Sky Expands HD Choice with Seven New High Definition Channels

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The Sound of Music in high definition will premiere on the new Sky Movies Modern Greats HD channel

There's no better way to watch a movie at home than in HD. Whatever genre of movie you're watching, HD doesn't just make pictures clearer, it makes the whole experience more intense. I keep reading that in the future, HD will be the standard way to watch movies at home. On Sky Movies, the future is here today.

London, UK (PRWEB) September 1, 2008

Sky has announced a significant expansion in the choice of high definition, or HD content available to UK television viewers.

Seven new HD channels will launch on the Sky+ HD service in October 2008, including six genre-themed Sky Movies channels in HD and a new HD version of Sky Real Lives. As awareness grows and sales of "HD ready" TV sets continue to rise, Sky expects to add even more HD channels by the end of 2008.

10,000 hours of HD content a month

The addition of the new channels in October will increase the total number of HD channels on the Sky platform to 26, compared with nine channels when Sky+ HD made its debut in May 2006. The number of hours of native high definition content on the Sky platform will increase to around 10,000 per month, more than 2.5 times the amount of standard definition content offered by the five main terrestrial channels combined.

Hilary Perchard, Head of Advanced TV Products for Sky, comments: "With equipment prices falling and the choice of content increasing, this is shaping up to be a big year for HD. Almost half a million homes are already enjoying Sky+ HD and we're excited to be offering even more HD content to our customers. With our commitment to offering the best in movies, documentaries, sport, entertainment and the arts in HD, there has never been a better time to join the high definition age."

Ian Lewis, Director of Sky Movies and Sky Box Office, adds: "There's no better way to watch a movie at home than in HD. Whatever genre of movie you're watching, HD doesn't just make pictures clearer, it makes the whole experience more intense. I keep reading that in the future, HD will be the standard way to watch movies at home. On Sky Movies, the future is here today."

New HD channels

Sky's new HD channels are:

• Sky Movies Action/Thriller HD - UK HD Premiere of Lock Stock and Two Smokin' Barrels, with 300, The Bourne Ultimatum, Die Hard 4.0 and Casino Royale also showing.
• Sky Movies Sci-Fi/Horror HD - UK HD Premiere of The Frighteners and The Haunting, with Blade Runner: The Final Cut, Robocop, Ghost Rider, 28 Weeks Later, Black Christmas and Dead Silence also showing.
• Sky Movies Drama HD - Key titles include: 3:10 To Yuma, Freedom Writers, The Last King Of Scotland and Atonement.
• Sky Movies Modern Greats HD - UK HD Premiere of The Sound Of Music and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
• Sky Movies Family HD - UK HD Premiere of Tarzan. Other highlights include Evan Almighty, Eragon, Charlotte's Web and Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End.
• Sky Movies Comedy HD - Key titles include Hot Fuzz, Blades Of Glory, Run, Fat Boy Run and Rush Hour 3.
• Sky Real Lives HD - includes:
• Lorraine Kelly's DNA Stories: Lorraine Kelly is back for a second series of the emotionally-charged programme that helps ordinary people find the answers to family-related questions through the use of advanced DNA testing;
• Toy Boys: Sky Real Lives meets a group of women who are hitting the dating scene with a vengeance. After emerging from decades-long relationships, they are determined to recapture their youth by capturing a youth;
• The Real A&E: Sky Real Lives ventures into Coventry University Hospital's A&E department to follow the tireless work of the medical team of consultants, nurses and ambulance crew as they provide 24/7, life-saving treatment to their patients;
• Other highlights include: Fashion Avenue, a new style show hosted by Jodie Kidd; Women Behind Bars, which goes behind the scenes of some of America's most notorious female prisons; and Project Catwalk series three.

More UK HD premieres from Sky Movies

To coincide with the launch of the new Sky Movies HD channels on Sky+ HD a definitive season covering famous Musical movies will be broadcast on Sky Movies Modern Greats HD. For the first time ever in the UK The Rocky Horror Picture Show and The Sound Of Music will be seen in high definition.

Additionally, Sky Movies will launch a weekly HD UK premiere slot on Sky Movies Premiere HD every Friday, which will showcase the first UK HD TV screening of both modern and classic movies. Highlights for October include Back to the Future, Apollo 13, Unforgiven and Austin Powers 2.

More High Definition delights

Other HD highlights on the Sky platform include:

• Sky Sports HD - England vs South Africa one-day cricket, The Ryder Cup, Barclays Premier League, UEFA Champions League, Guinness Premiership Rugby.
• Sky One HD - Prison Break, Ross Kemp on Gangs, 24 Prequel, Hairspray: The Musical, Gladiators, Bones.
• Sky Arts HD - Art Rocks, From the Basement, Metropolitan Opera Season.
• Other channels - Desperate Housewives (Channel 4 HD), Nip/Tuck (FX HD), Beijing Olympic Games (Eurosport HD & BBC HD), Deadliest Catch (Discovery HD), Predator CSI (Nat Geo HD) and Ice Road Truckers (History Channel HD).

Find out more about Sky+ HD at http://www.sky.com/hd

About Sky+ HD:

Sky+ HD launched in May 2006 and has quickly become Sky's fastest ever growing additional TV product. More than 498,000 homes across the UK enjoy over 7,500 hours worth of HD programmes every month, which is more than double the standard definition output from the UK's five main terrestrial channels. BBC HD, Channel 4 HD and Luxe HD are available without any subscriptions (HD ready TV and Sky+ HD box required).

Sky+ HD boxes are available for £150 when customers join Sky TV (from £17 a month) and subscribe to the Sky HD mix for £10 a month.

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