HDTV World > Understand HDTV > 3 ways to get HDTV programming

	Upside:		Downside:		Forecast:
	Wide variety of programming available, including cable HDTV networks and local HDTV stations; typically provides access to regional sports in HD; some carriers will provide the set-top box or basic HD package for no extra charge.		Monthly fees; national HD channel selection usually lags behind satellite; some carriers charge extra for HD-compatible set-top box and/or additional programming packages; cable company DVRs inferior to satellite and third-party versions.		With more providers nationwide coming onboard with HDTV, cable offers the most convenient high-def hookup option for most people.

There's an excellent chance you can get HDTV signals through your current cable provider. According to the NCTA, as of March 2007 more than 100 million U.S. households were "passed" by a cable operator that offers HDTV, and all of the top 100 cable markets in the country were "passed" by a cable company with HDTV programming. That's the good news. The bad news is that most providers carry only a handful of the 50-odd HDTV networks.

Equipment

Scientific Atlanta's Explorer 8300HD high-def cable box

To watch HDTV stations over cable, you'll need an HD-capable tuner/descrambler box from your cable provider--unless you go with CableCard (see below). Some carriers will give you the HD tuner box for free, others rent them for modest fees, and some even offer DVRs capable of recoding HD programming. Most carriers don't charge extra for the HDTV versions of the major broadcast networks such as ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC. However, many do charge extra for the specialty HD networks such as ESPN HD, HDNet, and MOJO. Digital cable subscriptions (with or without HDTV) are usually $5 to $10 more expensive per month than their analog counterparts--and you need digital cable to get HDTV via cable. Many providers also charge an extra $5 to $10 for HD-capable boxes.

Programming

In addition to the four major broadcast networks mentioned above, cable HD services almost always include the HD versions of PBS, MyTV, and regional sports networks in their basic packages. Numerous pay-TV networks, usually available for an extra charge, have also jumped on the HDTV bandwagon. HBO and Showtime subscribers can watch favorites such as Entourage, Big Love, In Treatment, Weeds, and Dexter in high-definition. (On the other hand Sex in the City, The Wire, and Curb Your Enthusiasm fans are still stuck with standard-definition versions of their favorites.)

Many other cable- and satellite-only networks boast HD programming, including ESPN and ESPN2 (SportsCenter, selected games from MLB, the NFL, NBA, and college sports), NBC's Universal HD (Battlestar Galactica, Monk, and Law & Order: SVU, Medical Investigation), the all-HD Discovery HD Theater (Sunrise Earth, American Chopper) Mark Cuban's all-HD channels HDNet (Dan Rather Reports, Nothing But Trailers) and HDNet Movies, TNT HD (The Closer, Hunted, Law & Order, ER, Alias, and selected NBA games) and TBS HD (MLB play-offs, reruns, Tyler Perry's House of Payne). However, coverage is still spotty. Just because your cable provider offers the standard version of these stations doesn't mean you'll get the HDTV versions by default, and in general DirecTV and Dish Network offer a larger selection of HD networks.

Regional Sports Networks

One of cable's big advantages over satellite is the inclusion of high-definition Regional Sports Networks. These are channels, often owned by cable companies, that broadcast the live games of individual sports teams in a particular region. Examples include Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, which has rights to Phillies, 76ers, and Flyers games; Fox Sports Net West, with rights to Clippers, Lakers, Dodgers, Angels, Kings, and Ducks games (among others); and YES, with rights to Yankees and Nets games. Most cable providers include the high-definition version of the local RSN, if available, in their basic HD packages, but RSN coverage on satellite is still spotty. YES HD is not available on Dish Network, for example, pretty much excluding it from consideration by hardcore Yankees fans with HDTVs. Both Dish and DirecTV are working to expand offerings of high-definition RSNs, but for now local cable services typically offer more of those channels than satellite.

CableCard

A typical CableCard

CableCard, a small card you can rent from your cable company to let compatible devices access digital and HDTV programming, used to promise that HDTV owners could avoid the cable box entirely. As of 2008 that promise is pretty much broken. Very few HDTVs sold in the last couple of years or announced this year include CableCard compatibility, and we don't expect such compatibility to make a comeback anytime soon. Sure, some loyal owners of so-called Digital Cable Ready TVs continue to rent the cards and get box-less high-definition cable programming, but most people who want HDTV via cable still need a box. The overwhelming majority of cable customers with HDTVs choose to rent the box from the company, but a few products employ CableCard to offer an alternative.

The most-popular alternative to cable company boxes is the excellent TiVo HD. It uses two cable cards (or one special "dual-stream" card) to receive and record just about any cable company's digital and HDTV programming. Its users don't need to rent the company's box, but will pay to buy the TiVo box and of course TiVo's own monthly fees, which are higher than what most cable companies charge. Still, the benefits of the TiVo interface and additional features are worth it for some people.

Similar CableCard-compatible products are available, including adapters for Media Center PCs, and many more should hit the market in the next few years. Competing against the cable companies' hardware is pretty difficult, and we expect most such products to be as expensive, or more-so, than TiVo HD--at least in the near future.