Comcast Media Center’s HITS Quantum Adds Six HD Channels
A&E HD, HGTV HD, Food Network HD, National Geographic Channel HD, Starz HD, Universal HD Are On Board
By Jon Hemingway -- Broadcasting & Cable, 9/10/2007 3:47:00 PM
Comcast Media Center, the cable giant's turnkey digital-transmission facility in Denver, added six HDTV channels to its all digital platform, HITS Quantum: A&E HD, HGTV HD, Food Network HD, National Geographic Channel HD, Starz HD and Universal HD.
The HITS Quantum platform -- which offers more than 200 HDTV and standard-definition digital-video and audio services -- is aimed at helping cable operators shift to all-digital operation.
"Thanks to the support of cable-television programming-network groups such as A&E [Television Networks], NBC Universal, Scripps Networks, Starz [Entertainment] and National Geographic Channel, we are able to add HDTV to the HITS Quantum lineup, an essential component for a competitive digital-video offering, as demonstrated by this initial demand from our cable MSO affiliates," Comcast Media Center chief operating officer Gary Traver said in a statement.
The HITS Quantum service has launched on Adams Cable TV in Waymart, Pa.; MTC Cable in Margaretville, N.Y.; and Cablevision of Marion County in Ocala, Fla. According to Comcast Media Center, 12 more operators have agreed to carry the service, including Baldwin Telecom, CenturyTel Televideo, Eagle Communications, Merrimac Communications, Orbitel and Spencer Municipal Utilities.
Carriage for the new channels is supplied by SES Americom’s AMC-18 satellite, the latest addition to Americom’s HD-PRIME fleet.
