To work, Sky+ (or Sky+ HD) needs to have two feeds to your satellite dish. So if you just only have a wall socket connection to a communal dish in your block of flats, rather than your own dish, it won't work.

Curses. Foiled again.

So the iTunes store in the UK is finally getting some films worth watching. There's all sorts, including Full Metal Jacket, which that naughty More4 Kubrick season chose to ignore, for example.

Coupled with an Apple TV connected to your high-def TV and a broadband connection, that's quite a powerful combo - no heading off down to the video/DVD store to see what they've got in, when all you have to do is search, press buy, and it's ready to watch in a couple of minutes. If you buy a movie outright rather than rent it, you can take it with you on your iPod or iPhone to watch whenever it takes your fancy, too. And if you rent or buy one of the high def movies, you don't even need to bother with saving up for that BluRay player any more. Marvellous.

However, be warned that not all films in the store are created equal. For your inspection, take a look at that screenshot of the opening titles for The Hunt For Red October above (you can click on it to make it bigger). Note the moth-eaten edges, the poor colours and general fuzziness of picture - and the fact it's offset from the centre of the window. And it carries on like that, too.

So, my general advice if you're thinking of buying or renting a film from the store would therefore be to always plump for a film that's in the high def section, no matter what you're going to watch it on. Odds are that it'll have been cleared up and transferred properly, rather than dumped off an old print. Note you probably won't need to rent or buy the HD version, only know that it's available: the transfer will have been from the same print, just converted into a small file for the standard def buyers.

That'll save you a pound or two.

After extending the deadline a tad, it's time for me to reveal the winner of the Sky+ competition. The lucky person who'll be getting a money-saving voucher that entitles them to a free Sky+ box or half-price (or better) Sky+ HD box is...

Continue reading "The winner of the Sky+ competition is..."

It's competition time again. This time, it's your chance to get Sky+ for almost free.

No doubt you've heard of Sky+. It's a PVR for BSkyB that lets you record programmes, pause live TV and watch one programme while you record another.

But it's pricey. The Sky+ box normally costs £75-£120 plus anything up to £120 for installation; the Sky+ HD box costs anywhere between £150 and £399 plus up to £120 for installation, depending on how well you shop around.

However, as an exciting Sky subscriber, I've been given a voucher that entitles one other person to either a Sky+ or a Sky+ HD box at reduced cost. With the voucher, you can get the Sky+ box for free or the Sky+ HD box for £75 and installation will cost just £30. You could save £300.

And my voucher will be going to the winner of this competition. To enter, all you have to do is leave a witty comment or plead your case below. Deadline for entries is Monday 21st July 2008.

Usual rules apply: you have to live in the UK (obviously). You also need to be in position where you can say, "Yes, you can attach a satellite dish to my place of residence and wire it up." You can't be a Sky subscriber already, and you'll need to take out a year's contract; if you go for the Sky+ HD box, you'll also need to sign up for the Sky HD mix, which costs £10 a month extra. But what's the point of the HD box if you don't?

Doctor Who

• More information on next year's specials

Film

• A trailer for Max Payne
• Jon Favreau will direct Iron Man 2

British TV

• UKTV rebranding its non-Dave channels to Watch, GOLD and Albi
• BBC secures lifetime rights to Heroes
• Friends' Adam Chase talks about writing Clone for BBC3
• BBC2's Autumn highlights
• RDF launches a comedy downloads site

US TV

• New cast members for Ugly Betty, Heroes and Damages
• Scott Bakula to star opposite Ray Romano in Men of a Certain Age
• New pilots ordered by HBO, including projects from David Simon, Sarah Jessica Parker and Martin Scorsese
• And HBO announces Fall premiere dates for True Blood and Little Britain USA
• ABC willing to rip off foreign formats?
• Guest appearances on Criminal Minds and Psych for Jason Alexander and Justine Bateman
• BBC America will censor Skins

Subscribe to the daily news by RSS or email

Read other posts about: Heroes, Ugly Betty

Happy Independence Day, America!

Doctor Who

• Last ever Doctor Who appearance for Lis Sladen?
• A deleted scene from Torchwood, involving measuring tape

Film

• Trailer for The Day The Earth Stood Still
• Stills from recovered Metropolis print
• Trailer for Nicolas Cage/Alex Proyas's Knowing
• Clive Barker adapting Down, Satan!

Theatre

• Tim Rice working on Machiavelli musical
• 'Allo 'Allo to go on tour

British TV

• BBC to air Charles Darwin season
• Pre-booking for the iPlayer?
• CITV orders its first kids show in 18 months [free registration required]
• Channel 4 mulling regional news

US TV

• Kevin McKidd joining Grey's Anatomy?
• Some clips from Generation Kill

Subscribe to the daily news by RSS or email

Read other posts about: Torchwood