Archive for the ‘Freeview’ Category

It’s a friendly, but England fans will expect nothing of the sort as Capello’s men challenge the current European and World Champions Spain, live this Saturday on ITV1.

England have the home advantage, but Spain’s squad is packed with breathtaking quality including the likes of midfield maestros Andres Iniesta and Xavi, as well as one of the world’s best ‘keepers in Iker Casillas and strikeforce options that include David Villa and Fernando Llorente.

The England fans insist on high standards, and recent squads have clearly buckled under the intense pressure and expectation, but with inspiring youthful talent like Phil Jones, Danny Welbeck and Daniel Sturridge breaking through, a new crop of players could be ready to bring the team out of its barren trophyless streak.

Unfortunately, controversy follows the England team, and this time round we have no Wayne Rooney due to a moment of petulance, and we may still see John Terry inexplicably start, and lead out the team, when he is still the subject of an FA investigation into racism allegations.

Nonetheless, it is sure to be an entertaining contest, as England have something to prove at home, whilst Spain currently play the most attractive football of all the nations by far.

Fans can watch live on Freeview and through any of the UK digital TV providers, with coverage starting at 4.45pm and the match kicking-off at 5.15pm.

Sky Sports will be showing the Euro 2012 qualifying play-off, between the Republic of Ireland and Estonia, with the Boys in Green looking to get into the tournament for only the second time; their debut ended in the first round back in 1988. The first leg is this evening, kicking-off at 19.45, whilst the second leg is on Tuesday at the same time. Both matches will be live on Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports HD1.

The UK’s free-to-air digital TV service Freeview has announced that sales of Freeview HD devices have gone beyond 3 million in just 18 months. UK homes with some form of Freeview now number 18 million, whilst 1.75 million are actively using the high definition channels accessed via the Freeview HD devices.

The figures run from the release of Freeview HD in March 2010 to the end of September this year, and 90% of the devices purchased are integrated Freeview HD TVs.

With Freeview HD, viewers can watch BBC One HD, The BBC HD Channel, ITV1 HD and Channel 4 HD, and there is no subscription or charge to do so.

Ilse Howling, Freeview’s Managing Director, said: “Breaking through the three million sales barrier is huge achievement for Freeview HD.”

“Television remains an incredibly important part of people’s lives and Freeview has continued to provide the most-loved programmes in the format people want since Freeview launched in 2002. Our focus now is to ensure we continue to develop and give viewers what they want over the next 10 years, post-switchover and beyond.”

Current prices for Freeview HD TVs can be anything from around £180 to just under £1,000, and the HD set-top boxes can vary between £30 and £200, all depending on specifications, features and manufacturer.

Die-hard fans of The Doctor may need medical assistance when they find out that the Master (or the BBC) has called time on the show’s spin-off Doctor Who Confidential.

The behind-the-scenes show follows Doctor Who episode premieres every Saturday, with shorter repeats airing Sundays and Fridays. The programme offers filming footage and interviews, with the preceding Doctor Who episode usually providing the main talking points.

The Guardian has reported today that cost-cutting is responsible for the show’s axe, which follows a spate of culls which has included one-time favourite Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, as well as Coming of Age, Ideal and Hotter Than My Daughter.

BBC Controller Zai Bennett is believed to be looking at concentrating on new investment, whilst also balancing a rumoured 20% budget cut across all output.

A spokeswoman for the BBC said: “Doctor Who Confidential has been a great show for BBC3 over the years but our priority now is to build on original British commissions, unique to the channel.”

The final episode of Doctor Who Confidential will air on BBC Three this Saturday at 8.35, after the Doctor Who series finale at 7.05 on BBC One.

The BBC has formally announced plans to air the Wimbledon singles finals live in 3D this year. This marks the broadcaster’s first foray into the technology that is riding a wave of reignited popularity.

The women’s and men’s singles finals at Wimbledon are due to take place on Saturday 2nd July and Sunday 3rd July respectively, and are considered a highlight in the tennis calendar. Wimbledon is one of the four Grand Slam tournaments, and the only one played on the über-quick grass surface, with many players considering it to be the ultimate prize in the sport.

With breathtaking competitors such as six-time French Open winner and current world no.1 Rafael Nadal, Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic and sixteen-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer, as well as Brit hopeful Andy Murray, all taking part, Wimbledon 2011 has the makings of a classic, and seeing it in 3D for the first time will be a big draw for spectators.

BBC’s head of HD and 3D, Danielle Nagler, said: “We’re bringing audiences a new way of getting close to the action.”

“I’m sure that 3D will only add to the drama as the world’s greatest players compete for the championship.”

BBC’s executive sport producer, Paul Davies, added: “This unique 3D transmission is the latest innovation to bring to life all the tension, drama and excitement on one of the most iconic sporting arenas in the world.”

The coverage will cross BBC One, BBC Two, the BBC website and the red button, and the 3D coverage will be available to those with a 3D-ready TV as well as access to BBC HD.

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Freeview customers will be pleased with today’s result, as Sky and Top Up TV have reached an agreement that will see leading sports channels Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2 available through the free-to-air digital TV platform.

Sky Sports itself will, of course, not be free. According to the BBC, customers can subscribe to either channel for £22.99 a month, or the pair as a package for £31.99.

The recent Ofcom ruling that saw Sky forced to lower its wholesale cost of Sky Sports has led to rival broadcasters offering the channels at cut price. BT Vision recently announced its own price plan to customers.

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The UK’s first ever high definition Freeview+ personal video recorder has been launched by Pace.

Gadget website T3 confirms that the set-top box, called the Philips HDT8520 PVR, boasts an impressive 500GB hard drive, allowing users to record 250 hours of standard definition content, or 125 hours of HD.

The box also gives Freeviewers the option to pause, rewind and record live TV.

It retails at £299; although the hard drive spec  falls well short of Sky’s £249 1TB monster, Freeview does not require any monthly subscriptions and therefore does work out significantly cheaper in the long-term.

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Internet TV service SeeSaw has launched a pay-TV service with thousands of hours worth of content available, and even more to come in the near future, according to Marketingmagazine.co.uk.

Programming from UK and US broadcasters is now available, with prices starting at 99p for a single episode, whilst a whole series costs anything from £3.99 to £17.99.

When you rent a single episode it will be available for up to 30 days; you have a 48 hour window in which to watch it once viewing has commenced.

Similarly, a whole series is available for 90 days, with the 48 hour window applying to each individual episode.

The new content includes a mix of popular modern and classic TV shows such as Spooks, Fawlty Towers, Top Gear, I’m Alan Partridge, Lost, Ugly Betty and South Park.

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Leading high street retailer John Lewis has today started selling the UK’s first 3D TV sets. The 3D revolution has been gathering pace, and we have been reporting on the latest news regarding 3D TV in your home.

Many John Lewis stores around the country, as well as johnlewis.com, are selling Samsung LED 3D-ready TV sets; the first time such technology has been available on our shores. The 3D TVs are 3cm thick, come with a Freeview HD tuner and retail on the John Lewis website at £1,799 for a 40 inch model.

This does not come with any pairs of the required ‘active shutter’ glasses, but a separate model on the website does include them and a 3D-ready Blu-ray player at a cost of £2,148. This also includes a 5-year guarantee and free delivery, according to the website.

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The new range of Freeview set-top boxes from Humax will incorporate Sky’s online and on demand TV service. Sky Player gives viewers the chance to enjoy a diverse range of programming from a wealth of channels, when and where they choose.  This follows news that Sky Player will become available through 3View set-top boxes.

The UK’s first Freeview HD box, the already available Humax HD-FOX T2, will be one of Humax’s first products to allow Sky Player access, and the launch of this access will take place shortly.

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The official launch of Freeview HD has taken place today. Subscription-free and in stunning high definition, Freeview HD can now be accessed by millions of people in the UK.

Freeview HD coverage will reach 4.5 million new homes from March 31st, with residents of Birmingham, Leeds and Cardiff all able to benefit from the free service for the first time. Freeview wants its HD service to reach 50% of the UK by the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and it is well on course to achieve that target.

Freeview HD boxes are now available to purchase from £99.99, whilst HD TVs with integrated Freeview are retailing for at least £500, although you can expect to pay at least £1,000 if you buy direct from the manufacturer. Current manufacturers include Sony, Panasonic, Humax and Bush, whilst Philips, LG and Samsung will be producing models soon. Freeview HD+ boxes, enabling the viewer to pause, rewind and record live TV, will cost at least £250, and should be available from April.

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