There is a lot of time and expense involved in establishing your own home movie theatre, and people who take the step want to know that they will be guaranteed a choice of the latest in best online DVD rental. Those who have studied what’s going on in cheap DVD online rental in the UK have reached a spontaneous conclusion that LOVEFiLM are the undisputed leaders in their field and the company to choose if you want enjoy the best of all worlds in online DVD rental.

It wasn’t too long ago that the only choice for DVD rental was the local video store or even worse some kind of self –service booth stuck at the entrance to the local shopping centre or in the forecourt of a filing station. The truth is that unless you camped out overnight the day before you wanted to rent the latest release, your chances of actually being able to rent the film were very slim. And if you did succeed, the fees for late return were so high; it might even have been worthwhile to travel to mingle with the stares as the film made its UK premier in Leicester Square.

Thankfully all that is history, thanks to LOVEFiLM. First of all, LOVEFiLM has every single DVD that has ever been released in the UK on their list and once you rent them you can hold onto them for as long as you want. The LOVEFiLM policy is to allow their clients to hold on to a minimum of three films or indeed any DVD for as long as they want. When you get tired of the film, simply return it.

So what makes LOVEFiLM refreshingly different? We allow you the flexibility of ordering your DVD’s online. Your order is processed immediately and dispatched instantaneously by express post. All you need to do is to hang on the envelope that the films came in, and return them by the same method. If you order new DVD’s they will be sent to you in the same envelope. It’s as simple as that.

Want to give us a try yet are afraid to make a commitment? No worries! We are so confident that you will love what we have on offer, that we will give you a free two week trial and back it up by providing a contract that starts at less than four pounds a month that you can walk away from anytime you want.

So really you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by choosing LOVEFiLM to be your number one source for DVD rental.

Tags: DVD, Lovefilm, Movies, rent dvd

The Sky Player, Sky TV’s online service, launches on Xbox LIVE this autumn, bringing with it a tempting array of blockbuster movies, the best of music and the arts, thought-provoking documentaries, family favourite shows and, of course, the all important Premier League-powered Sky Sports content.

All of the above, and more besides, will be available to watch live or on-demand. Users don’t need an existing Sky contract and needn’t even sign up to one of the monthly subscription packages. Instead they can pick and choose the best bits from Sky’s myriad offerings on a pay-per-view basis. Better yet, there’s no need to install an external aerial or buy any kind of plug-in device. That’s the magic of broadband, folks!

The Xbox LIVE Sky Player offers new levels of interactivity too, adding some of the Xbox 360’s own abilities into the mix. In the case of Sky Sports this is set to include online chat during matches, league updates, instant results and so on. Other applications are currently being devised.

A full price schedule is still to be confirmed, although the existing PC-based Sky Player is a useful reference point. In which case we should be looking at individual monthly packages starting at £15 and single programmes from around £1 upwards.

The Sky Player is a useful addition to the Xbox 360’s ever-widening skillset. The console is certainly a step closer to becoming the mythical home entertainment hub that Microsoft always wanted it to be too. But is this a functionality too far? In other words does latest addition dilute what the big ‘Box is really good at – i.e.games? Guess we’ll see about that soon enough. In the meantime new episodes of The Simpsons and Premier League footy via your Xbox 360 – that’s got to be a good thing, right?

Tags: Digital TV, Mircosoft, Sky Player, Sky TV, Xbox 360

Quite a few cinema goers are now asking themselves, how does 3D work, and as more directors and movie studios promise more 3D movies, then it’s a good time to have a look at the basic principles.

When you talk about 3D in a film, what is comes down to is a visual system which creates a third dimension on screen, which actually equates to a feeling of depth. We see things in real life as three dimensional, yet when we watch the TV, or the big screen, we have to adjust ourselves to two-dimensional images.

The ability to see programmes and movies in the same way we see real-life images, has become the holy grail for many in the entertainment business.

And this sensation of depth is usually created by the simultaneous filming of two images by two cameras that are set-up side by side. These two identical images are then played back and with the aid of a viewing device, the viewer sees one image which has been married together, creating the illusion of 3D. Without the viewing device, the image appears slightly blurred on the screen.

Of course, when it comes to computer CGI techniques, these can effectively create 3D images without the use of a viewing device, although it is arguably not as rich an experience.

There are a number of key techniques when it comes to creating 3D images.

Anaglyph is the most common and uses the well-known viewing glasses which have two filters: one red and the other cyan. These play about with the colours that the viewer can pick up and creates a 3D image. This technique is being refined all the time.

The Eclipse method uses mechanical shutters to affect the light that a viewer is aware of, but still the effect is the same, it creates a 3D image.

The method which uses Polarization Filters makes use of the concept of linear polarization to create a stereoscopic motion picture, with two images projected onto the same screen. Light headsets are then worn to sort out the image and create a 3D effect.

With Lenticular, or barrier screens, no glasses are necessary to see the 3D image as the image is beamed onto a special screen.

But whatever method is used, 3D is always the end result and those methods which eventually do away with the need for glasses, but are still commercially viable, will win the day.

Tags: 3D, CGI techniques, Films, Lovefilms, Movies, Pixar

For many movie fans, thinking about the best film kiss is a major preoccupation.

The movie kiss is usually a big moment: it might signal the end of the story, when the hero has got the heroine and everything gets sorted out; or, a pivotal moment in the story, as the tension notches up and the plot begins to develop.

And over the decades of film making the kiss has changed, from, strong Hollywood leading men towering over their female co-stars, seemingly working the same moves as a deep sea diver struggling for air, as they peer down at their defenseless conquests and give them want they want. And the females who wait the whole movie waiting for that one kiss, to signify their willingness to play the subservient woman. The irony is of course, that many of the leading men were shorter and less statuesque than the leading ladies and one punch from their co-stars might have floored them.

Take perennial cowboy actor Alan Ladd, who it’s said had difficulty towering over his leading ladies, as his five foot six frame made it difficult to tower over anything. Stage hands were kept busy providing boxes on which he could stand and even dug trenches for scenes that required a walking shot next to someone. No doubt the cameramen were kept busy avoiding too many long shots.

But back to the best film kiss. Lets have a look at how some of them shape up. First, the classics.

In the 1939 Gone With The Wind, Vivien Leigh appears to be impersonating a small monkey as she hangs off the neck of Clark Gable in what was a classic screen smacker. Rhett was taking Scarlett upstairs, but not to show her his coin collection, and she didn’t have any choice in the matter.

Screen hard man Humphrey Bogart knew how to treat the ladies and in the 1944 To Have and Have Not, he fine tuned the skill of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation with Lauren Bacall.

Hollywood gent Cary Grant was a smooth screen snogger and with Ingrid Bergman around, he had plenty of practice. Their joining in the 1946 Notorious was actually notorious for one thing; the censors declared that Grant and Bergman had to come up for air every three seconds. It’s a tough life.

Marlon Brando, the man who had so much rawness and vitality it was almost painful to watch, was an accomplished screen kisser. Kim Hunter was one of the actresses on the receiving end, succumbing in the 1951 cult movie A Streetcar Named Desire.

John Wayne seemed more suited to strangling cattle and killing off the U.S. population of Native Indians, but his lips weren’t bad either. In the 1952 The Quiet Man, at least he had a female co-star, Maureen O’Hara, that might be able to handle that walk and embrace.

And who can forget the passionate kiss when Deborah Kerr was under the impression that Burt Lancaster was drowning and needed some air into his lungs? Lots of flesh, sun and a beach – how did they get that past the censors in the 1953 From here to Eternity.

In the 1954 benchmark movie Rear Window, James Stewart got to planting a smacker on a sleeping Grace Kelly. The future princess might have been sleeping, but she still looked a million dollars. No-one was sure that Stewart deserved it of course.

Anyone kissing Marilyn Monroe went down in history as a lucky boy and Tony Curtis got his chance in the 1959 Some Like It Hot.

So they were the classics, what do the more modern examples offer us in the way of screen snogs?

Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis give the lips a good work out in the 1984 cop meets uptight religious female movie Witness. Of course, all she wanted was a bit of affection and Ford steps up to oblige.

Harvey Keitel and Holly Hunter get down to some serious smooching in the 1993 The Piano. Unlike the classic snog scenes, this is more a paint by numbers.

Superhero Spiderman shocks comic book geeks with the desire to be kissed in the 1993 Spider-Man. Tobey Maguire hangs upside as Kirsten Dunst plants one on him in the rain. Should be saving the city, rather than getting hot under the spider suit with a steamy Dunst.

Kate Winslet handles Leonardo DiCaprio a little better than an acceptance speech in James Cameron’s 1997 Titanic. It’s sultry, but Winslet still manages to look like she’s working hard on a Sudoku puzzle.

Ryan Gosling and Rachael McAdams got up close and personal in the 2004 Notebook, although it was said they couldn’t stand the sight of each other on set. Months later they were romantically linked, then separated, the back again. Maybe they couldn’t get the kissing right.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger explore a new angle on the Hollywood kiss in the adventurous 2005 Brokeback Mountain. Not only get two blokes to do it, but get two cowboys to do it.

No, the newbies aren’t a patch on the classics, but maybe the screen snog has been confined to history, forever.

Tags: A Streetcar Named Desire, Best Film Kiss, Brokeback Mountain, Films, Gone With The Wind, Movies, Notorious, Rear Window, Screen Kiss, Some Like It Hot, Spiderman, The Quiet Man, To Have and Have Not, Witness

So film buffs, what has 2009 got to offer us? We’ll need something good to distract our minds from more financial meltdown, everyone being made redundant and general breakdown of society as we know it.

So let’s have a quick look at some of the biggies that promise to shock and awe throughout the year.

And what better place to start than Star Trek? This time it’s director J J Abrams to take control of the iconic space brand and boldly go where everyone has been before; a couple of times each. Pencilled in for May, this should be an enjoyable romp for all those Trekkies out there, and non-Trekkies as well. This time is a look-back at the early careers of the heroes we came to love out of the first TV series. Should be a good excuse for space daring-do in the old mould. Might be most memorable for English audiences who are looking forward to see uber-Trekkie Simon Pegg taking on the role of Scotty, before he and his mate Nick Frost rediscover Tintin.

Next up is Avatar, which has been ten years in the making so they say and is meant to be the epic of all epics. It’s backed by the once epic James Cameron, who for some has lost his way since early massive successes. Maybe this one, which will be in 3D and on a kiss-ass size, will cement Cameron’s claim to Hollywood immortality. We’ll have to wait and see; actually, we’ll have to wait and see until Christmas 2009, and given the nature of epics, this might also be put back. By the way, it’s all about people (earthlings and Na’vi’s try to get it together on a different planet, Pandora) and as no-one can seem to survive in harmony on this planet, you might guess what will happen.

The next one has its feet firmly attached to plant earth and is called Public Enemies which is due out in the summer. Directed by the still-going-strong Michel Man, this is a good old fashioned stick-um-up movie, with lots of good guys with lots of neat looking suits from the 1930s. It’s all about one Melvin Purvis, played by Christian Bale, a favourite of FBI chief J Edgar Hoover and who played hardball with the likes of the fashionable mobsters such as Baby Face Nelson (although don’t call him that to his face), Pretty Boy Floyd and Alvin Creepy Karpis. Great names, great actors (including Johnny Depp) and sets; does it get any better than that?

And, oh yes, lets not forget the Harry Potter franchise. The latest fling for the boy-wizard comes out in the summer and as everyone knows it’s late, having been due on the screens at the start of the year. Called Harry Potter and the Half Prince, little needs to be said about this one apart from the fact that it is eagerly awaited, will be a massive success and sporn another load of Harry Potter merchandise. Oh dear.

So there we have it, a few films to whet your appetite for the coming year. Enjoy.

Tags: Avatar, Big Screen, Christian Bale, DVD, Film Buffs, Harry Potter, J J Abrams, James Cameron, Lovefilms, Michel Man, Star Trek

For quite a few years now, observers have been looking into the issue of the effects of TV gambling and TV games, and asking if it is fun, or a social problem?

Over the last few years, gambling laws have been relaxed and there are now numerous channels devoted to traditional gambling pastimes such as bingo, poker and horse-racing, but also ‘lite’ versions, which are more akin to on-screen pub quizzes. And like it or not, they are here to stay.

Estimates vary as to the size of the British TV Gambling market, but most put it into the low billions of pounds range.

Experts all agree that it is a flourishing market and growth will be dramatic during the next few years. Gambling is an impulsive act and when that’s combined with TV’s increasingly interactive nature, it makes it a very attractive proposition and fun pastime.

And whilst broadcasters do not release the numbers who bet via their TV stations, it is believed that the largest player in the market might have up to 100,000 punters a week who play their games. Add in punters from other channels, and soon TV gambling will become a major entertainment industry in its own right.

Now, at those sort of figures there is obviously a demand for this kind of entertainment; the trick for regulators and broadcasters alike is to ensure that people see it as entertainment and fun, and not something that is addictive.

For many people the opportunities of having a flutter via their TV is a welcome chance to participate in something that does not require visiting potential hostile environments, such as high-street betting offices. And betting these days is not just on the 3:40 at Kempton. Major events such as the Eurovision Song Contest and Big Brother, are proving as bigger draw as some of the major sporting events.

And the demographic is changing, with more women keen to try their luck, not least because they feel safe gambling from their homes, and not the more traditional, male orientated outlets.

It is in the best interests of the major broadcasters to ensure that TV gambling and TV games remain fun for all concerned. Great effort is made to ensure players are over 18 and the broadcasters also work with a number of consumer bodies to ensure that they have a sensible approach to their gambling practises.

One such organisation is the charity GamCare, which has become a recognised authority on the social impact of gambling. In a non-judgmental way, it sets out to understand why people gamble, the overall social effect of gambling and to offer help and guidance to those who become dependent.

So TV gambling and TV games, is it fun, or a social problem? Currently, its fun, and most people are responsible punters who understand the reasons why they play and are disciplined enough to not let it become an addiction. And, ultimately, TV Gambling offers little different from what is already out there on the high-street; its just brings it into the comfort of the home.

---

To Sign up or for more information on Sky TV or Sky Broadband Services use these links

• See, Surf, and Speak
• Sky Broadband
• Sky Equipment and Installation
• Kids Mix
• Knowledge Mix
• Music Mix
• Variety Mix
• Style and Culture Mix
• News and Events Mix
• Movies Mix
• Sports Mix

For more detailed information on Sky TV or Sky Broadband Services visit www.sky-direct.co.uk

---

Tags: British TV, Gambling, Gambling Laws, TV Gambling, TV Games

Is Children’s TV a digital nanny, or source of education?

Okay, lets be honest, we’ve all done it. Little Jonny wakes up moaning for attention at six in the morning, you got to bed about two in the morning after the neighbours came around to try out that bottle of Tequila and you don’t just feel up to helping him do that 1000 piece jigsaw.

So you turn on the box, make sure he’s safe and while he’s happily watching Postman Pat and his Little Black Cat called Jess drive around Pencaster, you can snooze on the sofa.

And if you haven’t done it, you’re either fibbing, or you should be up for a Mother Teresa award.

But the question is, how many times does Jonny get given to the box for a diversion? If he sees the Sony flat-screen as his natural parents and struggles to recognise you at all, then you’ve got problems. Who can forget that classic Simpsons’ episode when Bart and Lisa try to prevent Homer pawning their TV, as they saw it as their cultural and social reference point?

And the whole issue of how much TV a child should watch is fraught with sociological mumbo jumbo and do-gooders with various axes to grind. Listen to some experts and having a TV is similar to inviting Satan in as a house-guest. Yet if your child grows up never having seen TV, how can it survive in the modern matrix, where digital, multi-channel media platforms are the norm? The Luddittes had the same issues back in the early nineteenth century, when they tried to resist the introduction of mechanised work practices.

With today’s modern media, there are plenty of educational channels to which Jonny can be pointed and ones that will help improve his education.

And lets have a look at some figures. A recent survey found that British kids spent over five hours a day watching TV. This, apparently, has gone up over the last five years, when kids spent an hour less glued to the box in the corner of the room.

The survey went on to say that the hours were clocked up during breakfast, when they returned home from school, when they ate dinner and went they went up to their rooms for bed.

It also found that a remarkable number, over 80%, turn the TV on when they come home from school. Although, knowing the stress endured at modern day schools, maybe that’s not so remarkable? Now, another interesting point is that although the TV might be switched on, kids weren’t necessarily watching it, using it almost as a ‘wall paper’, a background experience whilst they did other things. Some see this multi-tasking as bad, others as a sign of children’s ability to adapt.

So the trick is, when faced with the question is children’s TV a digital nanny, or source of education, is to make sure that the kids get their daily dose in moderation and that a good part of that moderation is with programmes that tax their mental ability. There, not so difficult then.

---

To Sign up or for more information on Sky TV or Sky Broadband Services use these links

• See, Surf, and Speak
• Sky Broadband
• Sky Equipment and Installation
• Kids Mix
• Knowledge Mix
• Music Mix
• Variety Mix
• Style and Culture Mix
• News and Events Mix
• Movies Mix
• Sports Mix

For more detailed information on Sky TV or Sky Broadband Services visit www.sky-direct.co.uk

---

Tags: Children’s TV, Digital Nanny, Education, Sky TV, Televisions

The TV licence and where does the fee go, is one of life’s perennial questions. They say they are two certainties in life, taxes and death; if you live in the U.K. and watch TV, then there’s a third, the TV Licence.

It harks back to an era of small-screen black and white TV sets, of dinner-jacketed, home-county accented presenters announcing the latest government farming initiative and the good old British Broadcasting Corporation.

And as regards the TV Licence revenues, things haven’t changed that much; it still all goes to the BBC, much to the annoyance of many other broadcasters. Bear in mind that although there are only two independent broadcasters in the U.K., the BBC, funded by the TV Licence, and Channel 4, funded by advertising, there are a myriad of other media companies out there.

With the funds from the cost of colour TV Licence at £139.50 and £47 for a black and white (who still watches a black and white TV?), the BBC is charged by the Government to produce programming for itself and S4C, without recourse to commercial advertising. By the way, the first TV Licence set you back £2 per year!

Now, in this enlightened age of multi-channel digital TV, and with many of the other TV stations moaning about the BBC’s unfair commercial position (not for them sensitive advertising budgets which tend to head south in times of economic difficulty), the TV Licence is a very contentious issue within the media community. Many claim its simply not a level playing field.

Even the Government department which ‘handles’ the BBC, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, has admitted that the digital age, together with the ever increasing number of programme delivery platforms (mobile phones, internet for example), is beginning to make the licence look anachronistic. But, the Government hasn’t come up with a plan for its change, or demise.

But, enough of that. What does the TV Licence generate in terms of revenues and where does it go. Firstly, it raises a staggering £3.2 billion per year; enough for quite a few programmes of Strictly Come Dancing. Where it goes can be broken down into five key areas and the percentages are provided by the BBC Trust. TV gets the largest percentage at 67.58%, with network radio the next largest at 10.45%. The next largest chunk, 9.30%, gets spent on transmission and licence fee collection costs. Local radio has its hand out for 7.61% and bringing up the rear, is the 5.05% to web-sites. That’s basically where your money goes.

Now the BBC is bigger than just those parts of course and interestingly, other bits are funded in other ways. The BBC World Service is bank rolled by a governmental grant and BBC World, and some of its other independent enterprises, are funded by advertising and normal commercial practices.

So when your child asks that embarrassing question, the TV Licence – where does the fee go, just tell him, or her, not to worry. By the time they’ve grown up, it will have all changed.

---

To Sign up or for more information on Sky TV or Sky Broadband Services use these links

• See, Surf, and Speak
• Sky Broadband
• Sky Equipment and Installation
• Kids Mix
• Knowledge Mix
• Music Mix
• Variety Mix
• Style and Culture Mix
• News and Events Mix
• Movies Mix
• Sports Mix

For more detailed information on Sky TV or Sky Broadband Services visit www.sky-direct.co.uk

---

Tags: BBC, Digital TV, TV Licence, TV Licence Revenues, TV Sets, TV Stations

Compare Virgin TV and Sky TV and see what you get.

Firstly, some basics. Virgin TV and Sky TV are the two major players in the subscription digital TV market, and the choice really comes down between these two.

Both Virgin TV and Sky TV provide an extensive range of programming in return for a monthly subscription. And in reflecting people’s different tastes and needs in terms of entertainment wishes and budget, both providers offer a range of packages. For those that love sport for example, they can build this into their package, but drop other programmes that they would not find so interesting.

They both also provide additional services, such as telephone and broadband subscriptions.

Importantly, as the U.K. moves towards digital TV and the analogue signal gets cut off, it is a viable alternative to purchasing a Freeview box which has a lot less programmes than those offered by Virgin and Sky.

Now, one important consideration when choosing between the two is where you live.

Sky TV has the great advantage that the programming is delivered to your home via a satellite, which is installed, along with your Sky Box, by a qualified engineer. So even if you live in a remote country location, you can still usually access Sky. This has the added advantage that should you live in an area that struggles with receiving Freeview channels, a Sky satellite will pick them up.. And once you have your subscription package, this can effectively move with you, should you move house within the U.K., or even move overseas.

Virgin TV is delivered via cable, so U.K. coverage is mainly limited to metropolitan (highly populated) areas.

Costs tend to be about the same, given the large number of options and combinations you can choose, going from about £11 a month to £125.

As to specifics, Virgin Media has a range of hardware including a standard digital receiver (connected to a cable), labelled V, and a digital TV recorder, known as V+, which allows you to watch one channel, and record two others onto a hard drive. On-demand viewing is also available. They offer three basic packages, M, L and XL, which come integrated with various levels of telephone and broadband packages. But check first that you live in a cable area, otherwise Virgin is not an option.

Sky is delivered via a satellite dish attached to your house and the hardware consists of a digital receiver, Sky TV, a digital TV recorder with a built-in hard drive memory (this can record, rewind and pause real-time TV) and also Sky HD, which offers high definition channels, which are currently the ultimate in picture quality. Sky, like Virgin, offers a range of channel mixes and options, which can be supplemented with telephone and broadband packages.

Sky also offers freesat which, for around £150, gives you a satellite and receiver with access to the Freeview channels, with some additional ones throw in. Customer can then upgrade to larger Sky packages at any time.

When you compare Virgin TV and Sky TV, its worth sitting down and seeing what you get for your money, and judging which provider will be the best for you.

---

To Sign up or for more information on Sky TV or Sky Broadband Services use these links

• See, Surf, and Speak
• Sky Broadband
• Sky Equipment and Installation
• Kids Mix
• Knowledge Mix
• Music Mix
• Variety Mix
• Style and Culture Mix
• News and Events Mix
• Movies Mix
• Sports Mix

For more detailed information on Sky TV or Sky Broadband Services visit www.sky-direct.co.uk

---

Tags: Digital TV, Freeview Box, Sky TV, Televisions, Virgin TV

Sourced from http://www.sky-direct.co.uk/

The idea of digital TV signals has sparked many new and exciting innovations in the way television is watched. Unlike analogue signals, which are limited due to their large size,
digital signals are small and versatile. This means that more information can be
communicated to your television than ever before.

Why is Digital TV so Popular?

The compact size of digital signals allows broadcasters to increase the quality of the sound and image, broadcast an expanded array of channels, and offer interactive features.

The versatility of digital signals also means that they are used for more than television. This allows companies to create packages which include television, internet, and phone for homes and businesses.

What will Happen to Analogue?

As digital TV gains momentum more broadcasters are making the switch from analogue, sending those signals the way of the cassette tape. Currently in the UK, television operates on a simultaneous broadcast system, providing both analog and digital signals.

This will not last forever, though, and over the next four years the analogue signals will be phased out for good.

Digital Viewing Options

As analogue television becomes more rare, TV viewers must update their entertainment systems to receive digital signals. Innovative products make this simple to achieve.

Now your home can be receive digital TV in one of three ways:

1) Through a specially designed television.

2) Through a digibox purchased for a standard television.

3) Through a PC fitted with a television card.

Although Sky has offered digital television simultaneously with analogue for several years, the broadcaster officially eliminated analogue in 2001.

---

To Sign up or for more information on Sky TV or Sky Broadband Services use these links

• See, Surf, and Speak
• Sky Broadband
• Sky Equipment and Installation
• Kids Mix
• Knowledge Mix
• Music Mix
• Variety Mix
• Style and Culture Mix
• News and Events Mix
• Movies Mix
• Sports Mix

For more detailed information on Sky TV or Sky Broadband Services visit www.sky-direct.co.uk

---

Tags: Analogue TV, Digital TV, Sky TV, TV