Audio Video News

In a low-key rollout last week, HDNet, which bills itself as "the world's only all-high definition national television network", went live on DirecTV channel 199 with a broadcast of the Minnesota Twins at Texas Rangers. HDNet, with offices in Dallas and Denver, says that this is the first of 15 Major League Baseball games it intends to air throughout the month.

Founded by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and Philip Garvin, HDNet says it will expand in October from a limited schedule to a 16 hour-per-day, seven day-per-week schedule of sports and entertainment programming, all broadcast in high definition. According to the company, HDNet's focus at launch will be primarily on sports broadcasts.

Through agreements with Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, the U.S. Olympic Committee, and the National Lacrosse League , HDNet says it plans to offer the largest selection of sports programming available in high definition. In addition to sports, HDNet says that a variety of live and taped special events, concerts, documentaries, music videos, and movies will be aired in the future.

Cuban feels that the rapidly growing base of current HDTV users is a ready market for more high definition programming, "and we are committed to providing them the compelling content they seek. Furthermore, for new TV buyers, we want to make their choice of upgrading to high definition television and high-definition capable DirecTV equipment an easy decision.

"I believe the market for HDTV-enabled TVs and tuners is set to explode over the next five years. The current state of the HDTV industry is very similar to the early days of the personal computer and the Internet, when the industry debated about technology and standards and growth was confined to the early adopters. With each of these industries, new marketing and sales-driven businesses were key to driving the growth of the markets to the next level."

HDNet programming is currently available on channel 199 to all DirecTV subscribers at no additional monthly programming cost. The company points out that to receive HDNet on DirecTV, consumers may purchase an HDTV set with built-in DirecTV System Receiver or a DirecTV-enabled HD set-top receiver and a triple-LNB 18"x24" Multi-Satellite Dish antenna. HDTV sets integrated with the DirecTV Receiver, as well as DirecTV-enabled HD receivers, are available from Thomson Consumer Electronics (under the RCA and PROSCAN brands), Toshiba, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Hughes Network Systems, Philips and Sony.