Inside word on Comcast Sports Net ??

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Does any one know when Comcast Sportsnet is going to start their HD programming. I've heard that anytime in the next three months. Just wondering if anyone has an inside word. I'm in the DC area, so I'm hoping for some Wizard's coverage.

Thanks,

Dan

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The Nation's Leader in Regional Sports Television to be the First to Produce
Local, High-Definition Content for Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, DC
Markets

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Comcast SportsNet announced today
that its plans to revolutionize sports television in Philadelphia, Baltimore
and Washington, DC through high-definition game production are well on
target. Today, as scheduled, the network greeted the newest member of the
Comcast SportsNet family, a 53-foot-long "Comcast SportsNet HDTV"
high-definition mobile production facility built by Sony Electronics'
Systems Integration Center in San Jose, Calif.
The state-of-the-art production facility is set to produce approximately
200 high-definition professional games this calendar year covering
Philadelphia Flyers, 76ers, and Phillies games in Philadelphia, and Washington
Capitals, Wizards and Baltimore Orioles games in the Baltimore and Washington,
DC markets, as well as select postseason games. With these plans, Comcast
SportsNet becomes the first local television outlet in each the
Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, DC markets to produce local content
in the new, state-of-the-art television format.
The expandable, nine-to-13.5-foot-wide mobile production facility made the
cross-country journey from Sony's Systems Integration Center in San Jose,
Calif., where it was outfitted with Sony's high-definition acquisition and
production equipment, to its first stop in Washington, DC. After initial
training sessions, the mobile unit will make its way to Philadelphia in
anticipation of Comcast SportsNet's first high-definition game slated for
Saturday, February 15 featuring the Philadelphia Flyers and the visiting
Carolina Hurricanes. The first game in the Baltimore and Washington, DC
areas will be Monday, February 17, when the Washington Wizards face-off
against the Toronto Raptors.
Through such production, sports fans in both markets with HDTV sets and
converters can watch select games in high-definition, which maximizes the
picture and audio quality in a wide-screen, theater-like display resulting
in a picture up to six times sharper than the standard analog television
set.
"This is truly an exciting time to be in television right now. The shift
from standard to high-definition is reminiscent of the transformation from
black and white to color television. This will truly revolutionize the way
that we watch, produce and enjoy the sports television experience," said
Jack Williams, president and CEO, Comcast SportsNet. "Teaming with Sony
Electronics, the leader in HDTV technology, we're proud to be one step ahead
of the revolution for our viewers so that they are among the first to truly
experience the improved video and audio output that HD offers."
The Comcast SportsNet HDTV mobile production facility - boasting
state-of-the-art Sony production gear including: 200 video monitors,
featuring three 42" plasma displays and utilizing a total of 10 hand-held,
studio and robotic high-definition cameras - will be used to simultaneously
transmit game coverage in standard and high definition, enabling the network
to maintain its high-quality, award-winning game coverage for standard and
high-definition viewers.
"Comcast SportsNet has positioned itself as a leader in HD sports
production and Sony is pleased to be part of their landmark commitment to
telecast 200 professional sporting events in high-definition," said Stephen
Jacobs, senior vice president of broadcast and production for Sony's
Business Solutions and Systems Division. "Realizing Comcast SportsNet's
needs, Sony designed the Comcast SportsNet HD truck to produce both
high-definition and traditional standard-definition programming for cable
distribution."

Comcast SportsNet (www.comcastsportsnet.com) consists of two regional
sports networks servicing the Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, DC
television markets. Together, the two networks reach over 8 million
households in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, District of
Columbia, Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina and provide game coverage
for the Philadelphia Flyers, Philadelphia 76ers, Philadelphia Phillies,
Baltimore Orioles, Washington Capitals, Washington Wizards, as well as various
minor league and collegiate game telecasts.



SOURCE Comcast SportsNet
Web Site: www.comcastsportsnet.com