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Virgin Media wins Film 4 HD exclusive

Bad news for Freeview HD

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The HD incarnation of "public service broadcaster" Channel 4's Film 4 offering will only be available to paying Virgin Media customers, it has emerged.

Film 4 HD is scheduled to arrive in the summer, VM said today, which implied the channel will be offered to its subscribers at no extra cost.

VM already broadcasts Channel 4's 4 HD and will begin transmitting the station's yoof-oriented E4 HD channel in April.

But the news is a blow to the fledgling subscription-free service, Freeview HD, which is currently only broadcasting two channels: BBC HD and ITV 1 HD. Its website currently says 4 HD is "coming soon".

Longer-established free-to-air satellite service Freesat likewise lacks Channel 4 HD content.

Like the BBC, Channel 4 is owned by the state, though it is funded by advertising revenue rather than the licence fee. ®

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Big screen

Rasczak, long time no 'see'!

Anyway, I can still tell the difference between 576i upscaled to native 1080p versus 1080i/1080p content on my 50-inch plasma even when I sit nearly 5-metres away from it; although barely, yes I know the limits of human eye resolution, but it's text that usually gives it away.

But where HD really matters is on the projector ... how far away would I have to sit from a 120-inch screen to make 1080p look like 576i on an old 28-inch television?

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Anonymous Coward

Lol

'HD is all a scam anyway. It is not about improved picture clarity, it is about getting bigger screens to the same clarity at close range'

Wow, thanks for clearing that up! So many people have fallen for this, we must do something about it. Write to your MP, petition Parliament, we need to expose this scam.

Mind you, thinking about it, you're not talking complete bollocks are you? I'd be dead annoyed if you'd got me all worked up about this only to find out that a 1080p high bitrate picture is stunning compared to an old 32" SD pic on a CRT. I must go and see if I can find these 'lines' you speak of.....

Oh, and 'distinct pixels'. Eh? Hang on, this was a proper scientific analysis you did and not just some FUD that's come from your backside?

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Extra monthly charge?

What you're paying for is the V+ box, which gives you a three-channel PVR. I had that way before HD arrived. When Virgin introduced HD, they didn't charge any more for it if you had a V+ box.

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