Monday July 19, 7:29 pm Eastern Time
DirecTV to offer high-definition movies in August
LOS ANGELES, July 19 (Reuters) - DirecTV, Inc. said on Monday it will offer its U.S. customers high-definition consumer broadcasts of ''Lethal Weapon 4,'' ''Men in Black'' and other movies next month, and announced another initiative to greatly expand its interactive services and scope.
DirecTV, the digital television service owned by El Segundo, Calif.-based Hughes Electronics Corp., (NYSE:GMH - news) said that as of Aug. 1, it will offer its first high-definition consumer broadcasts to its U.S. customers with Home Box Office's high-definition ''HBO HDTV'' channel. HBO is a unit of entertainment and media giant Time Warner Inc (NYSE:TWX - news).
DirecTV which currently provides services to 7.4 million households, also said it had taken a stake of at least 4 percent in Alameda, Calif.-based Wink Communications. The alliance will allow DirecTV to provide interactive television to at least four million households by the end of 2001.
Wink's interactive television technology allows advertisers and networks to create interactive enhancements to accompany traditional television ads and programs. By clicking their remote controls during an enhanced programs or advertisements, viewers get program-related information such as local weather and sports updates, product samples and coupons, and can make purchases instantly, DirecTV said in a statement.
The HBO HDTV channel, which will be the first continuous high-definition broadcast available to consumers on a national basis, will feature blockbuster Hollywood films and original HBO movies in high-definition format 24 hours a day, the company said.
The HBO High Definition channel will feature the same programming schedule as HBO's main programming service, with 60 percent of the HBO HDTV movie lineup offered in high definition by year-end, the company said.
Movies airing in high definition in August will include ''Lethal Weapon 4,'' ''Men in Black,'' and the HBO premiere of ''How Stella Got Her Groove Back.'' |
