TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: New on TV: The Multiple-Channel Screen


New on TV: The Multiple-Channel Screen


Monty Solomon (monty@roscom.com)
Tue, 30 Aug 2005 18:20:55 -0400

By PETER GRANT
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
August 30, 2005; Page B1

When pro football starts in September, fans who sign up for the
"SuperFan" game package offered by satellite operator DirecTV Group
Inc. will get a new feature: a channel on which they'll be able to
watch eight games on one screen.

But viewers who don't feel like shelling out about $300 for SuperFan
will have other options for watching several programs at once --
whether it's sports, news or shopping shows. The multiple-channel
screen, known in the television industry as a "mosaic," is about to
show up on millions of TVs throughout the country. It's another sign
that satellite and cable systems are beginning to embrace interactive
television after years of hype about the concept.

EchoStar Communications Inc. is set to announce today that its Dish
Network satellite service has added the mosaic feature to its "Dish
Home" channel. Viewers who tune to Dish Home, where they have access
to a wide range of interactive features like games and shopping, will
see what's happening on six channels, currently all tuned to news
stations.

Comcast Corp. this fall is planning to launch a similar mosaic feature
on a new "portal" screen that subscribers to its cable systems will
see when they first turn on their TVs.

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/0,,SB112536033078726213-6nbA_iBpwzmHcvE4b46Bk3vMoAA_20060830,00.html

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