Fergie's Tech Blog

Cable Operators Finding it Tough to Swallow HDTV

Whether HDTV is actually "here" or not is another issue entirely. But an interesting issue brought up here in this article.

David Lieberman writes in USA Today:

After years of dithering and infighting by government officials and corporate executives, the high-definition TV revolution is finally here.

This year, for the first time, consumers will buy more HDTV sets than traditional ones. Morgan Stanley estimates that nearly 26% of households will enjoy HD's gee-whiz video and theater sound by year's end and that 67.6% will in 2010, thanks to prices falling from today's $1,000 and up.

That's good news for the TV industry, right?

Maybe not for cable operators.

Their wires are so packed with TV channels and new services — including video on demand (VOD), broadband Internet and phone — that many are scrambling to find bandwidth for the coming wave of HD channels. "Cable operators need massive capacity for HDTV, and have to move quickly," says Sanford C. Bernstein's Craig Moffett.

posted by Fergie @ 6/04/2006 09:20:00 PM