Will Channel 4’s 3D experiment work?

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

It’s the moment we’ve been waiting for all these years, the 3D spectacular to really kick-start the technology in homes across the UK. It’s eye-popping, it’s nail-biting, it’s heart-stopping, it’ll have you on the edge of your seat.

It’s… sorry about this… it’s… um… footage from 1953 of the Queen’s coronation year. In 3D.

Not exactly what I had in mind, but the news that Channel 4 is going to run a week of primetime 3D content this Autumn is just one more step along 3D’s road to the mainstream. The line-up also includes a Derren Brown special and a selection of 3D movies, and it’ll all be possible with your existing TV set – all you’ll need is a pair of special specs from Sainsbury’s.

Now, this worries me a bit. (more…)

Every sporting event in the world – for free

Thursday, August 28th, 2008

I’m currently sat in the office churning through a Labs, but concentration has never been my strongest point. I’ve just watched the Champions League group stage draw via BBC live text (surely this generation’s Teletext) and now I’m following Andy Murray’s progress in the third round of the US Open. He’s winning.

But it’s how I’m doing it that I love most:

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Is HD TV finally worth paying for?

Wednesday, August 20th, 2008

I remember when we first started talking about HD. Back then it was this mythical beast that would tear apart video as we know it with its millions of pixels, and leave us all cursing standard definition for being as fuzzy and vague as Colin Jackson’s “expert” Olympic analysis.

Then it arrived and we loved it. The first time I ran a 1080p video on my 40in TV, my non-techie housemate grabbed the controller and kept replaying the same HD movie trailer for what seemed like an hour, so enamoured was he with the detail. Those of us with a PlayStation3 or Blu-ray player can enjoy the delights of HD by renting movies, but TV has been much slower out of the blocks.

Put simply, even a drum-beating HD lover like myself can admit the line-up of HD channels just hasn’t been worth paying for. Cable customers with Virgin’s V+ box can watch several free channels like BBC HD (and enjoy the excellent Olympic coverage, Jackson aside), but Sky HD is the big gun we all pinned our hopes on. And it’s expensive. Very expensive. (more…)

Anyone for Monopoly?

Tuesday, May 20th, 2008

Watching the Cup Final on Saturday – first, for five excruciating minutes on BBC, then the rest on Sky – I had a bit of an argument with some friends. The beer may have contributed slightly, but I also felt strongly about the matter: that forcing the breakup of a monopoly is not always good for consumers.

The Premiership was the case in point, but the Cup Final gave me my ammunition: the BBC/Sky choice was just that – a choice, as both were doing their best to win over viewers to the same spectacle simultaneously.

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