Comcast HDTV

[maxman]

Edited by moderator 10/18/09

See this topic for Comcast national HD channels:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1058081

[CycloneGT]

I'll go way out there and say TNT-HD.

[Zappcatt]

Fox SportsNetHD

[Al Shing]

The most wanted channel is HDNet.

[raidbuck]

Since they have EncoreSD I would think the least costly for Cocmast would be EncoreHD. TMCHD would not help me because I don't subscribe to TMC. Of course, I'd much rather have HDNET or BravoHD.

Actually, probably the most likely is VOD-HD, which interests me less than the others because it costs extra per show.

Locally there will be new HD channels all over the country as Comcast reaches agreement with various local stations, and some folks I assume will get their local Fox HD sports. We get Comcast Sportsnet instead, which does show a lot of HD.

Rich N.

[BrentHD]

I would say UPN. I believe it was part of the CBS carry agreement, and it is beginning to carry more HD programming.

[zurchguy]

I think maxman was asking if anyone had concrete information on what comcast was planning on adding next, not what "I" would like comcast to add next. Anyone have any valid information?

[Scotty6595]

Maxman wrote: "What's the speculation about Comcast's next HD channel addition?" Speculation......hmmmmm

[Al Shing]

Originally posted by zurchguy
I think maxman was asking if anyone had concrete information on what comcast was planning on adding next, not what "I" would like comcast to add next. Anyone have any valid information?

Quite frequently, the channel you want is the one they add. Discovery HD was the latest example. It was the most wanted, besides HDNet. Before that it was ESPN HD, and CBS.

[zurchguy]

Absolutely, I do want HDNet the most now that DiscoveryHD has/will be added. However, comcast and HDNet are nowhere near close to an agreement, (as mcuban says "don't hold your breath"). So, realistically speaking, does anyone know what other channel is higher on Comcast's "to-add" list?

[jones07]

PlayBoy HD

[MickeyGee]

HDNet is the big void for Comcast. HDNet apparently wants money and Comcast isn't giving it. So this may have to wait until Comcast goes to a pay-tier for certain HD channels.

Mickey

[zurchguy]

PlayBoy HD lol *wishes* - for those of you who have it, is it worth and HD channel? is it all in HD? or just a small % of their prog. ?

[raidbuck]

Originally posted by MickeyGee
HDNet is the big void for Comcast. HDNet apparently wants money and Comcast isn't giving it. So this may have to wait until Comcast goes to a pay-tier for certain HD channels.

Mickey

I don't think the issue is paying per se. I would imagine Comcast would expect to pay for HDNET. Certainly the amount could be an issue. I think there is a certain level of competition between HDNET and INHD since their basic programming is so similar.

I expect a lot of complaints by Comcast subscribers about HDNET, so that the pressure on them will grow, but only as the total number of Comcast HD subscribers grow.

I believe it will happen sometime. unless it becomes personal between Mr. Cuban and Comcast, as it is evidently between HDNET and VOOM.

There is no doubt that of all the remaining HD channels available, I would watch HDNET more than any other if on Comcast.

As far as a separate pay-tier for HD, I would support it if the channels we receive now are not moved. That would have to be part of the negotiations I'm sure. Maybe the tier would include Sinclair-owned channels that will require payment for OTA digital feeds, but I don't think any of that will happen. Comcast doesn't want to have to negotiate with those stations whose digital feeds it has now, in my opinion.

Rich N.

[drhill]

Originally posted by jones07
PlayBoy HD

Word. But isn't it called Spice HD. I believe some have said that spice shows more good stuff compared to playboy (too much crap and not enough directors cuts movies, and even some of them are edited too much).

[stewlevine]

There are claims over at http://www.broadbandreports.com/foru...~start=860#end
that HDNet and Bravo are coming to the Dallas system (which has never gotten channels first); however, these did not come from our usual, reliable source, but from someone else.
Has anyone else heard similar claims, rumors of these channels on any other Comcast system?

[kcharg]

I wish this anonymous source would let it be known who they are. I would be very excited to see HDnet come to Comcast systems. We'll have to wait and see if this does happen August 2nd.

kcharg

[kevin j]

let's just hope this deal's for all comcast systems and not just dallas

[SonomaSearcher]

Doesn't it take more than 10 days to get the satellite connection and hardware at the headends up and running?

[SonomaSearcher]

The information in question re HDNet comes from someone who purports to be a local VP for Comcast.

Can anyone confirm that Comcast will soon be making an announcement about adding (or adding without an announcement) new HD channels?

JWhip? Ken H? Magic 8 Ball?

[JWhip]

I just checked and was told there is no deal, at least not yet. This info is out of corporate in Center City Philadelphia. Any deal with HD Net would have to be a national deal.

[davisdog]

Originally posted by SonomaSearcher
The information in question re HDNet comes from someone who purports to be a local VP for Comcast.

Based on the attitude the "veep" has I think purported is the right term...

[raidbuck]

thanks, jwhip, for a bit of reality in our ever-growing appetite for commercial-free HD. I take hope from your "at least not yet" add-on. That indicates an interest or negotiations, so that we can at least hope that it could be added sometime within the next several months. It would be a nice Christmas present, as CBS was last December.

Another for jwhip: The New England area is supposed to have a large increase in HD by the end of the year. Will that happen? And if it does, will any new channels (except their locals and any regional sports channel) migrate to the rest of us?

Thanks,

Rich N.

[macd23]

I just spoke with someone from comcast on an unrelated matter, but i asked him any new channels in the works.....while he admitted he did not have too much specific information, he mentioned fox sports and upn hd as possible additions sooner rather than later, and said other things are in the works. he also said discovery hd was highly requested prior to them bringing it online.

[JWhip]

I do not forsee a large increase in HD but other channels will be added by the end of the year, bandwidth permitting.

[Ken H]

In response to PRMan, the Magic 8 Ball says 'Ask Again Later'.

[BobColby]

Originally posted by JWhip
I do not forsee a large increase in HD but other channels will be added by the end of the year, bandwidth permitting.

JWhip, John Alchin (Comcast CFO and an executive VP) was quoted on May 4 in the Rocky Mountain News as follows (emphasis mine):

Within six months, Comcast plans to convert analog channels that are being used for some pay- per-view services in Boston to the digital format as the first step in going all digital, Alchin said. The move will allow the company to double the number of high-definition channels for TV viewers in that area to about 24, he said.

That's 11 channels more than we have now. If existing carriage agreements were all implemented, we'd get the local UPN (Viacom agreement) and WB (Tribune Broadcasting) affiliates, plus The Movie Channel (Showtime) and Encore (Starz). Also, CableWORLD quoted regional VP of marketing Randy Waddell as saying "We've just come to an agreement with Fox Sports to offer the Celtics games in HD." If that was a separate channel, and they gave NESN HD its own channel instead of pre-empting INHD2 for Sox and Bruins games, there would still be five more than we have now. Any idea what they might want to do with the remaining channels?

[raidbuck]

Two things: Those are local channels, which don't affect the overall Comcast lineup.

The quote said that Comcast would have the bandwidth to double the HD lineup. That doesn't mean that they will. HDNET/Movies and BravoHD+ are the two national HD channels missing from Comcast. There doesn't seem to be a lot of optimism about them being added any time soon. TNT-HD just doesn't show the amount of HD of the others to (in Comcast's opinion) warrant the bandwidth, at least not yet.

In my area two local HD feeds will probably never be on Comcast (Fox and WB) since they are owned by Sinclair. I'm not sure about UPN, but they are not showing the amount of HD of the 3 other majors.

It is frustrating that HDNET/Movies is not on Comcast, since it is years old, non-commercial, has all HD and would ensure Comcast would be at an HD advantage over satellites for years (at least until satellites have HD locals).

I'm hoping by next year Comcast's efforts to move to digital and competition will spur them to add at least HDNET and Bravo, plus whatever local deals they can throughout the country.

Rich N.

[CycloneGT]

Have you checked BravoHD+'s lineup? I'd rather have TNT-HD even if its mostly upverts. The upverts do look better than SD, and they have been picking up their HD a bit.

[BobColby]

Originally posted by raidbuck
Two things: Those are local channels, which don't affect the overall Comcast lineup

True. But JWhip gave an opinion on what was going to happen in Boston specifically, so I was addressing that specific situation.