New V+ "will be MPEG4"

There's nothing in the leaked document on the Samsung 3110 that indicates that the (likely) new V+ set top box will be Mpeg4 compatible, but a story over on TechRadar says it definitely is:

Although it has not been officially announced, it is the fact that the box will be MPEG4 that gives a true glimpse of the future for Virgin Media.

Let's hope that's accurate. The question then is how will Virgin roll out MPEG4 HD services. My guess would be that they'll look to introduce the newer technology with the new hardware as a premium service with additional HD channels. Depending on how many channels, it'll be either a monthly sub (similar to Sky's) or, if it's just a handful of channels such as those from C4 and ITV, a one-off install cost. The older Scientific Atlanta boxes then get distributed as straight PVRs with the single BBC HD channel as an HD "taster". Any other ideas?

New Samsung V+ details leaked

Thanks to Jasmeet_181 for the following:

Samsung 3110

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Who let the DOG out? BBC HD update

Danielle from BBC HD has posted an update on the mysterious Christmas reappearance of the DOG ("Digital On-screen Graphic" apparently) over on the BBC blog. It's great to see the Beeb being open about such matters, although I'm starting to think that this particular topic's pretty much exhausted and is deflecting debate from the more urgent matter of addressing the endless repeats on the channel.

The Secret Life of Elephants

More wrinkles than an episode of Last of the Summer Wine: BBC HD airs the first of three documentaries on The Secret Life of Elephants tonight at 9pm.

Prison Break cancelled

Okay, another non-HD story, but I thought I'd let fans know before they get too into the latest series: Prison Break, one of Sky1's top rated shows, has been cancelled. Full story over on Entertainment Weekly. Sorry guys.

Battlestar Galactica returns

What many (including this guy) call the greatest sci fi story of them all returns to Sky1 next Tuesday evening at 9pm for the final ten episodes. The good news for us Virgin Media customers who missed out on the first half of series four is that they're showing the episodes from last year in a quick burst this weekend on Sky2. Here's the schedule:
Wed 11pm Razor (self-contained movie)
Thursday night 12.10am - 2pm (ten past midnight)
Friday night 11pm, midnight
Saturday night 10pm, 11pm
Sunday night 11pm, midnight
Monday night 12.05am, 1.05am
It's shot in high def so this just about qualifies for this blog - it's certainly TV of the highest quality, trust me.

Freesat takes off...thanks to HD

Got a dish? Tired of paying Sky for hundreds of channels you don't even know about, let alone watch? Then why not buy a Freesat box...one payment, no subscription, plug it in and over 100 channels including BBC HD and the exclusive ITV HD.

It's been a slow start for Freesat, Freeview's fledgling big brother, but it is now starting to make an impression with over 200,000 households installing the alternative dish digital service in the latter half of 2008. Given that the all-important Freesat Personal Video Recorder (Freesat+ in other words) was only released in November and that the hardware was pretty hard to find in the run up to Christmas, that's a fast adoption rate for the new service in a very short space of time, especially as it has had very limited promotion. (By comparison, BT Vision still has only 350,000 customers and it's been around for over two years - Freesat launched in May 2008.)

According to this report in The Guardian, Freesat said that 61% of its customer panel identified HD services as the main reason for purchasing a set top box - that's a wake up call to both Sky and Virgin. The former may have overpriced its HD, the latter has, as we all know, undervalued the demand. With Freesat promising On Demand services next year, Virgin's management cannot ignore the new kid on the block. And neither can Sky - if you've already got a dish and need to save a few quid, Freesat must be very tempting indeed.

ITV HD programming to be available on Virgin On Demand

According to this story in The Guardian and this piece in today's Telegraph, programming from ITV's four channels is to be added to Virgin Media's On Demand service, including (gasp) "a selection of ITV's high definition programmes". The Virgin press release can be found here.

New season programming on BBC HD

A new year, a new season on BBC HD. Here are the new series / programmes debuting on BBC HD this week - a mix of drama, documentaries and sitcoms, and an old favourite of mine returns on Thursday. Click the titles for more info.
Sunday 9pm: Swarm: Nature's Incredible Invasions
Mon - Fri, 7pm: The Diary of Anne Frank
Monday, 8pm: A History of Scotland
Tuesday, 8pm: Science and Islam
Tuesday, 9pm: Nicholas Crane's Britannia: The Great Elizabethan Journey
Weds, 9pm: The Mighty Celt
Thurs, 8pm: Life of Riley
Thurs, 8.30pm: The Green Green Grass
Thurs, 9pm: Hustle

Sky1 repeats for Virgin customers

Thanks to Carol S for the following update on the latest on Lost:
A daily catchup for Virgin Media customers who missed season 4 begins on Tuesday at 10am on Sky2, with a repeat the same day on Sky1 at 2pm. The whole of season 4 is showing on weekdays (13 episodes if my memory serves me correctly), and season 5 itself kicks off on Sunday, January 25th at 9pm on Sky1. They're even showing the final episode of season 3 (the one at the airport with Jack and Kate) on Monday at 2pm on Sky1.
Also, for those who haven't seen Sky1's big budget adaptation of the first Terry Pratchett Discworld novel Colour of Magic, it is being repeated this weekend; part one on Saturday at 1pm, part two on Sunday at the same time.