March 30, 2009
Coming soon...
March 28, 2009
The week ahead of Channel 4 HD
Saturday
21.15 Film Brokeback Mountain
Sunday
14.10 Big Bang Theory
17.30 Time Team
20.00 Come Dine With Me
22.50 Film John Q
Monday
09.50 Brothers & Sisters
18.30 Hollyoaks (and at every night at this time)
Tuesday
00.55 film I [heart] Huckabees
10.00 Brothers & Sisters (and at every morning at this time)
22.00 Shameless
23.05 Big Bang Theory
23.35 My Name is Earl
Wednesday
20.00 Relocation Relocation
22.00 Desperate Housewives
23.00 Shameless
Thursday
13.50 Film Cattle Empire
Friday
20.00 A Place in the Sun: Home or USA
22.00 Film The Ringer
It's better than most weeks on ITV HD and arguably on a par with BBC HD. Whatever your view on the C4 HD programming, any additional HD on cable would be greatly appreciated after such a long wait. Surely it must be truly be "coming soon"...
March 27, 2009
High Definition soap
Those suffering withdrawal symptoms from this "medical drama series set in a busy Midlands practice following the turbulent lives and loves of the staff and patients" can undertake immediate treatment on Monday when season 11 kicks off with episode 1 ... of 224 ...
March 25, 2009
Robin Hood returns to BBC HD
Saturday also has Planet Earth and Tiger - Spy in the Jungle repeats starting for those that have miraculously avoided those series in HD over the last few years...
March 24, 2009
BT take on Virgin Media - why??
Meanwhile, Berkett announces his expectation that Virgin will offer 150Mb broadband by next year (see this BBC story). It seems there are two definitions of "coming soon" in the Berkett Lexicon: one for the 'mine's bigger than yours' broadband boasting, a completely different one for the promised HD service expansion...
March 21, 2009
Six Nations rugby on BBC HD
15.15 England v Scotland
17.20 Wales v Ireland
Which is followed by a half hour studio discussion on this year's tournament at 19.30
Later on Saturday evening at 22.45 is a BBC drama Trauma starring Colin Firth - click the link for more details.
March 19, 2009
The hottest HD...
March 18, 2009
BBC HD now nine hours a day
This and a few other interesting tidbits are in Danielle's latest post over on the BBC HD blog - a recommended read as always
The Wire coming to BBC2
But that shouldn't stop anyone from dipping in to the finest US TV drama ever. Bar none.
And for those who wonder what all the fuss is about, this classic clip (contains quite a few bad words - do not play aloud in the office!) is a brief demonstration of its appeal. CSI was never like this...
March 17, 2009
More on next gen TV from Virgin Media
The next-generation service delivery gateway architecture being discussed by Motorola and Virgin Media is proposed to deliver advanced multimedia services, such as:
* Multi-room TV – the ability to watch recorded content from any TV or PC in the house
* Converged entertainment services across three screens – PC, TV and mobile
* Media Mobility – moving your content from device to device and taking it on-the-go
* Customizable user interfaces.Visitors to Motorola’s stand (#25) will experience the company’s next-generation technology showcase, developed in conjunction with Virgin Media, which demonstrates the drive towards a less complex delivery of the personalized viewing experience.
Full story here
And Jasmeet 181 has also sent this link Virgin Media, Where Are We Now? to three tantalising slides of Virgin's IP vision
March 15, 2009
Yellowstone on BBC HD
March 14, 2009
ITV HD - will it be worth the wait?
Here are all the programmes on ITV HD in the next seven days:
Saturday, 3.35pm Film: Thunderbirds (the 2004 live action yawn)
Saturday, 9pm Film: About A Boy
Sunday, 9pm Wild at Heart
Monday, 9pm Law & Order: UK
Friday, 9pm Moving Wallpaper
And that's it. For the entire week. Hardly worth the wait, I think you'll agree; three hours of TV and two mediocre films. They don't even show the two quality ITV1 US imports, Dexter and Pushing Daisies, in HD. Apart from the Champions League and FA Cup games, this hardly deserves a fanfare if it does finally arrive.
March 11, 2009
Virgin Remote codes
Virgin has now updated the Help and Support pages to include the Volume Control codes and instructions for all remotes. To access the information go to Home/Guide > Help & Info > Help with your Remote, then follow the on screen instructions
ITV HD available on new Sky+HD EPG
Virgin Media customers wishing to access ITV HD can only do so by installing a satellite dish...
March 10, 2009
High Definition's Great Event
March 09, 2009
More comments on the New Samsung V+
"I have fitted 5 over the last 2 days. We are being instructed by Virgin to make sure all new install get the Samsung so now is the time to order in Notts.
They are great, channel changing is quick, there is nothing between it and my Sky HD box so it looks like that old complaint is over and done with.
PQ is just the same as the SA. No Component, No RF. VCR scart always active with menus.
Overall this box is what we have been waiting for. Now just lets get more HD."
"I noticed it was much sharper straight away on HDMI. Also menu at 1080 looks great. Haven't got any complaints about the box at all."
March 08, 2009
The best EPG around?
Sky HD EPG finally arrives
- a mini TV screen, so viewers can browse the guide without interrupting the programme being watched
- a now, next, later banner that displays full data about forthcoming programmes in the next 12 hours on any channel
- the ability to record and series stack without going to the planner
- a grouping of stacked series in the planner so that all recorded episodes are displayed together
- an improved search feature that includes genre and sub-genre filters.
I've always prefered the colour scheme of the Sky planner but it does feel extremely dated compared to Virgin's. It'll be interesting to see if it performs any faster than the V+ software, and if it's bug-free; Sky of late have had some issues in quality assurance.
March 07, 2009
In the news
Also, programmes from UKTV channels Gold and Eden are to available online via SkyPlayer. Virgin Media co-own UKTV yet they're on demand via Sky? I know it's old BBC content and some is already in Virgin's On Demand service, but it still struck me as an unusual deal.
March 04, 2009
New Samsung V+ "launched"
[split screen picture top: the current SA V+. bottom: the new Samsung V+ in the same position]
According to the always-informative Cable Forum and this thread, the new V+ from Samsung is launched on a trial basis this week. A number of reliable Virgin contacts have posted comments:
- "As with any new STB there will be a limited number of installs across the network to cover all senarios - it cannot be asked for, it will purely be if the installer has been given on."
- "Best part is the much much sharper picture and also the menu looks great even at 1080i and quicker channel changing."
- "It has the same amount of tuners as the current V+ box. So you can record 2 and watch a third channel"
- "You can still archive recordings while watching something else"
In the news
BBC's gloat-free account of Michael Grade's blackest day at ITV here.
OFCOM has greenlit BT's request to charge ISPs the earth for its fibre-to-the-cabinet- network of the future. Virgin's advantage with broadband speeds in the major conurbations. BBC story here.
And Malcolm Wall, Virgin Media TV's Chief Executive, is leaving the company to "pursue other interests". According to the report on BroadcastNow:
It's been widely reported that VM are looking to sell Virgin Media TV (Living, Bravo, Trouble etc) and it's share of the Flextech stable (Watch, Gold, Dave et al), so his departure is not really a big surprise. Not sure what they're going to announce on the management of the "subscription TV services" but hopefully it will be about someone who's vocabulary includes the words "high", "definition" and "now". And less of the "soon".Virgin Media CEO Neil Berkett said: "Malcolm's long experience in broadcasting, combined with an acute understanding of the changes that are taking place in the industry, have helped steer our content business into the digital age. On behalf of Virgin Media, I wish him every success for the future."
In a statement, Virgin Media said: "An announcement about the future management of Virgin Media Television and Virgin Media's subscription TV services will be made in due course".
March 02, 2009
BBC HD highlights this week
9pm Heroes (BBC2 simulcast)
10pm Who Do You Think You Are?
Tuesday
8pm Timewatch QE2 - The Final Voyage
9pm Touring Britain The Victorian Way
Wednesday
9pm Nature's Great Events (the best HD showcase around today - last week's was the best HD I've seen this year)
11pm This Way Up (Oscar winning short animation)
Thursday
9pm Darwin's Dangerous Idea
Friday
10.35pm Friday Night with Jonathan Ross (not much of a highlight - Friday's being a pretty weak night at the moment on the channel)
Weekend: nothing really of note. Sunday has Damages and Victorians, but most of the weekend's schedule is repeats I'm afraid.
March 01, 2009
Nialli's series links
- Being Human
- Lost
- Desperate Housewives
- Nature's Great Events
- Heroes
- My Name Is Earl
- Damages
- Mad Men
- QI
- Spooks
- Battlestar Galactica