We know, you're all politics, sports, tech and other "serious" subjects when it comes to your HDTV programming schedule, it's just you have this...friend who watches daytime syndicated programming. Tell your "friend" that talk show hosts Ellen, Oprah (only a year after initially rumored) and Dr. Phil will all make the jump to glorious high definition. Later in the day, Entertainment Tonight and The Insider make the jump to 720p/1080i (depending on your local station and if they're ready to handle syndicated HD at all), complete with newly built sets and likely a few extra layers of makeup. Anything else your "friend" is still waiting to see get a resolution bump? Check after the break for a video tour of ET's new HDTV-ready digs.

Read - Dr. Phil
Read - Entertainment Tonight & The Insider

Cogeco Cable last updated its lineup in a noteworthy way in February, but now customers in Ontario, Canada can feast their eyes on two new high-def channels that are actually worth viewing. Effective immediately, the "majority" of subscribers in Ontario can tune to TSN2 HD for nonstop sports and Super Channel HD for high-definition versions of series, movies, documentaries and music. Check 'em out now (if you haven't already) on slots 729 / 765, respectively.

That's one crazy place, that Canada country. While local governments in the US plead for new companies to enter their programming markets for the sake of added competition, the Great North's CRTC must be convinced that new stations will not compete with an existing analog / pay-TV channel before receiving approval. Thus, three separate applications from High Fidelity HDTV "to operate two new English language high-definitions [Diversion HD and Canada HD] and one standard-definition [Diversion SD] channel in Canada" were squashed. Reportedly, the agency proclaimed that these channels would "compete with stations owned by Astral, CTVGlobemedia and Rogers," which apparently gives it the right to slam the "denied" button. Baffling, huh?

Call it a trial no longer -- AT&T is officially rolling out HD VOD to every last U-verse user in the United States of America. According to a quote by Rich Wellerstein, AT&T vice president of programming, "the demand for HD just keeps increasing, and so will [AT&T's] HD lineup and HD VOD library." The newly revamped VOD lineup will feature a slate of new releases in high-def, and the initial offerings will be expanded over the coming months and on "an ongoing basis." If you're curious as to what'll be available when you get home, try Charlie Wilson's War and Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins for starters.

Add two stations to Project Infinity, Comcast has -- after several years of battling -- signed up Mark Cuban's HDNet and HDNet Movies, plus a free video on-demand package. Specifics on when the channels should go live in your area weren't noted, only that the cable company plans to increase its carriage of the two networks over the next year. Hopefully Comcast subscribers will get a (non-bandwidth starved) peek at Dan Rather, HDNet Fights, early movie premieres and more before tru2way and switched digital video roll out, but we can't be sure.

No, this isn't the usual stretch-o-vision we've come to expect from TBS HD, this is the real thing. Yesterday -- in a move that has been more than three years in the making -- TBS HD started broadcasting syndicated reruns of Seinfeld in HD. What's that you say, how could a show that was produced long before HD was invented be presented in HD? It is simple, film is eternal -- well almost -- and Sony spent the big bucks to go back to film for your HD enjoyment. Now, since this is TBS we're talking about here you know there has to be a catch, and that catch is that the show is cropped -- TBS, like Engadget is a Time Warner company. Everyone knows how much Turner hates black bars, and apparently 4x3 HD content isn't any different.

Farm Aid 2008 will be the first to broadcast live (and commercial free) on DirecTV's The 101 (awk-ward, since it's broadcasting from the Comcast Center near Boston). Every bit of the John Mellencamp-tastic classic rock, country and contemporary live music broadcast is coming our way in 5.1 surround sound from 4 p.m. until 11 p.m. on September 20. DirecTV's managed to squeeze its interactive feature in, the red button on the remote takes viewers to more information about Farm Aid, the performers and how to support family farms. Already got tickets? Catch a replay immediately following the show or one of the three times it will air the next day, and don't forget the satcaster plans to match its subscribers donations from September 6 to September 30 to the tune of $50,000.

With enough bandwidth to support 1080p video on-demand, France's Numericable has apparently found space left over in its MPEG-4 DOCSIS 3.0 network to add five new channels. All due before the end of the month, Melody Zen and Brava HDTV jump into the Premium Plus channel lineup, while Euro 1080, i-Concerts HD and Ushuaïa TV HD head to the premium package. No MTV Networks?

MTV Networks High Definition goes live September 15 in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Poland and Sweden, including original programming like Chartblast, Uncompressed and HD Extreme and MTV Top 20. The bad news of course, is that beyond the original programming, Viacom is stuffing the 24-hour English language channel -- broadcasting straight out of Poland, a Buenos Aires production hub is due later on -- full of Nickelodeon programs on weekend mornings, and the rest will be filled with what appears to be the same 300 hours of high def library already being looped on MHD / Palladia right now. France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, the UK, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela should have their shot at boredom by the end of the year.

[Via Reuters]

Coming right back is DirecTV, just a few days after activating HD locals in New York and Nebraska comes word that Johnstown-Altoona, PA, Chattanooga, TN and Augusta, GA are the latest in its 44 planned local rollouts this summer/fall. Better hurry DirecTV, the days are already getting shorter. Beyond the read links is the list of newly-added local networks, proceed with caution, or reckless abandon, it's pretty much the same to us either way.

Read - Johnstown-Altoona, Pa
Read - Chattanooga, Tenn
Read - Augusta, Ga

Norway has its first local HD channel is on the way, as TV Norge and Canal Digital have teamed up to deliver TV Norge HD beginning October 3. Norwegian produced content isn't due until '09, in the meantime viewers can live with simulcasts of programs like The Closer, CSI and Rome. Canal Digital previously delivered the European soccer championships and Olympics in HD, and reports over 100,000 HD receivers already installed among Norwegians 1.3 million HDTV owners. NRK, TV2, the ball is in your court.

Charter's next on the block to add the Big Ten Network and "related programming" in time for Saturday's football openers. No word whether or not this will include the HD version of the network, or if it will be in time for the start of the season, but it is definitely on the way. In a minor footnote, Charter mentioned that in addition to carrying the BTN across its systems in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Northern Illinois it's also reupping Jim Tressel's snazzy sweatervest collection, teaching Terrelle Pryor the correct name of "the University of Ohio State University" and teaching Ohio State how to defend against the spread offense. Good times all around.

Proud Buckeyes (& other fans in Big Ten country) served by Time Warner Cable can expect a new addition to their channel lineup ahead of Saturday's season opener against Youngstown State. On the way is the Big Ten Network's HD feed and video on-demand programming, so you don't have to worry about missing a snap as Ohio State looks forward to it's weak non-conference schedule (aside from USC) and the tantalizing future of yet another BCS Championship defeat at the hands of SEC speed. Cox customers take heart, word is they are also close to an agreement, not surprising now that TWC and Comcast have worked out their differences with BTN. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]

[Thanks, Mike & Paul]

Update: Unfortunately not everyone will have the HD & VOD packages in time for the August 30 game, but if you can stomach just one 480i game against punching bag Youngstown State, they're promised to be added "later" (Go Wolverines!). [Thanks Paul!]

Belgian broadcaster TV Vlaanderen was planning to axe Eén HD immediately following the Beijing Games, but it looks like the channel is off the chopping block, after viewers responded so enthusiastically it has decided to keep the channel on the air. Also noted is that everything on the channel is HD, even upscaled SD content, although we hope no TNT-style stretching is going on. Any other viewers noting channels added in a hurry for the Olympics rush sticking around?

Apparently working out the details on the Big Ten Network squabble was just the beginning, since Comcast and Fox Cable Networks recently worked out a deal to add FX HD and SPEED HD. Already live in Chicago and in Pennsylvania, Multichannel News says the rollout should pick up momentum in the fourth quarter, with both 720p channels sliding onto HD basic tiers, so there shouldn't be much question whether you'll have it or not. It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Wrecked and daily motorsports action in high definition will surely find a welcome place in many TV watching schedules.