More HD Shows Coming to iTunes
Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the release of iTunes 8 at a press conference Tuesday in San Francisco, Hollywood.com reports. The new version of iTunes will allow for the availability of more HD releases of shows for download, which can then be streamed on Apple TVs. Currently, “Lost,” “Dexter,” “Ugly Betty,” “House” and “The Office” are among the shows with episodes available for download in HD on iTunes.
Verizon Enters HD Arena in Washington State
Verizon Communication is offering FiOS TV service with 98 high-definition channels in Washington state, Multichannel News reports. More than 80,000 households in the Bothell, Brier, Everett, Edmonds, Kenmore, Lynnwood, Woodinville, Woodway and Snohomish counties can sign up for the service. Verizon will be competing with Comcast, which offers 35 HD channels in the Puget Sound area.
Syndie Shows Make HD Debuts
“The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “Entertainment Tonight,” “The Insider” and “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” all began broadcasting in HD on Monday, TV Predictions reports. However, not all local stations will be broadcasting the programs in HD due to technical issues and a lack of equipment upgrades. Fellow syndicated show “Dr. Phil” also is expected to begin producing episodes in HD this month.
Sony Unveils Ambitious Blu-ray Changer
Sony introduced a prototype 400-disc Blu-ray changer at this year’s Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association show, T3 reports. The changer is significantly smaller than last year’s 200-disc version and will allow users to connect to the Internet to download content via BD-Live. Sony hopes to launch the changer early next year.