Digital TV News

Digital TV giant Sky has fixed the prices paid by customers, in a move designed to aid families during tight financial times.

News reported by website Cable.co.uk confirmed that the price freeze runs from September 1st this year to August 31st 2012, which will be welcome news for Sky customers at a time when UK residents are seeing other bills continue to rise.

Sky’s leading rival Virgin Media is, conversely, increasing monthly line rental from August 1st, and its connection fees are expected to rise, whilst BT Vision has already bumped up landline charges this year.

Managing Director of Sky’s customer group, Andrea Zappia, said: “With subscription prices frozen for at least a year, our customers can look forward to getting more than ever from Sky.”

Sky has also recently worked to streamline its service, after announcing that the viewing packs will be simplified, and Sky Mobile TV and Sky Player have both been combined to form the new on demand service Sky Go.

The hugely popular on demand catch-up service BBC iPlayer is now available in full to BT Vision customers.

Back in November last year, the BBC announced plans to bring the iPlayer to BT Vision, and TechRadar has confirmed the news that the complete service is now active. Some BBC content was already available through BT Vision’s TV Replay, but now the IPTV provider’s customers can access over 400 hours of BBC TV and 1,000 hours of BBC radio.

BT Retail’s chief exec of TV and online services said: “The launch of BBC iPlayer on BT Vision adds to the enormous range of quality entertainment already available to our customers.”

“We are really excited to be partnering with the BBC to bring BBC iPlayer to our customers.”

BBC iPlayer gives UK viewers the chance to watch the latest episodes of popular BBC shows such as Eastenders, Have I Got News For You, The Apprentice and Top Gear, as well as UK radio favourites including The Chris Moyles Show.

BT Vision provides digital TV through a BT Broadband connection in the home, and offers a wide range of Freeview channels, as well as the option to pay for movies and sport, and the catch-up service now includes programmes from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5.

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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The latest reality show to hit our screens has caused a stir in Newcastle, as local Geordies gather to complain and protest about the televised antics of a group of guys and girls living it up in their city.

One of the 2008 candidates for European Capital of Culture, Newcastle is also known for its lively nightlife, but it seems that some are not too happy about seeing a few stereotypes get heavily reinforced courtesy of MTV.

The Sun has reported that around 4,000 people have signed a petition to get the show off the air, whilst over 25,000 have joined a Facebook page titled R.I.P Geordie Pride 24/05/2011 (Geordie Shore). However, MTV is happy as it is reported that around 330,000 tuned in to watch the spin-off of US reality series Jersey Shore.

Hot on the heels of other similar shows like The Only Way Is Essex and Made In Chelsea, Geordie Shore follows the lives of eight young adults as they attempt to drink, vomit and sleep around as much as possible. The US influence of the show is particularly prominent, as cast members, complete with ‘wacky’ name graphics, comment exhaustively on clips of themselves.

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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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Broadband and digital TV provider Virgin Media has revealed that breathtaking superfast broadband speeds reaching 100Mbps will be made available to thousands of homes in Cardiff and some surrounding areas.

Broadband customers with access to these kinds of broadband speeds are able to ddownload a standard definition movie in around a minute and a half, whilst a music album can take less than six seconds.

Executive director of broadband at Virgin Media, Jon James, said: “We know residents in Cardiff will be blown away by what 100Mb can deliver and the very real impact this can have on day to day life, be it uploading family holiday videos to share with friends or downloading an entire music album in a matter of seconds.”

“The launch of our 100Mb service in Cardiff is a significant milestone in the UK’s broadband evolution and a vivid illustration of the power of our next generation network. From establishing the UK’s first ever broadband service to the launch of 100mb just ten years later, Virgin Media has led the greatest developments in digital Britain.”

According to WalesOnline, the 100Mbps superfast broadband package will also be made available in nearby Barry and Treforest, with the deal costing £45 per month, or £35 if taken with a Virgin Media landline, and a £30 activation charge and £40 installation fee will apply for new Virgin media customers.  Existing customers will see their monthly bill increase, and will also have to pay the activation fee.

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Satellite giant Sky has hinted at an unexpected U-turn regarding proposed on-demand TV service YouView.

YouView, formerly known as Project Canvas, will be an internet-connected TV service, offering the last 7 days of content at the touch of a button. It has officially been in the pipeline since late 2008, and collaborators have been welcomed.

Whilst BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Five have all been firmly on board as owners/shareholders, the potential participation of Sky seemed dead in the water when the digital TV broadcaster tried to block the project in October of last year.

However, a Sky spokesman has now suggested that involvement may still be an option: “We already distribute Sky content across a wide range of platforms.”

“It makes sense for us to continue to explore new ways of reaching customers, but it’s too early to say at this stage whether we’ll offer a service over YouView.”

This non-committal, but intriguing, quote is the latest development in a complicated history for YouView, as the project was also publicly opposed by Virgin Media, whilst 3View managing director John Donovan expressed concerns about the market impact.

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Scottish residents will see the last remaining analogue TV signals switched off this June, as the country completes its full conversion to digital.

Digital TV Group has confirmed that the analogue signal supplied by the Black Hill transmitter will be the last one to go, and this will take place on 22 June 2011.

The full digital switchover will begin on 11 May 2011, with areas in central Scotland, as well as Argyll, Bute and Rosneath, all losing the BBC Two analogue signal. The process for switching off the Darvel and Rosneath transmitters will be complete on 25 May 2011.

The Craigkelly transmitter, which supplies analogue signal to parts of Edinburgh and Fife, will begin the digital switchover on 1 June, and will finish on 15 June.

The digital switchover will provide around 98% of Scottish homes with Freeview coverage.

For more details regarding the Scottish digital switchover, please visit DigitalSwitchover.co.uk.

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards has offered up few surprises as Brit actor Colin Firth walked away with the Best Actor Oscar for his performance as stuttering King George VI in The King’s Speech.

The actor, also known for Bridget Jones’ Diary and A Single Man, was in typically British humour as he accepted the award, saying: “ I have a feeling my career has just peaked.”

“I am experiencing stirrings somewhere in the upper abdominals which are threatening to form themselves into dance moves, which joyous as they may be for me, would be extremely problematic if they make it to my legs before I get off stage.”

Firth held off competition from Jeff Bridges, whose cracking performance in The Coen Brothers’ True Grit remake has gained huge acclaim, alongside other quality turns including James Franco in 127 Hours and Javier Bardem in Biutiful.

A tearful Natalie Portman predictably walked away with Best Actress for her fine performance in thriller Black Swan, although the movie’s director Darren Aronofsky had to concede defeat to The King’s Speech helmer Tom Hooper.

The King’s Speech also took the coveted Best Picture gong as well as best Best Original Screenplay, as the year’s surprise hit dominated the main awards.

Christian Bale took Best Supporting Actor for his work in The Fighter as brother and trainer to Mark Wahlberg’s Irish boxer Micky Ward, and Best Supporting Actress went to Melissa Leo, playing their mother Alice Ward.

Christopher Nolan’s groundbreaking sci-fi masterpiece Inception was up for some of the big awards, but he will have been satisfied with the film rightly taking home Oscars for Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, Best Sound Mixing and Best Cinematography.

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