DirecTV Group Inc. (NYSE: DTV) customers set their alarms early Wednesday morning in eager anticipation of the satellite company's expected, big, hi-def channel expansion.

Turns out they should've stayed in bed, as the debut of as many as 40 eye-popping new HD channels was reportedly postponed until later this week.

Maybe Christmas will come tomorrow for DirecTV's legion of HD-philes.

Meanwhile, Cox Communications Inc. , which is freeing up capacity this year for as many 50 HD channels, just agreed to carry four from the Discovery Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) stable: the flagship Discovery Channel, TLC (The Learning Channel), Animal Planet, and The Science Channel. (See Fretting Over HD.)

— Jeff Baumgartner, Site Editor, Cable Digital News