Starz To Increase HD Programing

Poke

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Dec 3, 2003
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More things go to MPEG4 the better and you can add more channels.

Starz Entertainment to Increase HD Program Distribution With Motorola Encoding Technology and Advanced Modulation


SAN DIEGO, Aug. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Motorola announced today that Starz Entertainment will utilize a Motorola four-channel, high-definition (HD) MPEG encoding system for the upcoming launch of its new HD channels -- Starz Comedy, Starz Edge and Starz Kids & Family. The technology, offered by Motorola's Home and Networks Mobility Group, compresses, encrypts, and modulates the HD signals within a single integrated transmission system.

The new HD system is configured for STARZ using Motorola's Modular Uplink System which will support Starz's planned future migration to MPEG-4 compression technology. Motorola's MPEG-4 AVC technology has been optimized for today's content requirements, handling both 1920 x 1080I and 1280 x 720P resolutions at approximately half the bandwidth required with similar MPEG-2 coded signals.

A key component of the enhanced content delivery chain is Motorola's new DSR4410MD multi-program demodulator/decryptor. The new 1 RU product receives DVB-S2 modulated signals and decrypts up to 64 services from a single MPEG-2 transport stream. Testing with STARZ signals has shown reliable transmission at 77.5 Mbps using a 36 MHz, C-Band transponder -- which translates into four- to-five MPEG-2 HD streams or as many as 10 MPEG-4/AVC HD streams.

"We were very pleased with the quality and efficiency offered by Motorola's new modular uplink system," said Ray Milius, senior vice president, programming operations for Starz Entertainment. "Both the MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 HD encoders interfaced seamlessly with the access control and transmission system in use today, so adding current and future HD services is very straightforward."

"We're excited to be working with Starz Entertainment on this important industry project," said Doug Means, corporate vice president and general manager for Motorola. "Starz has a reputation for delivering quality movie content in a variety of formats, so we are pleased that the flexibility of our modular system and our MPEG-4/AVC technology is in line with their distribution plans."

Motorola has been a long-time leader in HD digital compression systems -- having its foundations in early 1992 experimental transmissions, being a member of the Grand Alliance HD encoding effort, and having deployed hundreds of MPEG-2 HD encoding systems.
 
My guess is D* will have these channels before E* has them in HD. I think D* is launching these channels this month.

Why?

Dish has freed up space for at least 15 HD channels maybe more by migrating Voom to MPEG-4.

We'll see what happens -- I expect that D* and E* will launch very close to one another if not simultaneously.

Cheers,
 
Why?

Dish has freed up space for at least 15 HD channels maybe more by migrating Voom to MPEG-4.

We'll see what happens -- I expect that D* and E* will launch very close to one another if not simultaneously.

Cheers,
Maybe so but I've seen Directvs press release,I've yet to see one from E* saying they are adding them.
 
Maybe so but I've seen Directvs press release,I've yet to see one from E* saying they are adding them.

Yes, you are correct but by the same token Dish did not release a PR for History HD and yet History HD is on Dish right now and DirecTv does not have it yet but claimed that it was going to be the first to carry it. So at this point DirecTv press releases do not give you a whole picture of what is going on with other providers.
 
Be honest, Directv will launch it first, but it will be an upconverted SD channel that isn't even true HD, then when the true HD channels come thats when we will see the true HD on dish first! :) While directv will still give everyone an upconverted SD channel claiming its HD when its not.
 
Yes, you are correct but by the same token Dish did not release a PR for History HD and yet History HD is on Dish right now and DirecTv does not have it yet but claimed that it was going to be the first to carry it. So at this point DirecTv press releases do not give you a whole picture of what is going on with other providers.
Well if this isn't a press release for History HD,I don't know what is .EchoStar Communications Corporation - DISH Network Expands Nation's Largest HD Package. If either company is going to add HD channels,Believe me ,there will be a press release.
 
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Be honest, Directv will launch it first, but it will be an upconverted SD channel that isn't even true HD, then when the true HD channels come thats when we will see the true HD on dish first! :) While directv will still give everyone an upconverted SD channel claiming its HD when its not.
Any channel D* has thats upcoverted E* has as well.
 
Where are ther new Starz HD channels?

I've been an E*, Starz, and Cinemax subscriber since 1999. Last week I replaced my Dish 811 MPEG2 HD receiver and had installed a ViP211 and a Vip222. My programming package is dishHD Essentials for AT250, with locals, Starz, and Cinemax. Well, now my 8 Starz channels is 8 SD and ONE (1) HD channel?

WUWT? It's been NINE (9) months since Starz announced the addition of 3 new HD channels, so where are they? I'm just getting the 1 Starz HD channel that has been available for 3 years.

Oddly, my 5 Cinemax channels are now 5 SD and THREE (3) HD channels. That's nice. But, I'm get 3 out of 5 channels in HD from the previously ugly stepchild of Dish, and only 1 out of 8 from Starz.

When can I expect to see the additional Starz HD channels?
 
You forget that Starz and DirecTV are now owned by the same company now. (Liberty Media)

Hmmmm! Well if was just my decision then I think I would jump to ShowTime for more premium channel HD, but that won't pass the WAF. We have 2 movie packages because she likes movies and not the in-house generated crap.
 
Eh, I just added Starz about a month ago and I am not that impressed. No one in my family seems to be watching it. I am all for more HD choices, but I am choosing to pass on this one. I am dropping it at the end of this month, new HD or not.
 
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