With all this high-definition hardware popping up, what is there to watch? More than you’ll be able to take in. In addition to the brimming pot of prime-time fare on broadcast and cable TV, look for DirecTV to add hundreds of channels of HDTV programming during 2007, including 150 national channels and as many as 1,500 local HD channels. Contingent on the deployment of two new satellites, DirecTV will add HD for A&E, Bravo, Cartoon Network, CNN, Food Network, FX, HGTV, MTV, National Geographic, Sci-Fi Channel, TBS, The History Channel, The Weather Channel and USA Network along with regional sports networks such as YES and Fox Sports.

Expect to see the Internet play a larger role in TV entertainment, too. HD content will be at a minimum at first, but Sony, for one, will make sure you can see trailers of upcoming movies in HD. Bravia owners who purchase the Internet Video System, a videocassette-size box that attaches to the back of Bravia TVs, can connect via Ethernet to a router to stream preselected video content from AOL, Yahoo and Grouper—without a PC. Content will appear in a size that’s smaller than an HD screen, and users can zoom up to whatever size they’re comfortable with. “A lot of content will be user-created and might have been shot with a cell phone camera,” says Sony product manager Jon Reilly.

A price for the Sony box hasn’t been set, but service, for now, is free. “We think that the Internet will be an important part of the TV experience,” says Phil Abram, vice president of TV marketing for Sony. “In the next several years there’s going to be growing demand for access to it. What determines which way it will go is how content providers see higher-value content and work to develop it. In the future, we see subscription or download models, and it could be an ad-supported model if there are enough viewers.”

More Stories from The New HD

• The New HD Introduction
• HD DVD and Blu-ray Learn to Play Together
  Dual-format players and discs could open the door for mass adoption of high-definition DVD in the months ahead.
• Standard DVDs Get a Resolution Boost
  Upconversion breathes new life—and higher resolution—into standard DVDs.
• The Buzz Around 1080p
  With 1,080 lines of resolution, “Full HD” 1080p is all the rage in the display world.
• HD Content Expands Exponentially
  In 2007, DirecTV will dramatically expand its HD offerings and the Internet could emerge as a significant HD provider.
• High Resolution Comes to Audio
  Surround sound just got sweeter. We take a look at the latest formats and developments in high-resolution audio.