Archive for the ‘HD’ 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.

An agreement has been reached between digital TV heavyweights Sky and Virgin Media, which will see customers of the latter offered access to on demand service Sky Anytime.

Sky Anytime was originally available exclusively to Sky customers, but this deal will extend the service to Virgin Media viewers. With Sky Anytime, you can pick and choose content that is in line with your current subscription, and watch it at a time that suits you.

Virgin Media already boasts a huge on demand library of its own, including access to BBC iPlayer and 4OD, as well as a range classic and contemporary movies and TV shows. With the addition of Sky Anytime, Virgin Media customers subscribing to the full Sky Movies package will have access to an extra 500 titles. Combined with the titles available through FilmFlex, PictureBox and Virgin Media Player, that brings the total to over 1,000 on demand movies.

Virgin Media customers with the full Sky Sports package will also be able to view on demand sports highlights from the channels, including Barclays Premier League and UEFA Champions League football.

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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.

Today has seen a landmark move in the world of F1, with Sky successfully purchasing the live broadcast rights to every single race from the 2012 season up to 2018.

This deal will put the globally popular, high-octane motor sport on UK pay-TV for the first time in its history, and is sure to ruffle a few feathers amongst licence-fee payers.

The BBC will still have joint rights to show half of the season’s races, qualifying laps and practice sessions, and the free-to-air channel will include live coverage of the renowned races at Silverstone and Monaco. The BBC will also have highlights of the races that are exclusively on Sky.

Undoubtedly Sky will consider this a major coup, and whilst the BBC still has some live coverage, F1 fanatics will certainly be tempted by Sky Sports, in light of this surprising news.

Barbara Slater, director of BBC Sport, was upbeat despite the loss of live coverage, saying: “We are absolutely delighted that F1 will remain on the BBC.”

“The sport has never been more popular with TV audiences at a 10-year high and the BBC has always stated its commitment to the big national sporting moments.”

“With this new deal not only have we delivered significant savings but we have also ensured that through our live and extended highlights coverage all the action continues to be available to licence-fee payers.”

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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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Digital TV giant Sky has announced impressive results for the first quarter, which include confirmation that the satellite broadcaster’s customer base has passed the milestone of 10 million.

A press release detailed several promising statistics, including the fact that Sky now has 3.7 million customers choosing the HD, or high definition, TV service, which currently costs an additional £10.25 per month.  This equates to almost a 50% rise over the last year.

Sky added that over a quarter of all its customers now choose to use Sky for TV, internet and phone services in the home,  with a toal of 3.2 million households taking up Sky broadband.

Part of the success can be attributed to the launch and hugely positive performance of Sky Atlantic, which broadcasts a selection of high quality new and classic drama from leading US TV network HBO.  Wildly popular prohibition-era gangster series Boardwalk Empire and dazzling medieval fantasy-drama Game of Thrones brought rave reviews from both sides of the pond, and have helped to draw the attention of TV lovers everywhere.

These new dramas are shown in the UK exclusively on Sky Atlantic, giving Sky customers that extra incentive to choose HD for the benefits of the increased visual quality.  The channel also shows many of the old favourites, including global mega-hit The Sopranos and acclaimed medical series ER.

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Virgin Media has announced an agreement with US film studios Disney and Paramount which will see 3D movies and content broadcast exclusively to customers through its 3D On Demand service.

Sky has taken the first steps into commercial 3D broadcasting in the UK, and fierce rival Virgin Media has moved quickly to provide a genuinely competitive option for its customers.

Plenty of 3D content is was already available at no extra cost, echoing the digital TV provider’s model for HD broadcast, whilst the new film titles can now be ordered through FilmFlex for a rental fee; these include the eye-popping pain-fest that is Jackass 3D, and effects-laden extravaganza TRON: Legacy.

Virgin Media’s director of on demand TV and strategy 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.”

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The heavily promoted and much-anticipated channel Sky Atlantic HD, new, exclusive and free to all Sky customers, starts broadcasting today, and this evening’s programming will include the UK debut of American mega-hit Boardwalk Empire.

Sky struck a deal, rumoured to be worth around £150m, with US TV production studio HBO which gives the satellite giant exclusive UK TV rights to show classic content from across the pond, as well as brand new shows such as the well-received cop drama Blue Bloods and big budget, prohibition-era gangster series Boardwalk Empire.

The runaway success of Boardwalk Empire in the US has been driven by rave reviews from viewers and universal acclaim from professional TV critics, which is understandable given the calibre of talent involved in the show. With a cast led by ever-reliable and always-awesome Steve Buscemi, gangster-movie maestro Martin Scorsese as producer/director, The Sopranos writer and creator Terence Winter penning the scripts and the most expensive pilot episode ever made in the history of anything, Boardwalk Empire had hit series written all over it, and Sky customers will finally get to see what all the fuss is about.

Sky Atlantic HD will air a rich selection of US programming including whole series of 24, The Sopranos, The Wire and Mad Men, as well episodes of The X-Files, Prison Break, Curb Your Enthusiasm and the original series of Star Trek, along with new UK content actually commissioned by Sky.

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The new Formula 1 season is approaching in fittingly rapid fashion, and the BBC has announced that the whole season will air in crisp, clear, glorious HD.

The 2010 F1 season was arguably the best, with a classic, pulse-pounding, adrenalin-fuelled ride for drivers and fans alike, right up until the finish and Ferrari’s tactical error that gave Vettel the decisive advantage.

The young German driver took the title for the first time, in one of the most entertaining F1 scraps in memory, whilst the dubious return of Michael Schumacher, Mark Webber’s utterly insane crash complete with cockpit camera view of the sky and Ferrari’s not-so-subtle team orders were all huge talking points.

With Red Bull setting a new standard for consistent pace and power, their competitors, particularly McLaren and Ferrari, will have been working hard to build new cars capable of wrestling the championship title from the clutches of Sebastian Vettel. The stage is set for a stunning 2011 season, and the HD coverage will provide the perfect picture quality for Formula 1 fanatics.

The BBC coverage will continue to be ably anchored by Jake Humphrey, with Eddie Jordan providing expert analysis, whilst former McLaren and Red Bull racer David Coulthard will join Martin Brundle in the commentary box.

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