Skip to Content

AOL Tech

Audio/Video, Advice, TV

Who's Got the Most HD Channels?


Today, Cablevision (a.k.a. Optimum) became the latest cable company to announce a huge boost in the number of HD channels it will offer. By the end of this year, the company says it will offer 500 channels (starting on Monday, it will up its current lineup of 23 channels to 40 on Tuesday, June 26). This joins the Cox announcement for 50 channels by the end of this year and the Comcast announcement promising 400 channels by the end of 2007, and 800 channels by 2009 (not to mention DirecTV's 150-channels-by-2007 boast back in January).

Sounds great, right? But don't be fooled – most of these channels will most likely be pay-per-view channels – so it's more like these companies are saying they'll be offering 500 to 800 pay-per-view HD movies. Not a terrible proposition, either, but TV addicts hoping to see every one of their favorite channels in HD may have to wait a little longer.

The sad reality is that these promises have been made time-and-time-again. How DirecTV, for example, will have 150 channels this year remains a mystery, since half the channels it cited as offering don't even offer HD feeds yet.

The good news is that plenty of HD programming is out there today, if the 22 or so average of channels most providers offer can be considered enough (it sure beats the handful of channels that used to suffice back in the early days of cable, VHF, and UHF).

But claims and predictions aside, who offers the most HD channels TODAY? Check out our lineup of HD providers below, along with approximately how many HD channels each offers (it can vary by locality).



Time Warner: 22

Cablevision (Optimum): 23 (goes up to 40 starting Tuesday, June 26)

Comcast: 22

Cox: 17

DirecTV: 13

DISH Network: 33

Verizon FIOS TV: 28

AT&T U-verse: 25


For HD hounds, it looks like the one to beat is currently Cablevision (Optimum). No surprise, considering Cablevision was the company behind the doomed VOOM HD satellite network. Unfortunately, Cablevision isn't available everywhere, so our recommendation for HD hounds who don't live in a Cablevision/Optimum area is to go with DISH Network, which has been doing the HD thing well for quite some time.


Related Links:

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Add your comments

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.

When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password.

To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br /> tags.

Switched Video

Follow Switched on Twitter

Deals of the Day

Latest Reviews from CNET.com

CNET provides the latest tech news, unbiased reviews, videos, podcasts, software, and downloads, making tech products easy to find, understand and use.

Top Product Reviews

  • Home Audio Reviews
  • Cell Phone Reviews

    8.7 out of 10

    SignalBoost Mobile Professional Amplifier Kit
    The Mobile Professional Amplifier delivers a powerful signal boost to your cell phone. Also, it offers a compact design and easy setup. Full Review

    8.6 out of 10

    Wi-Ex zBoost YX510-PCS-CEL cell phone signal extender
    The Wi-Ex zBoost YX510-PCS-CEL significantly boosts your cell phone reception and is easy to operate. Also, it uses a wireless connection to your phone. Full Review

    8.3 out of 10

    LG VX6000 (Verizon Wireless)
    Compact and stylish; impressive battery life; solid audio quality; sharp color screen; built-in camera; USB ready; affordable. Full Review

  • Digital Camera Reviews

    9.3 out of 10

    Canon EOS 1D Mark III
    Extremely fast, 10-megapixel continuous shooting; very low noise; highly customizable; well-designed body with weather sealing; 3-inch LCD; abundant optional accessories. Full Review

    9.3 out of 10

    Nikon D3 (body only)
    Full-frame sensor; well designed, pro-level weather-sealed body; very low noise, even at extremely high ISOs; fast. Full Review

    9.0 out of 10

    Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III
    Very low noise, high quality images; 21.1 megapixels; live view shooting; pro-level build-quality and performance. Full Review

  • Desktop Reviews

    8.9 out of 10

    Velocity Micro Edge Z30 (Intel Core i7)
    Best value among midrange gaming PCs; Velocity Micro's consistently high build quality; compact case makes few sacrifices; second graphics card slot previously uncommon at this price. Full Review

    8.5 out of 10

    Apple iMac (24-inch, 2.8GHz)
    A minor specification update results in some significant performance gains; graphics upgrade an option on this 24-inch model; sleek, polished design didn't receive an update, but we won't start clamoring for a new design until the current one is at least 12 months old. Full Review

    8.4 out of 10

    Velocity Raptor Signature Edition Gaming PC
    One of the fastest PCs we've tested; a PCI Express RAID card helps media encoding performance; typically immaculate Velocity Micro assembly; strong, three-year warranty. Full Review

Featured Galleries

Nissan Land Glider
Vintage Keyboards
Retro Computer Logos
Vintage Computer Festival
Motorola CLIQ
iPod touch
iTunes 9
Video iPod Nano
The Beatles: Rock Band

 

Switched Desktop

Get the New Switched Desktop

Latest tech news, Switched mail, and more.

AOL Tech Network

Resources

Autoblog

Daily Finance

Download Squad

Engadget

Joystiq

Urlesque

Fanhouse Main

WalletPop

Gadling