Discovery
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Cox adds five HD channels to Las Vegas lineup
The giving just keeps on spreading, and that's just the way we like it. Shortly after Northern Virginia got hooked up with 11 new high-definition options, it looks like Sin City has been blessed with five of its own. Reportedly, TLC HD, HGTV HD, Food Network HD, Discovery HD and CW HD landed in Cox's Las Vegas, Nevada region, and have been assigned to channels 722, 723, 724, 727 and 734, respectively. According to AVSForum members residing in Vegas, the channels were supposed to go live yesterday, so for those who've had a chance to check it out, did Cox deliver?[Thanks, D2point0]
Insight cable customers get six new HD channels, NFL Network included
Over a year after Insight Communications launched its InsightDigital 2.0 service and threw in a trio of HD channels to boot, the cable company is now giving its loyal customers five more high-definition options along with the Digital 3.0 upgrade. Reportedly, users can now tune into Discovery, Animal Planet, The Learning Channel (TLC), TBS, National Geographic and yes, even the NFL Network in glorious HD. The Digital 3.0 package will automatically be available to digital subscribers at no extra cost, but it should be noted that Insight will raise prices in January. Additionally, the operator has nearly doubled its on-demand library and includes VOD channels for HOB, Starz, Showtime, Cinemax and The Movie Channel, but we're still left with no word on any HD VOD plans.
Discovery will launch two new HD channels in January
Discovery's original HD network, HD Theater -- formerly known as Discovery HD Theater -- has always been one of our favorite channels, so anytime we hear that Discovery is going to find a way to bring us more HD, we are thrilled. Discovery's CEO David Zaslav, told TV Week that by getting carriage on these two new channels -- that he failed to name -- now, would be like getting "beach front property," because they'd be providing seven of the thirty or forty HD channels most people have. As much as we love the original HD network from Discovery, we have a hard time getting too excited, after seeing how much stretch-o-vision is on four out of five of the so-called HD channels they have now.[Via SatalliteGuys.us]
Discovery's Meerkat Manor video game announced
And this isn't even a joke. Prepare yourself for Meerkat Manor: The Video Game, as Discovery Communications and Activision join up to make games out of Discovery's nature television shows. No financial terms were disclosed, nor any system announcements or genre types, but the games are expected to flow in the fall of '08. We're hoping Meerkat Manor will be an FPS, but chances are it'll be a sim-style game.Discovery's CEO said the company is trying to move away from being a "cable company" and into becoming a "content company." That seems to be the trend with other cable juggernauts as MTV is in the process of their $500 million spending extravaganza and Turner turns GameTap into an all-purpose gaming site from its smaller games-for-pay beginnings.Update: the source article has been updated with revised details.
Rise of the Videogame documentary impresses
If you missed Discovery Channel's video game documentary's first episode last week, try extra hard not to miss episode two. Rise of the Video Game is actually a pretty solid documentary (so far) with the right interviews, research and b-roll to make an entertaining and informative hour of television. Rock, Paper, Shotgun puts it best by saying, "Rise Of demonstrates a depth of research and work that lifts it above the usually banal, patronizing rubbish that television normally produces on the subject."A good general overview of games before the rise of Nintendo made for a great first episode. The second episode is scheduled for tomorrow at 8PM (with a few repeats sprinkled over the next week) and chronicles consoles and PCs bringing video games to a larger audience in the home. This episode will feature EA founder Trip Hawkins, adventure game guru and Psychonauts creator Tim Schafer, and Leisure Suit Larry creator Al Lowe. Hm, 3DO, the golden age of adventure games and Larry -- tragedy, triumph and sex. Sounds like a good hour of television.
Reminder: Rise of the Video Game starts tonight on Discovery
Tonight the Discovery Channel begins its five-part series Rise of the Video Game. Part one goes from the 1950s to the early '70s. Dang, this thing should be on The History Channel. A new episode will premiere every Wednesday at 8PM. Discovery also has a poll on its site for the show to vote on "classic" games. Obviously the fanboys have taken over as New Super Mario Bros comes in first place over Pac-Man and Space Invaders.The documentary definitely seems to be taking a highbrow approach to video games. So, go set your DVRs now if you'll be out or too busy watching Kid Nation (Lord of the Flies lite) or America's Next Top Model (Go Heather!).
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Pleasant patch surprises
Like many WoW players, I was really looking forward to this patch, and by "really", I mean that I was scouring the 'net every day looking for new tidbits of information regarding the upcoming content. Disregarding the new holiday content, we haven't had a decent content update in several months. It seems like ages ago that I was eagerly delving into the, at that time, new Netherwing repuation grind. Now that I've had my drake for nearly six months, it was high time for some new content.Even with all the pre-patch research I did, I need to learn to read the patch notes more carefully, because there were a few things that nonetheless caught me off guard. First of all, I was pleased to discover that my little mistake the other day was reversed, since the cooldown on Nexus transformations has been removed. I was also surprised by other little things, like the new log in the guild pane that records promotions/demotions and players joining/leaving the guild. And, of course, as always on patch day, people see things that they never noticed before and wonder if they were added in the update. I saw what I thought were some new planets in the sky above Nagrand this evening (pictured above), but my guildies assure me that they were always there. There were lots of other little interesting things that took me by surprise, and that's one of the things that I love best about new content -- the simple joy of discovery in a game I've been playing non-stop for three years.How about you? Anything catch you by surprise today?
Tivo alert: Discovery airing 'Rise of the Videogame' Nov. 21
FiringSquad reminds us that when we're not busy playing the video game or writing mean things about the video game, we should be watching a documentary about the video game and the rising thereof. Being the fickle and narrow-minded individuals that we are, it's fair to say it's just about the only thing on the Discovery Channel we'd care to see rising, even if they did write it as one word.The first episode in the five-hour long mini-series, which delves into the game industry's history and its significant contributors, airs Wednesday, Nov. 21 at 8PM, with subsequent episodes following on the Wednesdays thereafter.
Verizon fesses up, officially adds Discovery HD to FiOS
Just yesterday we noticed that Verizon had quietly slipped Discovery Channel HD onto its FiOS TV lineup in at least three major markets, and today the firm has fessed up and proven that we're not just losing our minds. "Starting" today, VZW has added Discovery HD to FiOS TV "in all markets" on channel 846, and just in case that wasn't riveting enough, it also reaffirmed its plan to deliver HD simulcasts of Discovery Communications' other popular networks -- TLC, Animal Planet and The Science Channel -- sometime in 2008. The more the merrier, we say.
New Halo live action clip unleashed before Master Chief's arrival
Despite not having a Halo movie to direct, Neill Blomkamp continues to make live action short films for Microsoft about the UNSC's struggle with aggressive Covenant forces in the minutes before Master Chief arrives on Earth. The combat is close and erratic, and the production value is noticeably improved over the previous two videos, and the violence has also substantially increased. We're really digging Blomkamp's style, but honestly we're not sure how well it would translates into a feature-length film -- it almost seems better suited in the short-clip format we've been privy to. Right now the only place we know of to see the video is at the Discovery Channel's website; let us know if you find an embeddable version. Update: YouTube version embedded after the break. Thanks, nelson![Via X3F]
Insider Trader: Discovery zone
Insider Trader is your weekly inside line on making, selling, buying and using player-made products. If you're an alchemist, you either love the discovery system – or you despise it and wish to blast it back to the depths of Developers' Hell (that's one of those rock-and-lava zones, right?). Implemented with The Burning Crusade expansion, the discovery system gives alchemists a small (err, very small ... ok, very, very small ... ok, infinitesimally small) chance of discovering a new recipe every time they make a potion, elixir or flask. Players seem split between considering it a creative new mechanic or an annoying contrivance and roadblock, but after several patches and adjustments, the system seems here to stay. Let's jump right in with your most burning question: Just how small (err, very small ... ok, very, very small ... ok, infinitesimally small) actually are your chances for making a discovery? Pretty darn small. Prior to patch 2.1, the most commonly cited figure floating around was 0.01%. (Discoveries were disabled via hot-fix for a short time just before patch 2.1, reportedly to prevent an exploit in which alchemists who repeatedly tried to create potions with no bag space could make discoveries without actually creating a potion or using potion ingredients.) In patch 2.1, Blizzard noted that discovery rates were increased "significantly," but nobody seems to have performed (or published) an extensive enough analysis to pinpoint an honest number. One popular guesstimate puts the current discovery rate at 0.1% -- but really, your guess is as good as any. (Cauldron discovery rates are on a different table and run much higher than the general rate. Players report making cauldron discoveries, estimated at about 30%, as frequently as every one to five batches.)
Cox gets deal for new Discovery HD channels
If you're like us, you can't get enough HD programming and when Discovery announced four new HD simulcasts of their popular cable channels, we got excited. Of course our excitement was quickly crushed when our provider didn't announce a carriage agreement. At this point most people have the choice to switch to Dish, wait for DirecTV to bring DirecTV 10 online or forget about it till their provider comes around. Well, the time has come for select Cox cable subscribers as they've got the deal done and will be launching all four new channels in select Cox markets around the country. Most of you Cox subscribers know who the lucky ones are, if your local Cox area isn't bandwidth challenged, you should see these new HD channels popping up shortly. And no, they don't plan to get rid of Discovery HD Theater.
Travel Channel HD coming in '08
Well, it's about damn time that the Travel Channel hits high-def. Their programming was always a welcomed addition to the sometime stale lineup on Discovery HD Theater, but then the programming disappeared after Cox Communications bought the channel. None of that is going to matter though when the HD station hits in the first quarter of 2008. 95% of their programming is already scheduled in HD, and according to the TV Week article, the station seems committed to high-def. Channels such as these look stellar in high definition ,so hopefully the station will launch as scheduled.
Luke Skywalker's lightsaber heading into space
According to recent news out of NASA, the next time the Discovery crew take their ship into orbit, the "force" will be with them -- because they're taking Luke Skywalker's lightsaber along for the ride. That's right, for the film's 30th anniversary, the original lightsaber prop from the first Star Wars film is taking a ride into actual space... but that's not all. Apparently, Chewbacca will be on hand to pass the saber to officials from the Houston Space Center, and then together with Jango and Boba Fett, he will help push a plane back on the tarmac (for reasons unknown to us). But wait, there's more. When the Discovery lands in Houston returns after its space travels, the crew will be greeted by a group of Stormtroopers and other "Star Wars notables," including the much-loved R2-D2, who will then deliver the lightsaber to a waiting line of Hummers. Afterwards, there will be a party at the Mos Eisley Cantina, where Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes will play a set of their greatest hits.[Via Slashdot]
HD video: Roomba 560 vs Discovery
Anyone at all interested in home robots -- especially those too lazy to vacuum their own floors -- will want to see just how well iRobot's new Roomba 560 fares against its predecessor, the Discovery. Well, we've pitted the two against one another in noise, speed, cable management, docking, and, of course, ability to destroy one another. Embedded player after the break.P.S. -Forgive our shabby carpet, the dudes who rented the place before us took really sucky care of the joint.[MP4] Download in 720p HD (139MB)[MP4] Download in wide VGA (40MB)[AVI] Download in 720p HD (139MB)[AVI] Download in wide VGA (40MB)
Dish Network launches 6 national HD stations
You know it's a great day when you wake up and find new HD stations. Dish Network subscribers should know how that feels as their HD lineup increased with six new stations; that makes 37 national HD stations for Dish. The day just gets better when four of said stations are national premiers: Discovery HD, TLC HD, Animal Planet HD and The Science Channel HD. The other two stations, MHD and GolfHD aren't new but still a great additions to the largest national high-def lineup. We should mention that Discovery HD is a separate station from Discovery HD Theater and just like the other three new national stations are simulcasts of the SD flavor. Since these launches are in line with Dish Network's CES announcement, we don't see why September 1st shouldn't also be a great day being The History Channel HD's scheduled launch day. [Via satelliteguys.us]
Australian physicists develop teleportation scheme for atoms
Although the idea of teleporting individuals from one place to another in order to sidestep the headache of rush hour traffic has been around for quite some time, a team of Australian physicists are busy making it work (on a smaller scale, of course). Granted, they don't fully expect their teleportation scheme to be used on humans in the near future, but there's always hope, right? Anyway, the team has developed a so-called "simple way to transport atoms," which involves bringing the atoms to almost absolute zero, beaming them with two lasers, and using fiber optics to transport them to any other place at the speed of light where they "enter a second condensate" and reconstruct. We'll keep you posted on when human trialing (hopefully) begins.
Planet Earth HD DVD and Blu-ray sales soaring
You remember Discovery's highly touted show Planet Earth right? This is one nature show that is really worth watching, thanks to stunning camera work. Well, the show was ported over to both of the competing high-def discs - HD DVD and Blu-ray - and according to Warner Home Video, it has pulled in more money than any other title. This $70 box set has generated $3.2 million dollars since April 24, which easily surpasses Scorsese's The Departed (2.8 million). Apparently, consumers want high-def media and are willing to spend good money it; maybe the fact that a BBC-created show is topping Hollywood says something about how important quality is.
Alchemy hotfix: No more discoveries for now
Last night, Alchemists everywhere lost a wonderful ability. One which many (including my Druid) have not been able to savor the sweet success of. According to Tseric, there was a bug causing an exploitable situation in regard to potion/transmute discoveries. So, as was done with rogue poisons staying on when entering an instance, Blizzard has opted to temporarily remove the ability altogether for all alchemists to learn new potions, flasks and transmutes through discovery. Per Tseric on the Profession forums: We have been working on the resolution of a serious exploit in game which has led to certain consequences that we wanted everyone to be aware of. A hot fix has been recently applied to the alchemy profession, with regards to discoveries. For the time being, we have disabled all chance of a discovery, until we can implement the proper fix through a patch , as we can not resolve this matter solely with hot fixes. We apologize for the necessary but temporary removal of discoveries, and are working to have them re-implemented with an upcoming content patch.While disheartening for the moment, at least it is only a temporary removal and not a permanent one. I'm sad to hear that my Druid will have to wait for some discoveries (she was so close, too!) but I'm certain Blizzard will get this remedied. It's just a question of if we'll see the alchemy discovery fix patch prior to, with, or after the 2.1 patch. That is, considering the focus on everything going on in the PTRs at the moment...[image via Mario Caruso]
Discovery's Planet Earth's premier killed on Sunday night
We're thinking that our check got lost in the mail Discovery. You know we pimped your new Planet Earth program pretty heavily over here on Engadget HD and we must of had something to do with the 12 million viewers that tuned in on Sunday night. Sure, you had commercial spots like every 15 minutes or so for the last umpteen-months but both you and us know that our dedication to HDTV had a lot to do with your household penetration. 15% of your viewers where watching on their HDTV via your Discovery HD Theater station so we just wanted to let you know that our suits upstairs are expecting a nice, fat check sometime soon - boating season is here and they need a new (insert a boating gizmo here) for their yachts.
