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BBC confirms Top Gear is filming this season in HD

by Richard Lawler posted Sep 22nd 2009 at 1:28PM


We've been wondering for some time when the regular edition of Top Gear (the Polar Special was a glorious, yet singular, event) would make its debut in high definition, and today the BBC Internet Blog confirmed this is the year. Set to debut November 15th, we'll finally be able to see the Stig -- whoever he is -- put some of the world's most exclusive cars through their paces in great quality. Whether that news has you checking the channel lineup for BBC America HD or bookmarking a torrent site we can all agree this is a fine day indeed.

[Via Digital Spy]

BBC America promises HD feed announcements "soon"

by Richard Lawler posted Jul 22nd 2009 at 11:17PM


As we mentioned, BBC America's HD launch hasn't gone off with quite the bang we'd hoped, since it isn't carried anywhere yet. We called over to find out what's going on or even what resolution the channel will use (we're assuming 1080i, since it's distributed by Discovery) and only heard that they are in negotiations, and Multichannel News is hearing carriage agreements will be announced "soon." With Being Human and Dr. Who set to premiere this weekend, we really don't think there is such a thing as soon enough.

[Thanks, Michael]

BBC promises Open Championship in HD next year

by Richard Lawler posted Jul 17th 2009 at 5:47PM


Despite inexplicably choosing to broadcast this year's British Open in standard definition, the BBC pinky swore at a news conference Wednesday that next year, all would be in high definition, it just hadn't been ready yet to invest in HD cameras. As it is, even with thorough widescreen coverage from ABC & TNT, and DirecTV dropping in one of their snazzy HD Mix channels for the event, we'll still know deep down that we're not watching it in the best quality available. So, F1, you're on deck, no excuses.

Freeview HD sets a date: December 2

by Richard Lawler posted Jun 26th 2009 at 3:02PM


Finally, after much delay, we have a date to expect Freeview HD service in the UK, at least for those in range of the Winter Hill transmitter (Manchester & Liverpool for sure,) it will go live December 2. elsewhere, you'll be waiting until at least 2010 to experience the joys of OTA HD as has been promised, but keep an eye out and the Beeb, ITV and Channel 4 should be coming your way. Anyone know if those New Zealand PlayTV Freeview HD adaptations will be back-compatible to the UK?

BBC Worldwide content coming to U.S. Xbox Live, Zune Marketplace

by Richard Lawler posted Jun 1st 2009 at 10:18PM


Apparently having worked out its issues over control, we've got even more BBC news for you with word that some of its programming is coming to Xbox Live and Zune Marketplace in the U.S. No word whether they'll be available in HD, but Torchwood, Dr. Who, Primeval, Top Gear and more are going to be online. Of course, the PS3 and Wii both have iPlayer access (and in the UK users can download videos and play through their consoles) but to get playback here without subscribing to BBC America HD, the Xbox 360 could be a good choice.

Update: It looks like the videos are already up with the BBC America branding, with Torchwood and Robin Hood both 720p HDTV ready.

Continue reading BBC Worldwide content coming to U.S. Xbox Live, Zune Marketplace

BBC America HD launch July 20 brings plenty of science fiction starting with Torchwood & Dr. Who

by Richard Lawler posted Jun 1st 2009 at 9:28AM


After (in our opinion) a too long delay, BBC America is ready to launch its HD simulcast July 20, getting things kicked off with a load of science fiction programming for the summer. Torchwood: Children of Earth is scheduled as the first HD offering, with five consecutive nights of the new season to get things going before the season finale of Primeval shows its stuff in high definition along with the U.S. premiere of Being Human. That's all just a tease until the Sunday, July 26 U.S. premiere of Dr. Who: Planet of the Dead. Of course, in this day and age more than a few may have turned to the internet to catch quality UK television long before the programmes air here, but until iPlayer HD comes across the pond everyone else can look forward to getting their BBC re-airs in the quality they were intended - here's hoping for Top Gear HD next.Full press release and details are after the break.

Continue reading BBC America HD launch July 20 brings plenty of science fiction starting with Torchwood & Dr. Who

BBC reveals stunning sample footage shot with TyphoonHD4 camera

by Donald Melanson posted May 7th 2009 at 3:59PM


The BBC has already proven itself to be quite the source for some impressive HD images, but the network's Natural History Unit looks to have really outdone themselves for their forthcoming South Pacific documentary, which makes use of a modified, $100,000 TyphoonHD4 camera. Of course, those exact modifications appear to be a closely-kept secret, but it has apparently been outfitted with a special underwater housing designed by German high-speed camera expert Rudi Diesel, and the camera itself is able to shoot in high definition at 20 times the speed of a normal HD camera, which results in some pretty amazing super slow motion footage. You can get a taste of that after the break but, trust us, you'll want to head up the read link below to really get a sense of what this thing is capable of.

[Via SlashGear]

Continue reading BBC reveals stunning sample footage shot with TyphoonHD4 camera

iPlayer HD content on HDTVs through Virgin Media

by Richard Lawler posted May 1st 2009 at 12:39PM


Right on the heels of BBC launching iPlayer HD, now UK residents can watch the same content directly on their HDMI-connected telly on Virgin Media's V+ service. Check one off the list, now we're just waiting for iPlayer HD on Macs, PS3 and what else?

BBC breaks down the new DRM rules for Blu-ray recorders

by Richard Lawler posted Apr 17th 2009 at 4:01PM


The reason Blu-ray recorders have migrated from Japan to the UK recently -- and why you'll likely never see them in the U.S. -- is all about the copyright holders. Danielle Nagler, head of BBC HD, hit the blogs to break down the wheres and hows of the DRM changes associated with bringing FreeSat disc HD DVRs like the Panasonic DMR-BS850 and Humax FOXSAT-HDR to market, basically meaning users are allowed one HD copy of a show, which can be played back on protected devices and connections only (transfer to portable players is planned to the future.) Follow the flow chart for the details, and figure out if it'd be worth it to make your own BD-R DVR backups so easily.

[Via Pocket-Lint]

iPlayer HD now available

by Richard Lawler posted Apr 16th 2009 at 9:57AM

Missed the Dr. Who holiday special? It, and other BBC programmes will be available as previously rumoured in high definition via BBC's iPlayer, now featuring new adaptive bitrate technology plus a new BBC iPlayer Desktop and a cross platform download manager for access under Windows, OS X and Linux. The only bad news? All that HD doesn't seem to extend to set-top boxes or the PS3 just yet, you'll have to try it out for yourself under boxee to find out if that works.

iPlayer HD on the way

by Richard Lawler posted Mar 10th 2009 at 11:25PM

The BBC had big plans for its iPlayer immediately upon launch in 2007, and it may be ready for a resolution bump up to HD as soon as April. Director of BBC Vision Jana Bennett revealed that an HD edition is on the way during a panel discussion at the FT Digital Media and Broadcasting Conference. Of course, UK ISPs are apparently already unhappy with the squeeze iPlayer puts on their bandwidth, and HD will only make things worse. We don't know if a ZillionTV style deal is the answer, but here's hoping it gets by the bandwidth caps somehow.

BBC won't air Formula 1 in HD this season

by Darren Murph posted Jan 15th 2009 at 8:03PM


So, here's the good news. Auntie Beeb will be covering the 2009 season of Formula 1 racing. The bad news? It won't be in HD, at least not at launch. According to a reply by Roger Mosey, the director of BBC Sport, the network will not be making F1 racing available in high-def, though he does confess to "wanting to." Yeah, we'd love to say his "I'll keep you posted" remark gives us overwhelming hope, but sadly, we can't. Prove us wrong, BBC -- we dare you.

[Image courtesy of TheSun, via Digital Spy]

BT Vision's IPTV Project Canvas begins to solidify

by Darren Murph posted Jan 15th 2009 at 2:59AM

We heard back in December that BT Vision was looking to link up with BBC and ITV in order to push out a revolutionary IPTV box, and unlike the ill-fated Project Kangaroo, this here initiative is starting to grow legs. Codenamed Project Canvas, the massive IPTV rollout would theoretically bring together major UK broadcasters in one location in order to provide on-demand content for free. BT Vision CEO Dan Marks is already calling this "one of the most important developments that [the UK] has seen in IPTV," and better still, he's locked onto a 2010 launch date. At first, the service will roll out in conjunction with BT Broadband, though Mr. Marks has assured the world that it will eventually be available to "any ISP that fulfills the technical criteria." There's still no definite word on how much high-def material is planned, but we certainly like the sound of all this, resolution be darned.

BBC, ITV and BT look to collaborate on IPTV set-top-box

by Darren Murph posted Dec 12th 2008 at 8:11AM

We've witnessed the union of both the BBC and ITV before on like-minded projects, but now it seems the duo has rounded up a third party for something a bit more ambitious. Reportedly, BBC, ITV and BT will be locking hands in order to develop a set-top-box that would "deliver IPTV over one's broadband connection to their TV set." Technologically, we're not talking about anything atypical here, but it would be something rather unique for the flagging European TV market. If approved by the BBC Trust, the box could theoretically bring all BBC iPlayer and ITV OD content to one's TV set, and hopefully, more high-def material. Obviously, the deal is just now beginning to form, so we wouldn't count on having anything substantial to swoon over in the short term.

Four BBC channels launch in Sweden, including one in HD

by Darren Murph posted Dec 3rd 2008 at 5:38PM

As Auntie Beeb forges ahead in her quest to conquer global markets, we've now found that four new BBC networks will be made available in Sweden. Starting this week, Swedes will be able to tune into BBC Entertainment, BBC Knowledge, BBC Lifestyle, as well as a HD channel, as the stations have been signed on to operators Canal Digital, Com Hem, Telia and Tele2. If you can only get one HD channel to start your month, a high-def BBC ain't a bad one to get.




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