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Rumours: New HD channels

TV Tonight is hearing whispers about those other new HD channels.....

On the weekend Foxtel confirmed FX would be launching in the new year with such shows as The Walking Dead, The Transporter and Hell on Wheels.

An FX HD channel is also coming, as part of the promised new channels that were hinted at when Foxtel announced a price increase.

Meanwhile TV Tonight is hearing whispers that other new HD channels will include AFL HD, and Eurosport HD .

Foxtel will announce its 2012 programming highlights later this month. Could be timely to confirm those other new channels?

20 Responses

  1. Proper HD for any TV craps all over SD. Take a look at the HD version of Terra Nova or Hawaii Five-O or Modern Family and compare it with the crap that channel 10 serves up. It is like the difference between driving a BMW and driving a Kia.

  2. @ Barrie. exactly completely agree with you, its the same channel just in HD its amazing when people get excited about the smallest insignificant things. @ Josh. There will be no competition in the next couple of years as far as another pay tv provider, news ltd and Telstra have a monopoly on it, especially considering the takeover of Austar went ahead. The ACCC is powerless maybe their new CEO will do something but i am not holding my breath. The only hope is to pray to whoever so that IPTV continues to take off and people subscribe to that or more illegal downloading, will result. No company has a soul this is capitalism, if companies had a soul we would not have gotten the GFC and companies would not be ripping people off and would actually be paying them more and not complaining so much and crying foul when their workers do strike, Qantas a case in point.

  3. @ Armchair Analyst – your right that sports and movie channels benefit from HD simulcasts as they offer the same quality as would be seen in a cinema or at the sport venue, but entertainment channels are no different in the quality. Programs filmed from mid 2000’s onwards are in HD and when you compare some of them the differences are very easy to see. Obviously LifeStyle launching a HD simulcast this year was rediculous seems though their HD content is beyond a joke, but channels such as FOX8 and W that do have a large portion of their primetime and even day time content in HD is a huge bonus. And in regards to Foxtel/Austar upping the prices everytime they offer more HD channels, hopefully some competition will appear in the next couple of years or maybe the ACCC can step in and make them realise that their prices are beyond a joke. The U.S. and U.K. charge roughly $80 for the lot (and that doesn’t include this stupid “HD Access” fee), and the sooner the pay-TV companies here grow a soul the better.
    @ Adam – although TV1’s afternoon schedule consists of a lot of oldies (e.g. Hogans Heros, The Nanny, etc.) their primetime and even day time consists of programs filmed in the last couple of years which are in HD (e.g. House, Royal Pains, Law & Order franchise, Psych, etc.)

  4. @ Paul – I had my IQHD installed for free, you just need to know how to ask for it….best place to find out is over at the whirlpool forums forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1758517&p=16

  5. All of you who are excited about HD versions of your favoirite channels need to realise that you will likely be made to fork out more money for it, and all for a HD simulcast of the same content which is in SD, personally the only channels which should ever be in HD are movie and sport channels and thats because they are trying to recreate the experice of being at a cinema or at a sporting event. i never quite understood and still dont understand the point of HD channels which dont show sport or movies, to me that just doesnt make any sense. To me its just a waste of money.

  6. Why not try something innovative and make HD channels free for all Foxtel IQ2 users?
    Freeview HD is non existant and Foxtel could really push the HD focus.

  7. Yeah AFL HD was confirmed when the channel was first announced, god I wish they would launch Teennick and Disney XD here, I don’t really see the point of them launching TV1 HD since it plays a lot of old shows, but then again I’m on Austar so I wont get the channels unless the takeover is succesfull.

  8. The only time I’ll ever care about new HD channels is when Foxtel starts to install IQHD services for free. Until then, I’ll stick with SD. Want more money out of me Foxtel? Then install it for free!!

  9. I thought I better check that I wasn’t making up fake details regarding my earlier comment that Fuel TV has twice the amount of viewer share as Eurosport, so I just looked up the last 5 reports on OzTam only to realise Eurosport doesn’t even register (having that little viewers) compared to Fuel TV having 0.2 in the last report (its not much but its obviously more than Eurosport). Foxtel need to stop trying to save money by launching channels that are already being shown in other countries and increase the amount of Australia channels. Although it offers the niche sports that are not offered by the other channels, it is not worth wasting the little HD spectrum left on Optus D3 before Optus 11 launches in 2013.

  10. Fuel TV would be the better choice for a HD simulcast seems though its viewer share is twice as much. If an existing entertainment channel gets a HD simulcast I would have my money on TV1 and 13th Street if we go by viewer share.

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