By Kevin Hunt
Tribune Newspapers: The Hartford Courant
Published February 5, 2006
Mark Cuban is spoiled rotten. That's what happens when you watch too much HDTV.
Best known as the tech-crazed owner (and uninhibited fan) of the Dallas Mavericks, Cuban has taken high-definition round-the-clock with his HDNet and HDNet Movies TV networks.
With business partner Todd Wagner, Cuban is also outfitting the pair's Landmark Theaters with ultra-high-resolution digital projectors -- the showpiece of their 2929 Entertainment's controversial "day-and-date" plan to release movies like Steven Soderbergh's "Bubble" simultaneously in theaters, on DVD and on TV.
Cuban, who made his fortune after he and Wagner sold broadcast.com to Yahoo for $5 billion in 1999, remains immersed in tech culture. His Web log, Blog Maverick (www.blogmaverick.com), is a hot spot in the blogosphere, and Cuban spends much of his day doing business -- and interviews -- via e-mail.
Q. If the transition to HDTV were an NBA official, how would you grade it?
A. B-plus. The transition isn't about all the legal stuff. It's about HDTV pricing, which has fallen faster than I expected.
Q. What home theater equipment do you own?
A. Sony SXRD projector, HDCAM playback, Buffalo H-DVD player [it plays hi-def DVDs].
Q. HDNet and HDNet Movies can't get picked up by the nation's largest cable system, Comcast. Why?
A. Every one of your readers should call Comcast and ask them why. We are talking to them, but it obviously hasn't happened.
Q. How fast will HDNet move into 1080p (HDTV's highest resolution)?
A. As soon as we can capture and edit in 1080p reliably.
Q. Are the networks taking HD seriously? More prime-time programming is now in HD, but the networks don't seem to be in any great hurry. Not even the ads are in HD.
A. They don't want to spend the money. They are public companies.
Q. On Blog Maverick, you've made an argument for loading massive hard drives with music, then allowing consumers to pay for tunes they want to keep. It appears TV recording is moving toward hard drives too. Could this mean the end for DVDs?
A. No doubt about it, but that's 7 to 10 years away.
Q. Your "day-and-date" plan with 2929 Entertainment doesn't advocate a DVD-less society, but a logical next step might be to skip the DVD and release the home version as an "on-demand" or a downloadable version. Wal-Mart, the nation's No. 1 seller of DVDs, won't like that. How will that work?
A. It won't be that popular for a long, long time for a couple reasons. At HD quality, even with 5 mbs [megabits per second] broadband, it could take hours to download a movie, and few people have PCs connected to their HDTVs.
Q. What will happen to movie theaters once everyone has an HDTV and realizes they can watch virtually any movie for a lot less than $10 a person?
A. Nothing. They will still do well. Kids and parents need to get away from each other and home theaters don't cure cabin fever.
Tribune Newspapers: The Hartford Courant
Published February 5, 2006
Mark Cuban is spoiled rotten. That's what happens when you watch too much HDTV.
Best known as the tech-crazed owner (and uninhibited fan) of the Dallas Mavericks, Cuban has taken high-definition round-the-clock with his HDNet and HDNet Movies TV networks.
With business partner Todd Wagner, Cuban is also outfitting the pair's Landmark Theaters with ultra-high-resolution digital projectors -- the showpiece of their 2929 Entertainment's controversial "day-and-date" plan to release movies like Steven Soderbergh's "Bubble" simultaneously in theaters, on DVD and on TV.
Cuban, who made his fortune after he and Wagner sold broadcast.com to Yahoo for $5 billion in 1999, remains immersed in tech culture. His Web log, Blog Maverick (www.blogmaverick.com), is a hot spot in the blogosphere, and Cuban spends much of his day doing business -- and interviews -- via e-mail.
Q. If the transition to HDTV were an NBA official, how would you grade it?
A. B-plus. The transition isn't about all the legal stuff. It's about HDTV pricing, which has fallen faster than I expected.
Q. What home theater equipment do you own?
A. Sony SXRD projector, HDCAM playback, Buffalo H-DVD player [it plays hi-def DVDs].
Q. HDNet and HDNet Movies can't get picked up by the nation's largest cable system, Comcast. Why?
A. Every one of your readers should call Comcast and ask them why. We are talking to them, but it obviously hasn't happened.
Q. How fast will HDNet move into 1080p (HDTV's highest resolution)?
A. As soon as we can capture and edit in 1080p reliably.
Q. Are the networks taking HD seriously? More prime-time programming is now in HD, but the networks don't seem to be in any great hurry. Not even the ads are in HD.
A. They don't want to spend the money. They are public companies.
Q. On Blog Maverick, you've made an argument for loading massive hard drives with music, then allowing consumers to pay for tunes they want to keep. It appears TV recording is moving toward hard drives too. Could this mean the end for DVDs?
A. No doubt about it, but that's 7 to 10 years away.
Q. Your "day-and-date" plan with 2929 Entertainment doesn't advocate a DVD-less society, but a logical next step might be to skip the DVD and release the home version as an "on-demand" or a downloadable version. Wal-Mart, the nation's No. 1 seller of DVDs, won't like that. How will that work?
A. It won't be that popular for a long, long time for a couple reasons. At HD quality, even with 5 mbs [megabits per second] broadband, it could take hours to download a movie, and few people have PCs connected to their HDTVs.
Q. What will happen to movie theaters once everyone has an HDTV and realizes they can watch virtually any movie for a lot less than $10 a person?
A. Nothing. They will still do well. Kids and parents need to get away from each other and home theaters don't cure cabin fever.
