Waco Tribune-Herald from Waco, Texas • 21

FRIDAY, JAN. 0,2004 WACO TRIBUNE-HERALD SB 'r A Georgia man looks at various HDTVsata Beat Buy store. In Central Texas, KWTX General Manager Rich Adams estimates that there are roughly 5,000 toTVDOOHD television owners among the 310,000 households In KWTX's coverage area. Cox News Sorvtoo JMnSMfrin interested in HD programming? 1 think well get some good ripples out of it" he said. Robert Dempsey.

Time Warner Cable vice president fin marketing, notes that the last few months have seen increased interest in HD converters among the company's digital subscribers. "My sense is that it's about to take off he said. Kevin Henager, owner of local satellite television firm DSSl said his company has sold some 70 HD converters, but notes that a recent promotion by satellite provider Dish Net work, bundling a years service with an HD set, had sent sales "through the root Theyre basically giving away an HD receiver, he said. While HD supporters are rooting fin: more than the team. at this years Super Bowl olh ers predict the nation is still years away from the wholesale adoption of HDTV that they har' hoped for.

'i "Sadly, CBS has led the country in the programming of high definition television," Adams noted. "It strikes at your heart. Its a chlcken-and-egg situation, and the eggs been hatched. Carl Hoover can be reached' at chooverOwacotrlb.com or a 757-6749. Grande Communications, another Waco cable provider, recently added HD programming to its offerings, said Carlos del Castillo, vice president and general manager of the Waco office.

The company currently offers the HD channels of KWTX, KCEN and Showtime with HBO, Stars, Discovery, ESPN and In-Demand Pay-per-view on the way. Its just getting off the ground for us, he said. More HD Interest Castillo noted an "upsurge" in HD interest after the Christmas holidays, with several customers asking about the Super Bowl. Despite efforts from television manufacturers, networks and cable services to prod consumers to buy HD sets, whose prices range from just under $1,000 to several thousand, the best salespersons are HD set owners, said Time Warner Cables Mankin. "The best seller is word-of-mouth," he said.

He noted that the recent NFL playoffs gave viewers the chance to see contrasting formats. The AFC Championship, carried by CBS, was broadcast in HD, while FDx, which aired the NFC Championship, did ao in digital but not HD. "It just wasnt the same," he said. Does he expect a "Super Bowl blip" among customers BUZZARD, BILLY'S ARMADILLO BAR A GRILL-0 Specializing In Cajun A Croolo Culiino Established Since 1993 l20SiUniveritty SorkDnv Totrou from Hi Hihon downtow Z53T27Z81 Bwww.buxxordbil1yi.omn HDTV FCC deadline 3 years away From Page IB owners to upgrade to the pricier eta that offer high reaotutton images HD Is the most detailed of digital formats and CD quality-sound. Three years from the Federal Communications Commission deadline that mandates conversion of the nation's broadcast television Industry from analog signals to digital ones, progress has been slow and expensive.

CBS affiliate KWTX, Channel 10, led the Waco market broadcasting the first HD digital signal two years ago, with NBC affiliate KGEN, Channel 6, fid-lowing in September 2002 and Waco public television station KWBU, Channel 34, in August 2003. But after sinking several million dollars to upgrade his station to digital broadcasting all the while continuing to broadcast an analog signal KWTX General Manager Rich Adams says he cant justify spending millions more for the final leg of HD conversion, the production of local newscasts, programming and commercial spots, until viewers catch up in significant numbers. Based on what area cable providers and. satellite services have told him about the number of set-top HD converter boxes they have distributed to subscribers, Adams estimates that there are roughly 5,000 to 7,000 HD television owners among the 310,000 households In KWTXs Central Texas coverage areas. "It doesnt make any sense to convert and spend the money needed to do so without a critical mass of viewers," he said.

Adams and KWTX arent alone. The Waco-area TV station officials contacted for this story said they have no plans to convert their newsrooms to HD production in the Immediate future due to expense and the limited viewershlp. Digital multicasting KXXV, Channel 25, opted to go to digital multicasting rather than HD with its bandwidth, providing digital customers with three channels one with KXXV's regular programming, one with Spanish language channel Telemundo and the third the stations weather channel in the space of one HD signal, said General Manager Jerry Pursley. As ABC has expanded its HD programming, the lack of a local HD ABC signal has drawn grumbling from some HD set owners. Time Warner Cable Division President Johnny Mankln said that the FCCs must-carry rules, which mandate cable companies must carry the signal of local stations, doesnt require the addition of out-of-market stations with HD programming if a local provider isn't offering it However, Pursley said that as HD technology has matured, station officials are taking a second look at providing an HD signal.

"Its not taking as much bandwidth as they thought" he explained. KXXV also is considering passing through ABCs Manager KUif Kuehl says that while the Waco PBS affiliate is carrying HD programming, its vision for the future is in digital multicasting, where the station might offer HD programming during prime time, then divide its digital signals during the rest of the day to offer childrens programming, load programs, PBS-U or even nonprogramming services such as data casting or homeland security-related communications. Presently, local owners of HD TV sets can get signals three ways: over the air, through a cable provider or via satellite. To do so, however, requires special equipment, a tuner or antenna for over-the-air broadcasts and special converter boxes for cable and satellite subscribers. To make it easier on the HD set owners among their digital television subscribers.

Time Warner Cablehas moved the CBS, NBCTPBS and Discovery HD channels to the 800 series of channels, grouping them in a cluster to minimize channel jumping to find HD programs. The company also offers an HD subscription tier with Demand One and In-Demand Two, HD Net and HD Movies. Those who subscribe to HBO andor Showtime subscription services can add the HD channels. NollvwoodiTheafef' THE JEWELilBatl0 ALL STADIUM SEATING All DifrTAl lIAit. BARGAIN MATINEES INDICATED BY JUNMUlllUmU ONVUlHKCWKih Of SO 04 HUM I KSOWAIUMf (NT'K THIXIHUXTM.

niASIMICll MANAUS TOt ItmH II if -ftl Starts Wednesday fsbniary 6 iwciisreir (M-ID 2.15 9.50 ufauw (Ps-ii) 2005001800 ee-i 245 520)735950 NO PASSES OR SUPER SAVER imncaivMia) (2.35 5 3519 30 I ICORf (M-l 12405151725 1015 NO PASSES OR SUPER SAVER N-1S I VI 5 205 405 4501 700 7.459.45 1030 1220 10:30 enawe-in 1000 WM A 5AT1 WITH tun-ia (120 735 3 40 4 45( 715 8 00 9 35 I07i NO PASSES OR SUPER SAVER 1:30 2304:10510) 700 7.40930 1000 i 15151 7:1010:20 VM5RT1 n-ia (220 4 NO PASSES OR SUPER SAVER tens i ms (1005001900 Sjjfi HD programming to Time Warner Cable for subscribers who have HD converter boxes and sets, but no date has been set for that Multiple issues at work At KWKT, Channel 44, technical and corporate Issues have hampered the stations progression to digital broadcasting. Chief engineer Lou Strowger, whos also the corporate engineer for KWKT owner Communication Corporation of America, said KWKT got its digital signal up on Jan. 15 and is considering an eventual upgrade to HD. The Louisiana-based CCA operates 24 stations, and their programming and technical diversity makes system-wide decisions on digital upgrades problematic. Some carry Fox programming, others NBC or CBS; still others arent operating at full power.

For KWKT, another consideration is the different television formats of the two networks that provide KWKTs programming. Fox broadcasts digitally but offers no HD at this time; the WB network, shown on KWKT several hours a day, broadcasts in HD. Further complicating matters is the cable companies requirement that a station musj use the same format 24 hours a day before passing through a digital or HD signal to subscribers, Strowger said. "Its, a complicated situation," he said. Waco public television station KWBU is broadcasting PBS HD channel, but its digital channel carries PBS-U, a mix of PBS programming, during the day and the stations analog programming at night General Don't watch TV tonight without reading Tune in Tonight by Knsi McDonntfi iDuyho waded andnly to nuhW pawing ip.

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