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Big updates coming for Skylanders, Real Racing 3
We've got news of two major updates coming to high profile iOS games recently. First up, Activision's Skylanders: Lost Islands (the iOS town-building title based on the very popular toy/game series) just got a new substantial update, featuring Facebook integration, and lots of new companions to place in your town. There's also a new feature called "#1 fans," which will have players finding little extra creatures to add power to their current Skylanders. If you have a little fan in your house, make sure to update the free app soon. And second, EA's Real Racing 3 is getting a big update as well, with new tracks, new cars, and an official version of the Dubai Autodrome, a real racing location over in Dubai. That update, just like the game itself, will also be free, and should be out soon. Both of these games are already very popular, and these updates should make them even more so.
Catch up on Hyborian changes with Funcom's new Age of Conan newsletter
If you haven't been paying attention to Age of Conan lately, Funcom has just sent out a handy newsletter designed to catch you up on all that's new and exciting in the realm of Hyboria. The mailing covers the recent AoC Unrated free-to-play announcement as well as some of the new content that takes the form of the Breach and Forgotten City solo dungeons. Don't forget about the Savage Coast of Turan content coming later this summer (and coinciding with the Conan feature film reboot), and of course there's the Blood & Glory hardcore PvP server ruleset (also coming soon). If you're a former AoC subscriber, check your email for the newsletter, and stick with Massively for more exclusive AoC coverage throughout the summer.
UK Channel 4 set to throw some 3D programming our way
Sony and Panasonic are both hellbent on convincing us their forthcoming super-duper 3D television sets are the future, but before we all start selling off the children and re-mortgaging our homes, how about a little taster of what it might be like? Channel 4, the British answer to a question nobody ever asked, is about to offer up a selection of 3D programming this month, which it dubs as a return to "good old fashioned fun." The menu includes a documentary about the Queen's coronation (in other words, ancient history), a magic show, and even a couple of goodies like Flesh for Frankenstein and Friday the 13th, Part III. If we find can remember to get down to the local Sainsbury's and grab ourselves a free pair of those rad-looking three-dee glasses, you might even be treated to our eyes-on impressions. Watch this three-dimensional space! [Thanks, Mitch T]
EpixHD celebrates today's FiOS launch with weekend movie streaming passes for all
Right on schedule, the linear version of the three-screen focused EpixHD service will go live for FiOS TV subscribers starting at 8 p.m. Already VOD and internet accessible, launch weekend (and subsequent weekends) will spread high definition streaming cheer beyond just the fiber-connected as anyone can grab a 72 hour access pass to stream some movies (we don't recommend Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but pretty much everything else mentioned in the launch lineup or the official PR after the break seems good.) Chief Digital Officer Emil Rensing let us know what the trip from beta to reality has been like, and while there won't be many tweaks in the experience from our largely positive preview experience, expect additional features like movie extras, behind the scenes peeks and more to roll out across the site over time. EpixHD.com/invite has the 72 hour passes, while we hear the company Twitter isn't a bad spot to check for extended access while waiting for its "movies anywhere" strategy to become officially available in your neck of the woods.
Starz launching 5 new HD channels next year
Hopefully taking advantage of all that bandwidth saved in the switch to MPEG-4, Starz has announced plans for 5 new HD feeds due mid-2010. New for the '10 are Starz in black HD, Starz Cinema HD, IndiePlex HD, RetroPlex HD and an Encore HD West Coast stream. That brings the number of Starz HD channels up to 9 (plus two west coast feeds), if you've been missing movies on those networks for lack of HD, your suffering is nearly over. The rest of us are just waiting for Party Watch on all the Starz Play titles on Netflix Watch Instantly.
Epix HD queues up Iron Man, Madonna and Eddie Izzard for online & FiOS launch October 30
Epix HD has locked down a launch date and lineup, confirmed for Verion FiOS subscribers so far, the festivities will kick off October 30th with television and online premieres of Iron Man, Madonna "Sticky & Sweet: Live from Buenos Aires," and Eddie Izzard: Live From Wembley. Other titles set for launch weekend are The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Madea Goes to Jail, Pink Panther 2, the Indiana Jones movie that sucked, Cloverfield, The Duchess and more. Epix has previously stated a goal to build the largest stable of movies online with a planned 3,000 titles available in the Epix Megaplex, you'll see if this whole new way of delivering a premium movie experience is all it's appeared to be very soon.Update: Epix just passed along the launch weekend schedule so check after the break for all the times (EST)
HD channel expansion roundup
Once upon a time, a smattering of new HD channels in one major metropolitan area was a huge deal. Nowadays, it's almost expected that one area or another will experience some HD expansion each week. In order to keep things nice and tidy around here, we deliver high-def expansions, market expansions and anything else dealing with HD channel growth right here. If we missed an area that you're familiar with, drop us a line in comments so everyone can catch up. The more the merrier, we say! (Links continue after the break) Read - Dish Network Adds 2 More HD Markets Read - Comcast Boosts HD, Switches Basic Cable Channels to Digital (Michigan) Read - Pace Connects Set-Tops With Rovi Read - Valley TeleCom offers HD TV channels Read - AT&T U-verse Arrives in Mobile Read - DIRECTV Delivers Local HD Programming to Customers in Lexington, Ky. Read - Comcast Boosts HD To 100+ Channels In Western Wayne (Michigan) Read - Outdoor Channel Broadens Distribution in Oregon and Washington Markets Through Comcast... Read - Mega TV Is the First Spanish-Language Network to Launch Its High Definition Service on the Comcast System in South Florida
100 straight, October 4, don't cut: WRC schedule for HD Theater revealed
We finally know exactly when Discovery HD Theater will deliver the rally racing action it promised now that the official schedule has been revealed. Our friends at Autoblog have plenty of pics to gawk over while we mark off the days, check after the break for the PR with dates and times, plus a preview trailer. We're not sold on how the new NA engines in WRC may sound in 5.1, but we'll always take more HD racing action, you hear that Bernie?
BBC confirms Top Gear is filming this season in HD
We've been wondering for some time when the regular edition of Top Gear (the Polar Special was a glorious, yet singular, event) would make its debut in high definition, and today the BBC Internet Blog confirmed this is the year. Set to debut November 15th, we'll finally be able to see the Stig -- whoever he is -- put some of the world's most exclusive cars through their paces in great quality. Whether that news has you checking the channel lineup for BBC America HD or bookmarking a torrent site we can all agree this is a fine day indeed.[Via Digital Spy]
Time to set your DVRs for the Fall season
Oh yes, it's that time a year, time to make sure you have your DVR set to record all the Fall premiers. Now of course we'll continue to have the latest and greatest shows listed on our daily listings post, but with a week like this with so many premiers we also like to head over to Geek Tonic to see the entire week summarized in a single post. It gives us a chance to see which new shows we might want to record, or just to go through the old series recording list and check it twice. So if you love HD programming as much as us, head over and be sure to let us know what you'll be watching this season.
Is the NFL Sunday Ticket coming to Verizon FiOS?
Chalk this one up as a total rumor, but you can imagine our surprise today when we saw all of these NFL Sunday Ticket channels show up on our CableCARD equipped Windows 7 Media Center connected to Verizon's FiOS. Unfortunately the channels didn't actually tune in when we selected 'em and this could very well be another case of bad guide data, but no way we could pass up the chance to share this one.**UPDATE** As expected, this was confirmed by the NFL as just a glitch in the guide data, but it was fun to dream even if it was only for a day.
It's game day, who's got the NFL RedZone Channel?
The wait is finally over and today's the first big Sunday of the NFL Season which means that you're probably making your last minute preparations. As far as programing goes, the NFL has done a great job of getting carriage for its new NFL RedZone channel, but of course not everyone is going to carry it -- sorry Time Warner Cable and Bright House Network customers. So here's a run down of the Winners. Comcast, Dish Network and AT&T U-Verse customers made out the best because all they have to is subscribe to a $5 (aprox) sports package. Verizon FiOS and RCN customers didn't make out as well though as they will have to pay $49 for the season without any other channels included -- but hey at least they got it. For the rest of you, not much you can do, just keep calling your provider and voicing your desires and in the meantime maybe someone of Twitter will hook you up with access to their SlingBox HD.
BBC America HD launches on TWC in NYC
It's taken nearly a month, but finally someone can see BBC America HD, as the channel has launched on Time Warner Cable in New York City, as part of a channel reshuffling that also brought HSN HD, Headline News HD, Outdoor Channel HD and Turner Classic Movies HD to subscribers. We'll have to check the schedule to see if Primeval, Dr. Who and Torchwood re-airs are on deck for the original launch slate, but in the meantime we'll just settle for catching Being Human at its best.[Thanks, Eric]
Lost, Desperate Housewives & Grey's Anatomy streaming to Netflix Watch Instantly
This weekend, the first four seasons of Lost suddenly became available for streaming (in HD even) via Netflix Watch Instantly, and now Netflix and Disney-ABC have announced an agreement (an extension to the deal that already brought Disney episodes of JONAS, Hannah Montana and more to the service the day after they aired) that will bring even more familiar content to the service. Desperate Housewives and Legend of the Seeker already have some seasons available, while the fifth seasons of Grey's Anatomy, Lost and Desperate Housewives are coming along for the ride in September. We're sure the Lostpedia heads have already bought and doubled up on the series DVD and Blu-ray releases, but for everyone else struggling to remember what the hell is so important about that island, it's easier than ever to catch up before the final season starts.[Via The Official Netflix Blog]
Craig Ferguson's The Late Late Show switches to high definition at the end of August
We ask, and we receive. A few months after Craig Ferguson topped our poll asking who is still watching standard definition television comes word that The Late Late Show is going high definition. CBS plans to flip the HDTV switch August 31, complete with an updated show opener and theme song. There's nothing better that we can think of than seeing that beautiful, beautiful face in HD...wait, we may need to reconsider this.
Comcast adds HBO to its HD video on demand lineup
We're honestly surprised it took this long, but Comcast has gleefully announced it is the first to offer the "full" HBO On Demand lineup in high definition. True Blood, Entourage, The Wire* plus the network's movie selection are all available now, so the only questions left are when is this coming to your local provider, or why are you still reading this instead of watching Snoop and Chris? Don't end up in a vacant.Update: Except, of course, as sideshowRaheem points out in the coments, The Wire wasn't filmed in high definition, so you'll probably be watching something else.
World Rally Championship racing coming to Discovery HD Theater
It's been far too long since we've had new programming to mention on Discovery HD Theater, and far too long since World Rally Championship action has been broadcast in the U.S., so it's good to hear that the two are coming together this October. Expect weekly coverage from every round in the championship in 1080i and 5.1 surround of 4WD turbocharged vehicles rocketing down narrow off road routes plus "a range of other content." Those familiar with the series can attest to the beautiful locales WRC finds itself in, and should look great on our HDTVs this fall. That brings nearly ever racing series into high definition, except For 1 notable exception.[Via Autoblog]
Comcast, USOC trying to launch new Olympic Sports channel
Get ready for more curling, archery, judo and other Olympic Sports, if Comcast and the U.S. Olympic Committee get their way and launch a new network after the 2010 Vancouver Games to broadcast Olympic Sports coverage all the time. Of course, the International Olympic Committee and its $2 billion partner NBC are none too pleased about the news, especially given it already has Universal Sports for this very purpose. as proposed, the U.S. Olympic Network would air archived Olympics footage, education and coaching shows and eventually regional and Olympic Trials competitions. There's no specific mention of an HD feed, but if its anything like every other dedicated sports network that's popped up over the last few years, we don't see how it could go on without one. While the USOC and IOC work things out, you think there's any room in the program guide for this channel?Read - U.S. Olympic Committee plans to launch own cable networkRead - Comcast, USOC Eye Dedicated Olympic Service In 2010
MSNBC HD launches on DISH Network
Turbo HD shenanigans aside, DISH Network's latest press release touts its exclusive -- nationwide -- carriage of MSNBC HD, conveniently sidestepping Cablevision and Time Warner customers that have had the channel since launch last month. Still, if you enjoy Morning Joe and the rest of the MSNBC lineup in high definition and are a Classic Silver 200 or higher subscriber it should be in your lineup as of yesterday, though we suppose you're probably more interested in finding out if your DVR will continue to work.
IFC in Theaters begins day-and-date HD video on-demand screening this month
IFC in Theaters has been offering day-and-date premieres of independent theatrical flicks through video on-demand for a couple of years, but now comes word that this month it will begin offering them in high definition on Cablevision and Comcast. Starting June 17, $7.99 (a buck premium over SD) will be the price for avoiding a trip to the local art house theater, which sounds more than worth it if you don't have one nearby, or just really want to avoid (other) hipsters.
