This last week we switched from satellite to cable with High Definition TV. We don’t actually have a high definition TV set yet, but we are in the shopping mode and will be buying one within the next couple weeks. One of the services which interested me most about the new cable was HBO On Demand. I can’t wait for HBO On Demand to be available in this area [check your HBO On Demand availability here] so I can thoroughly review it. We just got HD cable through Comcast. They say by year end we’ll be able to receive HBO On Demand. My issue with premium stations (HBO, Showtime, etc), and in my opinion an age old cable TV frustration, has always been that I couldn’t watch the shows when I had the time to watch them and that even with all those channels there wasn’t anything worth watching when I had the time to watch them. I can still TiVO the programs I want to watch, which is a godsend, but then you still have to wait for the scheduled time/date to pass. What if is there is something on HBO that doesn’t air for another 3 or 4 days? Somebody figured this out and the HBO On Demand service will take care of that waiting period, without the associated pricey pay-per-view fees, allowing subscribers to tune into events, specials and movies on demand. Right on.

At blogcritics, Anita Campbell shared a blog entry about the decline of video stores over the next 10 years, citing a report that outlines a bleak future for video stores. Getting everything through our broadband computer connection and not having to visit the stores and pay those ridiculous late fees (which is where these videos stores make the real money), sounds like a good progression to me. I do feel somewhat badly for the small video store operators who know your name and what kind of movies you like (like the small local banks), but then most of these folks are being pushed out of biz by the likes of Blockbuster, Hollywood and other video store chains.

• Netflix to offer movie downloads in 2005
• So Far, High-Definition TV not producing anticipated sales
• STARZ and REAL add new monthly movie download service
• Moviebeam to offer HDTV movie rentals, including some first run titles
• Comcast wants to shrink PPV window
• Why mail-in rebates suck