pbs
Latest
Biz Kid$ launches this weekend in HD, molds your youngster into an entrepreneur
Considering that you just kicked back last night and caught MOJO HD's new Money Night lineup, it makes sense to start passing down those cash-making ways as soon as humanly possible, eh? As you calmly nod your head up and down, you'll likely be enthralled to know that starting this Sunday on your local American Public Television broadcaster (listed here), your offspring can fix their eyes on a new program that may actually benefit them in the long-term. Produced entirely in HD by the same minds that brought you Bill Nye the Science Guy, Biz Kid$, is a 26-episode series "designed to entertain, engage and ultimately elevate young peoples knowledge about money and finance." Those tykes will be paying your nursing home bills one day -- letting 'em catch this may not be such a bad idea.
Mountain Stage making HD debut on PBS
Fans of the live music radio show Mountain Stage are about to be brought even closer to the action, as it's making its HD debut this Tuesday. Starting on January 8th, viewers in West Virginia can catch the HD iteration of the program locally on WVPBS-TV, while viewers across the country will likely have access via their local PBS station. For a complete January schedule, be sure to give the read link a visit.
Local PBS HD programs coming to DirecTV
DirecTV, PBS and the Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) have entered a 10-year agreement that will bring the local HD feed of one PBS station in each DirecTV market to its customers. DirecTV will also carry two national (SD, unfortunately) PBS channels which can be "branded" with the local affiliate call letters. Rollout of the HD offerings will begin in 2008 and carry forward as PBS affiliates move to HD. This is great news for HD fans young (children's programming) and old (we're big on NOVA) alike, and makes PBS HD available to some 70% of U.S. TVs. Now we admit the kids we know never seem to care whether their show is HD, stretch-o-vision or pixel-vision, but where's Sesame Street HD?
PBS' The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer going HD
It wasn't that long ago that there wasn't any nightly national news broadcast in HD. Then along came NBC Nightly News, then CNN HD, and now PBS' The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. Starting Monday December 17th, the show will be in presented in HD, and SD viewers will see the full frame, letter-boxed. We wish every HD broadcast would go this route, which we feel would motivate everyone to upgrade to HD. The show airs everyday at 7pm in an upgraded studio located in Washington DC, and plans to have 24 hours of the upcoming political conventions coverage in HD.
Cincinnati's CET moving to 24-hour HD broadcast
CET, the PBS station serving Cincinnati, Ohio, is getting set to switch over to a 24-hour HD broadcast. Currently, WCET-TV broadcasts some "prepackaged HD shows from PBS," but starting on December 17th at noon, it will boast high-definition content around the clock. Additionally, it's making CrEaTe -- "an American Public Television channel [currently] accessible only by Time Warner Cable (partly owned by Time Warner, parent company of AOL, which owns Engadget) viewers" -- available to anyone who can receive the HD signal. Beginning next Monday, programs will be simulcast in analog on channel 48, in HD on channel 48.1 (OTA), on channel 948 on Time Warner Cable and on channel 916 for those with Insight Cable. As for satellite viewers? They'll have to "contact their provider to arrange for the CET digital signal."
Help PBS pick a new science show
PBS is in need of a new science show, and they have a conundrum on their hands. They need one new science show, and they have three pilots for science shows. What's a non-profit network to do? Why, make all three shows available for free on iTunes (and other places) and let the viewers choose which one will make it into full pledge series-dom.The three shows are (all iTunes Store links): Wired Science Science Investigators 22nd Century Watch them, and let PBS know which one is the best.
Second Life backlash gains momentum
Second Life had a backlash coming. The overhyped virtual reality world with amazing public relations and highbrow academic love is now the focus of an increasing number of reports calling foul to their claim of 2.3 million residents. American Public Radio's Marketplace says it's actually more like 250,000.Clay Shirky, a reporter for Fortune says, "So these aren't terrible numbers, but it's certainly a much more modest success than we've been led to believe by the business stories saying 'there are millions of people using Second Life and it's growing by leaps and bounds.'"Linden Labs refused to comment on the Marketplace piece, which is par for the course at this point. Expect more stories like this in the near future because it's been a long time coming. Although it is good to see Linden Labs beginning to release some actual data to help diminish the backlash.See also: Second Life millionaire pummeled with penises
Rick Steves' podcasts
If, in the Venn diagram of life, you are a person who enjoys traveling and watching PBS Rick Steves is a name that will be familiar to you. Rick is a well known author and host of various travel specials and guides. Unbeknownst to me he is also podcasting like mad. Not only has he released some of his recent "European Christmas," which originally aired on PBS, as a seven part video podcast (free at that), he has also made available a few walking tours of Paris. He covers the Louvre, the Orsay Museum, Versailles, and a historic Paris Walk.You've learned the language, now learn about the history and culture with the help of Rick.
Matinee at the Bijou to bring classic cartoons to PBS-HD
Those glorious Saturday mornings filled with cartoons and a complete lack of responsibility will always hold a special place in our hearts, and we're thrilled to hear that some faithful classics are about to get reborn on PBS-HD. According to Bijou Bob's official weblog, PBS has given "the green light" to producers to revive some of the greatest 'toons of the past, and just as soon as sufficient sponsors are found, you can expect to see the renditions in stunning HD, which will likely prove that Betty Boop actually is forever young. The 12-episode season is slated to air sometime in 2007, with "Betty Boop, Tom & Jerry, and the Fleischer Superman cartoons being named as potential candidates for the show." Additionally, you can expect to see see "a short subject, a serial chapter, and a feature film" to go along with the newly-rendered cartoons, all of which will be hosted by Debbie Reynolds. So if you're looking to relive a bit of your past, and don't mind the HD makeover, the Matinee at the Bijou should be right up your alley.[Via ToonZone]
Quiet those kids with a in-car video server
Robert Cringely from PBS has built a video server in his minivan to have his kids stop bothering him. For only $190, he built a custom computer that would encode video in H.264 (AVC) codec and stream it to a PSP he had installed in the back of the vehicle. Why the PSP? Because it "plays movies beautifully."While Bob doesn't go into details on how one would be able to fashion a video server for themselves, he does give a very interesting tidbit: "Though not advertised as such, the PSP is EXTREMELY water-resistant."Of course, I haven't verified that claim. Nor will I try to.[Via DCemu]
Legends of Jazz brings Dolby TrueHD to Blu-ray
One of the ways Blu-ray has trailed HD DVD so far is inclusion of advanced audio codecs, but that will start to turn around later this month when Legends of Jazz "Showcase" is released. As we noted when the series first aired on PBS, it was produced in HD and 5.1 surround sound to enable viewers to fully experience the musicians featured. This disc will be the first Blu-ray release to include a 24-bit Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack (along with Dolby Digital 5.1and PCM Stereo options) that Dolby Labs exec Craig Eggers says captures "every nuance" of the performance. In Europe a copy will be included with each Samsung BD-P1000 Blu-ray player, somewhat bittersweet because it doesn't support Dolby TrueHD. The Playstation 3 will, but what other upcoming players can decode the audio format is unclear. Still, especially if you've got a PS3 preordered and an HDMI 1.3-capable receiver at the ready -- who doesn't? -- a better way to experience the 13 performances will be hard to find after its release October 24th, with an MSRP of $34.98.[Via The Man Room]
PBS shows available on iTunes Store
'This program made possible by iTunes users like you.'PBS is classing up the iTunes Store with a selection [iTS link] of children's and primetime programming. Available for purchase are episodes of Arthur, Cyberchase, FETCH! With Ruff Ruffman, Antiques Roadshow, Nova, Now, and Scientific American Frontiers (which is my favorite of the lot, however, Alan Alda is no Woodie Flowers).The standard iTunes Store pricing of $1.99 per episodes applies to all the PBS programming.[via iLounge]Update: As Russ points out, Nova episodes cost $7.99. I didn't notice that earlier. That seems a little high to me, but Nova is a fine show.
My theory on why Apple isn't including Blu-ray drives in Macs
Engadget HD linked a theory from Robert X. Cringely as to why Apple hasn't included Blu-ray drives in any of their Macs yet (it isn't even an option in the Mac Pro), despite being on the board of the Blu-ray Disc Association. Mr. Cringely more or less links the lack of Blu-ray in Macs to movies and Apple's strategy with downloadable iTS content and the upcoming iTV. The thinking goes: if Apple can sell you a downloadable movie through the iTS and an iTV on which to watch it - why undercut that model with a Blu-ray drive built right into the machine?I disagree. There's plenty of other uses and potential (heck, they can hold up to 50GB) in these warring next generation optical formats (Blu-ray and their mortal enemy, HD-DVD), and that's exactly the point: these formats are in the middle of an industry polarizing war, and I think Apple hasn't committed to including either in their machines because they don't want risk leaving their customers high and dry once the dust settles and (dear lord, finally) one format wins out. The iTS/movie downloads/iTV theory doesn't hold water in my book also because that would mean they should eliminate CD and DVD drives from their machines - after all, those drives can undercut their iTunes Store music and movie purchases, right? These discs can hold a lot more than simple movies.This ridiculous Blu-ray/HD-DVD situation is Betamax vs. VHS all over again, and while Apple is known for pushing the envelope on which technologies they adopt, I believe they're simply waiting for an actual standard to emerge. The only question is when these camps are going to get over themselves and stop forcing consumers to stock up on Advil for every trip to the electronics store.
PBS-HD & Sony expand high definition production
Expect to see even more HDTV content coming from PBS due to their new program in conjunction with Sony, three of their stations (Chicago, Pittsburgh & Washington) have moved forward with installing Sony high definition cameras, switches, displays etc. One of the first beneficiaries of this is The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, set to become PBS' first daily high definition show sometime in 2007 when upgrades in Washington are completed. The Chicago station that produced the Legends of Jazz series we recently mentioned is building a brand new educational facility where area residents will be able to learn television production on the new equipment. The Pittsburgh station is hoping to make more HD movies like their recent The War That Made America, now that they don't have to rent space and equipment to do it.
Legends of Jazz series hits PBS-HD
The Washington Post did a nice writeup Friday on this new PBS series. We know from our comments how much everybody enjoys their productions and this looks to be another quality one. Host Ramsey Lewis highlights a different theme and talks to some of the world's best musicians in each half hour segment, all produced in HDTV and 5.1 surround sound.I first heard about this series last fall when it was supposed to air, but didn't know what had happened to it. If you're at all a fan of the music or maybe even if you're not yet, go to the official website and find out when it is airing in your area, it is definitely worth catching.
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.
Eight myths about video games debunked
Henry Jenkins, director of comparative studies at MIT, debunks eight big myths about video games and their impact on society. If you're about to head into holiday get-togethers where others are wont to give you flak about your games hobby (or your games job), you should read up on these issues and to be prepared to set the record straight on games and violence, by force if necessary. The myths are: "The availability of video games has led to an epidemic of youth violence." "Scientific evidence links violent game play with youth aggression." "Children are the primary market for video games." "Almost no girls play computer games." "Because games are used to train soldiers to kill, they have the same impact on the kids who play them." "Video games are not a meaningful form of expression." "Video game play is socially isolating." "Video game play is desensitizing." [Via Torill Mortensen's excellent blog, thinking with my fingers] See also: Penny Arcade and Game Critics interviews with Henry Jenkins.
