No HDTV for Starz!

[Scott Greczkowski]

John Sie the founder and Chairman of Starz! say don't expect any HDTV movies on Starz anytime soon.

John Sie was interviewed byCable World Magazine (http://www.cableworld.com/archive/cableworld/2003/02/24/cwd03022407.shtml)

Sie hopes he can halt the current march toward HD in a similar fashion. Starz Encore isn't offering an HD product like competitors HBO or Showtime, and it won't until it can come up with an alternative. Sie thinks it will be more efficient and cost-effective. He believes high-resolution TV (DVD quality) is more than sufficient to the human eye. And don't even get him started on the aspect ratios of HD. He is a firm believer that the 4:3 ratio now used in NTSC delivery is better and easier on the eye than the 16:9 ratio now being used to deliver hi-def.

His statement surprises me, I just hope more channels do not think like Mr. Sie.

[tampa8]

There might be some truth to the DVD -HD comparison, soley based on cost to the consumer. If DVD quality broadcast could be delivered for little or no extra cost to the consumer (not most of us here probably but the vast majority other than us) I think the consumer would indeed take the DVD quality and be happy not to pay extra for HD.

As for 16:9 VS 4:3 - I would strongly disagree. I have come to really like the 16:9 format - I find it easier to watch and in the case of movies in widescreen - much better.

[Chris Blount]

It figures. John Sie obviously has no vision in more ways than one. The future is HDTV and just like what happened with DVD, the more people see it, the more they will want it.

[Mike123abc]

There is a marked visible difference between HDTV and DVD. Actually the only DVDs that look really good are the ones that are widescreen so you get the vertical compression, so an effective higher resolution.

I do agree that full HDTV is not needed at this moment. 480p would probably get them by for a while. But, once HD-DVD finally gets into people's livingrooms, it will really hurt.

I think the parade of coming cable channels in HDTV is being driven by the coming HD-DVD more than OTA HDTV. If you own a network, see the spectacular success of DVD, and see the coming HD-DVD you realize the need to get out in front of your customers now with HDTV. Once your customers begin to watch DVDs in HDTV it will make the PQ on normal channels look horrible.

It is also a land grab, there is only so much spectrum out there, if you do not get your channel out on cable/DBS now, you might never get it out. I see Dish with no more than 50 HDTV channel capacity, and I see DirectTV with significantly less room at this time but maybe when 7-S goes up they can move around more stuff.

[Eyedox]

Sie's thoughts are the words of a raving idiot with no vision for the future and no grasp on reality or technology. Any moron who thinks 480i 4:3 is better than 16:9 1080i/720p is either blind or greedy. Can't wait until people start dropping Starz and Encore once they can get all their other stations in HD. If I were on the board of directors or a major stockholder, I would can his ass. If people like Sie and Murdoch ruled the world, we would all still be "satisfied" with black & white televisions, am radio, and morse code. Starz sucks anyway. Why pay $12/month for it when I could just rent 4 outdated VCR movies from the video store, and watch them 463 times in a row ... over and over and over and over. You can keep your channels, Sie.

[Frank Z]

Has anyone explained to Mr. Sie that it's not about what he wants, it's all about what we (consumers) want?

[catman]

let's think of this . The big rage in the 70's was beta . where is beta today ? NO longer on the shelves . I think HD will be the same way .

[sampatterson]

Let the consumer decide, it is not just a fluke that many other national networks are going to go HD. Demand is gaining as pricing for HDTV goes down, and people can see the difference in the picture 16x9 high res, against 4x3 overcompressed.

[ibglowin]

It seems like the only time Starz has anything worth watching anyway is when they are having one of their "free weekends" where they try and rope as many people in as they can. After that you get to see such hits like "Raising Arizona" which is on tonight. I don't know of anyone who would rather watch something in 4:3 over 16:9. The only thing they don't want to see is "black bars" that appear when the wrong aspect ration is shown on the wrong TV. HD TV's are flying of the shelves these days as they continue to drop in price combined with 2 year free financing deals offered by all the big box retail stores. Did any one else see the Grammy's in HD? Geez this is the future of TV folks.

[Scott Greczkowski]

I believe Mr Sie is being shortsighted. Out of all the network who are jumping on the HD Bandwagon I was shocked to see his anti HDTV Stance.

His comments are also a blow to the people who make the movies, by saying movies look better in 4 x 3 format then in 16 x 9 which is the original way the movie was supposed to be seen is a slap pin the face to every director who shoots a movie in 16 x 9 format.

Perhaps we should contact him and set him straight?

Starz Consumer Relations
Phone 720-852-7700

Press Contact:
Contacts: Michelle Ellis
(720) 852-6269
michelle.ellis@starzencore.com

Of go to the man himself john.sie@starzencore.com

[BobMurdoch]

Originally posted by catman
let's think of this . The big rage in the 70's was beta . where is beta today ? NO longer on the shelves . I think HD will be the same way .

I couldn't disagree with you more. The difference with the Beta situation is that there was no government mandate to switch to a VCR format, or to choose one format (Beta) over VHS.

The difference here is that the FCC is mandating that the switch appear. They are planning on auctioning off the analog channels near the end of this decade. There is a gaping loophole that the broadcasters are planning to exploit in that the 2006 deadline will be allowed to slip if a certain percentage of users have not switched to HD capable TVs by then, but plan on the FCC slamming this loophole shut as we get closer. "Giving" the digital spectrum to the incumbent analog broadcasters was a huge gift, one which will be "modified" if they don't get on board with the transition.

As for Beta, it had a smaller capacity than VHS, and the early 80's VCR market benefitted also from the fact that more manufacturers supported the VHS format compared to the Beta format which was mostly pushed by Sony.

To get back to my point, I don't think the FCC will ALLOW HDTV to die as there is too much money at the end of the analog transmitting era when they flip the switch off for good. Given the fact that the economy seems to want to stay in the doldrums indefinitely, look for Uncle Sam to squeeze monetary "blood" out of whatever "rock" they can find.

[dishrich]

Bob - the gov mandate is to switch to DIGITAL signals, NOT HD digital signals. The stations (at this point anyway) are NOT required to do HD at ALL if they do NOT want to!

Case in point: our local CBS & UPN stations (which are owned by the same co.) are located on opposite ends of our DMA in analog. BUT, they have now launched their cooresponding digital signals on both ends of the DMA, but both digital channels carry BOTH CBS & UPN on BOTH ends of our DMA. (This is now the ONLY way for us in Spfld to pick up CBS - this is how all of our local cable co. are picking up CBS to put on the cable now as an analog signal) Since the station is doing this, obviously they CANNOT carry ANY HD feeds, since there is NOT enough bandwidth due to both CBS & UPN being carried. I even talked to the station manager about this & he assured me they have "absolutely NO intention of carrying ANYTHING in HD, unless by gov. mandate". (otherwise, this new way they are using to get UPN in our market would NOT work)

[Eyedox]

Correct ... HD is not mandated ... the good news is that consumers will not tolerate 480i from a few outcast stragglers when everyone else is 1080i/720p. Even if the FCC never does mandate HD, it will happen across the board eventually. We will dictate that by what shows and channels we watch or dont watch.

[BobMurdoch]

I think that will be a loophole that the FCC will close. Mandating digital tuners was a surprise to me, so hopefully he will continue the hardline approach to these guys.

[invaliduser88]

Originally posted by catman
let's think of this . The big rage in the 70's was beta . where is beta today ? NO longer on the shelves . I think HD will be the same way .

How many vendors were making Beta? Sony only I do believe.

How many vendors are making HDTVs ? All of them....

The Beta - HDTV comparision makes no sense.

[invaliduser88]

Sports looks like crap in 480p when compared to 720p and 1080i.

[Eyedox]

Originally posted by BobMurdoch
I think that will be a loophole that the FCC will close. Mandating digital tuners was a surprise to me, so hopefully he will continue the hardline approach to these guys.
I agree that if they think people like Sie and Murdoch are languishing around with SDTV for years to come, the FCC will eventually require ALL new programming to be 16:9 HD (720p or 1080i). I am not a huge fan of big government by any means, but some things require a swift kick in the ass to get the ball rolling and "motivate" people.

[Karl Foster]

While I agree that 16:9 is far superior to 4:3 programming, why does the government need to get involved at all? We live in a capitalistic society and if people want to get HDTV, they will. Most do not see it as more than a cool, expensive gadget. HDTV doesn't get rid of pollution, or affect people's health, so the gov't should stay out of it and let the market take care of itself.

[Mike123abc]

The government wants digital tuners in every TV so they can force the shut off of analog. Digital has huge advantages for the FCC. The main advantage is that you can have channels adjacent that will not interfere with each other. This will allow them to take back 25% of the spectrum and still have 50% more channel capacity.

HDTV is not as big a concern for the FCC, they want everyone doing digital and HDTV would be really nice.

[Scott Greczkowski]

Its all about money, the government wants to auction off the spectrum after it is returned by the broadcasters.

I am waiting for the day I need a permit from the government to blow my nose. :D

[BobMurdoch]

Followed shortly thereafter by the kleenex tax, where you will have to pay a fee to properly dispose of the bio-hazardous waste you are generating....

Followed shortly thereafteer by the "perp" walk in front of the TV cameras where a "criminal" was found tossing his used kleenex into a public trash container....... then followed by a "man on the street" interview, where an "innocent bystander" is threatening to sue the perp and the kleenex maker for exposing him to dangerous levels of secondhand phlegm.

[Jeff_R]

Seems like he made a comment similar to that when he was a guest on a Charlie Chat last year or so.

I actually cancelled Starz then and specifically told them it was because they had no plans whatsoever for an HD channel.

Like others said, it's too bad. They have the best library of movies on premiums now. I recall that either this year or next, they will lose one of their major labels to HBO. Can't remember which, tho.

Jeff

[Eyedox]

Originally posted by Jeff_R
I actually cancelled Starz then and specifically told them it was because they had no plans whatsoever for an HD channel.
Good for you Jeff ... this is how things get changed ... you vote with your pocketbook and your voice. Well done.