QVCHD joined in with the Cable Show announcements, unfortunately (or fortunately, for those hoping their already-packed coax lines add a network with actual programming) still carrier-less, but now available to cable providers via SES AMERICOM's HD-PRIME satellites.That's right, the AMC-11 bird is all set, ready to deliver trinkets of varying quality and worth to all of the households demanding the ability to shop armed with only TV & phone. We just died a little inside.

Because there's not one single SD-only channel still out there that needs to make the leap to high-def, we're seeing QVC take its home shopping extravaganzas to the next level. Right on cue, the famed home shopping network has announced an HD simulcast of its domestic broadcast, though no operators have been announced just yet. According to QVC's Senior Vice President of Affiliate Sales and Marketing Al Ulozas, the company is "presently in negotiations with [its] affiliates for carriage," and you can bet your bottom dollar that this steaming pile of waste will hit the EPG long before ESPNews HD (or any other mildly relevant channel) ever shows up en masse.

Right on cue, the Venturer SHD7001 HD DVD player has gone on sale via QVC UK, and while all the specs look exactly as we predicted they would, the price is a hair lower than we expected. Pegged at £169.92 ($338) -- or available for two easy payments of £84.96 -- this 1080i player comes packaged with Troy and Hulk, an HDMI cable and eligibility for five other free flicks. Notably, this is QVC's "Special Value" of the day, so there's a good chance that the price will increase after the unit's first 24 hours on sale, but at least those interested in a cheap HD DVD player (and located across the pond) can snap it up now and save a few pounds over the alternatives.

[Via RegHardware]

Remember when all our hopes were lost after Fuh Yuan retracted a statement that got us worked up over a $299 HD DVD player at Wal-Mart? Ironically enough, an off-brand player is indeed finally available through the aforementioned retailer some seven months later, but frankly, we're underwhelmed. Sure, the 1080i SHD7000 -- which is being sold at $199.98, a full $50 lower than we'd heard previously -- isn't exactly a terrible deal, but considering that Toshiba's own HD-A2 can apparently be had for the same, what's to get all jovial about? Nevertheless, we're also hearing that Venturer is getting set to launch the SHD7001 -- which should boast minor cosmetic enhancements, if anything -- a month from today through the UK's QVC TV Home Shopping Channel. Regrettably, there's no word on how pricey that model will be, nor if it will be a UK exclusive, but considering the exchange rate right now, we've all ideas the Americans won't be keen on importing one no matter what.

Read - Wal-Mart's $199.98 SHD7000
Read - SHD7001 set for December launch

Because the world has gone far, far too long without a home shopping channel in high definition, Liberty Media announced QVCHD will launch in the first quarter of 2008. They anticipate the crisp quality of HDTV will get viewers calling, and with our addiction to anything broadcast in high res, we can't argue the logic. No word on what carriers will feature the station yet, but with capacity already an issue for some, we don't see viewers being happy if QVC HD's commission-based sales hit their HDTV package and another channel doesn't.