TV News

From new developments in technology to special offers and voucher codes - keep up to date with the world of digital TV here.

Make the Most of Sky Anytime+

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Ted

Sky Anytime Plus

There are so many channels to choose from on Sky TV, so why is it we still flick from channel to channel to find something to watch? Perhaps it’s because we know what we want to watch and when we actually want to watch it, but the timing is never right – if this is you, Sky Anytime+ could be the answer.

Sky Anytime+ allows customers to stream a whole load of TV programmes and movies to the Sky box at the touch of a button. So what about the content on there? To begin with, Sky Anytime+ is a free service which is available for Sky TV customers who also have Sky Broadband. Anytime+ can be accessed by pressing ‘TV Guide’ followed by the ‘Anytime’ button (the red button). Unlike the old ‘Anytime’ which provided a smaller selection of movies and TV programmes, Anytime+ has a category bar where you can narrow down a specific genre from a selection of nine choices. These genres include Movies, Documentaries, Sports and Kids, to name a few.

So, if you decide to select the ‘Movies’ tab, the genres are then broken down further (into 10 boxes) to help you find which type of movie you are looking for. For instance, you can choose from ‘Most Popular’ to ‘Box Sets.’ Alternatively, if you fancy browsing the entire library, you can even opt to do that.

Once you decide on which movie you would like to watch, accessing the movie is also very easy to do. All you have to do is press the ‘record’ button on your Sky remote control; this will then transfer the movie by downloading it into your ‘Planner’. It makes you wonder, with so much choice, whether you ever to rush out to rent a DVD from your local store when you have access to this many movies, from new to old, at the touch of a button.

With so many movies to choose from (over 600) those with young children may be worried that they may have access to films which are unsuitable for them – worry not. The usual parental controls exist for Anytime+ hence you can ‘lock’ any programmes/movies which you deem inappropriate for younger viewers.

All this considered, Anytime+ is obviously a major bonus for any Sky TV customer. If you are a Sky TV customer but don’t currently have Sky Broadband it would be worth looking into getting it in order to make the most of Anytime+ – make sure you get Broadband Unlimited though as everything you download to watch counts towards your monthly limit on Everyday Lite.

Good news for Virgin TV customers too as last year Sky Anytime+ vbecame available on Virgin’s top TV package XL as part of the on-demand offering (coupled with TV Choice XL it’s hard to beat for choice).

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Smart TVs – All You Need to Know

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Ted

3D TVs were the phenomenon of 2010, followed by Smart TVs in 2011, but how much do you actually know about them? A Smart TV is a TV which has the ability to connect to the internet by itself, giving you access to features you are more used to using on a mobile phone or laptop. Smart TVs are available in LCD, Plasma and LED and come in various sizes, many of them with Freeview HD built-in.

Features of a Smart TV

With a Smart TV you can download apps, similar to an Android phone or an iPhone – the kind of apps available including gambling apps, Catch-UP TV, movie apps and social networking. Other common apps include Skype, You Tube, Love Film and BBC iPlayer – the particular beauty of Skype on a TV is that it enables you to make a video call on the big screen- all you need to do is plug in a webcam to the USB port on the TV.

Connecting to the Internet

On a Smart TV you will find an ethernet port which allows you to connect to your broadband using a cable. Many Smart TVs are Wi-Fi ready too, so you can buy an optional wireless dongle which plugs directly into the TV and picks up your home Wi-Fi broadband. The more expensive Smart TVs have Wi-Fi capability already built in, so no need for the dongle.

Smart TV Remote Control

You’ll get a remote control with your Smart TV, as you’d expect with a TV, but with top end models from Samsung you would receive a touch remote – this has a small LCD screen which even allows you to watch a different channel to the one on the main TV. Additionally, you can use your Android device or Smart Phone as a remote control on some Smart TVs.

Other Features Available on a Smart TV

Smart TVs feature DLNA Digital Living Network Alliance technology – in basic terms, DNLA is a piece of technology which enables a wide selection of devices and gadgets to ‘communicate’ with each other, a bit like Bluetooth. In turn, this means they offer you the option to send music or photos to your television wirelessly from your mobile phone.

Access to the Internet from your Smart TV

Cheaper Smart TVs will not have an internet browser included so you would not be able to surf the internet as you would on a laptop, you would only be able to access apps. On the other hand, expensive Smart TVs will include a browser enabling you to surf pretty much any site from the comfort of your sofa.

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Get Free ESPN for a Weekend of Sport

Posted on January 25, 2012 by digital-tv-advice

ESPN

Calling sports fans – if you’re a Sky TV customer or your TV service is Freeview get ready for the first weekend in February when you’ll be able to watch sports channel ESPN absolutely free. It’s all thanks to a deal between ESPN and Nokia to promote the Nokia Lumia and it means free access for all satellite and Freeview viewers from 6am on Friday 3rd to 6am on Monday 6th February – the Freeview element means that customers of BT Vision and Top Up TV will also get the deal.

They’ve picked a good weekend too as there’s a range of decent events on the schedule, from Premier League action to boxing to basketball, so there’s a good chance a lot of sports fans are going to really enjoy this and be tempted to subscribe – surely the intention… more on how to do that below.

What’s on over the free weekend?

Here’s a rundown of the highlights on ESPN’s free weekend…

Football

The weekend kicks off with Nuremberg v Dortmund in the Bundesliga at 7.30 on the Friday and there’s a good helping of European games on with French and Italian fixtures over the weekend too. The big double bill on the Saturday is Fulham v Man City in the Barclays Premier League at 4.30 on Saturday followed by Italian Serie A excitement with Roma v Inter Milan at 7.45pm.

Boxing

In the middle of the night at 3am you can watch the UFC143 welterweight fight between Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit live from Vegas. This was originally to be Diaz v George St Pierre but he had to pull out following a knee injury.

Basketball

If you follow NBA basketball this is a major game – the New York Knicks at the Boston Celtics can be seen at 1am on Sat 4th, so something to round off your Friday night if you have the staying power perhaps.

How to Get ESPN

So what to do if you love the free weekend so much you can’t bear to be without ESPN? If you’re a Virgin Media customer you get ESPN included in the XL package, so adding the channel is simply a case of upgrading to TV XL. On Sky you can add ESPN as you would any other premium channel – it costs £9 a month if you’re a Sky Sports subscriber and £12 a month if you’re not.

Top Up TV is a Freeview-based service that allows you to pay a monthly fee for a card or adaptor which enables you to receive channels like ESPN and Sky Sports 1 and 2 on Freeview – without a subscription to Top Up or BT Vision you’ll find the channel on the Freeview EPG but it will be blocked. ESPN on Top Up TV costs £10.99 a month with no contract – you just take it a month at a time.

Finally, here are the highlights of the free weekend:

  • Fri 3rd Feb
  • 19:30 – LIVE Bundesliga: Nuremberg v Dortmund
  • Sat 4th Feb
  • 01:00 – LIVE NBA New York @ Boston
  • 16.30 – LIVE Barclays Premier League: Manchester City v Fulham
  • 19:45 – LIVE Serie A: Roma v Inter Milan
  • Sun 6th Feb
  • 03:00 – LIVE UFC 143 Condit v Diaz
  • 11:30 – LIVE Serie A: Genoa v Lazio
  • 13:45 – LIVE Serie A: Fiorentina v Udinese
  • 16:45 – LIVE Bundesliga: Kaiserslauern v Cologne
  • 19:15 – LIVE Serie A: AC Milan v Napoli

Enjoy!

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Higher Speeds on the Way For Virgin Customers

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Ted

Virgin Broadband

As of February Virgin Media will be doubling the speed of their broadband service, a development which will benefit over 4 million Virgin customers. The upgrade means that Virgin Media’s maximum broadband speed looks to increase to 120Mbps from 100Mbps at an overall cost to the company of £110 million and looks set to be complete by the middle of 2013.

Even Prime Minister David Cameron commented on the proposal, stating that it would be a great boost for the UK in terms of the economy as well as how businesses, consumers and households use the internet. The government has targets in place to build on and improve broadband speeds over the next 3 years in order to further develop the infrastructure in the UK as well as enhance a new and ‘smarter’ economy.

So what does this mean for Virgin Customers? Those customers who currently receive 10Mbps will now receive 20MBps, similarly customers who receive 20 or 30Mbps, will now be boosted to 60Mbps. Those currently on a 50Mbps service will be upped to 100Mbps and those receiving the top tariff of 100Mbps will be increased to the new maximum 120Mbps. Virgin Media have added that they will also double usage limits – customers will get this upgrade at no extra charge and those customers who have older modems will be sent new equipment, also at no cost. The question which still remains is how Virgin TV will tackle rural areas, as at present Virgin tend to cover urban areas only.

As for competitor BT, they had suggested that they were going to invest approx £2.5 billion in order to make fibre optic broadband available to around two thirds of homes in the UK by the end of 2015. Since promising this, BT has actually further invested £300 million in order to bring that goal forward, making it the end of 2014. They have promised major improvements to many homes, adding that broadband as quick as 300Mbps will be available to a certain amount of ‘superfast’ locations. With regards to Virgin’s plans, BT noted that they are by no means surprised that Virgin are ‘following their lead’ in the hope to double broadband speeds.

The UK only ranks number 35 globally when it comes to broadband download speed – 11.65Mbps on average. Virgin Media stated that when this new development has been completed they expect this average to increase to approx 16.46Mbps. If this turns out to be true then the UK will be ranked 19th in the world.

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F1 is Coming to Sky TV

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Ted

Formula 1 Sky Sports Deal

If you are anything like us you will agree that the announcement that Sky TV is to have its own Formula 1 channel will fill you with glee. Taking nothing away from other channels that cover the sport, it is nice to see that motorsport has finally been given some of the attention that football gets, Sky always having prided itself in being able to offer its customers the best sports channels. The announcement reminds us we haven’t got long to wait now for the high octane fun to start – drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button have scores to settle from last years season so they will be fired up this year (like with any sport we have our favourites, but I am sure that Lewis and Jenson will be at the top of the list for support among the British public).

Existing sport channels offer everything sport-related but never showed any F1 races. The new channel will be offering 10 races from around the world including countries like Britain, Germany, Monaco and the USA to name just a few. The 2012 Formula 1 season will have 20 races split between the BBC and the Sky F1 channel so we will have a new set of commentators to get used to; the Sky team will consist of Martin Brundle, a well known motorsports figure, along with Anthony Davidson and David Croft. It has also been announced that Damon Hill will be joining the team which will please his fans (Damon Hill raced as a F1 driver throughout the nineties and had major success, so he will be able to offer a professional drivers eye on this years championship). This kind of commentator is invaluable as we will get to hear what it is like from a driver’s point of view which will really enhance the viewing experience.

Formula 1 has gained even more popularity over the years as it is more than just a sport; there are teams to follow and individual driver performances to take note of. Formula 1 visits some of the most exclusive countries in the world, so we get to sit back at home and experience the jet set life style from the comfort of our arm chairs. Sky is not only bringing us a Formula 1 channel, they are also offering it on HD so we will be able to enjoy all the glitz and glamour with a crystal clear picture. It has been announced that the channel will be available through Virgin TV too, so access won’t be limited. It looks like we can now really look forward to a very exciting season ahead.

The Sky Formula 1 channel will be launching in March.

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A Brief Guide to HD TV

Posted on January 21, 2012 by Ted

Sky HD Upgrade

You have to have been living on another planet if you have not yet come across HD TV, either seeing a friend’s TV or from the advertising campaigns Sky and Virgin Media have been running. With so many of us going HD mad, others are left not really knowing what HD TV actually provides – if this is the case for you, let us explain:

High Definition or HD provides viewers with a picture in higher resolution than standard TV broadcasts, in actual fact the clarity of the picture is five times that of a normal broadcast.

A colour television consists of groups of tiny blue, green and red dots (otherwise known as sub pixels) and the clarity of a picture relates to the amount of pixels present. A normal television picture consist of 720 x 576 pixels (approximately half a million points of light), by contrast an HD picture consists of 1920 x 1080 pixels (more than 2 million points of light).

If you decide to subscribe to Sky HD, you will find there are a number of key benefits from watching programmes in HD, for instance you’ll find the sound quality superior too and you’ll notice that the picture is much sharper and colours so much more vibrant. Also bear in mind that Sky TV offers the largest range of HD channels (over 50) in the UK – Virgin Media offer a lot less but HD comes as standard on Virgin TV packages so if you only want the main channels like BBC and ITV in HD that can be better value.

If you are thinking about getting an HD TV package there are a number of things that you will need to be aware of.

  • To begin with you will need to have an HD ready TV – if you are not sure if your TV is HD ready, then look out for the logo ‘HD ready’ which will be visible somewhere on the set.
  • You need a digital TV box that is HD compatible like the Sky+HD, Virgin TiVo, BT Vision+ boxes or a Freeview HD box. As an example (as they give you the biggest selection of HD channels)the Sky+HD box is a digital receiver and video recorder, all rolled into one. Once you are connected to your HD TV, you will be able to watch both normal definition programmes as well as HD programmes and the box has the capability of storing around sixty hours of HD television (or around 185 hours of normal television). You can record two programmes at a time with the Sky+HD box (three at a time with Virgin TiVo) and with both you can use your mobile phone or the web to record programmes remotely.
  • If you’re going for Sky HD you need the HD pack, an ‘add on’ available from Sky TV costing £10.25 per month, which provides you with access to the HD channels. These channels include documentaries, sports, movies, drama and the arts, although most sports and movies channels require you to take Sky Sports or Sky Movies as extra add-ons.

You may be aware that HD can come in different formats – 720p, 1080p and 1080i – the best quality format for HD broadcast in the UK is 1080i (Sky HD supports 1080i as well as 720p).

Some people believe that the digital switchover will provide them with HD channels automatically, which is not the case – the switchover will simply switch off the analogue television signal leaving only digital television channels and is in no way linked to automatic HD broadcasting. You can get HD channels free on Freeview HD but you need to invest in the box and of course have an HD ready TV too.

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TV with Built-In Internet

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Ted

Internet TVs

Internet TVs (otherwise known as ‘Smart TVs’) have an in-built internet connection which means you do not have to add anything to your TV to enjoy online content and web browsing on a big screen, and many internet TVs come with Wi-Fi, so there is no need to have messy wires coming out of the back of the telly. Bear in mind the web element of these TVs is purely an additional feature – you can use it for web or for standard TV, so it won’t stop working if your broadband connection is down.

A question many will ask is why would you want to use an internet TV? Well there are some simple answers to this…

  • You can use the big screen on your internet TV, to chat on Facebook while at the same time watch your favourite Virgin TV channel and not have to get your laptop
  • Find out some information about your favourite actress while you continue to watch a movie on LOVEFilm and you do not have to pause it or miss any part of it.
  • Show your friends a new You Tube clip you have come across without having to pass around your iPhone or crowd around your PC.

If you have decided to buy an internet TV these are the features that you need to look out for:

  • TV Specification Although you are going to buy a television for its internet abilities, bear in mind the other aspects which are important on a TV. For example, resolution, picture quality, screen size, responsiveness and audio. Additionally, devices which are LAN compliant (Local Area Network) are usually the best. This feature enables you to access other files from different devices which are also connected by LAN.
  • Internet Choose a Smart TV which has in-built Wi-Fi capabilities. Although internet TVs have internet access, remember that each one has different number of websites which are accessible more easily thanks to apps. Equally, look into what apps each brand of TV offers, as this is crucial as not all brands offer the same apps – if you want access to Facebook or Twitter then make sure the TV you choose has these apps available. The best choice would be a system which has apps already installed by the manufacturer but also allows you to buy additional apps of your choice, as not all Smart TVs have this additional option.
  • Help and Support It is good to have access to various support networks should you experience any difficulties with your new TV or simple have any questions that need answering. Telephone and Email contact are the basic form of support that you should expect. Ideally, look out for live chat facilities where you can speak to tech support and also access to community forums.

With all this in mind, you can enjoy having internet access, on a large screen, from the comfort of your armchair. Enjoy the experience even more by making sure that you choose the correct internet TV with browsing facilities and Apps that are suitable for you, as well as enhanced picture quality.

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3D TV – A Guide

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Ted

Samsung 3D TV

If you have decided to buy a 3D TV then it is well worth doing some research first to make sure that you make the correct choice when picking your 3D TV – use this guide to help you get started:

So, you already have Sky TV or Virgin TV and now you need to find out which type of 3D TV you should buy. There are two kinds of 3D TV, which are based around the kind of glasses used.

Active Shutter

This is the most popular type of 3D TV and is produced by brands such as Panasonic, Sony and Samsung, to name a few. The glasses are synchronised through an infrared signal and this cuts off the image in the eyes; essentially it plays a trick on the brain, making it see 3D.

Passive 3D

This type of 3D TV is usually built by LG. Although these TV’s have some similarities to Active Shutter TVs, their technology is similar to that used in cinema screens. This system filters the light, causing each eye to see a somewhat different image. In turn, this creates an illusion of depth.

So what are the pros and cons of either of these two TVs?

Positives

  • Active Shutter: Although the 3D glasses are more expensive, these TV’s portray complete HD resolution (1080p) images, therefore the image is of a superior quality, similar to that of standard HD TV.
  • Passive 3D: These TV’s are not only more compatible, but they are also not as expensive. Viewers can use any glasses, regardless of manufacturer, on these TV’s. Finally, the glasses do not require batteries and are cheaper to purchase.

Negatives

  • Active Shutter The glasses for these TV’s are more expensive and are battery operated so batteries require replacement or recharging. Additionally, the glasses only tend to work with the same brand of TV and are not universal.
  • Passive 3D The image quality is poorer.

When it comes to assessing image quality on a 3D TV, there are two aspects to bear in mind:

  • A specific 3D camera is used to created content in 3D. This camera takes two somewhat different shots of the same subject, each from a different angle. These two images are then placed upon each other- this creates the effect of 3D. When these two images fail to match up properly, the 3D TV will suffer with ‘cross talk’. The result of this is ‘ghosting’ upon the screen. Before purchasing a 3D TV, take time to ensure that the images are clear and crisp and do not display ghosting.
  • To get the best of a 3D TV, you need to view it directly on. This is particularly important should you decide to purchase an active shutter TV, as these systems send the 3D glasses an infra-red signal. If you are not sat at an appropriate angle, the signal can be lost. Spend time walking around the television wearing the glasses to make sure that the infra-red signal is being received properly.
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Benefits of the Virgin TiVo Box – A Reminder

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Ted

Virgin TiVo

As more households are getting the Virgin TiVo box installed, either as new customers or getting their box upgraded, it’s time for a reminder of some of the benefits of the service.

The TiVo Box Itself:

The TiVo box comes with two different storage capacities: 500GB or 1TB. The 500 GB box allows you to store up to fifty hours of HD television and approximately 250 hours of normal television and the 1TB box enables you to record up to 100 hours of HD television or 500 hours of normal television. Convenience is king with TiVo – you can set the box to record programmes remotely using your mobile or online, something that Sky have offered for a while. If you find yourself in a situation where you want to watch something different from somebody else, then Virgin TV provide you the option to record two different programmes simultaneously whilst watching a third programme. Additionally, if you are watching something pre-recorded, you can record three other programmes at the same time. Should you accidently delete a programme then fear not, it is not lost forever as the TiVo box stores recently deleted recordings for you as well.

The Channels:

If you can’t tear yourself away from your favourite Sky channels, then that is not a problem as you can keep them with Virgin TV. Channels such as Sky Sports, Sky Movies and Sky1 HD can be watched on Virgin TV (although Sports and Movies require an extra monthly subscription) and an added bonus of Virgin is that you do not have to pay any additional monthly amount to watch up to seventeen channels in HD as HD comes as standard on all packages.

Catch Up:

If you miss a programme then you can ‘catch up’ on it at no extra cost. All programmes which were part of the ‘pick of the week’ from the previous week are available to watch for seven days.

Apps:

The TiVo box allows you access to many popular internet Apps including YouTube, Spotify, Twitter, EBay and BBC iPlayer, so if somebody else is hogging the laptop, you can still enjoy these popular sites through your television. The TiVo box has its own connection to fibre optic broadband (up to 10MB), so your normal internet connection will not be affected.

On Demand:

Virgin TV offer an On Demand service where you can access a huge library of your favourite Movies, Music and TV programmes in general. You can watch old classics as well as the latest releases; additionally many films are available to watch on the same day that they are released on DVD. Similar to a DVD, you have the option to rewind, play and pause programmes. If you know what you are looking for then simply ‘search’ for it, otherwise browse by genre.

WishList:

It is so frustrating when you miss the beginning of a new series of something you watch regularly as you didn’t know it was back on. Luckily TiVo has a solution to this problem. There is a ‘WishList’ service available which will record your favourite series for you automatically. All you have to do is create a ‘WishList’ of the shows that you love to watch and sit back and relax and let TiVo take it from there. You needn’t worry about missing your favourite show again.

Virgin packages start from just £20 a month plus line rental of £13.90, and although there are no current Virgin Media voucher codes there are always special offers, at the time of writing that’s in the form of 3 months free.

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Sky TV Comes a Long Way Since 1990

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Ted

Sky TV

Today Sky TV is an integral part of many of our lives, and although Sky feels like it has been around for forever we have to remember it was only founded in 1990. Back then, Sky Television and British Satellite Broadcasting were two separate entities that merged and became known as BSkyB, and today the company is the largest subscription broadcaster in the UK with over 10 million subscribers. In the early days of Sky, customers had a dish placed on their homes and a receiver connected to their main television in the house – today we have small black mesh dishes on our homes, which are much more discrete compared to the grey satellite dish issued back then. The basic system is something Sky still uses today, however lots of things have changed quite dramatically over the last 22 years.

Back in the nineties, SES Astra launched its Astra satellite with 4 transponders, of which Sky became the first customer. Sky was able to use this satellite to enlarge its service with the use of the same satellite dish. Through the nineties, Sky television was building its market share as they offered a great number of channels, then in 1998 Astra launched another satellite, ‘Astra 2A’, which orbited in a different position to the previous Astra satellite, enabling Sky TV to release its all new digital service. This development gave Sky the potential to introduce hundreds of channels, all to the same box via one satellite.

Today we now see live TV that can be paused or recorded as and when we wish and we have access to hundreds of channels from around the world covering all kinds of tastes and interests. In 2011 Sky announced that they going to reshuffle the order in which channels were positioned, giving HD channels and other popular channels a prime spot on the listings. The look of Sky in 2012 is one of pure genius as we have a fully interactive TV service that can offer us a phone line and broadband connection too – Sky have also managed to integrate their services so subscribers to Sky Television, along with Sky Broadband, will have access to Sky’s Anytime service which offers a full library of TV programmes to suit all tastes. Like with anything, these products and services come at a cost, but the basic Sky+ package for £20 a month (plus line rental) offers great value, and while there are no current Sky voucher codes there are always deals and offers to choose from, such as a £25 M&S voucher for example.

Sky is not alone in the digital TV market place as rivals like Virgin TV offer a similar stack of products and services. Virgin’s main difference is that they are a cable network, so the way in which it is delivered to your home is different. Like Sky, Virgin has phone and broadband packages to choose from. Looking back at Sky’s legacy only makes us wonder – What is going to happen in the next 20 years? We have already seen massive developments in 3D TV, so we will have to wait and see what comes next.

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