV Networks to provide an environment in which real fans would get to ask the real questions. I do not think that the questions asked were as horrible as many of my colleagues there that night did, but I also didn't expect them to be good so I didn't much care. I did think it was hysterical that Bruce said, "You know, we've done this before [Somerville] and one night was great, but the other one, as my kids would say, totally sucked." (I hope that anyone who asked one of the asinine questions at Somerville night two feels appropriately humiliated; however, I doubt it). Anyway, so a commercial music television outlet ****ed up fan-based questions. In further news, Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.

----
I don't know that I am more pragmatic, or realistic, or if it's simply a matter that I'm so astounded to have access to things like this that I find no joy or interest in picking it apart. This was a commercial production for television, after all, so I didn't imagine for half a second that Bruce would walk onstage and say, "Okay, so let me explain exactly how I wrote 'Meeting Across The River.' One afternoon, I was listening to a movie playing in another room, and I heard a random line of dialogue: 'Hey, Eddie, can you lend me a few bucks?' Suddenly, I had the whole story running through my head. I picked up my notebook and started writing the song, it just kind of came out the way it's written, not many changes. What's that? Did I then just sit down and start writing 'Jungleland'? No, that came much later. When did I decide to connect the two as a song suite? It was kind of complicated and I'm not sure I remember exactly. Wait, let me get my cell phone and see if Stevie remembers more than I do."

You know what, part of me says, in our ****ing dreams. And then the other part of me says, no, actually, I don't think I want to know everything. Or I want to know a lot about how he works, but I don't necessarily need or want it down to that kind of granular detail. And, I don't know that he could actually do it even if he tried, we are talking an extensive, prolific body of work stretching back 30 years and he may not remember what the catalysts were. I am also probably far more interested in this detail than many people, given that I am a writer (disclaimer: oh, write it yourself) and listening to him talk about how he does his job is encouraging and inspirational on an almost religious level.

There is a certain truth to the fact that if you take art apart too much (if you even can) then it starts to lose its magic. Bruce tried to make that point both at the beginning and at the end of the evening: that talking about music is like talking about sex. He laughed when he said it, but it?s really the same issue at the heart: music is about magic and the divine and the inexplicable. I walked out of the theater Monday night feeling like, for a second, that I had gotten a little bit closer to all of that. "

Source: http://www.jukeboxgraduate.com/archives/000155.html

Comcast only cares about thier damn On-Demand service, which in my opinon they do a horrible job updating that, leaving the same shows on it for months at a time. I'm in the Chicago market which one would think would get every Comcast HD channel available, so I can't believe that we still don't have ESPN2 or UPN HD, not that I watch UPN but what the hell. (ADD SOME CHANNELS)

Comcast only cares about thier damn On-Demand service, which in my opinon they do a horrible job updating that, leaving the same shows on it for months at a time. I'm in the Chicago market which one would think would get every Comcast HD channel available, so I can't believe that we still don't have ESPN2 or UPN HD, not that I watch UPN but what the hell. (ADD SOME CHANNELS)

You won't have to worry about UPN much longer.

MHD now has a program guide at: http://www.mhd.tv/

Thursday's schedule shows (EST):

10:00 Kenny Rogers/ Lionel Richie
11:30 The Used & My Chemical
12:00 Dave Matthews Band
1:00 Fat Joe #210
2:00 Los Lonely Boys & Ronnie Milsap
3:00 Uncompressed
4:00 Green Day
5:30 50 Cent
6:00 John Fogerty & Keith Urban
7:00 Video Hour with VJ
8:00 Uncompressed
9:00 The Used & My Chemical
9:30 Kanye West
10:00 Dave Matthews Band
11:00 Kenny Rodgers/ Lionel Richie
12:30 Video 1/2 Hour with VJ (Fri am)
1:00 Fat Joe #210
2:00 Cold Play

So THAT's where their web site is! I've been looking for one for weeks. There's no mention of MHD on MTV.com.

I thought there was some talk from another thread (can't find it right now), that D** would be adding the channel sometime in March?

Maybe I was dreaming, but I really think I saw that somewhere.

I thought there was some talk from another thread (can't find it right now), that D** would be adding the channel sometime in March?

Maybe I was dreaming, but I really think I saw that somewhere.

Your dreaming :p ..its not going to happen.
I did however say this yesterday. DirecTV likes everybody to bitch about their service. But in 2 months DirecTV will have the largest HD package out of all DBS/Cable Co's in the nation. Wouldn't that be hot ;)

hooray finally a website!

I want my MHD on DishHD!!!

Your dreaming :p ..its not going to happen.
I did however say this yesterday. DirecTV likes everybody to bitch about their service. But in 2 months DirecTV will have the largest HD package out of all DBS/Cable Co's in the nation. Wouldn't that be hot ;)

Are you talking about HD Locals?

Still waiting for that channel here on Verizon FIOS! :(
Scotty, have you tried calling verizon and asking why this channel appears in their official channel lineup but not on your TV?
Not that they would know, but just asking.

Just caught the end of some show, and saw two music videos:

The Eagles: Life in the Fast Lane (Farewell Tour, Live from Melbourne)

Cream: Badge (Royal Albert Hall - London - May 2,3,5,6(2005)

Both were in HDTV and DD5.1.

I'd give anything to see a Pink Floyd concert on this channel

Now on, country singer Gary Allan, the first of the MHD concert specials shot outdoors at the Ullr Fest in Breckenridge, CO last month.

Entitled "Music With Altitude," other concert specials will include Goo Goo Dolls (2/25 @ 9:00PM ET), Dashboard Confessional (3/18 @ 9:00PM ET) and "up-and-coming recording artist and reality television star" Cheyenne Kimball, all shot during Ullr Fest, an annual week-long Winter festival in Breckenridge. There will also be a compilation episode featuring performances from all four of the artists (3/11 @ 9:00PM ET).

Source: http://news.coskiing.com/438/

Excellent PQ with robust 5.1 sound. Worth watching.

IF D* had a brain they would turn CD-USA into FMTV. There is lots of material they could show of just bands playing live music from their DVDs. MTV ruined FM radio. Radio stations can no longer get a CD, scan through it, find the best songs and play it. Instead you are fed the cd single or promotional cut from the CD. Under this model, songs like "Behind Blue Eyes", Tampled Underfoot", Comfortably Numb, etc. etc., would never of been played. In fact under todays current model, there would be no classic rock. When was the last time you heard a song on the radio from a CD released in the past 15 years that was not a video, promotional cut or single on a rock and roll radio station. Very rare.

Rant, Rant.

MHD is now on Verizon FIOS channel 823!

The point of this being? Most music videos are still produced with substandard Beta SP or worse equipment except for most Australian videos which are SD digital.

MHD is now on Verizon FIOS channel 823!

Can anyone in Herndon/Fairfax County/Falls Church verify it is on Verizon FiOS?

At www.mhd.tv, you can "sign on" to help get your cable or satellite provider to add MHD. Guess it couldn't hurt.

That's actually at www.mhd.tv

I just went to MHD and filled out their form to submit to Cox in my area and a note came up saying that Cox will be carrying as of 12/31/06..I am actually bummed that it will take almost a year to get this...
THen I went back and put in Directv which i have also and it says they are happy to say Directv will be carrying this in my area but no info on a date..
Rick

I did the same thing with the same result. But then I also got an e-mail from cox they would be adding it 3/15 this year. so who knows why that thing spits out 12/31

So the "Sign On" page says this for D*

Congratulations! MHD is coming soon!
Thanks to DIRECTV you'll be able to see MHD as part of its HD line-up.

Is this new?

interesting...

Here is what mine said for Denver Direct TV:

Congratulations! MHD is coming soon!Thanks to DIRECTV you’ll be able to see MHD as part of its HD line-up on 12/31/2098.

I don't think I can wait that long......

Comcast and dish are still negotiating....this sucks

A synopsis of what has shown so far, over the last 3 weeks:

1. App. 8 hours a day of videos (mostly overnite) covering a wide diversity of genres (some with VJ hosts);
2. App. 20 some concerts, from the 4 concert series of the MTV-related networks, playing in a fairly frequent rotation over a 1-3 day period;
3. 1 awards show, 2005 MTV music awards, repeated several times;
4. 1 original concert so far, part of the Music with Altitude series;
5. 2 hosted shows, not of particular interest to me.

Guessing about future programming:
1. Videos should continue to be "replinished," as I gather most new material is being shot in HD;
2. Should be at least as many or more additional HD concerts not yet shown, but "in the vault" to be shown, judging from the representations that these series have been shot in HD for the last 12-18 months;
3. At least the 2005 CMT show to come, but have not seen any statements that awards show prior to 2005 were shot in HD;
4. 3 more original concerts shot and announced for broadcast;
5. Who cares.

All in all, a good channel addition, in my opinion. Don't know what I'd say if the same 20 concerts are being repeated 6 months from now.

So the "Sign On" page says this for D*

Congratulations! MHD is coming soon!
Thanks to DIRECTV you'll be able to see MHD as part of its HD line-up.

Is this new?

I got that message also, and without the 2098 date that other people seem to be getting.

2098? They might want to renegotiate. :D

I didn't get that date when I put D* in.

This is what I got for all other providers:

Unfortunately ________ has not yet agreed to carry MHD, but we're working on it! And you can help.

Good to know that they are "working on it" with every single provider available.

Now playing:

MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs)- Lisbon, Portugal.

Now getting MHD guide info via Cox cable in Tulsa.

Also getting MHD through Cox here in New Orleans, HAPPY MARDI GRAS!!

As for quality, they don't just show regular videos, but also many live performances that look spectacular.

So... would anyone with MHD like to be my hero and record this week's Music With Altitude for me (vhs or dvd)? I don't get the channel and would really really like to see it. I'd be happy to pay for B&P (I'll send it before you even send the recording, so you know you're not being cheated) and you'd get done with your good deed for the week. :) Please help me out if you can. Just PM me or email me at nmf0016(at)yahoo(dot)com. Thanks.
-Nicole

Music With Altitude is on at the following times:
(according to the mhd.tv website)
Wed. 3/1 2am, 11 am
Thurs 3/2 10 am, 2 pm
Fri 3/3 1am, 5pm, 11 pm
Sat 3/4 1pm, 8pm
Sun 3/5 1am, 12 pm, 6 pm, 11 pm
Mon 3/6 10 am, 9 pm
Tues 3/7 2pm
Thurs 3/9 1 pm
Sat 3/11 12 am, 6 pm
Sun 3/12 12pm

Bummer, it's not coming to Cox Cable in Phoenix until 12-31-2006.

What a jip.

:(

Bummer, it's not coming to Cox Cable in Phoenix until 12-31-2006.

What a jip.

:(

No Cox Phoenix is adding it on March 15th....

Donald :)

MTV HD was added to Sunflower cable in eastern Kansas this morning. My initial impressions are the picture is good and sound very good. Not everything appears to be in 5.1. Eagles and Cream videos were from their DVDs and 5.1 Other videos still sound good using PLII. Only complaint so far is the network bug. It is horrible! Big "M" on yellow background with smaller "H" on blue and "D" on green. It is animated for those worried about burn-in but much too big and obnoxious.

I am happy to have another HD channel and am looking forward to some of the concerts etc

Gojhawks, it is a good channel but has been fairly repetitive, with a few additional concerts in the last month. A synopsis of what has shown so far, over 6 weeks of its existence:

1. App. 8 hours a day of videos (mostly overnite) covering a wide diversity of genres (some with VJ hosts);
2. App. 20 some concerts, from the 4 concert series of the MTV-related networks, playing in a fairly frequent rotation over a 1-3 day period;
3. 2 awards show, 2005 MTV music awards & Europe music awards, repeated several times;
4. 2 original concerts so far, part of the Music with Altitude series;
5. 2 hosted shows.

(PS, judging by your name, good luck to your team in Dallas at the Big XII, except in the semi's vs OU!).

(PS, judging by your name, good luck to your team in Dallas at the Big XII, except in the semi's vs OU!).
Thanks. My Jayhawks need to get by Colorado tonight and keep the streak alive in Manhattan before they worry about the Big XII tourney. I suspect OU would love another shot at the 'Hawks.

Keeping this thread on topic, I happened to take the morning off and have had a chance to watch some more of the MTV HD and am pretty impressed. Some of the PQ is really outstanding and when it kicks into 5.1 I am pleased. Looks like will be an enjoyable addition.

I have this channel on my FiOS TV and really like it. The crossroads series puts artists together that I would never consider, except for maybe Rogers and Richie. All the storytellers have been great and I've been a fan of unplugged for a long time. The PQ on FiOS is some of the best I've seen. This is so much better than that CDNow channel that D* came up with.

So any news on Comcast Boston. Anyone knows if there are plans for Comcast to add it?

So any news on Comcast Boston. Anyone knows if there are plans for Comcast to add it?

Comcast is or was negotiating for it. Don't know if they have a contract yet.

Anything new? What's the latest?

Ditto @ maxman. I'd still anxiously waiting for it on Cox OC.

Okay, don't know if this has been posted, but I did a search and didn't find anything.

Caught parts of Un-Compressed tonight. They showed some videos of Loggins and Messina in concert, and I swear, it was some of the best broadcast 5.1 I've ever heard.

My speakers disappeared. Frankly, I was shocked to hear how good broadcast 5.1 can sound. Great use of all speakers including surrounds and sub. I'm no audiophile, but it doesn't take one to hear how good this sounded.

Whatever you guys at MHD did for this show, keep doing it.:)

If any of you catch this, let me know what you think.

Well being a customer of TWC NYC I went ahead & filled out the form & submitted. I am sure TWC NYC will add this CH down the road, they just recently added
WPIX-HD on CH.711 & SNY-HD (SportsNet NY) on CH.741

From what I can tell it doesn't look like MTV will be using MHD to broadcast the MTV VMA's in HD live. I would sure hope they would...but it isn't in the schedule. Anyone have any info?

Donald :)

It would be a great oppourtunity for them to do so, but if not hopefully they'll at least be recording in HD to re-run later

Woot!!! MHD here in Monterey Park on Charter!! Watching Crossroad "Bon Jovi & Sugarland" and Im only getting 2.0.... :( The commercials Im seeing are all in 5.1...

I get it on channel 828!

I receive MHD via Comcast in Boston and there currently isn't any program guide info available for this station. Does anyone out there actually have program guide info for MHD? I went to the website and it does not look like the schedule is working there either, as it is empty?

took about a week or 2 before the IPG showed up with Cox when it launched. By then you will have seen everything they show on this channel 3 times :)

Hello all,

I am in Tampa, Florida and I just got my FIOS TV. Does anyone know, in the diagnostics menu (press the OK after turning power off) what the acceptable SNR ratios for either in-bound or out-bound should be? My Moto’s show a SNR of 28-32 db and bounce in and out of “fair and good”. Would these measures have anything to do with quality of picture for HD? Shouldn’t they be higher?

When I was watching the HD-MTV channel and a concert by Pink, or Foo Fighters, I noticed that in very intense strobe light scenes, they were signs of pixelization almost like if the HD signal was being “clipped” and degrading the signal. I will have to do more research and watch more to see if I get this with all HD; but betting that it is the MPEG2 coding. When running a 92" HD screen, artifacts of pixelization look larger than life. Anyone else seeing this with their picture quality? Is there anything one can do?

took about a week or 2 before the IPG showed up with Cox when it launched. By then you will have seen everything they show on this channel 3 times :)

I noticed program guide data last night for the first time for MHD on Comcast, albeit incorrect guide data (right show, wrong description).

http://tv.yahoo.com/tvpdb?d=tvs&id=166180936&channels=us_MTVHD&lineup=us_LA17504d&.intl=us

When I was watching the HD-MTV channel and a concert by Pink, or Foo Fighters, I noticed that in very intense strobe light scenes, they were signs of pixelization almost like if the HD signal was being “clipped” and degrading the signal.

This is, or should I say seems to be, normal with any HD show that has strobe lights in it. There was discussion on a Velvet Revolver concert that was shown on HDNet a couple of months ago on the same topic. I've personally seen it several times myself.

You can probalby do a search on the word "strobe" and get more info to see if that issue was similar to yours.

" MTV Networks' MHD: Music High-Definition Channel to Premiere a New Concert Every Week Through End of 2006
Wednesday November 15, 12:00 pm ET
Snow Patrol, Snoop Dogg, Reba McEntire, Jet, Lindsey Buckingham, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Little Big Town All Join MHD: Music High-Definition Channel Line-Up That Also Features Exclusive Music Content from MTV, VH1 and CMT


NEW YORK, Nov. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- MHD: Music High-Definition today announced that the MTV Networks' high-definition channel will premiere a new concert every week through the end of the year. In addition, the channel will continue to air high-definition music programming from MTV, VH1 and CMT, exclusive concert premieres, and acquired concerts.

MHD's concert premieres include:
* CMT Giants: Reba McEntire, premiering Saturday, November 18 at 8pm ET/PT
on CMT and simulcast on MHD
* The 2006 MTV European Music Awards, premiering Saturday, November 25 at
9pm ET/PT
* CMT Crossroads: Lindsey Buckingham and Little Big Town, premiering
Saturday, December 2 at 9pm ET/PT on CMT and simulcast on MHD
* Life & Rhymes: Snoop Dogg, premiering Saturday, December 9 at 9pm ET/PT
* Summer Fest: Lynyrd Skynyrd, premiering December 16 at 9pm ET/PT
* Isle of Wight Festival: Snow Patrol and Jet, premiering December 23 at
9pm ET/PT..."

Source: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/061115/nyw161.html?.v=63

Anyone lately getting real bad signal from this new channel? Mine is getting all broke up and "pixelated" and goes blank. No fun~! Wonder if it is a local issue, or MHD related?

Anyone lately getting real bad signal from this new channel? Mine is getting all broke up and "pixelated" and goes blank. No fun~! Wonder if it is a local issue, or MHD related?
No problems in Detroit via Comcast. Call your provider for service.