The BVA said:

The availability of DVD, Blu-ray and legal downloading means viewers now have more options when deciding how to consume their home entertainment. This increased supply of choice is one factor attributed to the growing demand

Sky HD, for which boxes currently cost between £199 and £249 with a Sky HD subscription, will be known as Sky+ HD from July 1. At the same time, the cost of a new box will be dropped to £150, the same as that charged for a standard definition Sky+, when taken with the £10 per month “HD mix”, the new name for the Sky HD subscription package.

Sky+ HD boxes will continue to cost £399 each when purchased without subscribing to the HD mix. Pricing for a standard definition Sky+ box will also be altered, with a new box costing £150 for new and existing customers except where it is taken with multiroom or broadband services, where the price of a customer’s first Sky+ box will drop to £75.

Sky+ standard definition boxes purchased without a Sky subscription will continue to cost £199.  Sky has made a concerted effort to push the Sky+ brand in a major outdoor, television and online campaign featuring a variety of celebrities, including Sir Michael Parkinson, explaining how they use its personal video recorder functionality.

Additionally, there seems to be space for some sort of support, though at present Paramount recommends users contact their equipment manufacturer.

It doesn’t feel like a complete site yet, but it at least shows a level of commitment to the high definition disc format from Paramount.

link: ParamountBluRay.com

Freesat has warned of a shortage of high definition set-top boxes available for sale “due to very high demand”.
In a message on its website, the new satellite service said: “Due to very high demand there is a shortage of Freesat HD boxes in the shops at the moment. We are working with Freesat retailers and manufacturers to increase supplies as soon as possible.
“In the meantime some Freesat retailers will allow you to reserve HD boxes for collection when stock comes in. The Freesat website will continue to give you updates.”

At long last, freesat has gone live across Britain, promising a wide variety of programming from the main terrestrial broadcasters, plus a selection of high definition content from the BBC and ITV. The satellite signals used by freesat will also be receivable in Ireland.

freesat was officially launched at a press event in London yesterday. freesat will offer a range of programmes via free-to-view satellite. The service is subscription-free, requiring just a one-off payment for equipment, plus optional installation. freesat is transmitted from the Astra and Eurobird satellites, meaning that 98% of the population should be able to receive a signal. From today, freesat carries around 80 channels, including a range of digital radio and TV stations (see end of article for full list). It is hoped that this number will rise to 200 or more by the end of the year. All of the free-to-air channels from the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4 are available immediately. Five has a contract with Sky, so it’s not known when their channels will arrive on freesat.

High Definition

BBC HD is available immediately. ITV HD are rumoured to launch exclusively on freesat within the next few weeks. Details of ITV’s high definition programming will be available soon.

EPG

freesat uses an Electronic Programme Guide which is supposed to be much easier to use that other systems. It initially comes with ten genres of programming to make it easier to find specific channels.

Products

These products are already available, prices approximate:

Humax FOXSAT-HD high definition digital set-top box - £150

Grundig GUFSAT01SD standard definition digital set-top-box - £50

Grundig GUFSAT01HD high definition digital sex-top box - £150

Goodmans GDSAT100SD standard definition digital set-top box - £70

Goodmans GFSAT200HD high definition digital set-top box - £150

Bush BFSAT01SD standard definition digital set-top box - £50

Bush BFSAT01HD high definition digital set-top box - £120

Retailers

Additionally, Panasonic plans to manufacture three LCD HDTVs with freesat built in. 42 and 46 inch models will be available from June, with a 52 inch model coming in July. freesat equipment and installation booking can initially be done via Argos, Comet, Currys and John Lewis, plus some independent retailers. freesat is primarily being offered as an install product, though it is possible to use an existing satellite dish.

Once equipment has been bought, customers can elect to pay for an installer to come and put up the satellite dish. Retailers have been trained / scripted to ask the right questions to ensure this process is as pain-free for customers as possible. Every piece of hardware can be upgraded with new features as they become available, and will be fitted with an Ethernet port for possible future Internet / network connectivity, IPTV services, etc.

In addition, future functions may well include interactive red button services.

Branding and Exclusivity

Every piece of equipment authorised by freesat must pass strict DTG testing, and will carry the freesat logo. Non-branded equipment will not be able to receive the full range of channels or features. The system is based on open standards but with some proprietary encoding / software.

FREESAT CHANNELS AT LAUNCH (EPG numbers in brackets)
Entertainment (101-199)

BBC One (101)
BBC Two (102)
ITV1 (103)
C4 / S4C in Wales (104)
BBC Three (106)
BBC Four (107)
BBC HD (108)
ITV2 (113)
ITV3 (115)
ITV3+1 (116)
ITV4 (117)
S4C Digidol / C4 in Wales (120)
E4 (122)
More4 (124)
Zone Romantica (135)
Zone Thriller (137)

News and Sport (200-299)

BBC News (200)
BBC Parliament (201)
S4C2 (202)
Al-Jazeera English (203)
Euronews (204)
Movies (300-399)

Film4 (300)
True Movies (302)
True Movies2 (303)
Movies4Men (304)
Movies4Men2 (306)

Lifestyle (400-499)

Wedding TV (402)
Overseas Property Channel (411)
Men and Motors (450)

Music (500-599)

Chartshow TV (500)
The Vault (501)
Scuzz (502)
Bubble Hits (503)
B4U Music (504)

Children (600-649)

CBBC (600)
CBeebies (601)
CiTV (602)
POP (603)
POPGirl (604)
Tiny POP(605)

Special Interest (650-699)

Teachers TV (650)

Radio (700-799)

BBC Radio 1 (700)
1Xtra BBC (701)
BBC Radio 2 (702)
BBC Radio 3 (703)
BBC Radio 4 FM (704)
BBC Radio 4 LW (705)
BBC Radio Five Live (706)
BBC Radio Five Live Sports Extra (707)
BBC 6 Music (708)
BBC 7 (709)
BBC Asian Network (710)
BBC World Service (711)
BBC Radio Scotland (712)
BBC Radio nan Gaidheal (713)
BBC Radio Wales (714)
BBC Radio Cymru (715)
BBC Radio Ulster (716)
BBC London 94.9 (718)

Shopping (800-849)

QVC (800)
Price Drop TV (801)
Bid TV (802)
Pitch TV (803)
JML Lifestyle (810)

Interactive (900-949)
BBCi

Regional (950-999) also accessible via BBC
One/BBC Two
BBC One London (950)
BBC One Channel Islands (951)
BBC One East (W) (954)
BBC One Northern Ireland (957)
BBC One Scotland (960)
BBC One Wales (964)
BBC Two England (968)
BBC Two Northern Ireland (969)
BBC Two Scotland (970)
BBC Two Wales (971)

ITV regionals accessed via ITV1 London (not listed separately)

Ulster
STV Scottish East
STV Scottish West
ITV1 Wales
ITV1 Border England
ITV1 Central West
ITV1 Granada
ITV1 Anglia East
Channel TV
STV Grampian North

(via hdtvuk.tv)

Still frames from the likes of Blood Diamond, Déjà Vu and the documentary Hunter Hunted are used, including scenes of tigers fighting in the snow, and Leonardo DiCaprio ducking out of danger in Blood Diamond.

They were created by “Brothers and Sisters” using After Effects technology.

Sky HD advert:

New features of note with the update will include support for Internet interactive functionality, better handling of DivX content, a Resume Play option to start playing a Blu-ray Disc or DVD from the same point it was stopped, and greater integration with the PSP which allows the PSP to be used as a remote control for the PS3.

Whatever you think of the PS3 having a Blu-ray player, and being used in statistics to try and prove how popular the format is, it seems pretty clear that Sony has produced a high definition player that puts many standalone units to shame, in terms of current and future functionality.

Toshiba’s decision to pull the plug on HD DVDs will entail production line changes and other charges that would double the 50 billion yen loss the electronics group had previously expected this business year on next-generation DVDs, the Nikkei said.  When Toshiba announced its withdrawal from HD DVDs last month, it had HD DVD agreements with several studios including NBC Universal’s Universal Pictures, Viacom’s Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Animation SKG