It looks as if the days of Time Warner Cable resting on its laurels while laughing all the way to the bank are coming to end, particularly in NYC. Although Chief Operating Officer Landel Hobbs was quoted as saying that TWC was "effectively positioned in Manhattan" while "[Verizon] was just getting started," we'd say it has plenty to fear. The outfit is expected to ramp up marketing in order to push its services over those offered by competing telcos and satcasters, though without a significant boost in HD options in a significant number of markets, we can't see the spots really making much of an impact. Additionally, said exec said that the firm plans to roll out DOCSIS 3.0 "surgically" in order to compete in FiOS areas, and given that this is the company who is actually mulling consumption-based internet billing, we don't find its hesitation to go full-bore shocking in the least. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]

Given that Sharp will obviously be needing a few high-power laser diodes to go into its forthcoming 8x Blu-ray burners, it's good to see Mitsubishi Chemical hopping in the fabrication game in order to lower costs and keep consumers smiling. A new report asserts that the previously mentioned company will be dedicating at least some of its efforts to producing high-power (200 to 300mW) laser diodes, which are currently in short supply and used in the pick-up heads of BD writers. As it stands, just Sony, Nichia and Sharp are producing these things in volume, though a fourth wheel will certainly be welcome. There's no word on when exactly Mitsu Chemical plans to ramp up production, but the sooner the better, we say.

DISH Network's Q1 wasn't anything to be proud of, and unfortunately for the satcaster, it seems that Q2 isn't much better. After suffering a 90% drop in subscriber growth during the first of the year, DISH's Q2 earnings report highlights an approximate loss of 25,000 net subscribers during the quarter ended June 30, 2008. Granted, it still has just south of 14 million customers hanging tight, so don't go crying over its misfortunes or anything. Furthermore, it still managed to increase total revenue by 5.6% (from $2.76 billion to $2.91 billion) year-over-year. The real question is what will happen in the second half of the year now that both it and DirecTV are clearly aiming to one-up each other at every possible turn. Ah, satellite drama.

Oh, how quickly the mighty have fallen (again). Shortly after Matsushita dropped to third in plasma shipments in Q1, the outfit has leapfrogged both LG and Samsung SDI in order to claim the gold in Q2 2008. The outfit's revenue share skyrocketed from 29.4% to 36.8%, showing a 23% year-over-year improvement. Also of note, 1080p PDPs saw remarkable growth (54% year-over-year) this quarter, which were reportedly driven by sales of 46-inch models. Looking at Matsushita in particular, over 43% of its plasma shipments in Q2 were 1080p, and overall it "accounted for over 70% of all 1080p PDP shipments." Anyone taking bets on who comes out on top in Q3?

Europe isn't much on HD programming (yet), but that doesn't mean there's no demand for HDTVs. A recent article highlighting Matsushita's (Panasonic's parent company) European presence states that its share there is now bigger than ever thanks to a "combination of marketing and restructuring efforts over the past several years." As the competition within the North American sector has skyrocketed, Matsushita has been able to reap profits from Europeans willing to pay for a quality product. Europe actually made up 45% of its overseas sales of all digital electronics during the fiscal year ended March 2008, while just 25% came from the US, Canada and Mexico. It's also suggested that one of Matsushita's missteps here in the US was its reliance on selling pricey plasma TVs at a limited number of stores, and anyone that lives here knows that we Americans appreciate cheap. A pretty interesting read, though we still wish Europe would stop spending cash on digital photo frames and start investing in high-def programming. Yeah, selfish.

Welp, the fat lady has sung. After a long run-up to the inevitable, AT&T has finally admitted that it will be stringing its U-verse services into the Volunteer State. Reportedly, the provider will be coughing up $400 million over the next few years for "fiber network upgrades," which it will likely use to deliver high-speed internet, digital phone service and television programming to the fine citizens of Tennessee. Unfortunately, AT&T failed to reveal a timeline of events for us to focus on, but judging by how long we've been waiting with no results from that supposed investment in the Carolinas, we wouldn't call and cancel that Comcast service just yet.

[Thanks, John]

We suppose it's possible that you've missed out on all the fiber expansion going on here in the US, but even if so, you'd probably guess that programming competition in general is heating up. SNL Kagan has published new research that suggests that global multichannel hypercompetition is just around the bend, with 54 of the top 75 markets to see "four or more digital video distribution platforms" by 2013. The study focused on the continued deployment of FTTH, IPTV and DTH satellite, and it also noted that digital terrestrial television (DTT) and hybrid DTT-IP systems were "adding to the competitive mix." It's also no shock to learn that cable carriers are fighting all of this with SDV implementation, VOD offerings, bundle ("triple-play") deals and dynamic electronic program guides. Mmm, competition.

[Image courtesy of AT&T]

Currently, Ukrainians looking for satellite TV service can only point their attention in two directions: NTV+ and Viasat. Now, however, another rival is entering the ring, and we've always heard that three was company. Poverhnost is reportedly gearing up to launch Poverhnost Plus, and its claim to fame is its premium sport and HD channels that will likely trump offerings from the other two. According to a recent report, the satcaster will "launch its own premium sport and HD channels among a package of 60 priced at UAH100 (€13.50) a month," and it's also slated to add 15 more channels in short order without increasing the price. For prospective customers, you should also know that the outfit will be relying on the HD Homecast 5001 IR set-top-box (around $250 or so), but additional STB choices could be made available in the near future. Mum's the word on a launch date, but it certainly can't be far off now.

Not even a full week after Tennessee's governor signed a particular cable franchising bill into law, along comes this mysterious flier from Comcast. Now, we know things can get pretty heated between rivals, but this just seems downright bizarre -- if it's not some sort of elaborate prank, of course. From what we can gather, Comcast has been circulating this here flier around, which clearly points out that AT&T "has been installing 52B Cabinets in Nashville and Middle Tennessee for the last several months." It also notes that said boxes are used for distributing its U-verse television service, in case there was any doubt. Apparently Comcast is hoping to create an internal map of all possible distribution points in order to bring the hurt where it matters most, but we must say this seems like quite the stretch to get a leg-up. Ah, the sweet smell of competition.

[Thanks, Martian]

We'll be honest -- we're not exactly sure the television hotbed that is Hampton Roads, Virginia would be the first place we'd look to compete in the industry, but Cavalier Telephone & TV apparently sees opportunity. The Richmond-based company -- which stands as "one of the few survivors that emerged as a telephone service industry player after the phone business was deregulated in 1996" -- is reportedly gearing up to compete with Cox and Verizon in the region. Interestingly, Cavalier actually pushes its digital TV signals over Verizon-owned lines, and if you're wondering how it'll compete without high-def, the company is already busy "signing deals with networks so Cavalier can carry their channels in HD." Hey, if one more in the mix keeps prices (more) reasonable, we're all for it.

Late last month, we actually posed the question of buying a Blu-ray player now (being that the format war is over and all), or waiting things out until prices sink and Profile 2.0 players flood the market. Aside from the PlayStation 3 -- which is actually priced fairly reasonably if you were in the hunt for a new console anyway -- it seems as though HD DVD's exit has actually caused Blu-ray player prices to creep back upwards. Granted, this is about as far from surprising as it gets -- after all, it's nothing short of supply and demand working its magic. Still, it wasn't too long ago that we saw Toshiba actively putting pressure on the Blu camp to reduce prices in order to stay competitive, and now that said pressure has vanished, stickers on the whole have headed north. Ah well, it's not like the consumer didn't ask for this, um, right?

Looks like we're already starting to see some repercussions from the (very) recent deal struck between Panasonic and Hitachi. Reportedly, Matsushita -- known for its Panasonic brand -- is getting set to construct a $2.8 billion LCD factory in western Japan that it hopes to open by 2010. The move is said to be in response to the weakening demand for plasmas and the increasing demand for LCDs, and when everything goes operational, the plant should be able to crank out 15 million 32-inch LCD panels per year. Notably, the facility will be built by IPS Alpha Technology, which Matsushita will be a majority owner in after "buying out Toshiba and Hitachi's stake in the venture." Better yet, it's noted that IPS Alpha could also dabble in OLED technology, so yeah, you can consider our interest piqued.

[Via About-Electronics]

Granted, there are some out there who've been dodging the whole "limitation" aspect of Netflix's Watch Instantly feature for a good while, but for the honest, upstanding citizens abiding by the rules, things are (seemingly) about to change for the better. According to a recent report from the AP, Netflix is gearing up to banish the time limits for online streaming on all but its el cheapo $4.99 plan, meaning that subscribers to every other plan will be able to watch online content as much as they'd like. In case you haven't connected the dots quite yet, it's being suggested that the move will be made to fend off the looming competition from Cupertino, and while this would undoubtedly increase costs, it doesn't seem as if the firm plans on hiking rates (at least initially) to compensate. Now that's a change we can live with.

It's not like we haven't seen two apparent competitors team up to face growing flat-panel competition before, but this go 'round it looks like Sharp will be shaking hands with Toshiba in order to "be more competitive, particularly against rivals such as Samsung." In a joint announcement made in Tokyo, it was stated that Toshiba would be acquiring LCD panels from Sharp for use in televisions 32-inches or larger, while Sharp would be buying more computer chips for LCD use from Toshiba. According to Toshiba President Atsutoshi Nishida, the new partnership would create a "win-win relationship," but potentially more intriguing was the notion that his company would be "abandoning plans to make OLED TVs," and would instead be relying on Sharp's LCD technology for "next-generation TVs." Guess it's all on you now, Sammy.

It's not like New York is hurtin' for FiOS TV or anything, but the latest news involving the two revolves around a bit more than just expansion of service. Just under two months after the FCC approved a rule that would ban exclusive agreements that cable television operators have with apartment buildings, the New York Public Service Commission has issued an order "confirming Verizon's video franchise with the town." Reportedly, such an order will enable consumers in the Orange County town of Newburgh to have "a real choice for their cable television service" when FiOS TV arrives sometime next year. Additionally, Verizon has secured video franchises in 75 other NY communities, all of which are conveniently listed in the read link below.