newzealand
Latest
MyFreeview HD recorder heading to New Zealand
The Freeview service (or the HD aspect, at least) isn't having the easiest time gaining traction in New Zealand, but we're elated to see that there's enough dedication to the service to create this. As of December 11th, Freeview HD viewers in the country will be able to snap up a MyFreeview HD recorder, which holds a whopping 80-hours of HD footage or up to 240-hours of high-def content. It utilizes an eight-day EPG and contains twin tuners for watching one live show while recording another, but we still don't see any signs of fresh high-def channels to load it up with. Baby steps, baby steps.[Via NZHerald]
Mediaworks' Plus 1 brings nothing new to NZ Freeview
Ugh, just what Freeview needs in New Zealand. The warmly anticipated new Mediaworks channel, Plus 1, will actually bring nothing new to the platform. Instead, it'll simply be a one-hour delayed broadcast of TV3, and worse still, the stale content won't even be beamed out in high-definition. Yeah -- that's despite TV3's original content being available in HD. We'd bother with telling you that it's coming out sometime within next year or so, but you've probably already stopped reading in disgust.
New Zealand's Freeview benefits from Olympics
New Zealand's Freeview hasn't had the easiest road thus far, but it can't deny the awesomeness that was the 2008 Beijing Olympics. According to new figures, 37,980 receivers were sold between July and September, 19,983 of which were Freeview HD tuners. It's a pretty safe bet that a good portion of those were purchased with the intent of catching the spectacle in high-definition on TVNZ, and the aforesaid sales brings the total number of Freeview set-top boxes sold to 160,496, including 27,319 HD boxes. Unfortunately, the bandwidth crisis is still very real, and things are looking pretty bleak in regard to additional HD channels. Still, we can only hope these additional sales may sway the Ministry of Economic Development into helping out. [Image courtesy of PCWorld]
New Zealand's Freeview HD grabs ChineseTV8 in high-def
Barely a month after hearing that New Zealand's Freeview HD was facing somewhat of a bandwidth crisis, now we're seeing that at least one additional high-def station can fit. ChineseTV8 will be added on slot 28 this October, and it'll bring along "news and current affairs from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, popular drama series, variety shows of diverse formats, documentaries with an Asian emphasis and a wide range of Asian focused infotainment." For those unaware, there are quite a few (150,000 at last count) ethnic Chinese living in New Zealand, so we'd say the interest level should be pretty high.
Bandwidth restraints hindering New Zealand's Freeview HD expansion
Oh noes! Merely months after Freeview execs were celebrating the surprising uptick in Freeview HD users, in flies word that bandwidth is already becoming an issue. You see, Freeview was initially launched as a "satellite only service using MPEG-2 video compression software," while the HD terrestrial component uses MPEG-4. Transponder space on the Optus D1 satellite is "rapidly being used up, and any further expansion of data bandwidth would require Freeview broadcasters to purchase more space from Optus." If the old MPEG-2 system was suddenly canned and replaced with MPEG-4, every last satellite Freeview user would be forced to buy a new set-top-box. We shouldn't have to explain the glaringly obvious problem with that scenario. Thus, the only stop-gap solution is to simulcast the signals, which obviously requires oodles of bandwidth. Unfortunately, broadcasters are gun-shy about dropping even more cash to expand the available space without assurance of a good return on their original investment, so as of now, expansion plans wait while bigwigs figure out where to get more funding.
Movies now showing in NZ and Australian iTunes stores
They may be first to see the sun, but they've been waiting quite a while for movie rentals and purchases from the iTunes store -- now that patience has paid off, as movies have now arrived in a land down under. Aussie and Kiwi iTunes users can purchase and rent movies to their hearts' content. New releases on DVD will premiere day-and-date on the iTunes store at the same time as they're on sale in physical form in the two new countries of service.iTunes movie purchases in Australia will kick off the price tier at A$9.99 for catalog titles, A$17.99 for recent releases and A$24.99 for new releases; rentals will be A$3.99 for library title rentals and A$5.99 for new releases. iTunes movies in New Zealand start at NZ$9.99 for catalog title purchases, NZ$17.99 for recent releases and NZ$24.99 for new releases, rentals are NZ$4.99 for library titles / NZ$6.99 for new releases. As in the US store, getting the high-def version costs an additional dollar. Rentals can be held for 30 days before you start watching and then you have 48 hours to finish (a whole day longer than US customers? Must be the International Date Line).Thanks to everyone who sent this in
New Zealand warming to Freeview quicker than expected
Freeview HD only went live in New Zealand three months ago, but already upwards of 7,500 installations have been logged. Even more impressive is the overall quantity of Freeview receivers sold (123,903), with 25,000 of those being moved this quarter. Freeview bigwig Steve Browning proclaimed that he "didn't think it would be quite this fast," but plans are already in place to produce a Freeview PVR for the adoring public. As expected, Browning and company are fully expecting adoption to increase further when the Olympics kick off, though he wasn't so bold as make a prediction about exact numbers. Here's to hoping that an astronomical amount of Kiwis take the high-def dive.
Meet the world's first ten iPhone 3G owners
With just seven hours to go out here in New Zealand before the first worldwide iPhone 3G launch (yeah, we flew all the way out for it), the line at the Auckland Vodafone store is growing steadily but surely. Everyone's in high spirits, despite the fact that it's winter here in the southern hemisphere, and they can't as easily get away with that whole hippie line-sitter thing like in New York. We'll check back in soon as we get our international iPhone 3G launch lineblog started.#1Name: Jonny Gladwell, 22 (pictured above, right)Current phone: Sony Ericsson K800i on VodaWaiting for: more than 48 hours nowBuying: black 8GBMotivation: to be the first, duh! His girlfriend is just in it to keep him company, she's not actually getting one herself. Jonny tells us he's not going to eBay the world's first iPhone 3G, though. Whatever, dude!
Vodafone New Zealand's iPhone pricing taking a lot of heat
So we're getting the impression that there are a lot of Kiwis out there who think they're getting a raw deal from Vodafone on the iPhone 3G. That wouldn't totally surprise us -- they know when they've got an exclusive on a hot item, and they're going to try to milk it for everything it's worth -- but with the Rogers fallout rumors flying, Voda might want to tread lightly here.Anyway, here's out it breaks down: on a maxed-out plan, you get a 16GB iPhone 3G for $349 and pay $250 a month, which nets you 600 anytime minutes, 600 texts, and 1GB of data. That works out to $264 for the phone and $189 for the plan in US currency, so you get a little bit of a break on the phone (AT&T charges $299), but in exchange, you get totally hosed beyond comprehension on the plan. Americans shelling out $149.99 will get unlimited voice, unlimited data, and unlimited texts, for which they'll gladly pay the $35 extra up front we'd imagine -- so yeah, by our voodoo calculations, that's about a raw a deal as any we've seen. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
iPhone Jonny: world's first iPhone 3G owner (in waiting)
See that guy? That's Jonny Gladwell from Auckland New Zealand. He's special no matter how you define the word. He's camped outside of Vodafone NZ right now which puts him on a path to be the world's first iPhone 3G owner. Of course, there's still time for other Kiwi's to get in line at the Wellington and Christchurch shops which will open simultaneously. A red hot trinity of buffoonery to be sure. [image credit and thanks to Darryl Carey]
New Zealand iPhone details
At the most recent World Wide Developer's Conference, Steve Jobs listed the countries that will see iPhone availability once the 3G model is released. As we approach the big day, more retailers are announcing their plans.This week, Vodafone announced details of the New Zealand launch. Specifically, three Vodafone branches will host a midnight sale on Friday, July 11. Those branches are 171 Queen St., Auckland City 358 Lambton Quay, Wellington 681 Colombo Street Christchurch Other stores will open with 3G iPhones on the shelves at 9:00 AM. No details on specific pricing or data plans, but Vodafone says that this page will be updated with those details later in the week.
iPhone 3G launching 00:01 NZ time, home delivered in the UK
Vodafone just went public with the information you already knew, New Zealand will see the world's first iPhone launch at 00:01 local time on the 11th. That's almost a full day before any New York, propaganda farmer gets his. In the UK, O2 is now taking pre-orders (one per customer) on a first come, first serve basis. Better yet, your new slab of 3G will be delivered to your home on the 11th of July by courier where you can activate it from the digital comforts of iTunes. So civilized.Update: According to a handful of tipsters, O2 sold out of the 16GB version of the iPhone in about three hours. Here's hoping you made the cut.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]Read -- O2 UKRead -- Vodafone NZ
Xbox 360 price cuts official... in Australia
It's not the Stateside discount we've been waiting for, but at least Australia and New Zealand are looking at discounted Xbox 360 pricing across the board. No press release, just an update to the Aussie Xbox site indicating a new starting price of AU$349 Australian dollars for the Xbox 360 Arcade -- the same console which sold for AU$399 just yesterday. That makes it AU$50 cheaper than the Wii locally. Gamespot spoke to local Xbox exec, Jeremy Hilton, who confirmed that the Xbox 360 Pro bundle has been slashed to AU$499 (was AU$579) and the Elite is now AU$649 (down from AU$729). More importantly perhaps, is this quote about Microsoft's pricing strategy:"One of the big changes Microsoft has made is that with price drops, you'd see the US would drop, and pretty much within two weeks we would drop as well. Now, it's very much the individual countries who manage what they feel would be best for their respective regions. In March we had a price drop in Europe, and in April we had a price drop in Asia. So we're definitely moving away from that big global strategy." So no guaranteed followup drop in the US regardless of the mounting evidence. [Via Gamespot, thanks Adam L.]
World's first iPhone 3G on sale in New Zealand a day before the US
Consider yourself an Apple fanatic? Gotta have the latest and greatest the moment it's available? Ok... prove it. We have it from a trusted source that the world's first iPhone 3G will be on sale at 00:01, Friday July 11th, in New Zealand -- that's still Thursday, July 10th at 5:01 in the AM in Cupertino or 13:01 hours in London. At that precise minute, Vodafone NZ will swing open the doors of its Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch shops to your overeager HSDPA jones. So, now that you know, the next move is all yours. Read -- 00:01 NZ time calculated globally
Sky HD service goes live in New Zealand
Just under two months after Freeview HDTV launched in New Zealand, in comes word that the long-awaited Sky HD service has done likewise. Dubbed My Sky HDi, the service is hosting (at least initially) Sky Sports 1, Sky Sports 2, Sky Movies, Sky Movies Greats and TV3 in high-definition. Those who are already subscribed to My Sky can make the very worthwhile leap to high-def by handing over $49.95 for the revamped (and doubly capacious) set-top-box. Reportedly, those who join will see 104 live sporting events in HD before the close of 2009, and Sky has already secured the rights to both the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. For more details on the whole thing, just give that read link a little love.
Sky launching HD service, MySky HD DVR in New Zealand
How's this for keeping a promise? Nearly two years back, Sky revealed plans to roll out HD service in New Zealand during the early part of 2008, and sure enough, all systems are go. The pay-TV operator is putting the finishing touches on its new high-definition satellite service, which it will use to beam out Sky Sport 1, Sky Sport 2, Sky Movies and Sky Movies Greats in HD this July. Users will also be able to rent the all new MySky HD DVR, which was "developed in conjunction with Sky's Australian sister company Foxtel, which will sell the same box under the iQ2 banner." It's noted that the timing of the two launches is purely coincidental, and the unit itself will boast a 320GB hard drive, four tuners, an HDMI output and an Ethernet port for a "possible video-on-demand service over broadband." Pricing information has yet to be divulged, but that tidbit should be surfacing real soon.
Elgato's EyeTV 3.0.2 update brings H.264 broadcast support
Merely months after Elgato launched EyeTV 3, along comes an update to make it even more attractive -- particularly outside of American borders. EyeTV 3.0.2 adds in full support for H.264 digital broadcasts in standard-def and HDTV resolutions, and considering that locales such as Norway and New Zealand are already beaming out material via this standard, we'd say it's a welcome inclusion. Beyond that, the new version also provides QuickTime exporting of ATSC / NTSC Closed Captions for use on iPhone, iPod and Apple TV devices (seen above), but obviously, that's for North America alone. You'll also find a few new deinterlacing options, improved on-screen menus and a handful of bug fixes to boot. Venture on down to the read link to read up on all the changes and get your download a-movin'.[Via ITWire]
New Zealand receiving Australian censored version of GTA IV despite R18 classification
Australia has a long, tumultuous history when it comes to video game censorship -- largely due to the fact that their system of video game classification currently lacks a rating above MA15+, meaning any game deemed too intense for 15-year-olds is often censored (or even banned, in some extreme cases). However, just a stone's skip across the Tasman Sea, New Zealand provides a more favorable environment for mature titles, whipping out the Banhammer and the Censorstick much less often than its Southwestern Pacific counterpart.You can imagine our surprise when we read that the version of Grand Theft Auto IV that will be tailored to Australia's OFLC guidelines will also be the only version available in New Zealand. It seems that the debaucherous adventures of Niko Bellic were deemed inappropriate by the somewhat hipper Kiwi chapter of the OFLC, much to the chagrin of the thousands of Australians who pre-ordered the naughty version of the game from New Zealand's online gaming retailers. Oddly enough, the version of GTA IV that will be sold in fellow Oceania nation Papua New Guinea will not only be uncensored, but will be accompanied by an actual foul-mouthed, gun-toting hooker. In the words of New Zealand pop sensation OMC, "How Bizarre, How Bizarre!"[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Freeview HDTV service goes live in New Zealand
Right on cue, Television New Zealand (TVNZ) -- the nation's largest free-to-air broadcaster -- has gone live with the country's first ever HD digital service. By utilizing DiviCom Electra 7000 high-definition encoders, the new Freeview digital terrestrial television (DTT) service was launched this week and is currently available to "approximately 75 percent of homes nationwide." Of course, what we want to know is: how does the quality rate? Drop us a note below and make us all envious of where you call home.
TV3's opening HD salvo announced
You can't do much better than William Shatner to launch a nation into its HD future, and that's exactly who New Zealand will get. TV3 is making its HD debut with Boston Legal, and has ten other shows lined up to round out the roster. We're a little confused on the timing of things, since the press release says the curtain falls on April 1, but the underlying Freeview HDTV platform isn't slated for takeoff until April 2. Opening night mixups or cruel April Fool's joke aside, click on through for the full TV3 lineup -- things look pretty good with HD faves in the mix like CSI, My Name is Earl and NCIS.[Via Mike's View]
