Seems like half of Melbourne has got a new flat screen TV or computer monitor, judging from the number of CRTs left around the streets. In my view, you shouldn’t just dump them on the nature strip. Assuming it’s working, ask around to see if a charity somewhere wants it. Or list it on Freecycle ... [More]
This month it’s 25 years since the landmark mini-series Edge of Darkness concluded its first screening. I’m guessing I saw it a year or two later, and it remains one of my most favourite pieces of television ever… in fact it probably sparked my interest in the late-80s and early-90s in British television drama, particularly ... [More]
Back in the day, I was obsessed by The Bill — part of my greater obsession with British television drama. I watched it religiously from the late-80s until about 2001 or 2002 when went off the rails and into soapie land, then I abandoned it. Last night I watched the final two episodes, courtesy of ... [More]
High Definition-only channels ABC News 24 was the first HD-only channel. There’s more on the way: Channel 7’s offering aimed at the male demographic “7-Mate” will also be HD-only. Channel 10’s new “Eleven” will be SD, but it will replace the SD version of their sports channel “One”. There are rumours Channel 9 will launch ... [More]
Yesterday was the 5th of April. It was Easter Monday, a public holiday in Victoria. Most businesses were closed. When it comes to the shops, it looked like a Sunday: most smaller ones closed, most bigger ones open. (Not like Good Friday and Easter Sunday when everything’s closed.) Schools were all closed, but they’re in ... [More]
Superb! Charlie Brooker on what makes a generic TV news report: (via Mumbrella)
My main requirements for my next move into digital TV, and doing away with the VCR: Watch and record digital TV, record two channels at once HD not essential (apart from ABC1 HD offering Sydney news, there’s no unique programming on HD at this stage) Transfer recordings off to the PC for keeping Quiet and ... [More]
An opinion piece in The Age yesterday comments about the introduction of kids’ channel ABC3. What I can’t figure out is why, about the same time ABC3 has started up, ABC2 has dropped most of its non-kids programming on weekends during the daytime (eg before 6pm) and replaced it with more kids’ programmes. Compare for ... [More]
Red Dwarf – once upon a time, the ABC thought it belonged on the Sunday afternoon arts show.
The Jackson Jive The controversy over this skit, which involved five men blacking up (and one “whiting” up) to portray the Jackson 5, rages on. I don’t think it’s as simple as some are making out. Those offended (especially the Americans and Brits) should bear in mind that “blackface” has no history in Australia, and ... [More]
When we tuned into the first Hey Hey special last Wednesday, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. It’s been ten years since the show ended, which seems like a long time, but most of the regulars from back then are still around. I first watched Hey Hey when I was a kid, when it ... [More]
I’ve been looking at Topfield PVRs. Looks like one can get a dual-tuner standard definition (SD) model for about $300-350 (retail), whereas it’s about $750 for a high definition (HD) one. You can also get a single-tuner HD model for about $399, but sometimes I want to be able to record multiple programmes at once. ... [More]