The long awaited PVR from Humax the HDR-FOX T2 Twin Freeview High Definition 500GB recorder is slowly coming into stock at major retailers but is selling out fast.

Short review and product details here

We will try to keep pace with availablity over the next few weeks:

Philips have released a software upgrade for thier HDT8520 Freeview+ HD personal video recorder.

The update v4.22 includes improvement in EPG usability and the following

• 1.1. Channel change from EPG is now possible with ‘OK’ key
• 1.2. Red key is used for Record, Green key for Day- and Yellow key for Day+
• 1.3. Toggle between evening and now with blue button in EPG
• 1.4. Faster scrolling in EPG with P+/P- which allows Page up/Page down
• Improvement in PVR feedback
• 2.1. Pop up to confirm deletion of favourite lists
• 2.2. Pop-up to warn that HDD is full
• 2.3. Display of AD icon in zap banner when Audio Description is available
• 2.4. Pop-up to confirm deletion of records from the library
• Improvement in recording/playback/Time Shift Buffer feedback
• 3.1. Scheduled recordings are arranged by date
• 3.2. In the Guide, channels on which recordings are ongoing are displayed in red
• 3.3. Front panel displays the name of the event in playback and Time Shift Buffer mode
• 3.4. All items in the scheduled recording menu which are on going are displayed in red
• 3.5. Pressing stop during playback of a recording brings up the current recordings window and asks you which ones to stop, rather than just stop playback – Help text has been modified to provide better feedback
• 3.6. Direct Fast rewind from live state is possible
• 3.7. In the Guide, when a program is scheduled for recording, its alternate programs are no longer shown in red

Improvement in PVR state management

Directly switching to Standby from Menu/EPG is now possible

However, this update will not enable the box to transcode Dolby Digital 5.1 on BBC HD broadcasts. A further fix will be issued in September to address that specific problem.

You can download the V4.22 software upgrade from the Philips website now.

Latest prices and review here

Amazon.co.uk are offering an additional 10% of some of their normal published prices by inputting a discount code this weekend. The offer does cover some TV’s with Freeview HD built in and Freeview HD set top boxes and is well worth checking out. The offers expires  at 23:59 BST on Wednesday September 1st and amazon are not known to ever extend them! The offer only applies to products sold directly by amazon and not from their 3rd party suppliers or the amazon market place.

The special offer can be found here: amazon.co.uk

The Freeview HD iPhone app has been updated with support for the latest iPhone 4 operating system. Amongst the new features in this update you can add programme reminders directly into your calendar, email friends with programme details and TV listings now extend for 10 days.

• Share with Friends
  With a simple touch of a button you can send emails to your friends showing them programmes that they may be interested in.
• Programme alternative dates/times
  See alternative dates and times for when your favourite programmes are on so you never miss out.
• Scroll through days
  The ability to scroll 10 days ahead on any Freeview channel so that planning your viewing is easy.
• Programme reminder
  No more reminders written on your hand. See a programme you like and schedule a programme alerts straight to your calendar from the app.
• Data caching offline
  The app will cache content you have viewed, so that it can be used even if reception is lost.

Original Features

• Top 10
  The ‘Top 10’ channel list makes it even easier to keep up to date with the most popular channels.
• Search
  This is a speedy way of finding your favourite programme and discovering whether it’s available in HD. You can also search by category, if you just fancy watching a movie or sport, for example.
• Customise your App
  You can reorder your channels so that your favourites appear first. Simply click and drag each one to where you want it. It’s also easy to customise your listings to your local region.
• If you’re just looking for stunning HD content, our customised ‘HD’ listing shows all the channels and programmes available.
• Take it anywhere
  Once you’ve viewed the listings they’re saved on the page in your phone. That means you can plan your TV even if you don’t have a signal, letting you make the most of your free time.

Best of all the app is free and can be downloaded here Freeview HD iPhone App

The long awaited Freeview HD PVR, the HDR-FOX T2, is shipping to the UK for week commencing the 9th of August.  retailersshould start to receive stock  from the 12th of August.

The Humax HDR-FOX T2 Freeview HD recorder can playback and record the free High Definition TV service offered by Freeview. It features a 500GB hard drive, storing 125 hours of HD video, and roughly double that for standard definition content.

The Humax HDR-FOX T2 Freeview HD recorder will also play back mp3s, photos and video from a USB port or across your home network via Ethernet.

Price at launch is expected to be around £349

Your HD picture might be perfect with Freeview High Definition but the sound might not be all what it seems. You probably would not hear any difference if you are just using your TV’s speakers but if you are pushing the sound from your new Freeview HD set top box or shiny new TV with Freeview HD built in through a 5.1 capable Dolby Digital amplifier or surround system the sound you are hearing is possibly in surround mode but not in true Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.

It transpires that not all the Freeview set-top boxes and TV’s with Freeview HD built in are currently on sale are capable of transcoding the multichannel audio signal being broadcast by the BBC on its HD programmes. The BBC has to provide an audio description service on BBC HD, and to do this it has to use the AAC audio codec present in Freeview HD receivers, rather than Dolby Digital, this is because the main audio is coded as AAC-LC and the audio description as HE-AAC, because the main audio soundtrack and the audio description must use the same encoding family and not all current Freeview HD TVs and set-top boxes can transcode from the AAC format to Dolby Digital so that the AV equipment will be able to understand it. Transcoding will only become mandatory in all Freeview HD products after April 2011.

If your Freeview HD set top box or TV with Freeview HD built in does not support Dolby Digital 5.1 at the moment most are capable of a software upgrade over the air or via USB/Internet in the future.

Ofcom has ruled that the BBC is allowed to limit the availability of its HD Freeview broadcasts to receivers that can control the use of content.

This will still mean you can record HD programmes to your Freeview HD digital recorder but you will not not be able to make another high definition copy of the recording thereby eliminating HD Piracy and protecting the copyright holder. 

This at first might seem restrictive but this is standard practice and the same has been in operation on the Freesat platform since launch. If this was not in place many copyright holders and film distributors would not allow there content to be shown in high definition.

The BBC believes that a minimal level of copy protection would encourage more content owners to free up their material and therefore improve the viewing experience and availability.

No content management restrictions will be placed on standard definition content delivered on the Freeview platform.

Below is a brief outline of the Ofcom statement the full statment can be found on Ofcom website.

Ofcom today agreed to allow the BBC to restrict access to the Electronic Programme Guide for Freeview High Definition (HD) programming. The BBC plans to restrict access to manufacturers of set-top-boxes and integrated Freeview HD TV’s that include copy protection technology. This technology will allow broadcasters to control the multiple copying of HD content and its retransmission over the internet.

Freeview HD is being rolled out in line with the existing digital switchover schedule and will eventually be available to 98.5% of UK households by the end of 2012.

In response to a public consultation on this issue, the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 provided evidence that without a content management framework in place the range of HD content available on the Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT) platform – in particular high value film and drama content – would be compromised.

Ofcom has concluded that the decision to accept the BBC’s request will deliver net benefits to citizens and consumers by ensuring they have access to the widest possible range of HD television content on DTT.

ITV1 HD broadcasting the opening England v USA World Cup inadvertently cut to an advert for car marker Hyundai just before Steven Gerrard scored the opening goal for England in the fourth minute. ITV’s incompetence fail us. The standard definition version of ITV1 did not cut to adverts:

An ITV spokeswoman said:

“A transmission problem temporarily affected ITV1’s HD service during the England/USA match.

“ITV standard definition service continued uninterrupted. We apologise for the interruption in transmission.”

Last year, ITV received more than 1,000 complaints after viewers missed the winning goal in an FA Cup tie between Liverpool and Everton, when the broadcaster cut to an advertising break. Ryan Gosling scored Everton’s winning goal in the 118th minute, after the game had gone into extra time.

ITV boss at the time Michael Grade described it as “inexcusable” and would not happen again.

This must be a major embarrassment for ITV as they have been advertising that this is the first World Cup to be broadcast in High Definition and after the error they seemed to broadcast on ITV1 HD an upscaled version of the Standard Definition feed the same as ITV1.

Watch the howler here:

Freeview HD is on schedule Ofcom have announced today with 50% of the UK population able to receive High Definition broadcasts through their existing TV aerials as promised in time for the 2010 World Cup.

Freeview HD is now available to 50% of the UK population, including homes in Manchester, London, Leeds, Newcastle, Liverpool, Birmingham and the majority of Wales. You can check to see if Freeview HD is available in your area with the Freeview HD Post Code Tool

Households in the coverage areas will be able to watch the World Cup tournament in up to five times more detail than standard definition television via ITV1 HD and the BBC HD channel.

Currently there are four HD channels available on Freeview. These include BBC HD, ITV HD, Channel 4 HD and S4C Clirlun. The BBC will also be launching BBC 1 HD later this year

South Africa 2010 will be the first time that a World Cup has been available in HD to a mass market in the UK, marking the biggest step change since the tournament was first broadcast in colour for the 1970 Mexico World Cup.

Following the football tournament, Freeview HD will continue to roll out in-line with the digital switchover towards the target of 98.5% availability in Britain by the end of 2012.

As recently as two years ago some industry experts said it was impossible to ever get HD on digital terrestrial TV (Freeview), without using more radio airwaves – technically known as spectrum.

This is a finite natural resource, in high demand. And HD is spectrum hungry, demanding roughly four times as much as standard definition. This meant there was not enough bandwidth available to broadcast HD on digital terrestrial TV (DTT).

Against all the odds, Ofcom’s Spectrum Policy Group worked on a complex plan to create the extra room needed for HD on DTT.

Greg Bensberg, who led the team, said:

“Two years ago, the promise of HD on Freeview hung in the balance. HD demanded large amounts of additional spectrum – but there was none to be had.

“Fortunately we identified a way of achieving what many thought was impossible – by reorganising existing TV services and introducing two new technologies – MPEG-4 and DVB-T2. This created enough capacity for five HD channels on Freeview.”

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.