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Post by dkennedy on Sept 13, 2005 10:09:06 GMT -5
MTV to Unveil HD Channel
September 13, 2005
By Steve Donohue, Multichannel News
MTV Networks plans to preview an HD music channel Tuesday morning at a meeting with reporters at its New York headquarters.
The network will be the first HDTV channel from MTVN.
Multichannel News first reported Aug. 29 that MTVN planned to launch an HD music channel in early 2006. The channel will contain content from MTV: Music Television and VH1.
The HDTV network may be branded MHD. On July 25, MTV parent Viacom Inc. obtained a trademark for the brand MHD, which, it said, would contain “entertainment services, namely high-definition television programs featuring music, live action, drama, comedy, animation, news and general entertainment.”
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Post by dkennedy on Dec 20, 2005 9:51:48 GMT -5
Mitsubishi Electric Cuts MTV Deal
December 20, 2005
By David Richards, SmartHouse Magazine
Mitsubishi Electric has become a major sponsor of MTV. The deal is aimed at promoting Mitsubishi's HDTV offering.
Mitsubishi Electric has agreed to become the charter sponsor of MHD, the new high-definition music channel from MTV Networks Music Group. The deal applys worldwide.
MHD will launch Jan. 16, 2006 and offer high-definition content within the "musical sensibilities" of the MTV Networks Music Group's MTV, VH1 and CMT brands. The channel will offer a mix of musical genres including hip-hop, rock, country, pop, reggaeton and soul.
Mitsubishi will sponsor "original music-based programming." The channel will also carry HDTV acquisitions and original content from the MTV, VH1 and CMT family of channels, MTV Networks said.
Mitsubishi will be the title sponsor of MHD original programming including "MHD Top 10" and "MHD Video Stew." Additionally, Mitsubishi Electric will be branded on MHD programming menus and in television commercials.
Mitsubishi equipment will be used to outfit production facilities at a new MHD studio in Vail, Colo., and for background displays on-set. In addition, a "Powered by Mitsubishi Electric" banner will appear on MHD tune-in promos.
The two companies previously worked together in 2004, when they unveiled "the world's largest high-definition screen built by Mitsubishi Electric for MTV Networks" across from MTV Studios and MTV Networks' company headquarters in New York's Times Square
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Post by Skaggs on Dec 28, 2005 16:53:57 GMT -5
An MTV Tech Guru Preps for MHD You'd think MTV Networks would have stayed away from HD after one of its initial forays went, er, bust: The infamous MTV-produced Super Bowl half-time show on CBS with Janet Jackson was shot in HD. But like Ms. Jackson, MTVN has bounced back and will launch Music: High Definition (MHD) Jan. 16. It's doing so for one reason--even bandwidth-stingy affiliates asked for it. "Cable operators raised this in their conversations with our affiliate folks, and said, `Hey, if you did a music channel in HD we'd certainly consider carrying that,'" says Steve Kaufman, MTVN's SVP, production operations and technology. MHD is designed to be in 100% native 1080i HD. The only upconverted content at launch will be music videos because record labels haven't embraced HD--yet. "It's a `if you build it, they will come' situation," Kaufman says. Kaufman certainly knows building. "We're building an HD facility at our network operations center on Long Island," he says. "We're also upgrading a certain segment of our production facilities [in New York] so that anybody who wants to do graphics or editing in HD can." He's also responsible for MTVN's first high-definition truck, which next month will shoot original series for VH1 (Storytellers), CMT (Crossroads) and MTV (Unplugged), plus each network's annual music-based awards shows and MTV2's $2 Bill concert series. The Super Bowl mishap wasn't MTVN's first experience with HD. It quietly tested HD in the early '90s. "We shot Unplugged in analog HD--with Aerosmith and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young--back in 1992," he says. "We've been touching HD every few years since, including using it as a substitute for film on VH1 Storytellers." --Shirley Brady www.cableworld.com/cgi/cw/sh...&file=forhd.htm |
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Post by Skaggs on Dec 28, 2005 16:54:26 GMT -5
Will You Want Your MHD?
By Steve Donohue multichannel.com 8/29/2005
Viacom Inc. plans to launch its first high-definition cable channel early next year — an HDTV version of its flagship service MTV: Music Television.
On July 25, Viacom trademarked the brand “MHD,” which it said would contain “entertainment services, namely high-definition television programs featuring music, live action, drama, comedy, animation, news and general entertainment,” according to a filing at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
MHD is one of the names executives at MTV Networks are considering for a new HD channel, which would contain content from MTV and VH1, a source said Friday. The channel is tentatively scheduled to debut in early 2006, the source added.
Fox Networks Group also plans to launch two new HDTV channels early next year — Fox HD, and NGCHD, a high-def simulcast of National Geographic Channel.
Viacom’s CBS network and station group were among the first broadcasters to air primetime shows and sporting events in high definition. But its cable networks have been slower to roll out HDTV versions than the counterparts at The Walt Disney Co., NBC Universal and Turner Broadcasting System Inc.
Disney has launched two HDTV networks — ESPNHD and ESPN2HD — and NBC operates Universal HD (formerly Bravo HD), showing movies, series and sports programs from NBC, USA Network, Bravo, Sci Fi Channel and Universal Studios.
Turner launched TNT HD, the first high-definition general entertainment channel, in May 2004.
A small but steadily growing list of HD channels are currently available to cable and satellite subscribers, including Discovery HD Theater, HD versions of Home Box Office and Showtime, and original HDTV networks such as Mark Cuban’s HDNet, Rainbow Media Holdings Inc.’s Voom channels and In Demand’s INHD.
The music network will be Viacom’s first HDTV network for distribution on cable and satellite systems, and on new platforms being developed by Verizon Communications Inc. and other companies.
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Post by Skaggs on Dec 28, 2005 17:03:16 GMT -5
MHD will debut January 16th on Cox Cable in Santa Barbara, CA.
I'm not that interested in this channel, but would take a gander if Albany TWC included it in their HD tier. I'd rather have ESPN2 HD.
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Post by MasterFX1 on Dec 28, 2005 20:01:24 GMT -5
One of the original Voom channels is RAVE-HD, a collection of concerts and videos, 24/7 in HD. It's available now on DISH Network as part of the VOOM HD Tier. When I had VOOM DBS, RAVE-HD was one of the few VOOM original channels I would check out regularly. Despite the above reports that music video producers are not embracing HD, I found that there were already quite a lot of music videos in HD on RAVE-HD. Most of the videos being produced for established bands are being shot in HD, they are just not sending MTV an HD dub. And if they are not going to air it in HD, they are not going to send an HD dub. Like it eludes to in the above article, if MTV builds it, the HD dubs will come.
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Post by MasterFX1 on Dec 28, 2005 20:07:33 GMT -5
I'm not that interested in this channel, but would take a gander if Albany TWC included it in their HD tier. I'd rather have ESPN2 HD. MHD is sorely needed in TWC's lineup to broaden the appeal of their HD offerings. Adding ESPN2-HD will not attract any new subscribers to the HD tier, but adding MHD certainly will. |
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