Digital TV News

Virgin Media adds Film4 in high-definition

Monday 8 March, 2010

By Becca Talbot - becca@consumerchoices.co.uk

Virgin Media customers will be able to watch films in glorious high-definition with the launch of movie channel Film4 HD this summer.

Virgin Media’s (www.virginmedia.com) customers with cable TV will be the first in the UK to watch movies on Film4 in high-definition (HD).

The new channel, Film4 HD, will offer viewers a daily line-up of fantastic movies shown in super-sharp HD, including Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire and Ken Loach’s Looking for Eric.

Programmes and films in high-definition have clearer sound and sharper pictures, making them an all-round better viewing experience.

Cindy Rose, executive director of digital entertainment at Virgin Media, said: “As more and more households become HD ready, we’re lining up content that makes the most of high-definition and are making HD available to all our of customers for no extra fee.”

The new channel, which will launch in the summer, will be available to cable TV subscribers with Size M+, L or XL packages for free. It will also broadcast US independent films, Hollywood blockbusters and foreign films alongside special features and in-depth interviews.

Virgin Media is also adding E4 HD to its high-definition line-up, which will show programmes in high-definition at the same time as they’re being broadcast on E4, including series such as Glee, Skins and Hollyoaks. E4 HD is expected to launch on Virgin Media in April.

Sarah Rose, head of video-on-demand and channel development at Channel 4, said, “We’re showcasing some fantastic British films to millions of viewers in high-definition.”

The new channels will bring the total number of Virgin HD channels up to 11, as E4 HD and Film4 HD join C4HD, BBC HD, ESPN HD, FX HD, MTVN HD, National Geographic HD, LIVING HD (a Virgin Media exclusive) and the forthcoming Discovery HD and Eurosport HD channels.