Cox to offer HDTV next month in San Diego

Copyright 2002 The San Diego Union-Tribune
The San Diego Union-Tribune...09/28/2002
From LexisNexis

Jennifer Davies
From The September 30, 2002 Edition Of CED Broadband Direct

Cox Communications Inc. will launch its high-definition television service in San Diego at the end of next month, providing further momentum for the technology.

Starting Oct. 29, Cox cable customers will be able to get high-definition television for programming on HBO, NBC, Showtime and G4, a new interactive gaming channel. Cox also hopes to offer the service for CBS, ABC and PBS but has not yet completed the deals.

The eye-popping picture will cost consumers, however. There is a one-time installation fee of $66 and the monthly fee for an HDTV set-top box will be $10.30. The regular set-top box costs $3 a month.

The entry of Cox, the largest cable provider in San Diego County, into the HDTV market is further evidence that the technology might finally be ready for prime time.

While HDTV promises top-quality picture clarity, likened to viewing a movie in a theater, it has taken decades to catch on and only a fraction of all TV sets can display a HDTV signal. Last year more than 30 million new television sets were purchased, with just 1 million being high-definition.

The problem has been the high cost of the sets and the lack of content. In the past, many cable companies were unwilling to invest the money and bandwidth necessary to offer HDTV. Broadcasting high-definition signals uses more bits of data and can crowd the cable system. Using so much bandwidth on a limited amount of programming for such a small audience hasn't made economic sense.

But that is changing said Dan Novak, vice president of programming and public affairs for Cox's San Diego operations. Television set prices are falling, programming is increasing and more cable companies are offering the service.

"Clearly, there is finally a break in the dam with HDTV," he said.

Cox already offers high-definition service in Phoenix and Las Vegas and plans to offer it in Fairfax County, Va., in the near future. Other cable companies are also beginning to offer the service, including Comcast, the No. 3 cable provider, and Charter Communications. Last month, Time Warner Cable began offering HDTV service for its San Diego customers. Its high-definition channels include HBO, Showtime and local PBS programming.

Satellite providers such as DirecTV have been offering limited high-definition service for some time as well.