Feelin' pretty good about all those new HD channels, are ya Staten Island? For those still not content, how's about a little HD Movie on Demand action? A friendly resident has just sent in a screenshot proving that the service has indeed launched on channel 700, even though he wasn't expecting it until June. Per usual, we've no idea how quickly slowly Time Warner Cable will spread the goods to other areas of New York, but with all of the systems transitioning to digital, we'd guess the wait shouldn't be too long. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]

[Thanks, UnnDunn]

Just weeks after hearing that Poland's Cyfra+ would be acquiring Eurosport HD in late May comes word that the satellite provider will likely be raising its rates in the near future. Based on a local report, customers will have to pay more (exact bumps were undisclosed) for the Basic, Komfort and Prestige packages starting in June, though the fee for National Geographic HD would simultaneously fall. Thankfully, the price hike isn't for naught, as it's planning to add in HBO HD (along with several others later in the year) and its very own VOD service to boot. Make that HD VOD and we're really on to something.

Not even half a year after Verizon strung its FiOS TV service to Oregon, those very subscribers are now getting access to HD VOD. The carrier has been on quite the roll of late, dishing out HD VOD to a slew of other states just a month prior, but this marks the first time Beaver State residents can yell "me too!" For starters, you can look forward to seeing content from CBS, Discovery Channel, Music Choice, HDNet and Ovation TV, and if Verizon has its way, it'll be offering up 1,000 HD VOD titles per month by the close of 2008.

Hope you like your movies served fresh on-demand, as Viacom, Paramount, Lionsgate and MGM have just announced plans for a new "premium" channel launching fall 2009. Other than having access to Paramount and Paramount Vintage titles released to theaters on or after January 1, 2008, and MGM, United Artist and Lionsgate flicks released after January 1, 2009, the service plans a "robust" VOD component. According to Variety, the big loser here is Showtime, which loses access to several theaters it's depended on for content, and also faces competition for shows like Weeds and Dexter. We're sure no premium movie channel would launch in this day and age without an HD offering, so tell your provider to keep a slot open for this latest addition.

Verizon's on quite the roll in the Empire State, and it's not stopping with filing an application to bring FiOS TV to all of New York City. Oh no, it's also bringing HD VOD to every single New Yorker with FiOS TV already, starting right now. On top of that, the carrier's trumpeting its plans to offer up "more than 1,000 high-definition video-on-demand titles each month by the end of the year." Go on, celebrate any way you wish -- before long, everything you watch via the new portal will be dictated by junior, anyway.

Another month, another handful of HD VOD updates from Comcast. This go 'round, the carrier's looking to help you vent your tax day frustrations by offering up a suite of anti-establishment, gangster-themed flicks in brilliant high-definition. Most notably, American Gangster and The Godfather trilogy will be available to subscribers in HD, and just in case the aforementioned titles are a bit too dark for your tastes, you can also tune into MTV's Real World: Season 20 premier a week prior to it airing on MTV. Sure, we would've preferred a price cut for the month to help cope, but we 'spose this will have to do.

[Image courtesy of Universal / Entertainment Wallpaper]

Okay, so we've seen some fairly amazing results emerge from these so-called studies, but this one practically takes the cake. Oliver Wyman, an international management consulting firm, reportedly surveyed some 2,000 US consumers and found that "a price point between $7 and $9 is optimal for the next generation of video-on-demand VOD and internet movie rentals." In other words, respondents confirmed that they would pay up to $9 per HD VOD film if they could have instant access on the day-and-date of the title's DVD release. Granted, we recognize that consumers will indeed pay more for convenience, but still, $9 just seems extraordinarily steep at the moment. It should be noted, however, that the same study did find that consumers would likely pay a small premium for packaged media that included a Digital Copy (or similar) -- that we actually can wrap our heads around. Hit the read link for more details, and please don't agree that $9 is the new $3.99, okay?

[Image courtesy of Verizon]

Disregard the fact that just 5-percent of HDTV owners in Europe actually bother to tune into HD programming -- Belgium's own Belgacom is looking to help its subscribers buck the trend. Starting on April 14th, the provider will begin offering HD VOD services (exact content choices have yet to be disclosed) along with seven unannounced high-def channels. Of note, customers looking to take advantage of the extra clarity will be dinged with a €50 "connection charge," and a snappy VDSL line will be required. Additionally, Belgacom plans on offering the Olympic Games in HD, and the services are being made available thanks to recent infrastructure upgrades to a fiber-to-the-node VDSL2 network. No word on how much the Nokia Siemens Networks-sourced set-top-boxes will run customers, but we'd say it's a pretty exciting win for HD-starved Belgians, regardless.

NHK on Demand is prepping for a December launch in Japan, offering viewer a chance to check out older programming at their leisure. Available via PC, the acTVila service or J:COM On-Demand, there should be about 1,000 programs available at launch, with 1,000 more added every year afterwards, in high definition where applicable. Beyond just old catalog stuff, morning television, nightly news and prime time programming from the past week will be available, for a fee. NHK expects the VOD biz to operate at a loss for the first few years but sees profits far off once things are all set up. Remember the old days when you just had to watch what was on TV right then?

History (it recently dropped such innocuous terms like The and Channel to describe a lineup of Ax Men and Crime 360) has linked up with Korea Telecom to distribute its network via video on demand. Parent A&E Television is completely committed to HD production for its shows, and plans to continue expanding the channel -- already on the air in the U.K., Scandinavia and Central Europe -- to Asia and Latin America over the next year. Expect more syndication-friendly content on the way, as A&E sees a big future for HD & VOD distribution.

Lookee here, it's all coming true. The bits we heard about a massive HD rollout coming to Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, NY (not to mention New Jersey) are now being confirmed by Time Warner Cable. On April 30th, the three previously highlighted areas will have access to 50 HD channels, while those very stations will be available to all digital subscribers in Manhattan (!!!), New Jersey, the Hudson Valley region and Mt. Vernon "later this year." Additionally, TWC is gearing up to add over 250 HD VOD options, launch Enhanced HDTV (which includes Start Over) and position itself "to carry 100 high-definition channels" in NY and NJ by the close of 2008. Progress is a wonderful thing, innit? Check the full list of upcoming HD channels in the read link. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]

Gospel Music Channel has announced plans to not only re-launch its video-on-demand suite on April 7th, but to also introduce an HD VOD channel in May. According to the network, the new GMC VOD service will "feature revamped category titles and a streamlined / more intuitive navigational process for viewers." Currently, the channel itself is available in some 16 million homes (most notably on DirecTV channel 338), and the new VOD offerings will be split up into five categories to showcase live performances, full episodes from its original biography series, music videos, clips from original specials and Spanish language programming. No word on which carriers will be hosting the HD VOD material just yet, however.

Looks like that HD VOD blanket we knew was being laid out has been confirmed by Verizon, as it stated today that HD VOD has been dished out to all service areas in California, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Texas. As for subscribers in New York and Oregon, you'll be joining the party "in the coming weeks." Finally, the carrier noted that it plans on offering up over 1,000 high-definition video-on-demand titles before the year's close -- now, if only it could locate a steady supply of AQUOS LCDs for new signups, we'd really be in business.

Shortly after hearing that Verizon was doing its part to beef up video-on-demand offerings, we've been receiving reports from FiOS TV customers across the country that HD VOD has arrived unannounced. From New England to DC to the beautiful Pacific Coast, HD VOD seems to be sweeping across nearly every FiOS TV area. Early reports are stating that quality looks "just as good as broadcast [HD programming]," but we're out to see if it really is everyone that's invited to the party. Got FiOS TV? Yeah? Well, do you suddenly have HD VOD? Chime in with your locale below.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Earlier this year, Comcast took a long look at its VOD library and realized things were looking scarce. Apparently RCN has done the same, as it has just announced a new initiative to upgrade its on-demand technology in order to nearly double subscribers' content choices. Aside from boosting SD and HD choices, customers should also see a "more intuitive on-demand portal and virtual on-demand channels for easier accessibility," but unfortunately, we're not told exactly what new material will surface in high-def. Nevertheless, digital subscribers in Boston, Chicago, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. can expect to see a revamped VOD library "by June."