Channel | Channel Number | HD Channel |
Sky Sports 1 | 511 | 517 |
Sky Sports 2 | 512 | 518 |
Sky Sports 3 | 513 | N/A |
Sky Sports 4 | 514 | N/A |
I have a four-year-old Toshiba WLT68 32in that's "HD Ready" rather than the full 1080p. With both my SA and Samsung V+ boxes I set them to 720p as I found that best handled fast motion and didn't feel like any kind of HD compromise on that size screen. With the V+ SD channels PQ varied very much depending on the quality of the source; the BBC ones were very good, Sky ones notably poor. The further down the EPG you ventured the weaker the SD results.and more recently
With my TiVo I found that it had defaulted to 1080i, and the SD channels were softer and the colours looked artificial - for example, I watched Spectacle on Sky Arts 1 in SD over the weekend and it was particularly soft, almost blurry. Eughh.
So I changed the setting to 720p and the SD improved; Rubicon recorded from BBC4 looked very good indeed, on a par if not slightly better than my Freeview BBC4. The few remaining SD menus on the TiVo looked better too. My recording of Spectacle still looked soft to me, but not quite as bad as when the TiVo was set to 1080i. I then did some switching between the SD and HD versions of ESPN and Film4: I'd say that they appeared very similar to what I had on the Samsung V+.
I think it's pretty subjective and very much depends on which SD channels you watch: the SD bitrates are probably as big an influence as the hardware if you ask me. Of course, having a 32in 720p TV is not going to have the same issues as a larger 1080p display, but then unless you've gone plasma I'd suggest SD is always going to be soft on anything above 40in, regardless of upscaling
If John's finding more recently filmed SD shows just as bad or has a preference for older material then he may be better off with the V+. The earlier episodes of Friends never looked good to me on the V+ and even the later ones aren't that great in the PQ stakes. I'm surprised they haven't upscaled them to nearer HD quality like they did for the Seinfeld DVDs a few years back - those look very good compared with the original broadcast versions.It's an interesting thread if you are considering TiVo but watch mainly SD channels, well worth a read before placing an order for TiVo.
The reason there's no consensus is people have different TVs, sizes and viewing habits. As I said in a previous post on this thread I watch very little SD now and only go there for stuff not available in HD - Rubicon on BBC4 (picture quality good); Justified on Five USA (PQ better than Freeview but not great); and BBC News (PQ variable). For me, a couple of hours a week of SD wouldn't be reason to abandon TiVo, especially as the 720p setting improves things a little. And, ideally, Rubicon would be shown on BBC HD and Justified on Five HD - both are quality imports and would be preferable to the constant repeats on the former and much of the SD tosh on the latter.
[YouTube] will expand into streaming big-name, full-length blockbusters in May, according to reports. With the premium movie-on-demand service, film lovers will be able to stream new releases for as little as $2 (£1.20), though prices will differ for each movie.
Three of the six major film studios – Sony Pictures Entertainment, Warner Bros and Universal – have reportedly agreed licensing terms with the Google-owned video giant. Paramount, Fox and Disney have not yet committed to the plan, it is understood. The service is expected to be limited to the US for the foreseeable future.
I've just left a comment on the Tivo blog about picture quality on the Tivo service. HD better; SD softer. There also seems to be a slight zoom effect which I think is accentuating the softening on SD. This may just be part of acclimatising to the new service (only installed yesterday)and I'm still playing around with the TV settings to see if I can improve matters but it is a little disappointing (our TV is a fairly high end Sony which does generally provide really sharp definition).I agree with you Kevin: seems to fair bit softer than my V+ (which I still have, albeit now on a different TV). The only non-HD channels I watch regularly are BBC4, More4 and BBC News and I'd say they all look softer on the TiVo. They're perfectly watchable on my modest 32in but anyone with a 48in or larger screen won't be too happy. It's a soft rather than pixelated picture, and some SD channels are better than others (BBC4's Rubicon last night looked okay - but why isn't it on BBC HD?!). I don't think it is as anywhere near as bad as comments on some forums have suggested and it very much depends on the size and general PQ of your TV. On my Toshiba it looks very close to the same channels on the built-in Freeview tuner, whereas when compared with the V+ Freeview was weaker.
The majority of viewing is now in HD but for those of us who spend quite a lot of time with BBC4 this softening in SD is still significant.
Anyone else picking up the same effect?
"Virgin is no closer to securing a deal to air Sky Atlantic on its service. It is not a must have and it is not a must not have," he said. "It is not something sitting on our immediate priority board."Well, I know three people who have now quit VM for Sky just for Atlantic. I think, like HD before, Virgin's management are underestimating the value of premium content - let's hope they act on this one a bit quicker than they did with high definition. And Sky's hand in any negotiations over the channel will be strenthened by the strong viewing figures for shows like Game of Thrones.
Sustainable revenue growth and operating leverage driving strong free cash flow
Good operational performance through quality customer growth
- Revenue growth in all areas; total up 5.7% to £982m
- Operating income up 58.9% to £111m
- Net cash provided by operating activities up 34.3% to £272m
- Quality of customer base continues to improve
- Launch of 30Mb broadband tier has transformed acquisition mix
- 39% of new broadband customers taking 20Mb tier or higher, up from 15% in Q1-10
- Broadband revolution gains pace, with world's fastest cable trial of 1.5Gb
- Premium TV customers increased 22%; HD penetration increased to 41%
- 65,000 pre-registered for next-generation TiVo TV; now available to new customers
- Q1 cable ARPU3 up 2.6% to £46.16- Cable customers up 1.2% in last twelve months with 20,200 net additions in Q1
Leading in next generation digital entertainment
Our existing TV service stands apart from other services with, advantages such as access to an unparalleled library of on demand programming. Over 2.4m families, representing 64% or our TV base, are now regularly enjoying our on demand TV service. Average monthly views in Q1 were 83m, an increase of 23% from the same period in 2010.
Virgin Media's 3D on demand TV service goes from strength to strength with a growing line-up of movies courtesy of Paramount Pictures and Disney such as 'Jackass 3D' and 'TRON: Legacy'. We continue to work with content creators to source the best programming.
We grew our TV base by 10,100 customers in the quarter to a total of 3.8m. Of these customers, over 1.5m or 41% are able to experience HD after we added a further 66,400 HD customers in the quarter.
At the end of last year, we launched our leading entertainment service powered by TiVo, with its game-changing interface that brings together the best of TV, on demand and the web. In these early stages, demand continues to grow and, having already added thousands of customers, we are in the process of connecting the 65,000 who have pre-registered. The service is now available for all new and existing customers to order.
Virgin Media’s 3D offering continues to go from strength to strength with an exciting new line-up of 3D movies courtesy of Paramount Pictures and The Walt Disney Company UK & Ireland. Starting this month 3D films such as Paramount’s Jackass 3D and Disney’s TRON: Legacy will join Virgin Media’s pioneering on demand TV service, which was the first commercial 3D service to be available to millions of homes in the UK*.I'll refrain from comment as my scepticism about 3D TV isn't always appreciated...
These latest deals will bring range of new 3D movies powered by FilmFlex made available for the first time on TV for Virgin Media customers over the coming months.
Aleks Habdank, director of On Demand Television & Strategy at Virgin Media said: “We’re thrilled to be adding this exciting range of new movies to our 3D video on demand service from two of the biggest studios Paramount Pictures and Disney. Virgin Media pioneered 3D on Demand in the home last year, and we’re continuing to deliver a range of 3D content that’s available to all of our customers and now coupled with our new TiVo-powered service we are able to provide viewers with the most compelling TV offering in the UK.”
Virgin Media are set to launch the Red Button on Sky Sports for non-Tivo viewers on April 21st.So those waiting for Red Button sports but also want TiVo have to decide what they want first
Red Button for Sky Sports on TiVo will follow in July or August
Virgin Media today announced the addition of the award-winning Sky 1 Arts HD and Sky Arts 2 HD channels to its TV service from the 26th April. The company is continuing to broaden the range of content available in stunning high definition with the arrival of these new channels, and Virgin Media customers now have access to over 30 HD channels with up to 19 channels available for no additional monthly fee*.
Sky Arts is the only stable of channels in the UK dedicated solely to the arts, and Virgin Media customers will be able to engage with the some of the best culturally stimulating programming available in spectacular high-definition. Both channels cover the greats of contemporary and classical arts – from iconic rock performances to the best operas, from ballet to books, from theatre to photography.
Virgin Media customers will now be able to watch great programmes including Songbook, The Book Show, In Confidence, Rock and Roll Exposed and Sky Arts Cinema with Mike Figgis in true high-definition, providing them with a crystal clear viewing experience.
