Skip to Content

Need a little good news today? We've got plenty!
Holidash Blog
AOL Tech

Posts with tag milestone

BigBand Networks heads up first ever international SDV deployment

by Darren Murph, posted Nov 27th 2008 at 8:52AM


BigBand Networks knows a thing or two about making the transition to switched digital video, and now it can say that it helped flipped the first ever SDV switch overseas. The company, in conjunction with interactive TV middleware provider Alticast, has "added functionality to its switched digital video solution in preparation for deployments by Korean cable operators." Obviously, the opportunities for SDV outside of North America is significant, with many markets gasping for bandwidth just to get a handful of high-def channels out to the people. Research firm In-Stat actually asserts that "Asian deployments of SDV will grow at an average rate of 85% for the next four years, reaching $212M by 2012," and we can only hope that this is one method for greatly boosting the amount of HD content available outside of the US.

Blu-ray hits a milestone: 1,000 titles on the format

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 29th 2008 at 6:16PM


While most everyone's busy drooling at the thought of checking out HD Netflix streams on November 19th, Blu-ray is peeking its head out for a share of the limelight, too. Hollywood Reporter has it that Blu-ray Disc has hit a rather large milestone today: the all-important 1,000 mark. As of now, over 1,000 high-definition movies have BD written all over it, with 841 on the market currently and 185 scheduled for release. The latest big time announcement for the format is Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment's 70th anniversary platinum edition of Pinocchio, which just notched a March 10, 2009 release date. Huzzah!

India's Big TV grabs 500,000 subscribers in two months

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 21st 2008 at 2:00PM

It took AT&T years to hit the magical half million mark here in the USA with U-verse TV; for India's Big TV, it has taken two short months. Oh sure, that comparison involves a hint of apple with a slice of orange, but still, it's an impressive feat no matter how you spin it. The DTH satellite arm of Reliance Communications has managed to secure 500,000 customers since launching in August, and with that kind of cash inflow, we have a pretty good feeling about it being able to maintain expansion plans. If all goes well, the lineup will blossom from 200 to 400 next year, it will offer DVR services by the year's end and it will launch 15 to 20 high-def channels by "mid-2009." Kudos, Big TV -- now, what's it going to take to get those HD options out a few months ahead of schedule?

ASTRA sees 30% increase in HD channels over three months

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 20th 2008 at 9:47PM


We usually try to skim right over meaningless gloating from companies, but ASTRA's latest back-patting is actually something worth a round of golf claps. As you all well know, Europe suffers from a comparative dearth of HD options when eyed beside the USA, but it seems as if that disparity is fading. Over the past three months, the ASTRA satellite system has increased the amount of HD channels it carries to 55 -- a 30% boost. The bird beams out offerings for carriers like Sky (UK), CanalSat (France), Premiere (Germany), Digital+ (Spain), Viasat (Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland), Canal Digitaal (Netherlands), etc. According to Alexander Oudendijk, Chief Commercial Officer of SES ASTRA, the "rapid growth in the number of HD channels clearly shows that HDTV is taking off in Europe." We hope you're right, sir.

SureWest nets 100,000 broadband customers, gives two some freebies

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 16th 2008 at 6:42AM

SureWest just recently lit up its 100Mbps high-speed internet service in Kansas City, and apparently, people really dug it. As of this week, the telco has managed to secure 100,000 broadband customers in its two major markets of Kansas City and Sacramento. In order to celebrate, it chose one subscriber at random from each of those regions and gave them free HDTV, digital phone and broadband internet for a year. Unlike Charter, however, we actually expect these guys to deliver on their promises.

DirecTV now carrying HD locals in 100 markets

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 9th 2008 at 10:38PM

While DISH Network just recently hit market number 70, DirecTV is throwing itself a party after reaching the big 100. With the addition of Columbia-Jefferson City, Missouri and Evansville, Indiana, the satcaster can now claim to have HD locals available in a hundred US regions. The milestone means that some 83% of the US can now get DirecTV and their HD locals sans an OTA antenna, and if all goes to plan, it'll hit 121 cities by the year's end. We suppose a round of golf claps is in order.

FreeSat sells 100,000 boxes -- can we get some more HD content now?

by Darren Murph, posted Sep 30th 2008 at 6:19PM


Alright -- what's a bloke got to do to get some more HD? Clearly the demand is growing, as evidenced by the 100,000th FreeSat box being gleefully picked up and used to catch a meager amount of free HDTV material. Since launching just five months ago, the free-to-air satellite service has captivated quite a few citizens, though we're left wondering what it will really take to get more content providers to push their material on the service. 500,000 subs? A million?

AT&T celebrates one year of U-verse in Ohio, promises further expansion

by Darren Murph, posted Sep 26th 2008 at 12:40AM


AT&T has made a habit of patting itself on the posterior whenever it reaches the one-year mark in U-verse deployment at a certain locale, but given that it also took the time to reiterate its $500 million investment in Ohio this go 'round, we figured we'd let you toss on a party hat and join in. Over the past year, U-verse TV has been made available to 600,000 living units in Ohio, and according to the company, it's planning to "invest in fiber network upgrades and further broadband deployment" across the state. As it stands, U-verse is available in parts of nearly 200 Ohio communities -- let's see how much that number changes over the next 12 months, shall we?

Pioneer finds 20-layer 500GB Blu-ray Disc "feasible"

by Darren Murph, posted Aug 5th 2008 at 1:15PM

Now here's a rate of progress we could get used to. Nary a month after Pioneer trumpeted a 400GB Blu-ray Disc, out pops another press release from the firm boasting about a 500 gigger with a score of layers. Based on research at its Tokyo headquarters, specifications have been drafted for an incredibly capacious 500GB BD. Granted, this very company already had plans for a 500GB optical disc nearly four years ago, but there's no time like the present to make this stuff a reality, right?

[Via TrustedReviews, thanks xdragon]

America finally claims 100 local HD news stations

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 23rd 2008 at 11:15AM


When Raleigh, North Carolina's WRAL took its local news to high-definition some eight years back, we'd be willing to bet it never thought the rest of America would be so immensely slow in following suit. Sadly, it has indeed taken eight full years for a country known for its pioneering spirit in HD to see 100 local news stations make the high-def leap -- but we suppose it's still a milestone worth celebrating. That being said, if it takes another eight years to hit 200, we just might drown in our own tears.

[Thanks, Jeremy]

AT&T celebrates a year of U-verse expansion in Detroit, Michigan

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 13th 2008 at 6:57PM


Oh AT&T, you party animal. Just days after dancing the night away in celebration of having U-verse in the always-classy city of San Diego, now you're firing up the club scene again for Detroit. A year after the carrier originally brought U-verse services to the city, U-verse TV is now available to over 625,000 living units, and some 1,300 new jobs were created due to "video reform legislation." Currently, said service is available to more than 160 communities in southeastern and western Michigan, and there are already plans in place to expand it further in the state. Party on, we guess.

AT&T brings U-verse to 250,000 San Diego homes

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 10th 2008 at 10:11AM


Nary a month after AT&T celebrated the one-year anniversary of U-verse in Los Angeles, the operator is sparking the party back up with a similar celebration for San Diego. Since launching in June of 2007, AT&T has delivered access of its fiber-based TV / internet service to over 250,000 domiciles in the Greater San Diego area. Granted, it didn't say how many actually took advantage and signed up, but it's still maintaining that it will have one million subscribers before 2009 dawns. We'll see, now won't we?

AT&T celebrates one year of U-verse in Los Angeles, California

by Darren Murph, posted May 21st 2008 at 3:03PM


Oh, these self-centered fiber-based programming providers. Stopping every so often to pat themselves on the back each time some sort of milestone is reached. The latest reason to celebrate is the one year anniversary of serving up U-verse in the greater Los Angeles, California area. AT&T has just announced that over 50 communities in LA have access to its service, and while that's all fine and dandy, we'd actually prefer to hear a definitive date for when that highly-coveted 2HD / 2SD functionality will be rolled out nationwide.

ATSC celebrates 25 years

by Darren Murph, posted May 9th 2008 at 12:54PM


Can you believe it? No really, can you believe ATSC has been kickin' around in TV sets and on street corners for a quarter-century now (okay, so maybe just "established" for that long)? Sure enough, the Advanced Television Systems Committee gathered on Thursday to celebrate its silver anniversary and to take a long hard look at what the future holds. Needless to say, quite a few folks will be getting acquainted with the standard now that the analog shutoff is getting dangerously near. The meeting also touched on taking ATSC mobile with ATSC-M/H and the "next generation of services for fixed receivers" with ATSC 2.0. We know, it's probably all you can do to hold back those tears after hearing of this momentous occasion, but once you're over it, why not chime in below with your fondest ATSC memories? Remember that first digital-tuner TV you got? Yeah, good times.

OpenTV gets inside 100 million set-top-boxes and TVs

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 20th 2008 at 3:38AM


For those unfamiliar with OpenTV, it's best known for its interactivity software that sits within a whole slew of DVRs on the market and in homes today. Recently, the company passed the rather impressive 100 million milestone, as its technology has been integrated into "more digital set-top boxes and televisions than any of its competitors" since deployment began in 1997. It goes on to boast about its involvement with enabling DISH Network customers to complete polls and play interactive games, and while we'd assume the next hundred million will come a bit quicker than the first, we'll certainly pause and dole out kudos for making it this far.




Weblogs, Inc. Network

AOL News

Other Weblogs Inc. Network blogs you might be interested in:

Joystiq
Download Squad
The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)
BloggingStocks
Xbox 360 Fanboy
Autoblog
Big Download Blog
Fanhouse NFL Blog