Virgin Media have secured the rights to broadcast the new
Film4 HD channel, as well as E4 HD.
It's a big coup for Virgin Media subscribers, as Film4 HD offers one of probably the best catalogues of films outside of Sky Movies and Sky Movies Premier.
"Channel 4 has a great track record in delivering innovative and compelling content and we're delighted to bring some of their very best films and most popular programmes to our customers in stunning HD", said Cindy Rose, executive director of digital entertainment at Virgin Media.
"As more and more households become HD-ready, we're lining up content that makes the most of High Definition and are making HD available to all our of customers for no extra fee."
As well as Film4 HD and E4 HD, Virgin Media's HD line up also includes BBC HD, C4HD, ESPN HD, FX HD, MTVN HD, National Geographic HD, LIVING HD and Eurosport HD, with Discovery HD also on its way.
The message boards over here at HDTVUK have been alight with readers venting their spleens over the new-look Sky + HD guide, which completed its nationwide roll-out last week.
Many of you have been complaining that the new Sky Guide isn't up to scratch, either running too slowly, not being particularly intuitive or with text too small to read.
Alex Foligno posted on December 17th:
SERIOUSLY AWFUL the greatest injusticed (sic) is the fact that non-HD (lower paying customers) have the classic menu which we have all loved for the past decade. A CLASSIC option would be much appreciated.
James followed up with a similar sentiment:
I thought I would give it a go for a week before I complained as I thought it would grow on me. I was wrong. I still hate it. I want the old one back. The old one was straight forward and easy to use. This one is just a mess. It really puts me off watching TV.
Some readers have had such difficulty reading the new guide that they have contacted the Royal National Institute of Blind People, believing the new guide to be an affront to accessibility for the visually impaired.
Your complaints have not fallen upon death ears completely however! A Sky customer services representative today confirmed to HDTVUK that visually impaired Sky viewers will be able to revert back to the previous Sky + EPG. However Sky + HD subscribers will have to downgrade to a Sky + box in order to get the old guide back. This may be however just a temporary solution, as all Sky boxes, including earlier models, are expected to take on the new look guide sooner rather than later.
What do you think? Should all Sky +HD subscribers be given the option to revert back to the previous guide? Or are the complaints all smoke and no fire, with the guide being well suited to your needs?
Let us know!
(Thanks to HDTVUK reader Mark for the tip!)
We spoke about this little Humax number a few weeks back. The Fox-T2 Freeview HD box has now been officially unveiled and HDTVUK have all the latest details.
The Fox-T2 will be able to pick up HD signals without need for a satellite dish, upscaling standard definition content and also being able to play media content straight from a USB drive through an integrated USB port. Scart and HDMI connectivity are both also included.
Humax's outlined web portal services will also be fully catered for by the Fox-T2. An onboard Ethernet port will mean that the FOX-T2 will be ready to take online content when Humax launch the service early in the new year.
Sadly though, the Fox-T2's recording capabilities are a little lacking. With only one built in tuner, users will be unable to watch one TV show while recording another.
Hitting stores in February, you'll be able to pick the Fox T-2 box up for around the £170 mark.
Humax are also planning on launching an upgraded Freeview+ HD model in time for next year's World Cup, which will feature a 500GB hard drive.
Humax also unveiled the Foxsat-HDR2. It boasts an integrated BBC iPlayer catch-up widget, as well as home networking and the ability to record video directly onto a USB stick.
Looking for a Freesat+ DTR that will be HD ready straight out of the box? Sagem's Freesat+ DTR could soon be filling that gap under your flat screen.
Available in two 250GB or 500GB models, the new boxes feature auto set-up options to help you watch HD content within minutes of plugging in the DTR.
Sagems' MD Raphael Fainac said, "Sagem is a leader in set top box technology, we provide our customers with products that they need. Our top of the range Freeview + boxes and exciting new Freesat+ DTR's will bring a festive cheer to UK households this Christmas. We pride ourselves on providing great quality and hard wearing devices that give customers a completely satisfactory user experience from purchasing to using and any required customer care."
Confused over the differences between Freesat and Freeview, and not sure which set-top box you should be getting? Fill out Sagem's handy questionnaire at www.sagemdigital.co.uk to help find the box for you.
With Freeview HD content just around the corner, we we're starting to worry whether or not we'd get our hands on a Freeview HD set-top box before the end of the year. Humax are now set to be first out of the starting blocks with their Fox-HD-T2 being unveiled on December 9th (though they won't be available to buy until early 2010).
Featuring an integrated DVB-T2 tuner (a must for picking up the HD Freeview signal), the box will not be compatible with the DVB-T system currently used by Freeview broadcasts.
Humax are also readying BBC iPlayer for the FOXSAT-HDR before Christmas.
Though details are scarce, Humax are also looking to roll-out a brand new EPG across its range of set-top boxes.
Looks like Humax are keeping themselves very busy. We'll have more details on these new developments after the December 9th launch date.
Sagem Communications has just launched its latest pair of digital TV recorders (DTRs), boasting large hard drives, standard definition upscaling via HDMI, and low power consumption.
The DTR 67320T Eco has a 320GB hard drive built-in, able to store around 160 hours of SD content, while the DTR 67500T Eco has a 500GB drive offering 250 hours of storage.
Intel and Adobe have announced that they are collaborating in a bid to optimise Flash and Flash Lite to bring it to the Intel Media Processor CE3100 which can then be embedded within TVs, set-top boxes, Blu-ray disc players and AV devices.
"The Intel® Media Processor CE 3100 is a highly integrated solution that provides a powerful, yet flexible technology foundation that will bring to life the high definition capabilities of Adobe Flash," said general manager of Intel's Digital Home Group, William O. Leszinske Jr. "Our effort with Adobe is poised to accelerate a rich, yet relevant Internet experience on the TV that will provide consumers with access to a growing number of Flash-based applications that will ultimately be enjoyed across a number of screens seamlessly, from the laptop to a MID and now the TV."
Flash Lite could be implemented within the Intel processor as early as mid-2009. Will Microsoft look to form any similar partnerships to push its HD-capable Silverlight platform?
In a grand-sounding consultation paper entitled "Temporary assignment of UHF analogue interleaved frequencies", Ofcom is considering the possibility of large cities in the UK, including London, gaining access to high definition over Freeview, despite their official digital switchover date being two or more years down the line.
Though the Granada TV region will see analogue switchoff, and hence more spectrum available for Freeview HD, from late 2009, other regions are being phased in gradually until 2012. London and the South East are the two of the last regions to be switched.
The BBC has applied to Ofcom to temporarily use special frequencies for high definition broadcasts until the switchover is completed in 2012. If approved, it would ensure that many more British consumers could access high definition content, including the 2010 World Cup.
The BBC is planning to broadcast its first regular high definition programmes over the DVB-T2 platform by November next year, according to Catherine Smadja, head of strategy at the BBC.
One multiplex will be upgraded to DVD-T2 and MPEG-4, carrying the BBC HD service and two or three others. Eventually, as the analogue signal is switched off across the country, the service should be available to 98.5% of the UK population.
Smadja said that DVB-T2 was "an absolute necessity".
Kodak has announced the Theatre HD Player, a digital box which will give wireless access to music, video, and pictures stored on other computers in the home, or across the Internet.
It can grab multimedia from networked PCs, memory card, USB storage, a Kodak EasyShare camera, photo sharing web sites, Internet radio stations, and podcast sites. It also allows you to send and receive photos and albums using Kodak's Picture Mail function.
MediaGate has announced the release of its MG-450HD entertainment server, offering both wireless and wired streaming of high definition video, music, and photos directly from a networked PC or USB stick to HDTV.
The unit can also be fitted with an additional hard drive for local storage of multimedia.
It works over 802.11g Wi-Fi networks, HDMI output, plus composite, S-Video, and component video outputs, plus stereo, optical/coaxial digital, and 5.1 analogue audio outputs.
Available now for $229 (around £140)
Product page
According to a report in Digital Spy, Humax will be the only company to have a high definition freesat set-top box available when the service launches in the next month or so. (freesat launched on 6th May 2008)
Though manufacturers are prohibited from publishing details about their hardware offerings until freesat publicity ramps up, Humax's commercial director Graham North has said high definition will be the service's key selling point over Freeview.
Humax will not provide a standard definition receiver, which makes sense given their enthusiasm for HD. A PVR will follow a few months later.
For the low-down on freesat, check out Tech Digest's feature: freesat: the 12 most important things you need to know
(Via Digital Spy)
The global switchover from analogue to digital TV services is fuelling the growth of digital set top boxes – but growth will vary widely across regional markets depending on digital platforms and types of services and technologies offered.
A report by Digital Tech Consulting (DTC) has revealed that emerging technologies including HDTV services as well as the expansion of digital TV subscription services in developing countries will be the main driving force for STB sales in the next few years.
Several large pay TV markets like China and India are only just beginning the transition to digital technology and promise robust growth over the decade.
ARCHOS has revealed its first digital set top recorder, which could become a main rival for Apple TV.
The TV+ device is available with either a 80GB or 250GB hard drive and features Wi-Fi, USB 2.0 and Ethernet as well as an HDMI connection for outputting 720p high-definition signals to HDTVs. It’s also compatible with ARCHOS Generation 5 PMP, which means streaming should be simple.
Apple TV has been the first mainstream media receiver for quite a while, which has made it a limited success – but ARCHOS look set to challenge.
Thomson, a Paris-based digital media and video company, is expecting to debut its new set top box HD decoding chip at the IBC exhibition in Amsterdam in September.
The high-end decoder chip, the Thomson 4230, is optimised for use in HDTV set top boxes with personal video recording capabilities. The company developed the chip to deliver a complete IC solution, including digital video broadcasting software and reference boards for satellite, cable and IP set top boxes, which provide HD decoding for H.264, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and DiVX codecs.
ABD has unveiled a number of new technology solutions designed to open new opportunities for digital TV broadcasters. These include the company’s latest range of IPTV, Advanced Video Coding and high-definition set top boxes – providing a complete portfolio for cable, satellite and terrestrial broadcasters.
ADB has become established as the leading supplier of hybrid IPTV set top boxes in Europe, including the world’s first single chip, high-definition set top box based on advanced video coding (AVC), the award winning ADB3800W.
Although Sky has recently bought Amstrad to start the design of its own HD set top boxes, Pace Micro Technology claims it has won additional digibox business with the company for the 2007 financial year.
While no financial details were given, Pace expects to commence delivery of Sky HD boxes by the end of the year.
Neil Gaydon, chief executive for Pace Micro, said, 'I'm particularly pleased that we will start supplying Sky HD boxes for the first time later this year.'
Related stories
Sky agrees deal for Amstrad's set top boxes
Amstrad to produce new Sky multi box
Pace to seek Simplay Labs certification for its set top boxes
BSkyB has agreed to buy set top box maker, Amstrad, in a £125m deal. It seems to make sense as Amstrad already supplies around 30% of Sky’s set top devices and orders from the broadcaster make up 75% of its business.
Sky claims the deal means they can save money, design products in-house and be more innovative - including the design of new HD set top boxes
Elgato Systems has released an HDTV tuner that can be used to watch US high-definition broadcasts from Apple Mac computers.
Users still need to supply their own antenna or unscrambled cable connection to receive HD images – and to be able to view 720p and 1080i programming the Mac needs to be a dual G5 or Intel Core Duo-based model.
Global Digital Broadcast has signed a deal with leading provider of high-definition technologies, VeHDa, to release and install 500,000 IP set top boxes in the UK market by the end of 2008.
The partnership makes use of existing resources owned by both VeHDa and its sister company play TV, which include 200 installation engineers located around the country, 800 sales and customer service staff and over 200 new vehicles used to transport the boxes.
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