NOW TV on trial

In light of my Virgin Media bill going up this month, I decided to reduce my TV package from XL to L. I wrote about the possibility of me taking this action awhile back, and I've got over enough of my misgivings since then.

My bill for XL TV, 70MB broadband, and free weekend phone calls... inflated to £71.98. By switching to the L TV package, 50MB broadband, and free weekend calls... it was reduced to £57.99—which is a saving of £13.99. Using that money I've clawed back, I subscribed to a £6.99 'Entertainment Pass' with Sky's NOW TV service.

Why is HD still being treated like a premium format?

Warning: geeky rant ahead, featuring techie lingo and acronyms, so proceed at own risk of confusion and boredom.

High definition (HD) broadcasts began in the UK back in 2006, almost 10 years ago. The next-generation Ultra HD/4K television sets are now in shops. Sony and Twentieth Century Fox have committed to supporting 4K Ultra-HD Blu-Ray from next year, despite everyone saying video-on-demand has killed physical media. Netflix and Amazon Prime are already streaming 4K content to subscribers (for free in the latter's case)...

SO WHY DO WE STILL PAY EXTRA FOR HIGH-DEFINITION TELEVISION?

MacBook Pro: A Bite of the Apple

I've been using Windows PCs since 1996, beginning with a 'beige-box' 386 running Windows 95. I was mostly self-taught, but went to college during a period when dial-up Internet was taking off and Win95/98 were the operating systems of choice. I've only ever owned computers running the Windows OS, but now I've bought myself a fancy 15" MacBook Pro.

Goodbye LOVEFiLM, hello Amazon

LOVEFiLM became Amazon Prime Instant Video yesterday, and my account was transferred automatically. I can't really complain, as Amazon's website is more intuitive and navigable than LOVEFiLM's ever was. My monthly subscription charge also hasn't changed, but I have access to even more content and can choose to rent films and TV shows (as you can through iTunes), which Amazon's closest UK rival Netflix doesn't offer... yet? It's already obvious Amazon have more recent films than Netflix, that's for sure.

LOVEFiLM Instant re-branded as Amazon Prime Instant Video

The US-owned Amazon bought the UK's LOVEFiLM service in 2011, but now the two services are starting to merge in the wake of Netflix's phenomenal success in the UK and Germany.

Amazon Prime and LOVEFiLM will amalgamate on 26 February, to create a Prime Instant Video (PIV) service that effectively replaces LOVEFiLM Instant (the part of the company dealing with video-on-demand content, rivalling Netflix). What this means is that customers will be able to unlimited stream 150,000 films and TV shows through PIV and utilise Amazon's Prime next-day delivery service when ordering Amazon products and renting Kindle e-books (through their Kindle Lending Library, which issues one e-book per month).

DOCTOR WHO in 3D: 'The Day of The Doctor' revisited

I recently treated myself to a 47" 3D television, and have naturally been trying out some 3D content at home. Someone already bought me The Hobbit 3D Blu-ray, but I also bought cheap 3D demo discs from eBay, and couldn't resist buying 3D Pacific Rim from Amazon. However, my new television has also provided an opportunity for me to watch last year's Doctor Who 50th anniversary special in 3D, as intended, so I thought I'd lay down some quick thoughts below:

Firstly, the menu and navigation of "The Day of The Doctor" Blu-ray is abysmal in every respect. Considering this is such an important release for the long-running show, I'm saddened more care and creativity wasn't involved. Or any creativity. Maybe there just wasn't time, as they wanted to get this disc released quickly, but are you seriously telling me nobody could even include a static image of the one-sheet poster? There isn't even a pop-up menu available while you're watching, so if you want to change settings you have to leave the show and hop back to the main menu (as you would on DVD, like a home theatre Neanderthal).

Sponsored Video: KINECT STAR WARS

I'm sure most people born in the '70s and '80s remember running around their bedrooms with a broom handle or cardboard tube, making "vwumming" noises, pretending they were Luke Skywalker with a lightsaber. A few may even have favoured putting a bucket on their head to become Darth Vader. It was all so quaint back then, relying on imagination and ingenuity.

In comparison, today's children are spoiled rotten by flashy video games like Star Wars Kinect for XBOX—which enables players to control characters via the Kinect's incredible full-body motion tracking. This means you get to hop, hack n' slash your way through the Star Wars galaxy from the comfort of your own living room. An old broom handle is easier on mum and dad's bank bank account, but I'm sure many parents will be tempted into buying this game (RRP £39.99/€49.99)—if only to send their kids to bed early and stay up trying to defeat the evil Empire themselves. I know for a fact this sometimes happens with Mario Kart.

To celebrate the recent release of Kinect Star Wars, there's now a cool app for iOS and Android smart-phones that allows you to view Facebook and Twitter feeds in the iconic Star Wars "text crawl" style. It even includes five mini-games. You can also get more information on Kinect Star Wars through this app, and click through to buy yourself a copy. The app's now available for immediate download in the UK, Republic of Ireland, Spain, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and the Netherlands. Click here for more details.

This post has been sponsored by Kinect Star Wars.

Netflix bring IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA to UK subscribers

Netflix UK have bought the rights to acclaimed FX comedy It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. The first six seasons of the show are available online now, with the seventh debuting on 13 February.

The US show concerns a group of friends who run an Irish-themed bar in Philadelphia. It stars Charlie Day, Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton, Danny DeVito and Kaitlin Olson.

For £5.99 a month, Netflix subscribers can stream all of its TV/film content via internet TVs, computers, tablets, games consoles, Blu-ray players and mobile phones. (At time of writing, their US TV show lineup is decent but the range of movies is very limited and mostly back-catalogue garbage.)

Netflix's acquisition finally gives Philadelphia its long-awaited UK debut. I wonder if Netflix will find success in the UK by delivering many of the US shows that never manage to find a home on TV here, or else get mistreated when they do. Parks & Recreation (never aired), Breaking Bad (burned through in late-night runs) and Community (one season on a little-known music channel) spring to mind.

Netflix coming to UK & Ireland in 2012?

US video rental and online streaming giant Netflix are preparing to launch European branches in early-2012, starting with the UK & Ireland and Spain, according to Variety.

25 million people across the US, Canada and Latin America use Netflix, which has become the dominant rental service in North America since launching in 1999. Here in the UK, Netflix will be competing with European market leader LoveFilm (owned by Amazon), Blockbuster, YouTube and iTunes. The US firm already has brand recognition, given how often Netflix is referenced in pop-culture, but how many Europeans will switch to this US-based service? Given the fact LoveFilm still have a long-running dispute with Universal over licensing costs—meaning that post-2009 Universal titles are still unavailable, or on DVD but not Blu-ray—I can certainly see an opportunity for Netflix to swoop in offering a more comprehensive catalogue. (I've still to see Public Enemies and The Invention Of Lying for this very reason.)

It may also help if Netflix streaming is made available in the UK on Playstation 3, Xbox, Nintendo DS, Android and iOS (which it the case in the US). Here in the UK, Amazon's LoveFilm is currently only available through PS3 and iOS, although an Xbox launch is due soon.

Of course, Netflix aren't in terrific shape just now. $7bn was wiped off the company's market capitalization since April 2011, reducing it to $5.7bn. This is because Netflix recently chose to start competing with US broadcasters, by buying first-run rights to shows like the remake of British drama House Of Cards. In response to this unforeseen rival, US broadcasters upped the price of their licensing deals with Netflix, forcing the likes of The Social Network to be dropped from the site's catalogue. And then there was the ill-advised decision for Netflix to split into two separate companies (Netflix for postal rentals, Qwikster for online streaming) because the former is becoming too expensive to run. This was met with such a tidal wave of disapproval from customers the plan was hastily scrapped, but it was something of a PR disaster.

What do you think? Will you sign up for Netflix UK when it arrives, simply because of its reputation? Will you join Netflix from a different rental company you're happy with? Or will you stay as you are, unless Netflix are noticeably cheaper, offer more titles, and/or have a more wide-ranging streaming lineup? Do you hate the idea of a big American company coming over and perhaps squashing the UK-based LoveFilm?

Virgin TiVo: Pre-Launch

It's nearly here. Virgin Media are now taking pre-orders for their "next-generation entertainment platform": a personal video recorder that's been built in partnership with US industry leader TiVo. The Virgin TiVo is expected to start rolling out in a few weeks, just in time for Christmas. So what can you expect from this brand new device? See below:

• x3 TV Tuners (meaning you can record two programmes, while watching another*)
• 4,600 hours of streamable TV/music/movies (less if you're on a lower package than XL)
• Inbuilt TV catch-up services (BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, 4OD, Five Demand, Virgin Player, etc)
• 1TB of storage capacity (approx 500 hours of playback space)
• Web-based apps (eBay, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter)
• Built-in modem (enabling access to a dedicated 10Mbps line, to avoid using the bandwidth of your existing internet connection.)
• 3D (the box can broadcast 3D transmissions to 3D-enabled TVs)

The TiVo software itself is the big selling point, with its famously user-friendly design and intelligent software. The box will recommend shows based on your current viewing, will record shows based on your inputted preference for particular actors/genres/directors, and includes the TiVo's iconic "thumbs up/thumbs down" grading system, so viewers can help the box find the perfect recommendations.

You will also be able to create "wishlists" of shows you want the TiVo to record, months before they're actually being broadcast. Also, the familiar catch-up functionality will be improved, with users able to browse 7 days into the past using the inbuilt TV guide. A companion app for the Apple iPad will also be released in 2011, turning iPads into a high-tech remote control.

The TiVos will cost consumers £199 + £40 installation, then £26 pcm for the XL package (160 channels). It's currently unknown if there will be other deals available (for brand new customers, or existing XL subscribers), or if this is a flat price.

For more information, check out Virgin's official TiVo site.

* At launch, there will only be 2 tuners, with the standard 3 becoming available in early 2011.

Virgin: TiVo, Sky Atlantic & CBS Drama

There are unconfirmed reports of winter treats for Virgin Media subscribers in 2011, revealed by an insider posting on the Cable Forum. They are: "red button" interactivity with the Sky Sports channels; the addition of HD versions of ITV2, 3 and 4; the arrival of the CBS Drama channel; and the likely debut of Sky Atlantic.

Yes, despite strong rumours that Sky Atlantic (the new channel Sky are creating to showcase their HBO/AMC imports) would be a Sky exclusive, designed to kill the buzz that Virgin now have access to Sky1 HD, it looks increasingly likely that Atlantic will be available to Sky's rivals.

I'm very pleased to hear that, and hope Virgin Media add Sky Atlantic to their XL package for free. All of those developments are due in the first quarter of 2011, according to the forum's source. In my experience, these sources tend to be quite reliable.

Additionally, we already know that Virgin Media's long-awaited TiVo-powered V+HD boxes are rolling out soon (perhaps as early as next month in limited batches). These new DVR's will have 1TB storage space (500 hours of HD recording), an internal modem (meaning no existing internet lag when streaming online content), 3D-capability, and industry best software from US company TiVo.

There's still no word on price for these Virgin TiVo's, sadly. As someone who already owns a V+HD box (which is only 15 months old and cost me a total of £200 to have installed), I'm praying Virgin will have some kind of cost-cutting option for their existing, loyal customers!

Cindy Rose, Executive Director of Digital Entertainment at Virgin Media:

"Virgin Media’s next generation connected TV service -- powered by TiVo -- and combined with our superior broadband will blow other ‘connected TV’ products out of the water. We’re really proud of our new next-generation TV service which will appeal to anyone and everyone looking for the best of live broadcast TV, catch up, on demand and internet apps and services."

Seeing as Virgin subscribers don't technically own their boxes (you're renting their equipment), it could be a deal-breaker if Virgin want everyone to pay a hefty "connection charge" again. If you already have HD TV with Virgin, what exactly justifies another massive charge for an engineer taking 20-30 minutes to connect a different box and reboot?

I'm sure these TiVo's are magnificent gizmos (if they're anything like their American equivalents, we're in for a treat), but only the promise of 1TB storage space is something I truly NEED as a consumer. And even so, I'm good as organizing recordings, so it's rarely an insurmountable problem for me, unless I'm on holiday for a week or so.

What do you make of Virgin's plans with TiVo, and the unconfirmed news that Sky Atlantic may be more widely available?

Demand Five on Virgin Media

Virgin Media have secured a deal to bring Channel Five's catch-up service Demand Five to its service. This makes Virgin the only UK TV platform enabling subscribers to access the four main catch-up services: BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, 4OD and Demand Five.

This agreement with Five means popular shows like The Mentalist, The Gadget Show, Fifth Gear, CSI Miami, Grey's Anatomy, Neighbours and Home & Away will now be available for streamed catch-up. Virgin Media Player will also carry content from Five's sister channels Fiver and Five USA.

Cindy Rose, Virgin's Executive Director of Digital Entertainment:

"We're delighted to add Demand Five to our pioneering TV on-demand service and to complete our offering of terrestrial TV catch-up services. With a high calibre of shows including quality US drama, popular Australian soaps and entertaining and informative home grown programmes -- with many in HD -- Demand Five has something for everyone."

Jonathan Lewis, Channel Five's Head Of Digital Media:

"We're really pleased to be able to offer Demand Five through Virgin Media, giving even more consumers the opportunity to watch a selection of our great shows at a time convenient to them whilst still being able to enjoy the high quality of a full TV experience."

BBC One HD: 3 November

BBC One HD is scheduled to launch on 3 November, available to Freesat, Freeview, Sky and Virgin Media viewers. To celebrate, the BBC will be debuting HD versions of shows like EastEnders, Holby City, Waterloo Road and Human Planet. Songs Of Praise, Casualty, Match Of The Day, Blue Peter and A Question Of Sport will also upgrade to HD very soon. BBC One HD will be a simulcast of BBC One's regular standard-definition broadcast.

The existing BBC HD channel will also be extending its broadcast time from 9 to 12 hours each day, but because of BBC One HD's existence it will likely concentrate on delivering HD content from BBC2, BBC Three and BBC Four.

Virgin Media: Sky1 HD debuts 1 October

Virgin Media have just announced that Sky1 HD will be making its long-awaited debut on 1 October, located on channel 122. Sky2 will therefore move to channel 180. This is great news, although it's frustrating that my three favourite Sky1 shows are now finished (24, Lost, Battlestar Galactica). However, we can still look forward to seeing the following in glorious HD: House (3 Oct), Fringe (3 Oct), Stargate Universe (5 Oct) and Caprica (mid-Oct).

Twitter: I'm Highly Influential?!

It's a slow day, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to pat myself on the back in a self-congratulatory way I hope you'll indulge. Anyway, according to the website Topsy, I've been ranked as a "highly influential" Twitter user! In their words:

"Topsy Influence measures the likelihood that, each time you say something, people will pay attention. Influence for Twitter users is computed using all historical retweets: millions of real, public statements indicating who's listening to whom. On our website, roughly the top 0.2% most influential of all Twitter users are tagged "Highly Influential", and "Influential" tags appear for the top 0.5% most influential Twitter users. So if Topsy says you are influential, you are part of a pretty small group!"

If this is true, I can hardly believe I'm in the top 0.2% group of highly influential Twitterers worldwide, but I'm not going to ask for a recount!

You can read more about Topsy's standards here, and visit my profile on their website here. Also, hey, why not actually follow me on Twitter to see what you're missing? I'm so influential, I can probably make you do things with a simple 140-character tweet, such is my power... mwuahahaha.

FilmFour HD launches 8 July

Film Four's HD channel will launch exclusively with Virgin Media on 8 July, located on channel 429, at no additional cost.

Incidentally, there's still no word on when Virgin customers can expect Sky 1 HD, Sky Arts HD, Sky News HD, Sky Sports HD and Sky Movies HD to arrive on the platform, but there are murmurings that "XL" subscribers will also receive those channels at no extra cost.

BBC1 HD is expected to arrive in the autumn, while rumours persist that Five, ESPN America, History, Food Network, Bio and Bravo will all launch HD channels on Virgin Media before the year's out.

Virgin Media make £160m selling "VMtv" channels for Sky's HD lineup

It's been on the cards for awhile, but now it's finally happened: cable company Virgin Media have sold their "VMtv" channels (Living, Livingit, Bravo, Bravo 2, Challenge, Challenge Jackpot, Virgin1) to satellite rivals BSkyB, in exchange for Sky's basic HD channels (Sky1HD, Sky Arts HD, Sky News HD, etc.), together with the Sky Movies and Sky Sports HD suites.

The key bullet-points of the Virgin/Sky agreement:

• Sky will acquire VMtv for a total consideration of up to £160 million in cash, with £105 million paid on completion and the remainder paid following the regulatory process. The acquisition will expand Sky's portfolio of basic pay TV channels and eliminate the carriage fees it currently pays for distributing VMtv channels on its TV services.
• Sky will assume responsibility for selling advertising for the newly acquired VMtv channels from January 2011.
• New carriage agreements will secure wholesale distribution of Sky's basic channel line-up, including Sky1 and Sky Arts, and the newly acquired VMtv channels, on Virgin Media's cable TV service.
• For an incremental wholesale fee, Virgin Media will, for the first time, have the option of carrying any of Sky's basic HD channels, Sky Sports HD 1 and Sky Sports HD 2, and all Sky Movies HD channels.
• Virgin Media will make available through its on-demand TV service a range of content from Sky's basic and premium channels, including the newly acquired VMtv channels. Virgin Media will also have access to red button interactive sports coverage and the opportunity to deliver selected standard definition programming over the internet.

This carriage deal is also expected to last until 2019, whereas previous Sky/Virgin deals were reviewed every three years, so viewers won't have to worry about channels being yanked off-air once the dust has settled on Sky's acquisition.

As a Virgin Media customer of 5 years, this is music to my ears. I've been eager to get Sky1 HD for a year now, since I upgraded to a V+HD box, so I'm glad it's finally happening. It's just a shame two of my favourite Sky1HD shows (24, Lost) have finished, but I'm sure something will take their place. Sky's content will also be available via Virgin's on-demand service, which is great.

I'm not fussed about the other Sky channels, but would definitely watch Sky Movies if the option's there. I'm on the top-tier XL package already, but it's not yet clear if Sky Movies/Sports will be available as part of the XL deal, or if you'll have to pay more for those "extras". I suspect that Virgin will amend their prices at some point.

But anyway, is there any serious reason not to go with Virgin Media if you're in a cable-ready area now? I think not.

The only downside for me is that my V+HD box's disk capacity is going to be swallowed up when these HD channels become available!

Dan's Media Digest is on Facebook!

Have you heard? There's this great new-fangled thing called Facebook. All the kids are using it, dude. What's that? You've heard of it? Oh. Anyway, as something of summer experiment, Dan's Media Digest is dipping its toe into the crazy world of social networking...

You may have noticed that every post at DMD now comes with a Facebook "Recommend" button in the footer, enabling Facebook users to instantly show they like a particular post by clicking its thumbs-up logo.

DMD also has a presence on Facebook with its own page, which is basically just another place to catch blog updates -- a la RSS feed or Twitter.

I'm not sure if any of this is going to be useful to the type of people who frequent DMD every day (are we all too old for Facebook?), but I thought it would be interesting to see if a Facebook alliance has a positive effect in any way, shape or form. Who knows, maybe there are hundreds of readers out there who are also active "Facebookers" and will appreciate being able to interact with DMD in that medium?

Or maybe not.

I'm certainly not a big user of Facebook myself. I just thought it would be worth experimenting with, as I've noticed other blogs/sites with Facebook plug-ins that appear to be very popular additions. And I must admit it's a cinch for people to interact with – just one click and you can register your recommendation of something to the world, or become a "fan" of DMD via its Facebook page.

Certainly, if you use Facebook most days I hope you'll consider becoming a "fan" and recommending the occasional post when they go up. I'm probably going to keep this Facebook stuff active for 2-3 months over the summer and gauge how popular it is, before deciding whether or not to continue.

So if you think it's a good idea, please make use of it so I know! Oh, and let me know about any problems/suggestions regarding all this, as I'm not really a Facebook expert. Could you tell?

ITV HD coming to Virgin Media

It looks like Virgin Media are making serious progress with their HD ambitions as an Easter treat for customers. ITV1 HD will join the company's rosta of high definition channels from 2 April. This means Virgin customers will be able to enjoy ITV's football (UEFA Cup, FA Cup, World Cup), drama (The Prisoner remake, Foyle's War, Lewis), factuals (Nile, Greatest Cities Of The World), and entertainment (The Whole 19 Yards, 71 Degrees North, Soccer Aid, Britain's Got Talent) in glorious high definition.

Cindy Rose, Executive Ddirector of Digital Entertainment at Virgin Media:

"ITV offers some of the UK's most loved programmes and we're delighted to add them to our growing HD channel line-up. This year's World Cup promises some unforgettable games and Virgin Media TV viewers will be able to enjoy every nail-biting, heart-stopping, breath-taking moment in stunning High Definition"

Peter Fincham, ITV Director of Television, Channels & Online:

"The availability of High Definition content is something viewers have come to expect as standard and, as we approach the 2010 World Cup, I'm delighted that we are able to launch our new channel, ITV1 HD, on Virgin Media. All of our output will benefit from the stunning picture quality that High Definition offers, whether it's ITV's original drama, landmark factual shows, entertainment events or our live football."

This means Virgin Media's HD lineup now stands at: BBC HD, Channel 4 HD, ESPN HD, FX HD, MTV N, National Geographic HD, Living HD, Eurosport HD, Discovery HD, E4 HD, FilmFour HD and IT1 HD. More channels are still expected to be announced for 2010, too.

ITV1 HD will also debut on Sky and become a proper channel on Freeview and Freesat, where it's previously only been accessible via the red interactive button.

E4 HD & FilmFour HD coming to Virgin Media

E4 HD and FilmFour HD will launch on Virgin Media this spring/summer. The latter channel will be exclusive to Virgin, too. E4 HD is expected to arrive sometime in April; meaning popular shows like Glee, Skins, Hollyoaks and Misfits will finally be available to subscribers in high-def. FilmFour HD will simulcast its discerning mix of British/American indies, Hollywood blockbusters and world cinema imports.

Cindy Rose, Virgin Media's Executive Director of Digital Entertainment:

"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. 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."

Sarah Rose, Channel 4's Head of VoD & Channel Development:

"We're really excited to be launching Film4 HD and showcasing some fantastic British films to millions of viewers in High Definition. There's a growing appetite for HD and our line up of C4HD, E4HD and, now, Film4HD provides a great choice of HD content for viewers."

Added to the recently announced Discovery HD and Eurosport HD purchases, this means Virgin's HD lineup is set to swell to 12 channels. And there are still rumours that Virgin intend to secure more Sky-owned HD content this year (including the jewel of Sky1HD) by making that a condition of their deal to sell Sky the suite of channels it owns (Virgin1, Living, Bravo and Challenge.) A few insiders suggest that Sky might be willing to take that hit, as it needs cash to fund its pioneering 3D venture.