BBC HD Christmas line up - Boxing Day and the 27th

Again, disappointing but an opportunity to catch up with two of the HD highlights of the year from the BBC:

Boxing Day:
1.45 Carmen (opera)
4.25 Cranford (all five episodes)
9.25 To the Manor Born
10.25 The Jackal (Bruce Willis remake)

December 27th
1.15 How We Built Britain (six episodes)
7.15 BBC1 Sessions - David Gray
8.00 Top Gear: Polar Challenge
9.00 Extras
10.25 A Little Later - Coldplay
10.40 Billy Elliot

New to HD (except the films) in bold

Somewhat disappointing BBC HD programming kicking off the Christmas break

The BBC HD schedules for the first two days of Christmas show extended broadcast hours but not much 'new' HD content. New HD stuff in bold:

Christmas Eve
2.20 Galapagos
3.10 Galapagos
4.00 Galapagos
4.50 BBC1 Sessions - Corinne Bailey Rae
5.30 Carols from King's 2007
6.45 Coast: From the Air
6.55 A Little Later - Arcade Fire
7.00 Pride (movie)
8.25 A Little Later - Snow Patrol
8.30 Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
10.45 Kaiser Chiefs Live at Doncaster
11.10 A Little Later - Paul McCartney
11.20 Shrek the Halls (animation short)
11.45 Later with Jools Holland

Christmas Day
11.20 The Wind in the Willows (Matt Lucas, Bob Hoskins et al)
2.40 A Little Later
3.00 The Queen
3.10 Carols from Kings 2007
4.25 Romeo & Juliet (Prokofiev's ballet, not the Zeferelli film)
6.45 A Little Later - KT Tunstall
7.00 The Electric Proms
8.00 Beyonce Live at the BBC
8.30 Strictly Come Dancing
9.30 Darcey Bussell's Grand Finale
11.55 Later with Jools Holland

No date for C4 HD on Virgin

Over at Digital Spy, a Virgin Media spokesperson is quoted as saying: "Virgin Media does not have a fixed date for the launch of Channel 4 HD yet, though we already carry HD programmes from Channel 4 through our on demand service. Popular shows such as Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty, Brothers & Sisters and Studio 60 have already appeared in HD for Virgin Media customers, and we will continue to add more HD shows from Channel 4 to the 4oD area. Having these shows available on demand gives Virgin Media customers the flexibility to watch Channel 4 HD shows at a time that suits them rather than being tied to the TV schedule."
That highlighted piece is simply not true: only Brothers & Sisters was available in HD, and then it was 99p an episode (Channel 4 HD is a free channel). Making false statements like this seriously undermines Virgin's credibility (and that of Digital Spy - don't they verify these statements before publishing them?). Pretty poor show all round...
At least the BBC's HD schedules are looking good for Christmas, with the broadcasting hours extending to 12 hours rather than the promised nine for Christmas Eve. More details to follow

No C4 HD but...

A few HD tidbits appearing in TV Choice on Demand today - The Ghost Whisperer Season One (episodes 1, 2 and.... 5). As this a continuing storyline series, it does really make you despair that VM can't stick consecutive episodes up rather than this pathetic haphazard approach.

Channel 4HD launches on Sky

...but not Virgin Media, who remain silent as to when/if the service will appear on cable. Whilst there is probably disappointment a-plenty to readers of this blog, some consolation in the fact that there are actually only three programmes this week being broadcast in HD (as opposed to being upscaled) and two of those are Ugly Betty. There's also a showing of Planet of the Apes in HD, and presumably all films are going to be shown in HD now.
From the Digital Spy thread it looks like the launch has not been without some issues - sound dropping, etc. Still, it would be nice to have those kinda problems ourselves...

Christmas highlights on BBC HD

Haven't got my Christmas Radio Times yet, but picked this up from the BBC's website. There's a fair amount here, which suggests extended broadcasting times are a-coming.

* Strictly Come Dancing Special. Simulcast with BBC One.

* Extras Christmas Special. Eagerly awaiting in the Nialli household. Simulcast with BBC One.

* After You've Gone - Simulcast with BBC One.

* Jam And Jerusalem - From BBC One.

* The Green Green Grass - Simulcast with BBC One.

* To The Manor Born - one-off 60-minute special return of the "classic" British comedy. From BBC One.

* The Queen's Christmas Speech - in HD. SkyOne are making a big song and dance about them having this in HD, but Virgin will have it too.

* Festival of Nine Lessons And Carols . Simulcast with BBC One.

* Jool's Annual Hootenanny - welcoming in the New Year on the 31st. Simulcast with BBC Two.

* Romeo and Juliet - Kenneth MacMillan's adaptation of Shakespeare's romantic tragedy. Simulcast with BBC Two.

* Tales of Beatrix Potter - Royal Ballet performance, simulcast with BBC One.

* Darcey Bussell's Farewell Performance - Bussell's series of farewell performance at the Royal Opera House. Simulcast with BBC Four.

* Carmen - Francesco Zambello's production of Bizet's opera. Simulcast with BBC Two.

* La Fille du Regiment - broadcast of Donizetti's comic opera. Simulcast with BBC Four.

* Vienna - City of Dreams - Writer and presenter Professor Joseph Koerner explores Vienna during its Golden Age. Simulcast with Four.

* Wainwright's Walks. From BBC One and BBC Two.

FILMS
* Wonder Boys
* Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl (simulcast with BBC One)
* The Santa Clause Two (simulcast with BBC One)
* Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
* The History Boys
* Girl With A Pearl Earring
* Kill Bill Volumes One and Two
* Billy Elliot
* Twelve Monkeys
* The Jackal

Updated: HD in Video on Demand

Here's an update (Saturday, Dec 8) on the HD programming available currently to ex-NTL customers. I've put the new stuff in bold, but there's not a great deal of change to report. Lost Season Two is the main one, but it's not quite all there yet (in typical Virgin style). For those who aren't sure where to look, please see my earlier post.

Free TV
Ant Attack
Desert Lions
Diana - Last Days of a Princess
Hotel Babylon episodes 2 - 8
Planet Earth: episodes 1-5
The Blue Planet: Frozen Seas
The Blue Planet: Coasts
The Blue Planet: Coral Seas
The Blue Planet: Frozen Seas
The Blue Planet: Open Oceans
The Blue Planet: Seasonal Seas
The Blue Planet: The Deep
The Blue Planet: Tidal Seas
The Innocence Project 1-8
Rick Stein and the Japanese Ambassador
Superstorm 1-3

Filmflex HD (all £4 unless mentioned)
Alpha Dog
Amazing Grace
Apocalypto (£4.50)
Arthur & the Invisibles
The Breed
Gone in Sixty Seconds
The Illusionist
The Messengers
Outlaw
The Painted Veil
Until Death
Wild Hogs


"Hidden" HD Programmes
Check under the TV Choice On Demand High Definition
Criminal Minds Season One 1 - 22 (exc. 7, 17)
Day Break 1-12
Grey's Anatomy Season One 1,2,5,6,9,10
Lost Season One 1-25

Check under the TV Choice On Demand A-Z
Dog Fight 2 episodes
Engineering an Empire 3 episodes
Lost Season Two 1 - 24, missing 12 and 21 and 3 is listed at the end! The full season is listed in SD, btw
Mega Movers 3 episodes

Some tinkering with the On Demand stuff

The double listing of episodes of Lost etc in the HD TV Choice on Demand category has been removed, and three more episodes from Grey's Anatomy have been added from season one. But they're random episodes rather than in sequence from the first two, so I wouldn't recommend anyone start watching just yet until Virgin get their act in gear.

BBC HD this week

Well, it's now officially a proper channel, but you wouldn't know it from the schedules. Still running from 8pm til around midnight (except at weekends), the schedules are very much business as usual this week. Which ain't bad as there's some real gold there, but ain't exactly exciting either.
Anyway, highlights this week:
Monday: more Bleak House; the Monarchy thing, Silent Witness, Twenty thousand streets under the sky
Tuesday: documentaries ahoy, mainly repeats but with Earth: the Power of the Planet as a real gem in HD
Wednesday: the conclusion of season one of Heroes!
Thursday: Electric Proms, the marvellous Cranford and the not-as-marvellous Who Do You Think You Are?
Friday: Glastonbury (Manics), the Green Green Grass, the Tudors, Not Going Out, The Visit, Lead Balloon and Later

Finding the HD On Demand programming

I've been asked to clarify where you can find the Virgin Media HD on demand programming as Virgin seem to be doing their darnest to hide it, so here's where you go (at least in the ex-NTL areas):

Press the Home button to access the On Demand Home menu.

Under 3. Movies On Demand there's no specific HD category, but the HD versions of around a dozen of the Filmflex films are listed in 7. All Movies A-Z next to the SD versions. They are normally £4 a pop, 5op more than the SD ones.

I can't be fussed to go through all the Music On Demand listings, but there may be some HD content in there; I've never noticed it though.

in 5. TV Choice On Demand select 9. More>. Under 1. High Definition you'll find Lost Seasons 1 and most of 2, some episodes of Grey's Anatomy and the first seasons of Criminal Minds and Day Break. For some reason, most are currently listed twice but they'll sort this out. The same programmes are listed in 2. A-Z alongside their SD equivalents (where they exist) plus there's some documentary programming like Mega Movers and Dog Fights (full details here).

Finally, there's the second listing of HD under 6. More On Demand in the Home menu, option 2. High Definition. This is where you'll find five pages of the BBC HD stuff (which gets changed pretty regularly, albeit subtly), the FilmFlex HD stuff all together, the lone Music On Demand offering and some 4OD Pay TV in the form of Brothers & Sisters.

Hope that helps. Virgin say they're adding more each week (and so far they are good to their word, though we all want MORE!). Still no word on the Channel 4 HD simulcast which is now imminent on Sky HD, nor any Channel 4 HD on demand.