Discovery
Latest
Don't forget Discovery's Planet Earth starts Sunday
Set those DVRs now for Planet Earth, Sunday night on Discovery HD Theater. Seriously, go; we'll wait... We know that you probably won't want to miss Desperate Housewives live and whatever other random stuff comes on Sunday night, but you are not going to want to miss the three hours of Planet Earth. This is a five-week special that is going to attempt to teach you almost everything Terra Firma has to offer. Sunday's first hour is going to take viewers "Pole to Pole" showing almost everything in between. Now like we said, this might be one of those programs that you save for a rainy day, but your HDTV will appreciate the amazing eye candy.
Cablevision adds Discovery HD Theater and National Geographic HD
Finally. We had no idea that any HD provider nationwide didn't offer Discovery HD Theater as part of their high-def lineup. Simply amazing. This was that station HD was created for. High definition and Discovery goes together like Steve Job and black turtlenecks. Anyways, the station along with National Geographic HD is now available on Cablevision's nationwide network. They say that the channels have been added with no additional cos so check 'em out on channel 727 for Discovery and 726 for National Geo HD if you happen to have Cablevision.
Apple patents access system for bottom-loading optical drive
While Apple still seems to be toying with the idea of getting LED-backlit LCDs into its MacBook Pro, a few clever engineers behind tightly sealed Cupertino doors have been chewing on another concept. Based on two recent patents belonging to Apple, it seems as if the company is investigating ways to get its already-thin laptop lineup even slimmer, and its going after the optical drive first and foremost. Based on the wording and diagrams found in the filings, we could end up seeing optical drives mounted underneath of the laptop in order to free up that oh-so-precious space underneath the palm rest. Additionally, the patent includes detailed information about accessing the disc drive in ways that won't hinder efficiency while computing, as well as various "active user interface" mechanisms designed to prevent users from "accidentally" ejecting their disc. So while there's sure to never be a public word spoken from Jobs & Co. about this potentially fictitious idea, we definitely wouldn't complain about a trimmed down version of Apple's lappies, but if this ends up seeing the light of day, we can probably kiss those awkward-sounded slot-loading drives a fond farewell.[Via UnwiredView]Read - Apple's access system for a portable device patentRead - Apple's disk drive media access patent
Planet Earth coming to Discovery HD Theater in March
Discovery Channel is bringing its 11-part natural history series, Planet Earth, from the BBC to the U.S. Premiering on March 25, the series promises to bring viewers into some of the hardest to observe regions of our planet using unprecedented high definition production techniques. Hopefully you're not completely tired of checking out animal behaviors and stunning landscapes in high def because when this simulcasts on Discovery Channel and Discovery HD Theater, viewers will be able to observe them via new innovations like the Cineflex heligimble, a powerful camera lens attached to a helicopter observing animals from long range. From the good people who brought you Blue Planet, the series is narrated by Sigourney Weaver and will run from the 25th until April 22.
Gamer Generation on Discovery HD
There's a couple showings left of Discovery HD's Gamer Generation special coming up, so set your TiVo Series 3 and your generic DVRs to record, and see what insight this latest documentary has to offer about gamers that hasn't already been said.Depending on where you live, and if your satellite/cable provider carries the Discovery HD Theater channel, there are two more showings today, and again on Saturday, January 13th. TV listings are showing it as "Part One," so hopefully this will be an ongoing series or special, but right now information about this, and a frustrating amount of HD programming, is hard to come by.Let us know if you happened to catch it, and what you thought about it. That is, if you are able to find it ... just like The A-Team.
American Choppers splice consoles for Christmas
Take a close look at this commercial for the American Choppers Christmas special, embedded after the break. Notice anything odd (and game-related, of course).Yep, that's a GameCube controller coupled with a slimline PlayStation 2. Did they even consider that the input plug for the GCN controller is almost the same width as the console? Wouldn't it be more of a hassle to, when searching for props, to instigate such a mash-up?In the fictional family's defense, they weren't expecting the cast to walk through their door. Life Lesson #64: always have a console, with coordinated controller, handy for when bikers show up unannounced.At least they're not holding the controller upside-down.
Discovery Channel to air Inside Story of iPod
I am a Discovery Channel nut. I'll gladly watch a 10-hour marathon of Deadliest Catch and top it off with a Mythbusters for dessert. With that shameful fetish in mind, I'll be sure to set my TiVo for Wednesday's 12 pm ET airing of The Inside Story of iPod, a documentary covering the development and spectacular success of our favorite digital music player.Thanks Cwakamo!
Discovery HD to kick off the new year with "World of HD Week"
If you're fairly excited about the abundance of HD Bowl games you'll be able to catch starting December 19th on ESPN2 HD, right on into the first of the new year, well, so are we. But for those who aren't exactly keen on America's pigskin pastime just yet, Discovery HD is planning to help you ring in your new year on the HD trail, too. Discovery HD Theater has announced that the first week in January will be dubbed the "World of HD Week -- a special programming event offering high-definition premieres of new series and specials from across Discovery Networks in advance of their standard definition air dates." Being the company's first week of programming dedicated to showing off just how splendid that HD picture looks, it'll kick off with a Discovery Atlas HD marathon as 3:00PM EST on New Year's Day; the following days will host "primetime premieres" at 8:00PM EST until the final night, where the first episode of Planet Earth (dubbed "Pole to Pole") will air its first episode of the season. So if you're not really feeling the football vibe, and you love to view nature from the comforts of your own couch, be sure to hit the read link for the full rundown of upcoming showtimes.
Cuban teams with Dell to offer bundled HDNet Blu-ray content
Now that Dell's riding high on the Blu-ray bandwagon, what more could you ask for when picking up that now-BD-equipped M1710? How about a free flick from Mark Cuban? While we can hear the groaning in the back, ole Mark has decided to plug his very own HDNet by partnering with Dell and tossing in a free Blu-ray title -- "HDNet World Report Special: Shuttle Discovery's Historic Mission" -- with each XPS M1710 notebook. Although further details on the deal weren't readily available, it was implied that future Blu-ray equipped machines would also grace buyers with free BD titles of Cuban's choosing, and while you might not agree with Mark's antics, you can't really complain with free.
Why does Discovery HD Canada get all the cool shows?
Our friends to the north may live in America Jr. but they are getting some great exclusive HD programming. Our friends at Digital Home Canada have posted several new shows coming to Discovery HD Canada this month as a part of their partnership with Japanese broadcaster NHK. The series is titled A Day in the Life of Japan and will include 6 Canadian-exclusive episodes that take looks at everything from earthquake-preparedness to the famed Akihabara district.We still haven't managed to find out what happened to that HD footage of the aftermath of the Yogyakarta earthquake that never aired here, meanwhile the U.S. Discovery HD page continues to trumpet new episodes of Sunrise Earth as though they are doing us a favor. Take a look at the programs planned for August 13th and see what you're missing. Invasion of the Giant Jellyfish Science Zero: Daily Planet Coolest Hideouts in Tokyo Sumo Struggles Bracing for the Big One Akihabara Geeks What do we have to do for these shows to get played in the U.S.? As much as we love seeing Blue Realm every day, there's got to be more to high-def life.
Plantronics intros Discovery 655 Bluetooth headset
Plantronics is feeling the ergonomic vibe as they introduced a new flagship Discovery headset at their Body and Form event in New York. The Discovery 655 is a form-focused Bluetooth headset with a distinctly different look than the 645 / 640 models. The design is intended to fit the "contours of your face" and shouldn't cause any ear fatigue weighing only 9 grams. Similar to other Discovery models, the 655 comes with a headset storage jacket -- which could be mistaken for an aluminum cigar case -- that performs double-duty as a charger (AAA powered), and a vibrating ringer to alert users of incoming calls. You also get a mini-USB adapter, which was notably absent on the Discovery 640, to charge from your PC or mobile phone's power supply. As in the 645, this unit includes DSP to block out unwanted noise (or certain managers' voices) and adjust the volume level based on your surroundings. Although there's really nothing groundbreaking about the 655 in terms of specifications, the change in style and lower price standout on an otherwise uninspiring offering -- you can give the Discovery 655 a listen when it drops in August for $150.
30 countries + five years + lots of high-def = Discovery Atlas
Discover is setting out on their most ambitious high-def project yet. They are planning on visiting 30 countries over five years for this new 60-hour series. Discovery Atlas, as it is going to be called, is set to launch on October 1 at 9 p.m. with Discovery Atlas: China Revealed. They have enlisted the help of Boston Legal star, no not William Shartner, the other one - James Spader. He will be narrating at least the first one and honestly, we would like to 'hear' him do the rest of the series. That first episode will be followed by Italy Revealed on Oct. 8, then Brazil Revealed on Oct. 15 and finally Australia Revealed on Oct. 22. Quality, new high-def programming can be hard to come by and we are looking forward to this new Discovery series.
HDNet's coverage of the Space Shuttle launch
Once again, HDNet is bring us great coverage of the Space Shuttle Discovery's launch. This is going to start at 10:00 a.m. EDT tomorrow, July 1st. You really need to watch this. Mark Cuban's HDNet does a fantastic job making one of the most boring events absolutly spectacular. They use 14 high-def cameras to cover almost every aspect of the launch including the suiting up of the astronauts at 10:00. Greg Dobbs is hosting the even but only to a point. HDNet has a long tradition of not interrupting the viewers experience. This means there isn't some network tool throwing in his two cents every few seconds. HDNet broadcasts the natural sounds of the area along with NASAs messages from mission control. It just makes for an better overall experience.You have got to check it out.
American Chopper leaving Discovery Channel
American Chopper has been in HDTV for...well...it seems like forever and now it might not be. Discovery Communication is moving the show from The Discovery Channel to TLC with the goal of returning their flagship station to its roots science and nature. There hasn't been any announcements if this will affect Discovery HD Theater but we aren't worried. Many of the mainstay shows on HD Theater, like Trading Spaces and Rides, comes right from TLC's lineup. But we are hoping that Discovery's soul seeking will bring the birth of TLC HD. That's not saying that we don't like Discovery HD Theater but rather the opposite as we love it. We just want to see more "science and nature" programs on it. Move the lifestyle shows to a station that is about life and bring back the nature stuff Discovery![via TV Squad]
