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HDTV Listings for February 5, 2006
What we're watching: On the off-chance that you're not watching the big game and pre-game festivities, we decided not to take the day off on our listings. Seriously, with a 130 million households watching ABC tonight, it's beyond us why the other networks even bother, hence all of the repeats on NBC and CBS. Still, we owe you the traditional nightly lineup, so we have it below. As for us, it's all Super Bowl, all day, starting at 2:30 p.m. on ABC with the pre-game show in 720p. The official ABC game coverage continues at 6 p.m., which is actually scary since the pre-game coverage might be longer than the game itself.Of secondary importance are the ever popular and very expensive commercials. Make sure you're watching the HD advertising as we're sure to ask your opinions tomorrow on which were the best.
HDTV Listings for February 4, 2006
What we're watching: How could we pass up the legendary comics of Steve Martin? With perfect timing before his remake of "The Pink Panther" hits theaters, the 60-year old Martin is tonight's guest host of Saturday Night Live on NBC. We've been watching more of SNL since it went 1080i late last year and we'll be tuning in again tonight at 11:30 p.m. Apparently other blasts from the past are trying to come back as well: tonight's musical guest was a hit-maker long before iPods hit the scene. Prince will be partying like it's 1999 on SNL; a date that sounded so futuristic when he sang about it in the mid 1980s.
HDTV Listings for February 3, 2006
What we're watching: Tom Cruise spent two years prepping for "The Last Samurai"; tonight on HBO-HD you can see if the legwork paid off. The film did score several Oscar nominations and the visual landscapes make for good use of your widescreen. Tune in at 8 p.m. for a 1080i viewing of the 2003 flick.If you've previously missed "The Fifth Element", this is about your fifth chance over the past few months to tune in on TNT-HD. Many folks swear by this one in high-def and even the movie was just so-so, we have to agree from an HD standpoint. Check it out in 1080i at 8 p.m. if you prefer Bruce Willis over Tom Cruise.
HDTV Listings for February 2, 2006
What we're watching: In the spirit of "Groundhog Day", we figured there would only be re-runs on tonight. Ironically, Bill Murray would be happy to know that almost every HD show has a new episode tonight. Gee, even UPN is all new! We're still going with the 1993 movie as it's only fitting today. Showtime-HD is airing "Groundhog Day" in 1080i at 6:30 p.m. and the obligatory repeat follows right after at 8:15 p.m.If you can't take a second viewing of the movie, why not join us at 9 p.m on Discovery-HD for "Day of the Groundhog" in 1080i? If you've never actually seen Punxsutawney Phil, you're really missing out. He's actually one of the more popular celebs from my Commonwealth, which is quite scary when you think about it.
HDTV Listings for February 1, 2006
What we're watching: Some of our favorite high-def shows are starting to show new episodes, so tonight we'll head to New York City on CBS for one of the best HD shows on the air. CSI: New York might not be the greatest television show in the lineup, but the 1080i presentation on CBS is always eye-popping in HD. Tune in tonight at 10 p.m. and see for yourself. Following a Valentine's Day sub-theme (yes guys, this is your early warning to shop now) there's a modern day Cupid on the loose. Unfortunately as one couple finds out, these arrows are fatal, so can our NYC heroes find the killer? [Hint: don't they always?]
HDTV Listings for January 31, 2006
What we're watching: We probably should be good little HD citizens and catch George W. in all his high-def glory at 9 p.m. on ABC. The Disney folks try to convince us that the "State of the Union Address" is no cartoon in 720p, which explains why the HD schedule is so light on the networks this evening. The two hour program provides the outlook for America as well as the high-level yearly agenda of the prez followed by the Democrats response. Of course, the Republican response to the response follows and well, it all goes down Capitol Hill from there.If you're skipping the political programming tonight, consider any of the 1080i Discovery-HD programs as there's something for everyone ranging from NASCAR reality to the natural beauty of the world. Is anyone else wondering why Discovery-HD chose to air "HD Getaways" against President Bush's time slot? Wanna get away (in HD)?
HDTV Listings: January 30, 2006
What we're watching: With so many re-runs on (except for ABC who apparently ran out of those too), we have no choice but to spend another hour with Jack Bauer on "24". Actually, when you subtract out the commercials, we only get 42 minutes of heart-pounding excitement, but that's OK, we've got a solution for that too! Get the super-secret chat location for the TV Squad live "24" chat at 8 p.m. ET right here. While you're real-time chatting up a storm, or just peepin' on what everyone else is saying about the show, tune in to Fox at 9 p.m. for the 720p presentation, also in real-time.
HDTV Listings for January 29, 2006
What we're watching: What happens when you add 49 minutes to an already gripping feature film that won two Academy Awards? You get an arguably even better vision of the director's intentions, or at least that's what Francis Ford Coppola would hope. You be the judge tonight at 8:30 p.m. with "Apocalypse Now Redux" in 1080i on HDNet Movies as we watch Martin Sheen on a mission to exterminate Marlon Brando in the Vietnam jungle. If you're really astute, you might catch Sheen's character eating a Hershey bar that has a UPC code on the wrapper; the first UPC code scanned in a retail store was in 1974, while the final U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam was 1973. After the jump is our traditional listing of HD programs throughout the night.
HDTV Listings for January 27, 2006
What we're watching: This is an historic no-brainer for us, but you'll have to stay up late. How would you like to watch a high-def movie in the comfort of your own home on the day the pic debuts? We told you about this before and today is the day that "Bubble" makes its appearance on HDNet Movies at 11 p.m. in 1080i. It's also in theaters today is and supposed to be available on DVD,although Amazon is currently showing a ship date of January 31st. This is the Steven Soderbergh pic that circles around the murder of a single mother who was killed at an Ohio toy factory. Late nights, scary circumstances and 1080i: we'll take it! After the jump is our traditional listing of HD programs throughout the night.
HDTV Listings for January 26, 2006
What we're watching: It's a rare appearance for WB on our list tonight. Or should we say CW? Anyway, the folks over at TV Squad have us all jacked up for the 100th episode of "Smallville" which takes flight tonight at 8 p.m. on WB. The 1080i presentation, called "Reckoning", promises to be a doozy and if you've got a shade over two minutes to spare and don't mind spoilers, you can cop a peek over at AOL. Just don't spoil it for Jor-El, Clark or the rest of us with any comments until AFTER the show. Deal? After the jump is our traditional listing of HD programs throughout the night.
HDTV Listings for January 25, 2006
What we're watching: No more "American Idol", please! We're leaving "Idol" behind tonight and traveling far away (for us) to Africa at 8 p.m. instead. One of the oft-overlooked VOOM channels is EquatorHD, so it's our destination tonight. "Great Africa" is a 1080i, two-hour show that brings us stunning footage of large inhabitants from the jungles and deserts. More importantly, we'll see how lions and tigers and bears elephants (oh my!) are becoming driven from their natural habitat due to human expansion in Africa. After the jump is our traditional listing of HD programs throughout the night.
HDTV Listings for January 24, 2006
What we're watching: We mentioned Warren Miller's high-def programming previously, but it never came to my neck of the woods, likely because we have more cows than people here. Apparently there are scientific studies underway to determine if cattle can tell the difference between 720p and 1080i; until we see the findings I'll have to tune in to INHD tonight at 11 p.m. "Warren Miller's Snowriders II" takes to the ski slopes in 1080i and should be a treat. If 11 p.m. is past your bedtime, don't fret since it's past mine too. While I get hopped up on caffeine, you might want to tune in to "American Idol" on Fox. The two hour auditions in 720p take the stage at 8 p.m.; caffeine is not required, although a solid set of earplugs might come in handy. After the jump is our traditional listing of HD programs throughout the night.
HDTV Listings for January 23, 2006
What we're watching: Since we really can't pick "24" every Monday, we're recommending the entire Monday night CBS lineup tonight. Every show is a new episode and the 1080i high-def starts at 8 p.m. with "King of Queens". The comedy in "How I Met Your Mother" is slowly making us fans at 8:30 p.m., while "Two and a Half Men" have been funny from the start at 9 p.m. "Courting Alex" is new as a mid-season replacement at 9:30 p.m. and "CSI: Miami" at 10 p.m. is simply one of the best HDTV shows on the air. After the jump is our traditional listing of HD programs throughout the night.
HDTV on PBS and our HDTV listings
Not that we're counting, but around every 37th daily HDTV listing we get a comment telling us we missed the PBS listings for the day. Actually, we didn't miss anything; we don't include PBS on purpose. It's not because PBS has bad HDTV programming; in fact, it's quite the opposite. Some of the very best high-def programming is found on your local PBS stations; therein lies the problem with the keyword being "local". Unlike your major local broadcast affiliates (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, UPN and WB), the Public Broadcasting Service is made up of 349 individual stations and each station is responsible for their own broadcasts. This doesn't mean they have to create the content (although some do), this means that each local station creates their own schedule. It would be next to impossible for us to include the PBS that applies to most (or all) of our readers, so we'll let PBS do what they do best: provide great programming along with listings for your local area on their site.
HDTV Listings for January 22, 2006
What we're watching: With just four teams left vying for two Super Bowl spots, it's all about the high-def pigskin today. The AFC game between the Steelers and the Broncos kicks off at 3 p.m. on CBS. This game is in 1080i, while the NFC game is in 720p. Fox goes deep in their NFL coverage starting at 6:30 p.m. with the Panthers pouncing on the Seahawks. Let's forget which teams we want to win for a sec; after you watch a little (or all) of each, drop us a comment with your thoughts on the whole 1080i vs. 720p fight. Regardless of the progressive nature that helps sports programming, I'm personally still a 1080i guy as the picture looks clearer to me. How about you? After the jump is our traditional listing of HD programs throughout the night.
HDTV Listings for January 21, 2006
What we're watching: Now that the NHL is back on NBC, we thought to use today as a test for readers around the country. According to NBC, there will be regional NHL coverage at 2 p.m this afternoon. The game is either Philadelphia at Pittsburgh or Detroit at Colorado, depending on where you live. Here in the Philadelphia area, the game is advertised in 1080i, but of course, this is all up to your local affiliate. Help us out by tuning in at 2 p.m. and commenting back with a "Yes" or "No" for your game in HD or not; be sure to give your general location too.Tonight we'll be watching 1998's thriller "Enemy of the State" starring Will Smith and Gene Hackman. This 720p presentation hits ABC at 8 p.m. and has plenty of action-packed scenes that rock in high-def. After the jump is our traditional listing of HD programs throughout the night.
HDTV Listings for January 20, 2006
What we're watching: All of the Brad and Angelina news of late forced "Alexander" to catch my eye on the listings since Ms. Jolie has a role. I heard nothing but grumbling over this Oliver Stone directed film, so I'm hoping you can help me out. Should I turn to HBO-HD at 8 p.m. for this film in 1080i, or is this a widescreen time-waster? I'm actually a fan of the WB family shows like "Living with Fran" and "Reba"; both of which are new on the WB starting at 8:30 p.m., so "help me help you" with today's picks. Oh, that reminds me: "Jerry Maguire" is on TNT-HD at 11:30 p.m. if you have a burning desire to stay up late and see the Arizona Cardinals actually win a game. After the jump is our traditional listing of HD programs throughout the night.
HDTV Listings for January 18, 2006
What we're watching: Ouch! Our ears are still hurting from the American Idol wannabe's from last night. I don't think we can take the second day of auditions, so we'll pass on that. Instead, we're gearing up early for March Madness with a top-notch tip-off at 7 p.m. on ESPN-HD. Number 14 North Carolina State takes on top-ranked Duke in 720p. This ACC match up is likely a preview of what we'll see in March. If you're wondering what "March Madness" is all about, then we're recommending "Million Dollar Baby" for you. Tune in to HBO-HD for this 4-time Oscar winner in 1080i at 7:45 p.m.After the jump is our traditional listing of HD programs throughout the night.
HDTV Listings for January 17, 2006
What we're watching: We're trying not to play favorites with Fox, but after four episodes of the gritty and intense "24", we could use a good laugh. The comedy starts at 8 p.m. on Fox with a two hour season five premiere of "American Idol" from Chicago in 720p. If you have a home theater capable of Dolby Digital Surround Sound, you might want to turn it off until later in the season; these auditions typically represent both the best and the very worst there is.The fun ends just in time to watch Tom "My name is not Ed" Cavanaugh in the series opener of "Love Monkey." You can catch Ed Tom on CBS at 10 p.m. in 1080i.After the jump is our traditional listing of HD programs throughout the night.
HDTV Listings for January 16, 2006
What we're watching: Hm, night of mostly repeats or new eps of "24". <sarcasm>Tough call, no?</sarcasm> Ok, there's really no contest here tonight for high-def programming: two more fresh, new hours of "24" tonight at 8 p.m. on Fox gets the HD Beat nod. The 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. hours air in 720p and last night got us off to a great start. We won't put any spoilers out there, so if you missed 'em, find someone with a DVR or get those episodes from some other (legal) method. Hey if "24" isn't your thang, we almost forgive you. In fact, we'll turn our backs if you want to catch the Golden Globes in SD on NBC (I can't believe we just said that) while TV Squad live blogs the red carpet at 6 p.m. followed by Cinematical providing real-time coverage of the actual awards show. Hey, all that "real-time" stuff is very 24-esqe, no?After the jump is our traditional listing of HD programs throughout the night.
