Radio and Telly UK Digital TV News

Channel 4 3D date confirmed

2009-11-06T21:50:00.003Z

As we reported a few weeks back, Channel 4 is planning a week of 3D programming.

The date has been confirmed, and 4's 3D week is set to begin on the 16th of November - If you want to be part of the Channel 4 3D week, pick up one of the 10 million pairs of 3D coloured glasses available now from Sainsburys supermarkets up and down the land.

More on 3D TV: http://www.radioandtelly.co.uk/3d.html

Digital Switchover Update

2009-11-06T12:05:00.000Z

A quick update on the Digital Switchover:

In the Granada region, the Winter Hill transmitter (servings areas including Liverpool and Manchester) has just completed the first stage of the Switchover, with BBC2 analogue being switched off. The remainder of the analogue services will be switched off on the 2nd of December. This also affects around 70 relay transmitters. Freeview viewers served by Winter Hill will be the first to benefit from Freeview HD, when the service is enabled in December.

In Wales, the Long Mountain transmitter (East and Central Wales) has also completed the first round of the Switchover. The North Wales service at Moel y Parc has also switched. The remainder of Wales will complete the switch by March 2010.

Need help on the Switchover? Go to www.switchhelp.co.uk/

Our Kind Of Music goes silent

2009-11-01T15:42:00.006Z

Digital station ourkindofmusic has been removed from the digital radio platform.

The station was available until today on the local DAB multiplexes for Bristol and Bath, Swindon, Reading and Basingstoke, and Southend and Chelmsford.

The station started in 2005 and featured jazz and easy-listening music from the likes of Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and Gershwin. The station was set up by radio veteran Eddie Blackwell, former Chairman of Essex Radio and director at GWR.

Apparently the station will continue as an online Internet service available at www.ourkindofmusic.net - you can listen online, or using a Wireless Internet Radio

Freeview in the North West goes Welsh

2009-10-29T19:26:00.005Z

We're getting a number of reports that Freeview viewers in North West of England have lost their regional programmes after rescanning their set-top boxes. BBC North West has been replaced with Welsh regional programmes.

We've had messages from Freeview viewers in the Liverpool and Manchester area, and it seems that those in range of the Winter Hill transmitter are being affected.

We've found the reason for this - a few days ago, the North Wales TV region completed part of the digital switchover, meaning that the power from the Welsh Moel-y-Parc transmitter is now stronger than Winter Hill for some viewers.

Viewers in the North West that have been affected, may find that their regional channels have been shifted to a set of channels reserved for regional "duplicate channels". If you've lost your regional programmes, take a look at channels starting with number 801 - they might be hiding there. for example, one viewer tells us that BBC1 North West has moved from Channel 1 to Channel 805.

Our tech team have two bits of advice for affected users:

1. Make sure that your aerial is pointing at the Winter Hill transmitter. To get a compass bearing for Winter Hill, enter your postcode at http://www.wolfbane.com/cgi-bin/tvd.exe?

2. If your Freeview box or TV allow it, manually retune Multiplex A and Multiplex B (the ones that carry BBC and ITV programmes) to the UHF channel numbers for the Winter Hill transmitter. BBC is UHF Channel 56 and ITV is UHF 66

It's also been suggested that affected users try removing their aerial and rescanning - this will clear the channel lineup. Once cleared, re-insert the aerial scan again.

Those served by the Winter Hill transmitter should note that the changes that happened in Wales earlier this week are due to take place at Winter Hill next week, so the problem may correct itself once the Freeview receiver has been rescanned after the Winter Hill upgrade.

Affected by this issue? Please let us know in our comments section.

Joining Sky? Get a �50 voucher

2009-10-29T14:57:00.000Z

Sky has just announced details of a new offer for those looking to sign up to the satellite TV service.

Sign up to any Sky Digital package before the 17th of December 2009, and get a �50 Marks and Spencer voucher. The voucher will be sent within 30 days of your Sky service being activated.

To take advantage, go to http://packages.sky.com/offers/skytv/

BBC News Multiscreen Removed

2009-10-28T16:42:00.000Z

Fans of the BBC Red Button service using Freeview may notice that something's missing.

By pressing the red button on your Freeview receiver, it was possible to access the BBC News Multiscreen service - mini streams with different news and weather feeds... that was until Tuesday the 27th October.

Sadly, the service has had to be removed from Freeview, in readiness for the upcoming launch of Freeview HD. The space taken up by the multiscreen video streams is needed for the new high definition TV service.

BBC News Multiscreen continues from those little red buttons on Sky and Virgin remote controls up and down the land.

Sky Movies Indie HD launched

2009-10-28T10:02:00.001Z

Sky has launched its tenth HD Movies channel.

Sky Indie HD is now available on Sky Channel 334.

More: Sky HD

Zone becomes CBS

2009-10-24T11:15:00.000+01:00

On the 16th of November, some of the Zone TV channels will be re-branded as CBS channels.

Zone Reality becomes CBS Reality
Zone Romantica becomes CBS Drama
Zone Thriller becomes CBS Action

Zone Horror remains unchanged - presumably because CBS Horror just sounds wrong...

Zone channels can be found on Sky, Virgin and Freesat.

Sky coming to Freeview

2009-10-17T10:42:00.001+01:00

It's been announced that from 'early 2010', a number of Sky channels will be available on Freeview... soft of.

You may remember "Sky Picnic", which was Sky's proposed way of getting their pay-TV channels available to Freeview users. Picnic died about a year ago after trouble with the UK regulators.

Now, Sky over Freeview is back on the table, but this time through a link-up with UK firm IP Vision.

IP Vision are the firm behind the TV-over-Internet service Fetch TV. Their Smartbox 8000 (pictured) is a Freeview PVR that has an Internet connection. Fetch TV already offers a small selection of on-demand content, including content from the BBC iPlayer, and this week's announcement will see Sky add their content to the Fetch TV offering.

Fetch TV 8000 Smartbox

According to Sky, Sky Player will be a standalone service on the Fetch TV box, offering a range of live TV channels (including Sky Movies, Sky Sport and entertainment channels). Existing Sky TV customers will be able to access a range of content for no extra cost based on their core subscription, whilst non-Sky customers will be able to sign up to a choice of TV packages via a monthly subscription paid directly to Sky.

More on Fetch TV on our Fetch TV section.

Teletext to close in December

2009-10-05T17:06:00.004+01:00

We've previously reported that ITV's text service Teletext was to close in 2010. It seems that the plan to shut down Teletext has been advanced, and ITV's Teletext service is set to cease in two months.

Teletext Page 139 on analogue and digital is reporting the following:

"Teletext's news and information service is switching off in December 2009. Owner Associated Newspapers confirmed the decision, saying the service had been loss-making in recent years and no viable business model could be found."

Teletext Holidays, presumably still able to generate some revenue, is set to continue beyond December 2009.

England vs Ukraine - Online only

2009-10-05T12:55:00.002+01:00

This Saturday, the 10th October, England play Ukraine as part of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers.

So, which TV service do you need to watch the match? BBC? ITV? Sky Sports? ESPN?

Answer - None of the above.

Setanta Sports had originally bought the rights for this England away match, but after Setanta's collapse, the rights were up for grabs again. Rights agency Kentaro now hold the rights, and couldn't come to an agreement with any of the UK broadcasters to show the match on UK.

The upshot - this Saturday's match won't be on any UK TV service, or available in pubs. Instead, the Rights holders will be offering the match on the Internet only, complete with analysis from Sven-Goran Eriksson.

To watch the match, you'll need to pay a one-off �4.99 for a live stream of the match. To get Saturday's match, go to www.ukrainevengland.com

Freeview Retuning Day Wednesday 30 September

2009-09-29T21:30:00.002+01:00

Wednesday 30th September, is National Freeview Retune Day.

If you've got a Freeview box or TV, you will need to retune sometime after lunchtime on Wednesday to ensure that you have all of the channels. This also affects you if you have BT Vision or Top Up TV.

Reception changes

Many Freeview users in some parts of the UK have struggled to get Five. Part of the changes mean that Five to be available to around half a million extra homes, but those homes may no longer get ITV3 and ITV4 as a result of the change.

The 5% of homes that have completed the Digital Switchover will also find that the BBC radio stations have moved, and many in North Devon and West Cornwall will see some other channels disappear until they retune.

New channels:

Quest documentary channel on channel 38

Freeview channels renumbering:

The following channels will be changing channel number: Price-drop TV, Super Casino, Rocks and Co, Smile TV2, Babestation and Partyland. You'll find the new lineup, as we understand it, at www.radioandtelly.co.uk/freeviewchannels.html

How do I re-tune?

The changes are expected to be completed at transmitter sites by lunchtime on Wednesday the 30th, and you should rescan for channels as soon as possible after lunchtime, to make sure you can still get all of the channels.

Each Freeview TV or-top box is a little different, so the process is different for each manufacturer. In general, this will mean going into the Freeview menu, and looking for an option like "Channel setup", "Tuning", or "Scan for Channels". BT Vision users should select BT Vision > Settings > TV Settings > Add channels,

If you need help rescanning for channels, see the instructions at www.tvretune.co.uk or you can call the automated National Freeview Retune helpline on 08456 05 11 22. You can also ask for help in our Freeview forum

More on retuning: www.radioandtelly.co.uk/freeviewhelp/retune.html

Good luck everyone!

WKRP in Cincinnati, UK

2009-09-24T08:00:00.001+01:00

Classic radio station comedy, WKRP in Cincinnati is finally available to own in the UK. Series 1 is now available for download from the Apple iTunes Store. Download WKRP Series 1.

More on WKRP on our WKRP in Cincinnati Remembered page.

Premier Radio goes national

2009-09-21T20:00:00.001+01:00

Premier Christian Radio has today gone national. The London-based station has today joined Absolute Radio, Talk Sport, Planet Rock, Amazing Radio, Classic FM and Kids Radio on the National DAB Multiplex.

Those with a DAB radio looking to get Premier Christian Radio may need to rescan for channels to get the new station.

More on DAB Radio.

Podcast Update - Freeview HD, BT Vision and Sky

2009-09-16T16:02:00.002+01:00

A new podcast update is live on the wires now.

The 16 minute audio update covers the upcoming Freeview HD testing, BT Vision software, Quest TV on Freeview, Sky's HD EPG rollout, plus iPhone news and details of a major mobile phone merger.

Get the 16 minute update now at www.frequencycast.co.uk/update.html

Catch us online or add us to iTunes for your regular tantalising take on UK Tech.

Sky boxes - Changes to Auto Standby

2009-09-16T10:29:00.001+01:00

Sky's announced a green change to the "auto standby" setting used by their set-top boxes.

Currently, Sky's boxes will go into standby overnight between 11pm and 3:30am if there has been inactivity for 2 hours.

In the coming weeks, Sky will be rolling out a new version of software to Sky+ boxes that changes this behaviour. Soon, Sky+ boxes will go into standby after 4 hours of inactivity regardless of the time of day. There is an option to disable this feature if needed, via the Services button.

Sky reports that this change will save their customers a potential �12m from their combined electricity bills.

Testing of Freeview HD boxes to start in October

2009-09-09T16:01:00.002+01:00

The DTG (the industry association for UK digital TV) will be officially launching the test regime for Freeview HD receivers on the 11th of September, with testing set to start in October.

The first Freeview HD broadcasts are set to start in the Granada TV region at the start of December 2009, and having boxes that work correctly in the market by launch is vital.

Testing HD receivers and ensuring conformance is key to the rollout of DVB-T2/MPEG-4 services in the UK. DTG's Director General, Richard Lindsay-Davies say "The introduction of high definition services to the Freeview platform is one of the most significant milestones in the history of UK broadcasting and I am intensely proud of the role the DTG is playing."

More details: Freeview HD

Boat That Rocked DVD Out Today

2009-09-07T16:42:00.003+01:00

Radio and Telly's favourite film of the year, The Boat That Rocked, is out on DVD today.

If you missed the film, The Boat That Rocked is a Richard Curtis British comedy about a fictitious pirate radio station moored off the UK coast in the 1960s. With a cast of top comedy talent, this film is a hoot, and gets full marks from the lads and lasses here.

The DVD contains 11 deleted scenes, plus a commentary with Richard Curtis, producer Hilary Bevan Jones, and actors Nick Frost and Chris O'Dowd.

The DVD is out today - Available now for under �12 from Amazon.co.uk or Play.com (with free P&P).

Sky+ HD New EPG rollout continues

2009-09-05T20:34:00.005+01:00

If you have a Sky+ HD box, you either have the old-style light-blue electronic programme guide, or the new-look guide that lets you watch TV while you're browsing the guide (see picture).

Those with the old-style guide are eager to get their hands on the new-style guide, but the roll-out has been staggered by manufacturer.

Those with a Sky+ HD box made by Thomson or Pace should have the new guide by now, and it seems that those with a Samsung box are likely to get the long-awaited upgrade in the next few weeks.

No news as yet for those with a Sky+ HD box made by Amstrad - we assume Sky is still testing this prior to release.

Bollywood comes to BT Vision

2009-09-04T16:00:00.002+01:00

Fans of Asian music, dance and film will be pleased to hear that a new Bollywood TV service will be launching in the UK at the end of September.

"Bollywood and Beyond" will be available as a video-on-demand service on BT Vision. Content will be provided by Shemaroo Entertainment, and will initially include 200 hours of music and movies from Bollywood and South Asia.

BT Vision chief executive Marc Watson said: "Bollywood fans can now choose from an extensive library of TV and film and watch what they want, when they want it. This is a great addition to what is already the UK's biggest on-demand service for TV, film, kids, music and replay programmes."

Sky offering �50 Tesco Voucher in September

2009-09-02T20:00:00.005+01:00

Sky, ever keen to get you to sign up to their TV service, are offering a �50 if you sign up to Sky Sports, Sky Movies or Sky+ HD online.

The �50 voucher offer is only available until 30th September 2009. For details of Sky's top three offers, see our Sky Digital Offers section.

BT Vision software update in August 2009

2009-08-26T19:01:00.002+01:00

A new version of software for BT Vision set-top boxes has started to be rolled out (slowly). Version 1.6.25077.83x started rolling out on the 18th August 2009, and includes the following changes:

Auto Standby / Power Saving - now 8 hours.

Automatic channel scanning - once a day.

Recording padding - to stop you missing the beginning or end.

Series record stacking.

Audio Description now supported.

Ability to switch Stereo or 5.1 Surround Sound.

SCART now live when using HDMI.

A bunch of bugfixes and tweaks - including the Green light problem.

Updates will be rolled out automatically to boxes according to BT Vision's mysterious update rollout plan.

Channel 4 to go 3D

2009-08-23T20:56:00.004+01:00

Channel 4 is set to experiment with a week of 3D TV in a matter of weeks.

This Autumn, 4 will run a week of peak-time programming in 3D, including rare 1953 colour 3D footage of the Queen's coronation, Derren Brown's 3D Magic Spectacular, Jaws 3D and the Greatest Ever 3D Moments.

3D will be brought to our screens using the Danish ColorCode system, which require the user to wear blue and amber glasses. These will be given away free at Sainsburys in the run-up to the 3D TV week.

Other upcoming 3D events include the screening of an episode of Chuck in 3D on Virgin 1 on the 25th of August, and the launch of a dedicated 3D channel on Sky in 2010.

Watch Premier League football online

2009-08-14T23:26:00.004+01:00

The 2009/10 Barclays Premier League football season starts tomorrow - You can catch the action on Sky Digital, Virgin Media, BT Vision and Top Up TV. In case you're not yet signed up to a digital TV service that'll get you the sporting action, all is not lose - you can watch tmorrow's action, plus the rest of the Premier League with the Sky Player.

Chelsea vs Hull (on Sky Sports) and Everton vs Arsenal (on EPSN) will be available to watch live online at skyplayer.sky.com

Podcast update: ESPN, Quest TV, Freeview Retune

2009-08-12T18:12:00.002+01:00

Our podcast team has just released an audio update. In this 10 minute show, we look at the following:

Quest Take 2

September's Freeview Retune

Latest on ESPN, and

Digital Switchover in Wales

Download our update or listen online at http://www.frequencycast.co.uk/update.html

Feed details: iTunes Feed | RSS Feed