AT&T takes Homezone high-def

AT&T today announced that its Homezone service, which integrates AT&T Yahoo! DSL broadband with DISH Network video, now will feature its High Definition content line-up, with more than 30 national HD channels and additional local HD content.

Homezone, which is available across AT&T’s 13-state broadband footprint, hasn’t received the marketing hype of U-verse, AT&T’s IPTV service now deployed in 21 markets, but that should change.

“We have been staying rather low-key on this because we were waiting for HD content,” said Jeff Weber, vice president of video products for AT&T. “You will see a little bit more activity now. We have a new set-top box—a DISH set-top box which runs the 2-Wire Homezone software that we are deploying.”

The HD content will be free for one year to customers buying a standard definition video package, and will cost $20 per month after the introductory year.

Weber added that AT&T also will have a Homezone solution in July for customers who ordered DISH satellite TV programming through what was then SBC Communications, before Homezone launched. Until this point, only new DISH/AT&T Yahoo! Broadband customers could get Homezone.

AT&T Yahoo! broadband customers also have access to on-demand programming from Movielink and Akimbo, both of whom have strategic relationships with AT&T. AT&T Homezone enables customers to view satellite TV programming, with dual digital video recorder capabilities from DISH, along with network-based on-demand content, music and photos, which can be viewed on a TV screen, as well as remote access to the programming through Web-based PCs or WAP 2.0-compatible wireless handsets.