Come on. We've all seen it. You know it's true
With more HD around - from Blu ray, Sky, Virgin, Apple - we're all starting to watch more and more HD shows and movies 0 on DVD, cable or dish TV and downloaded.
But that fact is that all HD is not created equal.
To these eyes, the quality of HD sources we've used runs to a list that looks something like this:
1. Blu ray DVD
2. Sky+HD
3. Virgin
4. Apple
5. Xbox Live
Bitrate seems to be the key here and the team over at Gizmodo have had a good look around and written a solid piece all about it.
It's well worth a read if you are in the least bit interested in why your HD mileage seems to vary...
Gizmodo's HD round-up
The great gamer folks over at Kotak have already slapped together the only guide to iPhone games that you'll need.
Nuff said. Click the link below.
Kotaku iPhone Game Guide
BSkyB, Virgin and online only service Joost have submitted a complaint to the Office of Fair Trading over the proposed video service kangaroo (hang on, isn't this called SeeSaw now?) Mike Volpi, chief executive of Joost had this to say on the matter...
"When you have a situation where so much good content ends up being potentially exclusive through a single distribution channel, it makes it very difficult for any player outside of those three to be competitive in the UK market."
Is Kangaroo doomed? Is it vaporware? Or will it be a storming success? Who knows...
[Link]
No surprises here on the quality - it's what we've come to expect from iTunes. One big surprise is that the movies you rent have to be watched in iTunes - you can't find them using the excellent Front Row or move them to the "Movies" folder - which is where we've all got used to finding them. So a couple of points off there. We downloaded The Matrix, Sixth Sense and The Usual Suspects which all played fine, looked great in SD. Some movies are also available in HD via Apple TV. It took about 30mins for a 1hr 45min for an SD movie - so that's not bad, but your mileage really will vary depending on your broadband speed.
If you're buying not renting, then £6.99 might seem a bit steep for movies that you can pick up for less than a fiver on DVD. But then if paying a pound or two extra for flexibility and convenience bothers you, I'm guessing you might not have splashed out on an iMac or iPod or Apple TV in the first place. One nice touch is that you can "gift" movies - another nail inthe coffin of the landfill physical DVD business which claimed this week that buying DVDs as presents is why they'll never disappear. All in all, not a bad first day for this service. Top of our wish list is more movies (particularly from the Independent studios), Front Row integration and slightly cheaper prices. We'll keep an watchful Download Monkey eye on things to see how it develops (and spend our money trying it out so you don't have to spend yours...)
Apple has started offering movies on iTunes in the UK for the first time from today.
The technology company is making more than 700 titles available to UK iTunes customers, having done deals with most of the Hollywood majors - Fox, Disney, Warner Bros, MGM, Sony Pictures, Lionsgate - Universal still hasn't signed up as yet.
This is the first time outside the US that Apple has offered full length Hollywood movies to download via iTunes.
Top of the range are the new releases in HD at £4.49 - 30 days to watch with a 48 hour window to watch it as much as you want once you've started viewing.
You can also download a new release to own for £10.99 - library titles are £6.99.
What you really want to know is, how easy is it, how long does it take to download them and what sort of quality are they on my iMac, my iPod and my Apple TV?
We'll be spanking the Donwload Monkey credit card today and will have an update asap. Stay tuned...
After what seems to be a lifetime since the launch of iTunes in the UK and today, iTunes finally announces that movie downloads will be available in the UK. No comment was given by Apple spokesmen, or a launch date announced, but hey, who cares! Movies on iTunes! Wooo!
[Link]
We've had a proper play with it and have to say that the new, fast high quality streaming that's been added alongside the downloads is a huge bonus for any Sky customer.
Download Monkey's Sky Player Review
Read Download Monkey's reviews of all the VoD services
The British Board of Film Classification has extended its certification scheme to digital downloads and video games. Several key players have said they are set to join the scheme, with Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox and Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Europe already joined up.
While this is a good idea in theory and gives a clear rating system, how in the world can it be enforced?
[Link]
The Guardian's Emily Bell on DVD vs Downloads
"There is a horrible moment in my viewing week where I realise that the episode of Mad Men showing on BBC4 is the same one I have already seen. While I should be able to exercise some self-control in terms of viewing patterns, it is impossible not to want to light up another episode as soon as you have put the last one out.
I blame the irresponsible scheduling of programmers at Channel 4 for teaching us that if you want to gorge on your favourite programme, then you can always see the next episode immediately afterwards on a digital subsidiary channel. The BBC's parsimonious rationing goes against the spirit of this pact and takes us back to a time of unwelcome portion control...
Emily Bell on DVDs Vs Download
Sky TV have rebranded the company's Anytime PC service as SkyPlayer.
Video streaming - as well as the current downloading - is now available following an overnight upgrade.
It means users will be able to start watching content almost instantly, rather than waiting for the whole show or movie to download.
It puts the satellite broadcasters servce on a par with the BBC iPlayer that also offers both streaming and download options.
In the past, Sky Anytime - then called Sky By Broadband - was plagued by account management and login problems but these have largely disappeared and it was given the thumbs up as one of the better quality download services currently available by DownloadMonkey testers in a recent review.
It was only a matter of time 'til the almost omnipresent Paris Hilton hit the world of Online TV. But this time she's bringing the whole family.
For Your Imagination - a startup that also hosts the excellent Break A Leg will start showing A Day With The Hiltons - a show following a mother/daughter pair of competition winners as they spend a day with the whole Hilton clan, Paris, Kathy and Nicky doing Hilton-y type things around LA.
Is mainstream lowbrow reality TV co-opting a medium that has been generally the realm of tween and nerd focused shows a good thing? Hit the forums to discuss...
Via the excellent NewTeeVee
By Tom Webster
Tagged: VoD, Download, Paris, Hilton, Break, A, Leg, For, your, Imagination, Reality
Discuss in the forums
Five's VoD service, Five Download, is to be relaunched as Demand Five in late May.
It will offer a 30-day catch-up service for Five, Five US and Fiver, as well as archived content from its channels.
Most programmes will be offered free with pre-roll ads, although some US dramas will cost 99p to download, with preview shows priced at £1.99 each.
The new service will also be linked into the five.tv website, which is to be relaunched in phases over the next six months
"This summer, PlayStation and Sky will launch Go!View, the first official PlayStation Portable video download service in Europe. Go!View will provide a wealth of programming from the worlds of entertainment, comedy, sport and movies for PSP owners to enjoy in addition to their usual gaming experience," says Sony.
So the PSP is to become a download service. But will this work? The Nintendo DS, the PSPs only real competitor is a pure game system and has been destroying the PSP in terms of sales since day one, despite the PSP's ability to play movies. Will diversifying the PSP into a multimedia system give it the edge over the DS? This will depend on the quality of the service. Sky have a great reputation of delivering the some of the best content, so things look bright.
Download TV is coming to every piece of technology with a screen. There is no escape!
IP Carrier recently posted this chart, showing the unsurprising fact that consumers are wanting to download and stream more video content over the web. What is very surprising however, is the fact that 83% of Chinese consumers want more control on how and when they consume content as opposed to only 47% of the UK. Does this mean we have better schedulers?
Either way, consumers are demanding more TV on the web. Lets hope demand doesn't exceed supply.
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Over at UpYourEgo they've written a great post about what happens when the free download services fail. People don't just give up on finding the content. They just go to less legal methods.
"I heard one episode on BBC 7 once and never got to hear the rest. I searched Aubible, I e-mailed Audible, I searched the web and contacted the BBC - in the end I accepted all legal avenues had been explored and started on the less than legal ones." [Link]
So, is the key to beating the pirates having more content on offer than they do?
