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Broadcast News– Phillip Swann

The latest scoop on your mini-dish

DIRECTV�s Future Plans for HDTV

Expansion of high-definition services is definitely a priority with DIRECTV, says Eric Shanks, executive vice president of entertainment for DIRECTV, although many of those channels will not readily available for months. The small-dish provider does not plan to offer additional national HDTV channels until the second quarter of 2007.

Next year we will have the capacity to roll out more than 1,500 local channels and more than 150 national HD channels," says Shanks

We will add the most popular HD channels first, when they are available. The next national HD channel won�t be just one; it will be a major launch of as many quality channels as are available. That will happen in the second quarter next year, when we�ll have the capacity to launch more than 150 national channels."

However, DIRECTV is expanding its rollout of local HD channels.

We are actively rolling out local HD markets, which is by far the bulk of viewing for our customers. We are currently serving 39 markets with local HD and will be in 68 by the end of [2006]."

DIRECTV is now selling its new High-Definition Digital Video Recorder at Best Buy and other retail stores. Model HR20-700S, the recorder is listed for $299.99, but it also requires a $4.99 monthly fee. The set-top can record up to 50 hours of high-def programming or up to 200 hours of standard definition programming. Dual tuners let you record two shows at once while watching a third.

DIRECTV has not decided what it will offer current subscribers to upgrade to new MPEG4 HDTV receivers when it switches to that compression technology in 2007.

Upgrade offers for that hardware for next year have not been determined yet," says Shanks. "[But] customers who will lose programming, for example, as we switch the digital distant network feeds to MPEG4, will be offered a free upgrade to the MPEG4 compatible equipment."

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