Comcast claims more HD than anyone, anywhere
by Richard Lawler 
posted May 19th 2008 at 1:47PM
Comcast continues to push on Project Infinity, claiming the most HD content available anywhere, anytime. While it's channel count is dwarfed by DirecTV's, it's fighting back with video on-demand, with more than 500 HD "choices" available. Showtime and Starz have added 4x as much HD content this month, while MoviePlex and Encore doubled up on their offerings. A Comcast-commissioned study (unsurprisingly) deduced that 79 percent of people who like movies want to watch them on their schedule, along with 63 percent of people who watch TV shows. Adding MGM HD and Fuse HD won't hurt that "choices" count at all while Variety has the lowdown on MGM's price, with a 50-cents per customer rate, whenever it is available, it'll definitely be something customer's have to pay extra for. Look forward to new kinds of promotions as well, following up on an American Gangster VOD tie in last month where subscribers rented the Denzel Washington flick, and got all three Godfather movies, plus Goodfellas and Scarface. Halfway to the promised 1,000 HD VOD movies this year, but will that matter against satellite's higher channel count?Read - Comcast Hits 500 HD Choices Providing Consumers with the Most HD Content Available Anywhere, Anytime
Read - MGM net high on Comcast
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Gordon Werner @ May 19th 2008 2:14PM
I am really tired of Comcast and their the most HD BS.
1. pay channels like HBO and their related VOD content should not count
2. they should be embarrassed by their free HD movies. I mean come on ... Operation Dumbo Drop? Hook? what's next? Solarbabies HD?
3. they seriously need to stop compressing their HD signal so much ... most of what they air in HD is horrid whenever there is movement on screen.
Jordan @ May 19th 2008 2:30PM
I actually really liked Hook. It was a very fun take on Peter Pan.
Shaun @ May 23rd 2008 2:06PM
I too enjoyed Hook.
toonces @ May 23rd 2008 2:17PM
Come on now. I'm a comcast cust in Indy & I love it...did I mention I'm a pathological liar. I agree with everyone here posting the hd quality is getting shitty. Their standard channels 1-99 look like crap on my pioneer plasma. The hd vod is a joke too...the movie selection is terrible. Last time I bothered to look they had 3 robocops, hook & johnny mnemonic.
They have a monopoly here in Indy. I'm hoping att gets their Uverse to me soon. Don't know if its any better though.
Ryan @ May 19th 2008 2:30PM
Comcast: The Most COMPRESSED HD in the N. Va.!
Forget 1080i and 720p, my comcast HD is starting to look more and more like youtube. So they added more HD channels in our area this week-end meaning the existing HD line-up is now available in the lowest HD quality available.
PLEASE STOP ADDING CHANNELS.
Jason @ May 19th 2008 3:05PM
It is getting pretty bad.
I'm noticing it more and more now how compressed and artifact-ridden everything is now.
FIOS can't get here soon enough...
DirectvFanClub @ May 19th 2008 2:20PM
When comcast catches up with actual HD channel count, then all of their VOD BS might matter. Directv has this option too. Personally, I can barely keep up with all of the stuff on my DVR now. I'd rather have more HD channels, which is why I have directv.
DirectvFanClub @ May 19th 2008 2:24PM
Oh, and directv has HAD MGM HD, Universal HD, HDNET Theater/Movies, Etc for months now. They make up a 4.99/mo package if you want them. MGM is the one I watch the least of these - many older movies, but occasionally some good ones.
MooseMuffin @ May 19th 2008 2:26PM
"3. they seriously need to stop compressing their HD signal so much ... most of what they air in HD is horrid whenever there is movement on screen."
Absolutely. Shouldn't this be regulated somehow? It seems like there should be something illegal about selling an HD signal and then compressing all the details out.
Vince Masten @ May 19th 2008 2:28PM
Please proofread better and learn how to appropriately use apostrophes.
Also, this whole "more HD than anyone" is almost as obnoxious as the billboards that say their high-speed internet is powered by fiber optics. It's misleading and annoying.
RC @ May 19th 2008 3:04PM
All the big cable companies and most of the smaller cable companies run fiber to the headend, so they're not lying. It's not Fiber to the door, but there's still fiber.
Jordan @ May 19th 2008 2:29PM
Not to nitpick, but this article could use some editing:
"people who like movies WANT WATCH them on their schedule"
"Adding MGM HD and Fuse HD won't hurt that "choices count at all and Variety has the lowdown on MGM's price, with a 50-cents per customer rate, whenver it is avialable, it'll definitely be something customer's have to pay extra for."
Besides multiple misspellings ("whenver", "avilable"), this sentence doesn't even make any sense. Definitely subpar compared to Engadget's usual high standards.
Achilles @ May 19th 2008 2:56PM
COMCAST: The most compressed HD channels, ever!
What a joke. Their marketing is almost as bad as HD-DVD's marketing, or lack thereof marketing campaign.
Comcast blows!
MadMike @ May 19th 2008 3:30PM
And no FX-HD! I guess I'll be downloading Rescue Me in HD off of TVRSS.Net and that's 1 show I would want to watch the commercials on because a portion of the proceeds of the show go to help firefighters.
I have Verizon FiOS, great HD quality, Piss Ass Poor quantity and NO FX-HD.
Comcast has crap quality HD, So-So quantity (for FREE anyway) but still doesn't have FX-HD.
So, Comcast & Verizon if you are reading.... SRSLY, WTF!?!?!?!?111111one
TRU3L3GEND @ May 19th 2008 4:07PM
I lol every time I hear comcast radio and TV advertisements, that claim they have the most HD channels than satellite or any other cable provider. Maybe they should cut down on advertising, and start adding more to the channel line up that we pay for our overpriced cable.
Bob @ May 19th 2008 4:17PM
Most HD? Please... Let's do the math shall we? Let's say they have 1000 shows on demand like they claim. Okay... Let's say each show is 2 hours long (being generous here). That's 2000 hours of HD content. An HD channel broadcasts 24 hours a day x 7 = 168 hours per week, 672 hours per month. That's equal to roughly 3 extra HD channels at any given time. We're going on quantity, not quality because some broadcasts aren't HD and some "HD VOD" doesn't exactly qualify either.
Comcast Montgomery County: 30 channels + 2000 hours VOD
DirecTV: 87 Channels
Hmmm...doesn't exactly add up, does it?
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=793124
DenverBob @ May 19th 2008 4:57PM
After going through nearly 20 Motorola 3412, 6412 and 6416 DVRs, with cable rates going out of sight and their picture quality fading fast, we went with DirecTV.
DirecTV is far more difficult to deal with when it comes to customer service. The only way to deal with their customer service and make sure things are in writing is to contact them by email. But eventually the issues get fixed. Their PQ is far superior, as is their channel lineup. Hopefully they increase their FREE VOD HD offerings. They have plenty of $ HD offerings, though.
Comcast is much easier to work with via customer service. It's easier because they can't do anything at all to fix the technical problems. They are more than happy to swap DVR boxes, though. Sadly, you'll be your reconditioned-for-the-50th-time box back within six months after it breaks down again.
Just remember, it's Comcrashtic!
squirrelking @ May 27th 2008 1:13PM
I agree with your comments about DirecTV I enjoy using them but hate to try to get any issues resolved. If I need a tech to come out I often have to schedule 1-3 months in advance only to have them show up seven hours late and tell me they can't finish the job before I have to leave for work. It's been eight months and I still haven't been able to get them to install a HD dish at my parents house, though we do have two hd dvr's not being utilized there.
I think there biggest problem is there extremely understaffed in all departments from phone operators to install technicians.
Still far better than my experiences with Comcast, I'd rather have OTA than Comcast again.
Kevin Gann @ May 19th 2008 5:05PM
Even though we are officially Comcast in Memphis, it still feels like we are Time Warner Cable. They haven't added ANY new VOD since the switch. NONE. We don't have Channel 1 On Demand, even though they are always advertising it. Channel 1 for us is just PPV SD.
All we have for on demand is a bunch of crappy channel specific VOD channels that barely have anything. We have ZERO HD On Demand options (except PPV), even though if you go to the Comcast website, they advertise all this stuff like it is available to us.
They are just flat out lying to us. And I'm sick of it.
Travelfan1 @ May 27th 2008 9:04PM
Comcast of NJ II/Union customer here. Comcast has a PATHETIC HD lineup here. TO make matters worse, they are liars around here! They posted a notice in my local office talking about adding 8 new HD channels and what happens? The channels were not added and the local Marketing VP posts a message in the dslreports.com staying the same BS written above.... Boy, I"ve just wished I had LOS.....