Virgin Media subscribers have a whole load of new reasons to be happy over the coming months, with Virgin announcing the addition of several new HD channels to its “XL” package. The new channels will start appearing with Eurosport HD in April, followed by a plethora of others from the BBC, Channel 4, ESPN and MTV over the subsequent weeks. This is obviously good news for sports fans as Eurosport currently carries comprehensive coverage of the Tour De France and European Athletics Championship, along with World Superbikes and World Touring Cars championships for those who prefer watching men dressed in leather rather than spandex.
It will also allow Virgin subscribers to enjoy the World Cup in high definition should the BBC decide to simulcast on their HD channel, no doubt further upsetting the nation’s grannies as their Coronation Street is pushed back to 11:30pm.
Quite what the quality of these HD channels will be is anyone’s guess. There is already a clear discrepancy between the signals broadcast by Sky and Freesat, so until Virgin’s arrive it will remain to be seen if these extra options will be worth switching providers for. However, if Virgin Media can successfully twin HD channels with their excellent range of On Demand services then their competitors will have to work jolly hard come renewal time.
If you haven’t yet joined the HD revolution then this is yet another good reason to pull your finger out. Fortunately, despite the end of the January sales there are still a plethora of cheap Samsung TVs and cheap LG TVs available, just make sure you read our previous blog on the different types of High Definition first (Confusion – Now in HD) to ensure you’re able to make an informed choice.