IFC in Theaters begins day-and-date HD video on-demand screening this month
Epix HD 720p movie streaming service eyes-on
by Richard Lawler, posted Jun 8th 2009 at 12:30PM 
BBC Worldwide content coming to U.S. Xbox Live, Zune Marketplace
Update: It looks like the videos are already up with the BBC America branding, with Torchwood and Robin Hood both 720p HDTV ready.
BBC America HD launch July 20 brings plenty of science fiction starting with Torchwood & Dr. Who
Live theater returns to British TV on Sky Arts 1 HD
Moving one step beyond the opera broadcasts suddenly so popular recently, British television is getting its first live drama in two decades this July on Sky Arts 1 HD. Six authors have contributed 30-minute plays that will broadcast every Wednesday starting July 8 in front of a 140 person live audience. Viewers at home will apparently be allowed in on the post-show commentary sections, with HDTV providing a helping hand to more than one area of the arts we won't be surprised if Sky Arts Theatre Live! is yet another success.Chelsea Lately drunkenly stumbles into 1080i
Yet again regrettably slipping on our coverage of late night television's procession into high definition broadcasting, last week Chelsea Lately became the most recent to go 1080i. Sneaking past our DVRs amongst the flurry of season finales, Chelsea takes time to clown E!'s likely "cheaper" version of HD, while the voiceover intro wonders if 16x9 HDTV makes her look skinnier. Catch a clip of the debut episode after the break, we suppose this puts Craig Ferguson on deck next.[Thanks, Kevin]
TSN2 coming to Rogers Cable lineup
Congratulations, Canada, finally TSN2 HD is available for the masses, now that it's completed a deal with Rogers Cable. Expect the new channel to show up tomorrow ahead of a Blue Jays / Red Sox three game series. Sure it wasn't in time to catch the NBA season, but given the Raptors' struggles last season, that may have been for the best.History prepping WWII in HD series
Aside from its own plans for global domination, History recently laid out plans for several new series to expect and the one that caught our eye was WWII in HD. Set to debut in the fall the 10 episode series pulls from over 3,000 hours of color film recorded during the war, restored in high definition, plus contemporary HD footage and a 5.1 surround sound audio track formed from authentic and new sounds, including recordings from the Library of Congress. Described as following the experiences of a handful of men as their journeys cross-connect throughout the war, this should fit right in not only with history buffs, but also fans of Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan.[Via TV Squad]
CBS Sunday Morning News makes the jump to high definition
Up early on a Sunday? Take a minute to check out the first edition of CBS News Sunday Morning broadcast in high definition, as Charles Osgood anchors the annual "By Design" episode. That means your HDTV will see lots of home tours, a peek into the UCLA Medical Center checking out doctors that are remaking disfigured faces and a report on how retirement is changing for more active elders. Us? We're going back to sleep, two NBA Game 7's and the start of the NHL conference finals make this day a marathon, not a sprint.FiOS TV expansions: May 16, 2009
Read - Verizon FiOS TV Customers Get Six New HD Channels From Entertainment Studios
Read - Verizon to Divest Wireline Businesses in 14 States; Significant Benefits to Verizon Shareholders
Read - Next On FiOS: Web Videos On Your Flat-Panel TV
AT&T adds 6 MTV Networks HD channels to U-verse
Discovery kicking off continent-by-continent followup to Planet Earth with Wild Planet: North America
Having nabbed the former head of the BBC's Natural History Unit, Discovery has designs on its own epic globe trotting series promising to "capture the world, continent by continent in high definition, as its never been seen before." Naturally planned to debut first on Discovery's networks, as opposed to its partnership with BBC on Planet Earth, Wild Planet: North America will be the first of seven installments and start filming this fall. Expect HD cams to visit even more extreme locations, and all manner of wildlife to be snapped by the thousand lenses of myriad high speed cameras. We're ready. [Warning: PDF read link][Via Reuters]
Akamai supports dynamic HD streaming on Adobe Flash, starting with Epix
Tucked away in Akamai's announcement of dynamic streaming capabilities and other tweaks to go along with its support for Adobe Flash Media Server 3.5 was the news that Epix -- the new joint venture from Viacom / Lionsgate / MGM launching first online then on cable & satellite near you as a new movie channel -- will be among the first to take advantage. We're the ability to seamlessly switch between HD and lower-quality feeds as bandwidth and CPU power demands will be appreciated by viewers but it's still not even clear what the new venture's website will even be, with epix.com still pointing to this. That's sure to be cleared up by launch (still slated for later this month) right?All DISH customers with 5 new national HD channels step forward -- not so fast Turbo HD subs
No sooner did DISH Network light up HD feeds for Speed, FX, Fashion TV, Logo and MavTV (as promised) than we started receiving complaints from left-out feeling Turbo HD package subscribers. It appears that being all-high definition with your channel choices means no Speed or FX for you, while the others are on the $10 extra Platinum package. Still, for those on the Classic Silver 200 package and above there's plenty of NASCAR practices, widescreen F1 and Rescue Me enjoyment to be had. DISH is still holding itself out as the HD leader with a claimed 140+ national channels (MSNBC HD confirmed launching in June) but with a price hike failing to gain access to the latest channel lineup additions we're sure there's at least a few customers with differing opinions.[Thanks, J David]
Shaw Cable offering 3D video on-demand, but not the good kind
In the race to bring home 3D Shaw Cable has taken an early lead, although we're not sure everyone would agree it's worth it. Together with Corus Entertainment, it's loading up the VOD library full of films, sports, concert events and other content all in anaglyph (red/blue) 3D and distributing glasses free of charge to all of its subscribers. No word on how much ordering up the content will cost or when it will be available, but the biggest factor in our disappointment is that while it will work on any television, the quality simply doesn't compare to proper stereoscopic 3D. Still, Canadians haven't been able to call "First" many times, we guess we'll let them have this one. [Warning: PDF read link][Via Digital Home Canada]
