Warner Bros. Digital Distribution is celebrating Warner Bros. Entertainment’s 85th anniversary by releasing 85 of its classic films in HD VOD (High-Definition Video-On-Demand). Movies from the library already available on-demand include “Superman: The Movie,” “Casablanca” and “Full Metal Jacket”. Some of the titles are being offered for the first time in high-definition. Full Story »

DIRECTV added 4 new HD channels yesterday but may have disappointed many customers who expected 30 new HD channels. The additions of ABC Family HD (Ch. 311), Planet Green HD (Ch. 286), Showtime Showcase HD (Ch. 541) and Showtime Extreme HD (Ch. 542) are welcome additions to the lineup but don’t bring the satellite provider’s HD offerings up to 130 as was promised. Full Story »

DISH Network announced earlier this week it would add two HD (High-Definition) channels dedicated to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. In an agreement with NBCU, The NBC Olympic Soccer Channel (Ch. 99) and NBC Olympic Basketball Channel (Ch. 98) will carry the Olympics coverage 24-hrs a day during the games. Full Story »

PGA Championship gets expanded coverage including TNT & CBS broadcasts, Interactive Features, and PGA Mix Channel

DIRECTV will offer customers a full interactive experience with its PGA Championship coverage. The free service will deliver four HD (High-Definition) channels covering the event. Three of those channels will focus on specifics of the tournament, including Featured Group of the day, Featured Holes, and Players in Depth. The 4th channel will carry the full CBS/TNT live network coverage. Full Story »

NBCU to provide DIRECTV with 2008 Beijing Olympics content for VOD

Starting this Friday, August 8, DIRECTV will provide 2008 Olympics coverage through its HD VOD (High-Definition Video-On-Demand) service. After making a deal with NBCU, the company will be allowed to provide customers with 10 VOD titles per week of the 2008 games. Full Story »

In addition to announcing the introduction of 1080p broadcasting, DISH Network also will launch 17 new HD (high-definition) channels tomorrow nationwide. DISH Network will now offer 114 HD channels, and has quickly caught up to rival satellite TV company DIRECTV. Full Story »

Dish announced today plans to set a new standard for high-definition (HD) broadcasting. The company says it will offer 1080p resolution, or what could be called true “high definition,” to its customers. Only Blu-ray discs and HD DVDs offer that high of a resolution. It would be an upgrade that many thought was years away. Full Story »

DIRECTV will offer local HD (high-definition) channels in 121 markets by the end of the year, that according to an announcement by the company today. It will launch 44 new HD markets which will cover 88 percent of U.S. homes. Full Story »

Boeing announced on Monday that the DIRECTV 11 satellite successfully took orbit and will start transmitting additional HD channels this Fall. The satellite was originally launched on March 19 by Sea Launch from the Pacific Ocean. Full Story »

Dish Network announced yesterday the company would be expanding its local HD (high-definition) market in Texas, adding local HD channels in Beaumont - Port Arthur. The satellite TV provider now offers local HD channels in 66 markets. Full Story »

DirecTV has made an agreement with NBCU to provide the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in both standard and high-definition (HD) through the satellite company’s video-on-demand (VOD) service.

The agreement will allow DirecTV to provide customers with 10 VOD titles each week of the Olympic games which start on August 8 and end on August 24, 2008. NBCU will produce more than 500 titles from now until the end of the games. Full Story »

Dish Network, who suffered a serious setback earlier in the year when its satellite failed to reach orbit, has successfully launched its EchoStar XI satellite. The satellite, which will increase the number of Dish’s high-definition channels, was launched early this morning, July 16. Full Story »

Dish Network surprised everyone with an early announcement Thursday to add an additional 17 HD (high-definition) channels to their lineup. The network originally promised to reach a capacity of 100 HD channels by years end, but has done it much earlier. In addition, Dish Network will start selling HD only packages. The new “turbo” service will range from $25-$55 a month. Full Story »

DirecTV now officially offers VOD (video on demand) to their customers who have a DirecTV PlusHD DVR or R22 DVR receiver. The library contains at least 4,000 standard-definition (STD) and high-definition (HD) titles, although an exact number of HD channels was hard to calculate. Full Story »

July 07, 2008 (TELECOMWORLDWIRE via COMTEX) — DISH Network Corporation (Nasdaq: DISH), a US pay-TV provider, has added four new high definition (HD) local markets to its coverage areas in the US. [ Press Release ]

According to DISH, provision of HD to the four new local areas, two in NY state, one in Tennessee and one in Michigan, means that the network now covers more than 69% of US TV households. The additional areas are part of an expansion announced by DISH in January, with a target by the end of the year of 100 local HD markets and 100 national TV channels. Full Story »

DirecTV announced today their on demand service is now available to customers nationwide. The content is available to customers who have a DIRECTV Plus HD DVR or R22 DVR receiver. There are more than 4,000 titles available at any time, including high-definition (HD) titles. Full Story »

In what would think is a move that could be biting their own tail, satellite television provider Dish Network began selling a digital-to-analog converter. The DTV converter allows older televisions that are not digital to enjoy digital transmissions over-the-air. Some might ask, “Why do I need satellite service then?” If you like having a lot of channels to choose from, you may want both. Full Story »

A poll taken by random HD-Report visitors reveals that DirecTV and Verizon FiOS finish in first and second place as the service providers with best HD quality.

DirecTV finished out on top with 32% of the votes. This is not surprising given their market penetration and dominance in HD channel offerings. Verizon FiOS, who currently only serves approximately 40 HD channels, came out with 27% of the votes. DISH Network, who trails DirecTV in number of HD channels, captured 15% of the votes. Full Story »

Early this week LIN TV made a deal with DirecTV to broadcast both analog and high-definition channels. The agreement will include television stations owned by LIN TV in 15 markets. Some markets include Albuquerque, Austin, Buffalo, Dayton, Grand Rapids, Green Bay, Indianapolis, Springfield, Providence, Norfolk,  and Hartford-New Haven. Full Story »

Dish Network reached an agreement with Tribune to broadcast WGN America HD. That according to an article by Broadcasting & Cable. WGN America covers MLB teams Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox as well as the NBA’s Chicago Bulls. Full Story »