Televisions - Crave at CNET UK

BBC: We may do 1080p on Freeview HD

ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:02:02 +0000

We've been trying to find out which format BBC HD would use on Freeview for some time now -- we were surprised to learn the service could use 1080p

Runco LED projectors Q-750i and Q-750d: Almost certainly excellent, but costly

ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:03:02 +0000

We love video projectors for watching movies, but the problem is those lamps, which don't generally last very long and cost loads to replace. Now Runco thinks it has a solution, albeit a pricey one

Terrestrial 3D TV: A short history

nate.lanxon@cnet.co.uk (Nate Lanxon) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:56:02 +0000

To celebrate the week of 3D TV coming our way on Channel 4 this week, we thought you might enjoy an excursion down memory lane and into the history of terrestrial 3D telly

BBC HD on Freeview: Rolling out across UK in 2010

ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:48:02 +0000

The BBC today announces which regions will get HD services on Freeview. Manchester and most of London will be the first, going live on 2 December

Philips Cinema 21:9 TV: Hands-on photos

ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:33:02 +0000

We've been looking forward to the Philips Cinema 21:9 LCD TV for what seems like aeons, so when it finally arrived, we fired off some photos -- it's exciting stuff...

Head of BBC HD says 'reducing bit rate has no impact on picture quality'

ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:07:02 +0000

In an extraordinary interview with Points of View, the head of BBC HD says there's no evidence that reducing the bit rate has a negative impact on picture quality. Sadly, science disagrees

Sky Player asks permission to spy on you

richard.trenholm@cnet.co.uk (Rich Trenholm) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:07:02 +0000

Sky has sent an email to customers explaining the changes coming with AdSmart, a targeted advertising system that builds a profile on you

Channel 4 3D Week programmes revealed: The Queen, Miley Cyrus and Frankenstein

richard.trenholm@cnet.co.uk (Rich Trenholm) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:21:02 +0000

Channel 4 has revealed the programmes for its 3D Week starting on 16 November. The Queen joins Miley Cyrus, Derren Brown, Jason Voorhees and Baron Frankenstein in three dimensions

BBC banned from using DRM on Freeview HD

ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:10:01 +0000

The BBC proposed a form of DRM on its HD service some time ago, and was roundly criticised for the move. Now it appears Ofcom isn't up for any copy protection either

freesat iPlayer beta service imminent

ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:37:02 +0000

It's not much of a secret that iPlayer was going to turn up on freesat at some point. The good news is, we now know there will be a beta program run at the end of November

Sky+ HD party: Hangover, Harry and Hanks in hi-def

richard.trenholm@cnet.co.uk (Rich Trenholm) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:54:02 +0000

Sky+ HD is offering customers a free film and an M&S voucher to start the high-definition party in December

Win a CNET UK Editors' Choice swag bag worth �1,200!

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:37:02 +0000

We're offering the chance for one lucky chap or chapette to win the cream of the consumer-tech crop: five gadgets that have won the coveted CNET UK Editors' Choice award

LG: OLED panels to be cheaper than LCD displays by 2016

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:37:02 +0000

An LG executive has predicted that OLED panels will be cheaper than LCD ones in seven years, prompting both vigorous stroking of beards and moistening of undergarments

BT Tower of power: World's biggest LED screen set to light up the night

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:41:02 +0000

On Saturday, London's BT Tower will light up like a flaming Christmas tree, thanks to its new LED screen, which will burn our retinas with the power of 1,000 suns

Sky Player on Xbox 360 launch suffers technical problems

ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:30:02 +0000

We were as excited as kids at Disney World when we found out Sky was launching its Sky Player on the Xbox 360 yesterday, but sadly, it was beset with unexplained technical issues

Microsoft wimps out of Family Guy Windows 7 special

nick.hide@cnet.co.uk (Nick Hide) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:37:02 +0000

The software megalith has finally seen sense and decided that having a viciously satirical animation promote its new operating system was a bad idea

BBC HD on Freeview signals shutdown for two 'Red Button' channels

ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:42:02 +0000

The BBC has announced it will close some of its 'Red Button' channels in order to make space for HD programming on Freeview. Wimbledon fans are devastated

Channel 4 to put entire shows on YouTube

nate.lanxon@cnet.co.uk (Nate Lanxon) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:16:02 +0000

Channel 4 and Google have signed a deal to put the station's entire catch-up service on YouTube, for free, ad-supported streaming in the UK

Family Guy to promote Windows 7: Has product placement gone too far?

nate.lanxon@cnet.co.uk (Nate Lanxon) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:44:02 +0000

In November, a special edition of Family Guy will air with the sole purpose of telling the world how awesome Windows 7 is. We discuss whether this is product placement taken too far

Should soap operas be used to encourage people to use the Internet?

nate.lanxon@cnet.co.uk (Nate Lanxon) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:40:01 +0000

More storylines involving the Internet should appear in UK soaps, in an effort to get offline Brits online, says the government's Martha Lane Fox. But are soaps really the right choice?

SpoTV? Spotify TV and phones on the way

richard.trenholm@cnet.co.uk (Rich Trenholm) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:18:01 +0000

Spotify has announced a deal that will bring the music-streaming service to Swedish TVs, as well as Spotify mobile phones

Ukraine v England is first online-only sporting event

richard.trenholm@cnet.co.uk (Rich Trenholm) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:46:02 +0000

Saturday's world cup qualifier between Ukraine and England will be the first major sporting event to be shown solely online. We answer your questions and ask what you think

Freeview retune: What you need to know

richard.trenholm@cnet.co.uk (Rich Trenholm) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:23:02 +0000

Freeview is updating its channel list, so you'll need to retune your television or set-top box. We tell you how, and what's in it for you

Top Gear showing in HD from November

nate.lanxon@cnet.co.uk (Nate Lanxon) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:19:02 +0000

After receiving "several hundred emails", the most popular car show on the planet is now being captured on hi-def cameras, and will be broadcast in the new format from November

CNET UK Editors' Choice winners August 2009

nick.hide@cnet.co.uk (Nick Hide) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:49:02 +0000

August's Editors' Choice awards are rather late, we admit. We can only apologise profusely and hope the outstanding quality of this month's winners will placate you

BBC Freeview DRM: The slightly less inflammatory truth

ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:24:01 +0000

Today has seen some confusion about a BBC proposal to add DRM to Freeview broadcasts. We've managed to sort through the paranoia and get to the truth -- which isn't all that dramatic

LG SL8000, SL9000, LH9000 and LH9500: TVs without borders

richard.trenholm@cnet.co.uk (Rich Trenholm) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 17:49:01 +0000

LG reckons it's breaking down borders with the SL8000, SL9000, LH9000 and LH9500, four new HDTVs from Berlin with love

LG Object AMOLED TV hands-on photos

nate.lanxon@cnet.co.uk (Nate Lanxon) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 13:34:02 +0000

Holy active-matrix organic light-emitting diodes, Batman -- we just saw LG's 15-inch Object AMOLED TV in the flesh, and with a screen depth of just 3mm (0.1-inches) it's almost two-dimensional

Philips: Don't get too excited about 3D

richard.trenholm@cnet.co.uk (Rich Trenholm) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:40:02 +0000

3D this, 3D that... here at IFA it seems everyone is talking about 3D televisions. Philips has a prototype 3D model on display, but it's also offering a welcome warning...

Sony Bravia W5810 and Z5800 TVs: Rockin' in the freesat

rory.reid@cnet.co.uk (Rory Reid) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:03:01 +0000

Fresh from the ovens of IFA, Sony has served up two new Bravia tellies that come with built-in freesat receivers. Behold the W5810 and Z5800!

blinkbox: Top Gear and Doctor Who available for download. Again

ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:44:02 +0000

Video streaming and download site blinkbox has secured content from BBC Worldwide to sell for �1.90 an episode -- including Top Gear and Doctor Who, surprisingly

Explosive idea #146: Sky TV under the British summer sky

ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:26:02 +0000

If you love the outdoors but also enjoy HD movies, you're rather stuck on those balmy summer evenings. Stay in for a film or have a tasty barbecue in the garden? Now you can do both

ITV1 HD coming to Freeview this year

nate.lanxon@cnet.co.uk (Nate Lanxon) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:03:02 +0000

ITV is set to launch an HD channel on Freeview -- the terrestrial broadcast wotsit -- by the end of 2009, bringing hi-def football and 'talent' shows to your telly for free

Microsoft launches free TV service with BBC

nate.lanxon@cnet.co.uk (Nate Lanxon) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 17:19:01 +0000

Free Peep Show? Free Shameless? What about other free stuff from BBC Worldwide? That's what you'll get at MSN Video's new UK TV-streaming Web site, and it went live today

Toshiba Regza 42RV635: Quite possibly the TV you've been waiting for

ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:49:02 +0000

If you want a sensibly priced, 42-inch LCD that does what it's told and shows your favourite TV shows and HD movies without a big song-and-dance, this is the very telly for you

CNET UK Editors' Choice winners July 2009

nick.hide@cnet.co.uk (Nick Hide) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 10:00:00 +0000

Welcome, one and all, to the neverending roadshow of electrical excellence that is the CNET UK Editors' Choice awards! Here's our picks from July

Project Canvas: Five joins BBC and ITV in set-top box IPTV

ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:09:02 +0000

We love the idea that TV might be delivered via the Internet one day. Project Canvas promises to make this possible and frankly, we can't wait

Microsoft to stream popular TV shows for free in UK

nate.lanxon@cnet.co.uk (Nate Lanxon) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:36:02 +0000

Just a week after closing its YouTube rival Soapbox, Microsoft's MSN Video promises to begin streaming full-length BBC Worldwide TV shows, absolutely free to UK users

BBC finds working TV from 1936

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:06:02 +0000

The Big British Castle has tracked down a 73-year-old TV set that still works and is believed to be the oldest working television in the UK

Asus T4T1: Hands-on with the monitor that's also a TV

rory.reid@cnet.co.uk (Rory Reid) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:39:01 +0000

Remember the Asus T1 monitors we wrote about last week? We've just been sent a sample of the 24-inch 24T1 version to play with and have wasted no time putting it through its paces

Photos: Panasonic Viera TX-P46Z1 is wireless 1080p, THX certified and epically cool

ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:19:02 +0000

It's a 1080p plasma TV with an impressive trick up its sleeve -- video is sent without wires to the panel from a separate media box for maximum ownage

LG to produce 32-inch OLED TVs in 2012

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:56:02 +0000

LG Display's chief executive has indicated that it will be at least three years until large OLED TVs from the company hit the market

CNET UK Editors' Choice winners June 2009

rory.reid@cnet.co.uk (Rory Reid,Ian Morris,Jason Jenkins,Flora Graham) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:30:02 +0000

Here's the best products we reviewed in June, earning our monthly awards. Kit from Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Acer feature, along with a certain Apple product. Can you guess which?

Asus T1: Monitors that turn into tellies

richard.trenholm@cnet.co.uk (Rich Trenholm) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:12:02 +0000

Asus launches the T1 series of monitors that are also high-definition TVs with two HDMIs, Freeview tuners and claimed contrast of 20,000:1. What to watch?

Sharp LE600 and LE700 LCD TVs: Full LED backlight, none of this sidelight shenanigans

ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:02:02 +0000

LED backlighting is, without doubt, the future of LCD TVs, adding new levels of black, incredible contrast and realistic colour -- Sharp is keen for us to make the switch with its new range

WirelessHD legal in the UK from Friday

ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 10:36:02 +0000

We love binning horrid tangly wires, so when we found out that from Friday we'd be able to watch 1080p video streamed wirelessly to a TV, we became very excited indeed

Nintendo on TV: Britain's Best Brain on Five

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:55:02 +0000

The console maker is bringing the might of its marketing machine to bear on prime-time TV, as it teams up with Five for a new eight-part show

LG 50PS6000: Rumours of plasma's death greatly exaggerated

ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:28:02 +0000

Are you living in the future? If so, this TV isn't for you, so go back to your 100-inch 3D OLED TV and leave us to our glorious 50-inch plasmas

Freeview HD: Ofcom strikes fear into our HD-loving hearts

ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:07:02 +0000

We love HD -- that shouldn't come as much of a surprise -- but we're very worried indeed about Ofcom's proposals for Freeview HD. Find out why

Sky News HD: Watch the horror and suffering of humanity in glorious high definition

ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:53:02 +0000

From spring 2010 you will finally be able to enjoy a rolling news channel in high definition as Sky launches its Sky News HD channel