National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA) officials previewed the technology cable is banking on to help it compete against direct-broadcast satellite.

While there are only a handful of cable networks currently offering HD feeds, NCTA CEO Robert Sachs was quoted as saying in a multichannel report that several HD-related announcements will be made at the show, which would suggest that other networks are readying HD feeds.

The centrepiece of the show will be the HD pavilion, which will contain displays from Home Box Office, Cinemax, Showtime, Discovery Networks US, ESPN, A&E Network, Madison Square Garden Network, Bravo and HDNet. It’ll also have a bar, a Microsoft Corp. Xbox wired to an HD set and a 63-inch HD plasma set.

While WiFi may pose a threat to cable, the technology -- which allows laptop owners to get free access to broadband networks -- will also get its own pavilion.

"We heard there were two or three [WiFi-friendly] Starbucks outside the convention centre. We didn’t want people wandering out there," convention chair and Showtime Networks Inc. CEO Matt Blank was quoted as saying.

NCTA officials were mum on attendance figures, but they said the show is tracking with last year’s confab, which drew about 17,000 attendees.