At the time of publication, Charter offers digital video recorder services, better known as DVR, that allow you to pause and rewind live TV broadcasts, record one show while you watch another and record entire series in one simple step. High-definition services are compatible with an assortment of high-definition TV types, including plasma, LCD and LED. High-definition programming is available for top-rated channels, including HBO, ESPN, TNT and Discovery. The company adds new high-definition channels often.
Subscribing to Charter TV's on-demand service gives you access to more than 8,000 movies and TV shows, including more than 1,000 high-definition offerings. According to its website, the company adds new shows and movies every day. While most of the company's on-demand programs are available for a premium, many are available for free, including network programming from NBC and ABC. Channels that offer online on-demand services through Charter TV include HBO, Cinemax, Epix and ESPN. Similar to on-demand programming, pay-per-view programming, which is also available through Charter TV, gives you access to programming that's shown at a regularly scheduled time. On-demand programming is viewed on your schedule.
Charter TV services are available in bundles that include the company's other services, which include high-speed Internet and telephone service. These options, at the time of publication, are available in packages that combine all three services, two services and can contain various Charter TV features. Standalone services are also offered by the company, such as Internet-, TV- or telephone-only services. Charter provides Internet access to more than three million customers and telephone service to more than one million.
Headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, Charter Communications was founded in 1993 and reorganized under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2009. The company's main competitors include Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications and Comcast in the cable industry and DISH Network and DIRECTV in the satellite industry. At the time of publication, the company has more than 16,000 employees and gets much of its revenue by selling local advertising on national networks, such as MTV and CNN. Charter reported an annual revenue of $7.1 billion in 2010, representing a growth of 4.5 percent over 2009.