Users of the BT Vision service will be pleased to find out that BT’s very close to launching a High Definition “video on demand” service.

The HD service is expected to launch in Summer 2008, and throughout August, BT Vision set-top boxes have been auto-updated with a new version of firmware, 1.2.14642.551.

This new update adds a “Downloads” menu option to the “On Demand” section.

The bandwidth needed to stream High Definition movies with 5.1 digital sound just isn’t there with UK Broadband, so HD movies will need to be downloaded to the BT Vision box’s drive before you can watch them. Apparently downloads can take between 5-7 hours. Price is £4.95 for a blockbuster HD movie, or £2.95 for an older movie.

If you want more info on BT Vision, see our BT Vision page, or go to the BT Vision site

A sad day for UK comedy. The name Geoffrey Perkins was not a household name, but chances are, you’ve seen his work, as he’s been involved with loads of great British comedy series, including Father Ted, Coupling, Harry Enfield and the Fast Show.

For us, he’ll be remembered for his involvement with two classic radio comedy series. Geoffrey produced the original Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy radio series, and also wrote for, and starred in, the spoof series Radio Active (Britian’s first National Local Radio Station). Mike Hunt is no more.

Geoffrey died at the age of just 55 in a traffic accident in Marylebone.

From all of the FrequencyCast team, we’ll miss you.

Freeview’s coming to the Playstation 3 from the 19th of September. For £70, you can buy PlayTV, which supports Freeview, has a 7 day EPG, and turns your PS3 into a digital recorder.

You can use the PlayTV box to export TV content easily from the PS3 HDD to the Sony PSP, so you can watch telly on the go. You can channel surf with PlayTV using your BD remote or your Sixaxis.

The PlayTV box is available to pre-order now for £70 (press P&P) at Play.com

Fancy yourself as a spy? There’s a new set of sunglasses just in from the States… with an onboard 1.3 Meg camera and an MP3 player.

9 hours of battery life, USB connectivity, and a set of clear or polarised lenses, there’s a lot of uses for these shady gadgets. You also get a wireless keyfob to allow you to trigger the camera secretly.

To get your snappy shades, go to I want one of those.com

We’ve just released a 9 and a half minute audio show to fill the gap before our main September 1st show.

Carl and Pete look at the Polaroid PoGo pocket inkless printer, the BBC Test Card W, and our Pete’s desperate to see Kit Curran back on our TV screens.

Links to what we covered:

Polaroid Pogo Review: http://www.frequencycast.co.uk/pogo.html

Test Card W: http://www.adambowie.com/weblog/archive/002482.html

Bring back Kit Curran: http://www.frequencycast.co.uk/words/2008/08/kit-curran-on-dvd.html

Share and Enjoy!

 

 FrequencyCast Update PoGo 20 Aug 2008 [9:29m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Just two weeks after the 2.0.1 Apple iPhone update, there’s a new one. v2.0.2 was released on the evening of Monday 18th August, offering the descriptive “bugfixes”, reportedly in connectuion speed and typing lag.

Update addicts: Sorry, we can’t find a decent change log for you…

Got a mobile phone with a camera and Bluetooth? Fancy being able to print out your digital photos in under a minute?

Take a look at the Polaroid PoGo handheld printer. It’s rechargeable, ink-free and very portable. Take a look at our online review of the Polaroid PoGo Printer.

Late this evening, Apple released v2.0.1 for the Apple iPhone. Apparently, this patch includes a number of bugfixes. Installed this evening via iTunes on an o2 Apple iPhone 3G:

• Version: 2.0.1 (5B108)
• Model: MB496B
• Modem firmware: 01.48.02

Any info on what 2.0.1 has to offer in the way of fixes, please comment below. Apparently, a 2.1 release is due soon.

More on the iPhone

Show 29 of FrequencyCast, the UK’s TV and Tech podcast, is online now. Here’s what we cover:

• News Updates: Freeview boxes breaking, new Freesat channels, Sporting deals, Top Up news and a KITT sat nav.
• Focus - Digital TV Roundup: A long-verdue look at the digital TV options, and what’s best for you.
• i-GotU GPS: A nifty little GPS tracker, ideal for tracking treks and geotagging photos.
• Wii Fit Listen to lads try to lose a little weight.
• Your Questions: Freesat on a PC, BT Vision problems, AAAA batteries and more.

You can download Show 29 direct to your MP3 player or listen online at http://www.frequencycast.co.uk/latest.html. You can also get us via iTunes.

 

 FrequencyCast UK Show 29 [30:53m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download