The news channel beat the BBC News channel, Bloomberg, CNN and BBC Radio 5 Live to the accolade.

Best Entertainment Channel went to E4 ahead of BBC HD, BBC Three and ITV2, while ‘Best Music Channel’ was given to urban music [...]]]> Al-Jazeera English was named Best News Channel at the second annual Freesat Awards held in London

The news channel beat the BBC News channel, Bloomberg, CNN and BBC Radio 5 Live to the accolade.

Best Entertainment Channel went to E4 ahead of BBC HD, BBC Three and ITV2, while ‘Best Music Channel’ was given to urban music network Flava.

Food Network UK was a very popular choice as Best Lifestyle Channel, and the Horror Channel took home the accolade for Best Themed Channel.

BBC Cbeebies won the Best Children’s Channel competing against CBBC, along with Kix and Milkshake.

Best Shopping Channel was awarded to QVC, while the Judges’ Special Award went to ITV1 HD.

In the viewer-voted categories, shopping channel Ideal World was named TV Channel Of The Year and Planet Rock scooped Radio Station Of The Year.

Freesat managing director Emma Scott commented:

“I’d like to congratulate all the winners honoured for their massive contribution to Freesat’s continued success,”

“We”re proud to celebrate the original, high quality programming that keeps our audience entertained and informed and we look forward to bringing viewers even more exciting channels and services in the future.”

BBC One HD, which will simulcast a network version of the BBC One schedule for the first time, will see some of the BBC’s most loved programmes including EastEnders, Holby City, The One Show, The Apprentice, The [...]]]> The BBC today announces it will be launching a simulcast of BBC One in high definition (HD) this Autumn.

BBC One HD, which will simulcast a network version of the BBC One schedule for the first time, will see some of the BBC’s most loved programmes including EastEnders, Holby City, The One Show, The Apprentice, The Weakest Link and QI move to HD by the end of the year. They will be broadcast alongside Autumn schedule highlights including Strictly Come Dancing, Human Planet and Waterloo Road.

Plans are also underway for HD moves for Songs Of Praise and Casualty, as well as Match Of The Day, A Question Of Sport, and Blue Peter.

BBC One in HD will be made available to all digital television platforms offering HD channels – Freesat, Freeview, Sky and Virgin Media.

It will be in addition to the existing BBC HD channel, which will showcase the best of the rest of the BBC in HD. It is also announced today that the BBC HD Channel itself will extend its regular broadcast hours over the coming months from around nine hours a day to 12.

The BBC is charged with “delivering to the public the benefit of emerging communications technologies and services” under its Royal Charter. With today’s announcement, the BBC continues its transition to deliver all its programmes in HD, with BBC One leading the way.

Jana Bennett, Director BBC Vision, says:

“BBC HD has established itself as the most popular HD service, and these changes are important next steps in improving that service still further, providing an opportunity to showcase the wide variety of BBC programmes in the highest possible quality. We recognise that audiences have already been enjoying many of their favourite programmes in HD, and I’m delighted that we can now broaden their choice.”

Danielle Nagler, Head of BBC HD, says:

 ”HD is the future of television: people who have HD have clearly told us that they want more of their licence fee-funded content in HD. I’m delighted that the HD simulcast of BBC One will become available on satellite, on cable, and now also on Freeview’s new HD service. This is a key moment for us on the journey to HD becoming the norm for all our programmes and channels.

“Audiences have already been enjoying many BBC One programmes in HD on our existing HD channel and the arrival of BBC One simulcast in HD will make it easier for them to find the programmes they love in high definition. BBC HD – the most popular HD channel in the UK – will continue to show programmes from across all BBC channels.”

Jay Hunt, Controller, BBC One, says:

“HD is the gold standard for broadcasting, and it’s right that we bring all the excitement of HD to BBC One – the most watched channel in the UK.

“BBC One HD will bring families together for shared viewing of their favourite programmes from EastEnders and Strictly Come Dancing to The One Show, in incredible and vivid detail.”

The Autumn launch is the first stage in delivering BBC One in HD. The majority of programmes in the BBC One network evening schedule will be available in HD at launch, and by 2012 it is expected that the vast majority of all BBC One titles across all hours will be in HD.

The BBC’s existing HD Channel will continue to remain home to the best of the BBC’s programmes from across all its channels, including Top Gear, the Proms, Later… With Jools Holland, The Culture Show, Dragons’ Den, Being Human, Mad Men, sporting programmes including Wimbledon, as well as CBeebies favourites In The Night Garden and ZingZillas.

Around 70 per cent of the total TV sales for the quarter were HD ready (2.33 million), with quarter 4 also seeing the highest quarterly sales of TV sets so far (3.36 [...]]]> Sales of HD ready TVs reached almost 23 million by the end of 2009, Ofcom’s Digital Progress Report for Quarter 4 2009 today revealed.

Around 70 per cent of the total TV sales for the quarter were HD ready (2.33 million), with quarter 4 also seeing the highest quarterly sales of TV sets so far (3.36 million).

The report also revealed that:

• Sky added 482,000 extra subscribers to its HD service, the highest quarterly additions to date. Total HD subscriptions are now almost 2.1 million equivalent to around 21 per cent of its customer base (up from 8.4 per cent in Q4 2008).
• Virgin’s V+ HD service added 112,700 subscribers to reach 862,000 by the end of 2009, equivalent to 23 per cent of its TV subscriber base (up from 14 per cent in Q4 2008).
• High Definition receivers accounted for 80 per cent of BBC/ITV freesat sales by the end of the quarter, equivalent to around 720,000 sales.
• In March this year, 4.5 million homes received Freeview HD coverage for the first time, including the cities of Birmingham, Leeds and Cardiff.

The report also showed that digital TV had reached 91.4 per cent of UK homes.

The full report can be found here: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/research/tv/reports/dtv/dtv_2009_q4/

Freesat, the free-to-air satellite TV service, will become home to the first ever HD World Cup with matches being shared by BBC HD and ITV1 HD this summer. For a one-off payment of just £68 [...]]]> Football news, views and a comprehensive match planner– helping to get UK viewers prepared for the first ever HD World Cup

Freesat, the free-to-air satellite TV service, will become home to the first ever HD World Cup with matches being shared by BBC HD and ITV1 HD this summer. For a one-off payment of just £68 viewers can upgrade their World Cup viewing to high definition and enjoy it all completely subscription free with Freesat. The new online guide – at freesat.co.uk/worldcup - will feature a range of football content to help people get ready for the tournament, including exclusive news blogs from Match of the Day’s Lee Dixon.

‘Freesat is offering everything World Cup followers need this summer’ says Lee Dixon. ‘Not only will they be showing games in HD but their online guide will feature a host of information to ensure everyone is set for the beautiful game – from comprehensive match planners to brilliant world cup facts to impress your mates. Plus, on my personal blog you’ll find my views and analysis on stories as they emerge from the England camp, predictions for the group stages and my view on who could be this year’s champions’.

With Freesat everyone can watch this festival of football in HD from as little as £68, wherever they live in the UK. With no contract, no monthly bills to pay, just a one-off payment, Freesat makes substituting your standard TV for High definition hassle-free. HD really brings football on TV to life, making viewers at home feel like part of the action. From high speed tackles to that breathtaking golden goal – you won’t miss a thing watching in pin sharp clarity.

With the World Cup now only 72 days away, it’s time to start thinking about how you’ll be watching the summer’s premiere sporting event and where to get the best deal to get the most out of your HD ready TV this summer.

Freesat enjoyed an excellent Christmas and New Year, increasing sales by 250,000 over [...]]]>

Subscription-free digital satellite TV service, Freesat, has delivered 1 million sales in a little over 18 months since its launch in May 2008. 

Freesat enjoyed an excellent Christmas and New Year, increasing sales by 250,000 over Christmas and New Year. As a result, the service now accounts for 30 percent of all set top boxes (STB) sold in the UK based on value.

The majority of Freesat sales have come from homes with existing satellite dishes, with 40 percent of all sales coming from Sky homes.

Emma Scott, managing director of Freesat comments, “Hitting 1 million sales is significant milestone for Freesat and gives us a great foundation for further growth, specifically with the millions of UK homes that have HD TVs but no HD service. 

“Freesat is a great opportunity for the millions of homes with existing satellite dishes who are used to quality TV but no longer want to pay a monthly subscription for it and we continue to see an increasing number of viewers moving across from pay TV.”

“Much of what we’re now working on is paving the way for next generation free TV with innovations like BBC iPlayer and ITV Player. We will continue to add value to the service by integrating Canvas if approved by the BBC Trust and we are following Ofcom’s Pay TV review with interest.”

John Cresswell, interim Chief Executive, ITV plc, said, “We’re delighted with Freesat’s success – a million sales in less than two years is a terrific achievement. Freesat is an important distribution platform for ITV, providing our audiences with next generation free HD services and the capability for further development. We’re confident Freesat will continue to go from strength to strength.”

 Mark Thompson, Director-General, BBC, said, “The development of Freesat has extended the choices available to viewers in allowing them to receive all of the BBC’s digital channels including BBC HD. I’m pleased to see that they have reached this latest landmark, meaning that more people are enjoying quality BBC content.”

ITV launches its new channel, ITV1 HD, on April 2nd 2010, which will broadcast ITV1’s schedule in high definition for the first time.

ITV this week reached commercial agreement with Sky and Virgin Media for carriage of the new channel. ITV1 HD will also launch on [...]]]> New ITV1 HD channel available on Freesat, Freeview, Sky and Virgin

ITV launches its new channel, ITV1 HD, on April 2nd 2010, which will broadcast ITV1’s schedule in high definition for the first time.

ITV this week reached commercial agreement with Sky and Virgin Media for carriage of the new channel. ITV1 HD will also launch on Freeview*; and Freesat, where it will move from a red button service to a standalone channel for the first time.   The new deals mean that ITV1 HD will be available on all major high definition platforms ahead of this summer’s World Cup.

The ITV1 schedule will be simulcast on the new channel, with the majority of peak time content available in ‘native’ HD, including all live football, and an increasing range of drama, factual and entertainment programming.  Other ITV1 content including GMTV and the daytime schedule, will be ‘upscaled’ – giving viewers a better than ever experience of the nation’s most popular commercial channel.

Upcoming highlights on ITV1 HD will include the final stages of the UEFA Champions League and The FA Cup as well as England internationals and the FIFA World Cup 2010.  HD dramas include Father & Son, Law and Order: UK, Identity, The Prisoner, Foyles War and Lewis.  In factual programming there’s the chance to see Joanna Lumley’s Nile, Greatest Cities of the World with Griff Rhys Jones, and the brand new Survival with Ray Mears all in pure HD.  And, for HD entertainment there’s The Whole 19 Yards, 71 Degrees North, Soccer Aid and the UK’s biggest TV show, Britain’s Got Talent.  ITV1’s Prime Ministerial debate will also be shown in HD.

Peter Fincham, ITV Director of Television, Channels and Online, said:

 “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 all major platforms.

“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.”

Notes to Editors:

ITV1 HD will be available on the following EPG numbers:

Freesat   119
Freeview  51
Sky       178
Virgin    113

Stunning picture quality reaches a whole new dynamic level. Experience true colour that comes alive in Full HD, and start home networking with all your digital devices to open up endless entertainment [...]]]> The Sony Bravia KDL-52V5810 is a 52 inch Widescreen Full HD 1080p LCD TV with Integrated Freesat and Freeview tuners launched in October 2009.

Stunning picture quality reaches a whole new dynamic level. Experience true colour that comes alive in Full HD, and start home networking with all your digital devices to open up endless entertainment possibilities. All this and it conserves energy too.

Enjoy free HD TV with built-in freesat. Access over 140 free TV and radio channels. This Sony BRAVIA TV has an integrated satellite tuner to receive freesat so you won’t need a set-top box or cables cluttering your room. freesat is available in 98% of UK households, and includes over 70 hours a week of free HD TV from the BBC and ITV, with no subscription or contract. It’s the easy way to enjoy fully immersive satellite HD TV.

Share photos, music or videos and even check which time it is on the other side of the world with the V5500’s new home networking features. What’s more, at the touch of a button you can select movies stored on your DLNA-enabled PC in another room and watch them on the big screen.

Watch all your favourite shows in stunning HD detail. Like a window to your favourite stars, enhanced contrast, advanced colour reproduction and even crisper clarity will have you gazing in awe at its clarity.

Features:

• Watch TV, movies and games in superb High Definition detail with the 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution
• Enjoy images with impressive depth and clarity, optimal contrast, vibrant colours and truer-to life tones with BRAVIA ENGINE 3
• Enjoy vibrant pictures on screen with optimal colour purity thanks to Live Colour. You can select one of the four options, Off, Low, Mid, and High, to adjust colour vividness for optimal image quality.
• Experience deep blacks even in the darkest scenes thanks to the Advanced Contrast Enhancer Easily switch the picture and sound settings to best suit what you’re watching with one-touch Scene Select on the remote control for the most atmospheric, dynamic and realistic results.
• With a variety of Eco Settings including the Light Sensor to automatically adjust screen brightness depending on the ambient light levels in your room, we can help you to reduce energy consumption and be friendly to the environment
• If you enjoy watching films then this is the TV for you – view movies exactly how the director intended with 24p True Cinema
• 60000:1 dynamic contrast ratio – black levels are deeper for richer, more realistic colour representation
• When you are not watching TV, turn it into a digital picture frame with Picture Frame Mode. Fill the black hole in your living room by using your TV to display your own pictures or the pre-installed images
• Experience the effect of digital surround sound from only two front speakers with our advanced S-Force Front Surround technology
• Alter the volume of voices without changing the background volume with Voice Zoom
• Enjoy all the video, music and photo content from your computer on your TV with DLNA home networking technology View information from the internet on screen while watching TV with Applicast.
• Pre-installed services include a series of handy widgets such as an Analogue Clock and a Calendar, and in the future you can download even more
• Four HDMI™ inputs (two on rear, two on side, all with CEC) make it simple to connect to High Definition sources such as Blu-ray Disc™ and PLAYSTATION®3
• Share your favourite photos, music or videos on the big screen with the easy-to-use USB Media Player

More Info:

Sony website

Access over 140 free TV and radio channels. This Sony BRAVIA TV has an integrated satellite tuner to receive freesat so you won’t need a set-top box or cables cluttering your room. freesat [...]]]> The Sony Bravia KDL-52W5810 is a 52 inch Widescreen Full HD 1080p LCD TV with Freesat and Freeview tuners launched in October 2009.

Access over 140 free TV and radio channels. This Sony BRAVIA TV has an integrated satellite tuner to receive freesat so you won’t need a set-top box or cables cluttering your room. freesat is available in 98% of UK households, and includes over 70 hours a week of free HD TV from the BBC and ITV, with no subscription or contract. It’s the easy way to enjoy fully immersive satellite HD TV.

World time, music, photos and films – whatever you want to look at, you can do it all with the built-in home networking technologies. Select movies stored on your DLNA-enabled PC, and watch them on the big screen at the touch of the button or simply plugging in your favourite digital devices.

Experience picture so fluid and life-like, it’s like seeing a movie from the best seat in the cinema. Viewing is smooth and sharp: you won’t get any blur. There’s something to keep the whole household happy.

Features:

• Watch TV, movies and games in superb High Definition detail with the 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution
• View fast-moving images, such as sports or action movies, with life-like smoothness and sharper detail thanks to Motionflow 100Hz with Image Blur Reduction technology
• Enjoy images with impressive depth and clarity, optimal contrast, vibrant colours and truer-to life tones with BRAVIA ENGINE 3
• Enjoy vibrant pictures on screen with optimal colour purity thanks to Live Colour. You can select one of the four options, Off, Low, Mid, and High, to adjust colour vividness for optimal image quality.
• Experience deep blacks even in the darkest scenes thanks to the Advanced Contrast Enhancer Easily switch the picture and sound settings to best suit what you’re watching with one-touch Scene Select on the remote control for the most atmospheric, dynamic and realistic results.
• With a variety of Eco Settings including the Light Sensor to automatically adjust screen brightness depending on the ambient light levels in your room, we can help you to reduce energy consumption and be friendly to the environment
• If you enjoy watching films then this is the TV for you – view movies exactly how the director intended with 24p True Cinema
• 100000:1 dynamic contrast ratio – black levels are deeper for richer, more realistic colour representation
• When you are not watching TV, turn it into a digital picture frame with Picture Frame Mode. Fill the black hole in your living room by using your TV to display your own pictures or the pre-installed images
• Experience the effect of digital surround sound from only two front speakers with our advanced S-Force Front Surround technology Alter the volume of voices without changing background volume with Voice Zoom
• Enjoy all the video, music and photo content from your computer on your TV with DLNA home networking technology
• View information from the internet on screen while watching TV with Applicast™. Pre-installed services include a series of handy widgets such as an Analogue Clock and a Calendar, and in the future you can download even more
• Four HDMI™ inputs (two on rear, two on side, all with CEC) make it simple to connect to High Definition sources such as Blu-ray Disc™ and PLAYSTATION®3

More Info:

Sony website

Super smooth and pin sharp, this BRAVIA LCD TV is a sight to behold. Beneath its sleek draw the LINE design lies a masterful set up ready to deliver a mind blowing [...]]]> The Sony Bravia KDL-52Z5800 is a 52-inch Widescreen Full HD 1080p LCD TV with Freesat and Freeview tuners built in launched in October 2009.

Super smooth and pin sharp, this BRAVIA LCD TV is a sight to behold. Beneath its sleek draw the LINE design lies a masterful set up ready to deliver a mind blowing sound and picture experience. Fused with the latest eco-aware features, BRAVIA’s sharpest picture ever saves energy too. Access over 140 free TV and radio channels. This Sony BRAVIA TV has an integrated satellite tuner to receive freesat so you won’t need a set-top box or cables cluttering your room. freesat is available in 98% of UK households, and includes over 70 hours a week of free HD TV from the BBC and ITV, with no subscription or contract. It’s the easy way to enjoy fully immersive satellite HD TV.

Watch your favourite sports and fast-paced action movies in the clearest, most vibrant motion ever created. Now you can enjoy the most realistic and detailed viewing experience of your life thanks to Sony’s pioneering technology – without even a blur, so you never miss a second. With next generation HD picture enhancement technology, this TV has it all. Soak up rich colour, deep contrast and the finest clarity, so astonishingly lifelike you’ll feel like you’re right in the middle of the action. Vibrant colours and our deepest ever blacks will take your breath away.

Features:

• Full HD 1080 – watch sports, movies and games in superb High Definition detail with the 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution
• USB Media Player – share your favourite photos, music and videos stored in any USB-enabled device on the big screen
• BRAVIA Sync – control your entire home cinema set-up with just one click on the TV remote and access the menus on compatible devices such as Handycam camcorders
• Scene Select – easily switch the picture and sound settings to best suit what you’re watching with one-touch of the Scene button on the remote control for the most atmospheric, dynamic and realistic results
• Motionflow 200Hz with IB reduction – for the smoothest on screen motion and most detailed fast-moving images
• BRAVIA ENGINE 3 – view images with impressive detail, optimal contrast, and truer-to-life colour tones
• Live Colour Creation – coupled with a WCG-CCFL backlight to display the most vibrant and natural colours
• 100000:1 dynamic contrast ratio – black levels are deeper for richer, more realistic colour representation
• 10 Bit Panel – when combined with WCG-CCFL backlight and Live Colour Creation this delivers pictures of beautiful natural quality, with incredibly smooth transitions between dark and light shades of colour
• DLNA connectivity – easily access the video, music and photo content on any connected compatible device in your home and display it in HD on the big screen by simply using your TV remote
• AppliCast – a series of network applications can be easily accessed when your BRAVIA is connected to the Internet – including an RSS reader that gives you up-to-the-minute headlines
• Four HDMI inputs – (two on rear, two on side, all with CEC) connect to High Definition sources such as Blu-ray Disc and PLAYSTATION3

More Info:

Sony website

Picture of innovation: Our stunning picture quality reaches a whole new dynamic level. Experience true colour that comes alive in Full HD, and start home networking with all your digital devices to open up [...]]]> The Sony Bravia KDL-46V5810 is a 46-inch Widescreen Full HD 1080p LCD TV with Integrated Freesat and Freeview launched in October 2009.

Picture of innovation: Our stunning picture quality reaches a whole new dynamic level. Experience true colour that comes alive in Full HD, and start home networking with all your digital devices to open up endless entertainment possibilities. All this and it conserves energy too.

Enjoy free HD TV with built-in freesat: Access over 140 free TV and radio channels. This Sony BRAVIA TV has an integrated satellite tuner to receive freesat so you wont need a set-top box or cables cluttering your room. freesat is available in 98% of UK households, and includes over 70 hours a week of free HD TV from the BBC and ITV, with no subscription or contract. Its the easy way to enjoy fully immersive satellite HD TV.

See another way: Watch all your favourite shows in stunning HD detail. Like a window to your favourite stars, enhanced contrast, advanced colour reproduction and even crisper clarity will have you gazing in awe at its clarity.

Features:

• Watch TV, movies and games in superb High Definition detail with the 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution
• Enjoy images with impressive depth and clarity, optimal contrast, vibrant colours and truer-to life tones with BRAVIA ENGINE 3
• Enjoy vibrant pictures on screen with optimal colour purity thanks to Live Colour. You can select one of the four options, Off, Low, Mid, and High, to adjust colour vividness for optimal image quality.
• Experience deep blacks even in the darkest scenes thanks to the Advanced Contrast Enhancer
• Easily switch the picture and sound settings to best suit what you’re watching with one-touch Scene Select on the remote control for the most atmospheric, dynamic and realistic results.
• With a variety of Eco Settings including the Light Sensor to automatically adjust screen brightness depending on the ambient light levels in your room, we can help you to reduce energy consumption and be friendly to the environment
• If you enjoy watching films then this is the TV for you – view movies exactly how the director intended with 24p True Cinema
• 60000:1 dynamic contrast ratio – black levels are deeper for richer, more realistic colour representation
• When you are not watching TV, turn it into a digital picture frame with Picture Frame Mode. Fill the black hole in your living room by using your TV to display your own pictures or the pre-installed images
• Experience the effect of digital surround sound from only two front speakers with our advanced S-Force Front Surround technology
• Four HDMI™ inputs (two on rear, two on side, all with CEC) make it simple to connect to High Definition sources such as Blu-ray Disc™ and PLAYSTATION®3

More Info:

Sony website