Comcast is preparing to dump a bunch of analog channels in 20 percent of its market by the end of the year, with the rest being dumped by 2010.  FCC regulations require cable and satellite providers to make digital-analog converters readily available to their analog customers.  However, this is a small cost for the corporations as the customers they will gain do to the ability to add new HD channels will far exceed the converter cost.

Cinemanow offers a variety of services now available through Windows Media Center.  It appears there is no support for Apple users.  Sorry.  Also, most all downloads are listed at 1200 and 1500 kbps for about a total of a 1.5 GB download.  This correlates to less than one quarter the resolution of a purchased DVD.  Don't even bother comparing the resolution with the bitrate and resolution of Blu-ray discs.  Not to mention, the sound format of even new releases is stereo.

MGM HD finalizes a deal that will bring their HD-only service to TIme Warner Cable.  This is the third deal made by MGM HD in the past week - having made deals with Comcast and Dish Network last Monday.  These three deals, in addition to the original deal with DirecTV, brings MGM HD to all the major players.

In a striking move toward success in the world of PC convergence, Apple today announced they have secured a deal that will get them day and date access to movies as they are released on DVD (or Blu-ray).  The studios signing on to the deal include: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Warner Brothers, Paramount, Universal Home Entertainment, Sony, Lionsgate, Image Entertainment and First Look Studios.  New releases like Juno, American Gangster and I am Legend will sell for $14.95 as a download. Catalog titles will sell for $9.99.

Slowly, DirecTV is revealing all of the channels that will make up the first wave of expanded HDTV offerings it will deliver this September, following the launch of the DirecTV 10 satellite in July. This week, the satellite provider said the new 1080i offerings will include a total of 11 HD feeds of HBO and Cinemax channels.