DIRECTV NewsA Blog on Satellite TV News

Comcast has added three new high-definition channels to its programming line-up last week in Tallahassee, Florida. Fox News HD, FX HD and Speed HD are the new channels added. Comcast has also added two new standard definition channels like Bloomberg TV and Qubo.

KC McWilliams, vice president and general manager at Comcast of Tallahassee said “People watch TV differently today. They want to watch the best HD programming on their schedules that’s the future of TV that Comcast is delivering now.”

Comcast has been launching many new high-definition channels to compete with major satellite players like, DirecTV and Dish Network and also with other operators like Time Warner Cable, Verizon and Cox. Comcast has added two new HD channels in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The cable operator has announced that the subscribers can expect many new HD channels in near future. FOX News HD and FX HD are the new channels available in Comcast’s HD programming line-up in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

Comcast has announced that the San Francisco subscribers will receive 12 new high-definition channels starting from November 25. After the launch of these new HD channels, Comcast’s HD channel line-up will reach fifty. Following are the new HD channels to be launched:

Bravo

Speed and

The Travel Channel

Comcast will also add TBS HD along with the above channels in selected California markets on December 8 which includes Chico, Calaveras, Corning, Davis, Grass Valley, Modesto, Oroville, Patterson, Placerville, Roseville and Tracy.

Verizon Communications has announced on Nov. 6 that it has added 55 new channels, including 53 additional high-definition channels in its FiOS TV programming line-up in the Richmond area. FiOS TV subscribers is offered with 100 high-definition channels, more than 800 HD choices available at any time and excess of 700 HD video-on-demand titles offered every month.

Verizon claims that it offers more HD channels than the cable operator Comcast in Richmond area and also planning to add more HD channels. These new HD channels added are a part of the commitment to offer more HD channels and lead the industry in quality programming.

Favorite channels:
Animal Planet HD
FX HD
Science Channel HD
Smithsonian Channel HD
Superstation WGN HD
The Biography Channel HD and
TLC HD

News Channels:
Fox Business Network HD and
Fox News Channel HD

Home and Leisure Programming:
QVC HD
The Travel Channel HD and
Planet Green HD

Kids and Teens Channels:
ABC Family HD
Disney Channel HD and
Toon Disney HD

Movie Channels
Cinemax HD
HBO HD
MGM HD
Showtime HD
Showtime HD
Showtime 2 HD
Showtime Extreme HD
Showtime Showcase HD
Starz HD
Starz Comedy HD
Starz Edge HD
Starz Kids and Family HD
The Hallmark Movie Channel HD
The Movie Channel HD and
The Movie Channel Xtra HD

Sports Channels:
ESPNews HD
Mav TV HD
Speed HD
The Tennis Channel HD and
World Fishing Network HD

Verizon also has launched two new standard-definition channels in the Richmond area:
Current TV and
RFD TV

Comcast SportsNet has announced that all Flyers, 76ers and Phillies games will be broadcast in high definition for the first time, starting from Oct. 11. Comcast SportsNet now produces all studio-based news, pregame and post game coverage, as well as home and select road games in high definition. Comcast SportsNet will begin October 11 with the Flyers game against the New York Rangers and also will cover the October 29 opening Sixers game against the Toronto Raptors. Stephanie Smith, Comcast SportsNet’s Philadelphia president said “Our goal has always been to bring fans closer to the action by delivering all home and road games in High-Definition.”

CN8, The Comcast Network provides interactive live television programming has covered Democratic and Republican National Conventions and the viewers were able to watch more programming. With 30 hours of live programming featured 47 live hits from the conventions, CN8 conducted 23 interviews on location from Denver and St. Paul, Video On Demand also has delivered 10,000 orders and exclusive interviews and Vlogs by Kane and Traynham were presented regularly on its website.

“Overall political interest in 2008 is quite high since we’re approaching what should be a watershed election. We knew interest would be high and we delivered to our viewers a bounty of convention coverage,” said Jon Gorchow, vice president and general manager of CN8, The Comcast Network. “Whether it was live on TV, via the Internet, through ON DEMAND or with our new video blog entries, we had something for everyone — at any time. And our ratings, ON DEMAND orders and Web hits proved that we made up for where the networks lagged.”

Warner Bros has added 85 classic movies to its Video on Demand (VOD) celebrating Warner Bros. Entertainment’s 85th Anniversary. These movies will be available first time in high definition on VOD. “Superman: The Movie,” “Casablanca” and “Full Metal Jacket” were launched in satellite providers DirecTV and DISH Network and also on cable operators like Charter Communications, Comcast, Cox Cable, Time Warner Cable and Rogers Cable (Canada).
Following are the Titles offered :
Absolute Power
All the President’s Men
An American in Paris
Analyze This
Any Given Sunday
Arthur
Beetlejuice
Ben Hur
Blade Runner
Blazing Saddles
Blood Work
Bonnie and Clyde
Casablanca
Chariots of Fire
A Clockwork Orange
Collateral Damage
Constantine
Cool Hand Luke
Deliverance
Devil’s Advocate
Dial M for Murder
Dirty Harry
Doctor Zhivago
Dog Day Afternoon
Enter the Dragon
Eraser
The Exorcist
Fear dot com
The Fugitive
Full Metal Jacket
Goodfellas
Green Mile
Grumpy Old Men
Horror of Dracula
I Confess
Interview with the Vampire
The Killing Fields
Last Samurai
Lethal Weapon
Lethal Weapon 2
Lethal Weapon 3
Lethal Weapon 4
Little Shop of Horrors
Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome
Maltese Falcon
Mars Attacks!
Matrix Reloaded
Matrix Revisited
Matrix Revolutions
Million Dollar Baby
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Natural Born Killers
Ocean’s Eleven (1960)
Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
Ocean’s Twelve
Once Upon a Time in America
Pale Rider
Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure
The Philadelphia Story
Presumed Innocent
The Road Warrior
Rebel without a Cause
The Right Stuff
Risky Business
The Shawshank Redemption
The Shining
Singin’ in the Rain
Space Jam
Spies Like Us
Stage Fright
Strangers on a Train
Streetcar Named Desire
Superman II
Superman III
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
Superman: The Movie
Suspicion
Three Kings
Training Day
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Troy
Twilight Zone: The Movie
Under Siege
Unforgiven
The Wrong Man

Comcast has announced that they reached a distribution agreement with NBC Universal (NBCU) to broadcast 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Comcast will bring 2008 Beijing Olympic Games with more choices and will be delivered over the company’s advanced fiber optic network. The cable operator is planning to provide more than thousands of hours of NBCU’s wide-ranging coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Comcast has a link to NBCOlympics.com through http://www.comcast.net/olympics/beijing/.
The features of Comcast Coverage of 2008 Beijing Olympic Games :

High-Definition Programming (HD)

Comcast Video On Demand (VOD)

NBCU’s comprehensive and diverse Olympic experience and 2,200 hours of broadband content available on NBCOlympics.com

High-Definition Programming (HD)

Comcast’s agreement with NBCU will ensure the cable operator to offer Olympic Games coverage of more than 1,200 total hours of Olympics coverage on seven NBCU networks like NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, Telemundo, Universal HD and USA Network. Comcast also provides high-definition programming of more than 700 hours of HD coverage on networks including NBC HD, Universal HD, and USA HD.

Comcast Video On Demand (VOD)

Comcast to offer more than 60 programs on Comcast VOD which will include “Beijing 411,” “Meet the Athletes” and “Team USA Preview.” Comcast Digital Cable customers will be offered with Comcast Video On Demand (VOD) at no extra charge and will be delivered with Olympics programming, daily highlights, events and more.

http://www.comcast.net/olympics/beijing/

Comcast link to the Olympic game website directs to NBC’s 2008 Beijing Olympic Games site and the website will provide all information about Opening Ceremony, rich in content and previews and, during the Games, will deliver 2,200 hours of 25 events streamed live, plus full-event video replays, extensive highlights, including daily re-caps of key events, best-of montages, commentator analysis and athlete-specific clips each day.

“We are excited to offer this unprecedented cross-platform experience and give our customers unparalleled access to NBC’s coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games,” said Matt Bond, Executive Vice President of Content Acquisition, Comcast Corporation. “Our customers now have front row seats to one of the most exciting events in the world, along with the ability to watch what they want, when they want to.”

Comcast Corporation has announced the launch of seven new high-definition channels in Massachusetts and Hampshire markets. Following are the new HD channels launched in Hampshire and Massachusetts markets areas :

ABC Family HD

AMC HD

Disney HD

Science Channel HD

Showtime 2 HD

The Movie Channel HD and

TLC HD

Paul D’Arcangelo, Vice President of Comcast’s Metro Boston Region said “Comcast is committed to providing our customers the ultimate High Definition viewing experience, We currently deliver our customers more than 500 HD choices at any time, and are thrilled to add even more HD programming with the launch of seven new HD networks available right now.”

Comcast has launched many new HD channels in Connecticut and planning to move some channels to different packages.Hartford, Plainville and Vernon subscribers of Comcast will receive three new high-definition channels like ABC Family HD, Disney HD and Science HD from July 22nd. WE: Women’s Entertainment already added to subscribers in Danbury, New Haven, Clinton, Groton and Middletown from July 1st. Waterbury and Seymour customers won’t see La Familia as the cable operator has removed the channels from the programming line-up.