Here's a selection of the best high definition content available on UK TV today.

Documentaries

A History of Scotland continues on BBC HD at 8pm. How a feud between the Stewarts and the Macdonalds developed into a cuyltural and linguistic divide between Scotland's Highlands and Lowlands.

Films

Brian Blessed and Dallas Howard star in a film adaptation of Shakespeare's As You Like It at 10.45pm on BBC HD.

Witness is a romantic thriller starring Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis. Cop John Brook is assigned to protect Rachel Lapp, a member of the Amish community, when her son witnesses a murder. The trio flees to the Lapps's home, a rural refuge unchanged by modern technology.

Here's a selection of the best high definition content available on UK TV today.

Comedy

Two comedy shows on BBC HD tonight, with Life of Riley continuing at 8pm and The Green Green Grass at 8.30pm.

In Life of Riley, Jim decides to be best friends with Maddy's ex-husband Robbie, while The Green Green Grass sees a bored Marlene becoming rather keenly involved in charity work.

Here's a selection of the best high definition content available on UK TV today.

Documentaries

There's another chance to see Ross Kemp in Afghanistan on Sky 1 HD tonight at 10.50pm. In the first part, the actor prepares for deployment

Drama

The BBC's two-part drama Hunter concludes tonight at 9pm on the BBC HD channel, while the second part of Unforgiven airs on the ITV HD channel at 9pm.

Here's a selection of the best high definition content available on UK TV today.

Documentaries

The Secret Life of Elephants begins tonight on the BBC HD channel at 9pm. It reveals the emotional and dramatic lives of elephants in Kenya's Samburu reserve.

As the day begins, there is great excitement in one elephant family when a new baby, named Breeze, is born. But her first few weeks look set to be the most dangerous of her life. Meanwhile, elephant experts Iain and Saba Douglas-Hamilton face the huge challenge of fitting a radio collar to a three-tonne female elephant with an entire herd looking out for her. Breeze faces her first big test, crossing a river, and the research team investigate when one of their best-known bull elephants is found dead in suspicious circumstances.

Back in the reserve, a young calf becomes injured and cannot keep up with his herd. His mother sticks with him, but will he survive without the support of a family? There is further tragedy when a matriarch dies. In unique footage, a herd of elephants visit her body, and appear to mourn her death.

Freesat has announced that sales of its satellite packages had doubled in the last quarter of 2008.

Since the service launched in May 2008, over 200,000 sales have been recorded, with 100,000 of those coming in the months since September.

Freesat believes that high definition offerings from the BBC and ITV (of which the latter is only available on the Freesat platform) have helped to drive sales as high definition in general gets more interest from consumers.

Following Panasonic's lead, LG and Freesat have announced a partnership which will see the TV manufacturer produce Freesat-integrated digital televisions this year.

Though details are sparse at present, LG will initially develop TVs, possibly with other products coming in the future.

Freesat's MD, Emma Scott, commented, "We're extremely pleased to be working with LG as a manufacturing partner for Freesat in 2009. LG is world renowned for its quality products and this partnership will give consumers even more ways to enjoy Freesat as we grow the service."

Freesat is said to be in talks with a number of other manufacturers regarding Freesat-enabled products, with other partners to be announced in due course.

A short piece of news: the BBC HD channel now has DVB subtitles available via Freesat. No word on ITV HD getting them at present.

(Via Join Freesat

Freesat is keen to point out that this year sees its first high definition Christmas, with plenty of highlights available from both the BBC and ITV.

As well as the festive high-def fare from the BBC HD channel, which includes a wide variety of films, dramas, comedy and entertainment titles, ITV HD - which is only available on Freesat - will also be showing a variety of films including Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, True Lies, Ali G, Bird on a Wire, and Meaning of Life.

Freesat

Hot on the heels of news of Sky's Christmas advertising campaign comes details of Freesat's seasonal push.

Maybe I've been looking in the wrong places, but it does seem as if Freesat's marketing has been a little lacklustre to date, with only a few mentions of it, so it's encouraging to see that there will be a strong push over Christmas.

As we've already briefly mentioned, the Freesat+ service is due to launch in mid-November, offering a DVR service similar to that of Sky+ and Freeview+.

Along with the new service will come Humax's FOXSAT-HDR, containing a 320GB hard drive able to store up to 80 hours of high definition programming (based on Freesat's standards, of course) or 200 hours of standard definition programmes.

According to manager of product marketing at Panasonic, Michael Friedrich, the company is in "close discussion" with Freesat, with the possibility of bringing a PVR/Blu-ray combo device to the UK.

In France, Panasonic has started selling the DMR-BW500, which can receive terrestrial high definition broadcasts via its twin tuners.

Responding to last week's news that Ofcom has awarded two more licences to broadcast in HD on Freeview, Freesat has said that it offers much better UK coverage and programme choice.

An official statement read:

"With Freesat, subscription free high definition (HD) is already a reality for the UK. We believe our no strings offer of over 130 channels plus great HD programmes from the BBC and ITV, for a one off payment of as little as £120, is leading the way in making HD the standard that viewers will come to expect in the future."

ITV has announced that Sony is the exclusive sponsor of the England football team's World Cup 2010 qualifying campaign, beginning tomorrow when they face Kazakhstan.

Over the next two year, all home qualification matches and away friendlies will see prominent Sony branding, as well as a full highlights package showing all of England's international fixtures.

Sony is keen to show off its new 200Hz BRAVIA TVs as the ideal partner to the live matches being shown on ITV HD exclusively via Freesat.

"The new 200Hz Bravia combined with the games being shown on ITV HD gives a new standard in image quality and enjoyment. Sony is proud to be supporting the English team and is behind the boys all the way," said General Manager of Marketing for Sony UK, Matt Coombe.

It's been a little while since we've looked at how Freesat is doing, particularly relating to high definition, so here's a roundup based on news reports from the ever-reliable Join Freesat blog.

Humax PVR

Humax is set to launch its FOXSAT-HDR PVR at the What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision Show in London from 31st October - 2nd November.

That doesn't necessarily mean it will be available in the shops on that date, but will at least be announced.

Freesat has announced that it has hit 100,000 sales since its launch on 6th May this year. with high definition content over the summer playing a key role in moving HD set-top boxes.

Emma Scott, MD of Freesat commented, "There's no denying how much people enjoy watching in high definition once they see it for themselves and the success of Freesat proves that. Unfortunately there are still a lot of people out there who think they're already watching in HD because they have an HD ready TV - but they aren't."

Freesat viewers are in for a treat tomorrow (Saturday) night, with Peter Jackson's blockbuster remake of King Kong coming to ITV1 in full high definition.

From 7.50pm, viewers will be promoted to press the red button if they want to access the HD version of the film.

Freesat's Managing Director, Emma Scott, said that this marked the start of some great HD movies being aired on ITV HD.

Unlike the BBC's high definition offering, ITV HD is currently only available via Freesat.

ITV HD

The number of manufacturers producing hardware capable of receiving Freesat is set to increase over the next few months, as the free-to-air satellite provider announces a new deal with Metronic, and is in talks with other digibox and IDTV manufacturers regarding new equipment.

Metronic will produce high definition freesat boxes, to go on sale by the end of the year. The company already produces free-to-air satellite equipment throughout Europe.

"We're pleased to be partnering with Metronic. They will deliver important extra volumes of affordable and high quality product to meet the demand from retailers and consumers as we enter the peak season," said Emma Scott, Freesat's MD.

Freesat will also look at setting up new distribution channels, which may well mean new retailers, though exact details haven't been given.

Freesat

We already know that the 2008 Beijing Olympics will be the first Games to be broadcast in high definition, and the BBC will be showing extensive highlights via the BBC HD channel.

Commenting on the Olympics being broadcast in high definition on BBC HD channel, Emma Scott, MD of freesat said, "The Olympics is the ultimate global sporting event, and viewers will be astounded by the quality of the BBC's HD footage; every drop of water falling off the oars of a rower to the sand erupting from the long jump pit will be beautifully clear. At freesat, we're committed to bringing brilliant HD programming to as many UK viewers as possible, for free. The scope of BBC's HD coverage of the Beijing Olympics is testament to the exciting future of HD broadcasting in this country."

Coverage is also available via the Sky HD satellite service.

ITV HD, itself a niche channel only accessible on freesat via the red button, was shunned by STV (Scotland's principal commercial TV station) because it may have watered down the channel's identity.

"The sovereignty of our brand is absolutely paramount to us, so what we don't want is to start promoting ITV in Scotland," Woodward told the Broadcasting Press Guild. "We've got a lot of focus in making sure that everything we do be it online, idents, continuity or closing credits has to be clean and has to promote STV and this is also at the heart of HD."

This decision meant that ITV's recent Euro 2008 action was unavailable to anyone using freesat in Scotland foolish enough to tell the truth about their postcode. Viewers who put in an English postcode to circumvent the system were allowed access to enemy pictures.

According to a number of freesat customers, yesterday's HD broadcast of "Harley Street" on ITV1 HD failed to deliver.

"Maybe we should have called it "Hardly Street" after many reports of no red button to access the high-definition version of this new (and first) HD drama from the ITV, exclusive to Freesat.