[opendtv] No Market for HDTV?
- From: "John Willkie" <jmwillkie@xxxxxxx>
- To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 11 May 2004 11:04:23 -0700
One of the persistent thrusts here -- years back -- during the modulation
wars, was that there was ZERO need/desire for HDTV. I don't believe that's
the case, even in England, France (particularly) and Germany.
Just today, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the last local cable
system of any size -- Adelphia (the smallest cable operation in San Diego
county) is adding HDTV service. $9.95 a month for the STB, but no
installation charge, and no mention in the article of an additional service
cost, even above analog. (I presume there is one.)
Just yesterday, I was told by a local chief engineer that there are 24,000
PAYING HDTV cable subscribers in San Diego. That's over a million dollars a
year to the cable companies JUST FOR HDTV, in addition to the charge for
digital cable. The market is more than 90% cable.
And, just because people get some HDTV channels over cable, doesn't mean
that they don't have a DTV tuner.
There is a solid reasons for many people hereabouts to pay for HDTV via
cable over and above national/local TV offerings. The San Diego Padres, in
their new ballpark, outfitted the park to transmit local games using HDTV.
They're going to not only present all local games in cable, but also away
games in nearby markets (using their own HDTV mobile truck), totalling more
than 100 this season.
Those games are ONLY available in HDTV on Cable; available on Cox,
Time-Warner. I guess that will be next season on Adelphia.
Adelphia is starting with providing the local channels in HDTV. Next to
come is HBO et al. Makes one think that local channels was the driver.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You can UNSUBSCRIBE from the OpenDTV list in two ways:
- Using the UNSUBSCRIBE command in your user configuration settings at
FreeLists.org
- By sending a message to: opendtv-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word
unsubscribe in the subject line.
Other related posts:
- » [opendtv] No Market for HDTV?