It happened while I was watching the inauguration of Barack Obama in high-definition. I was marvelling at Huw Edwards's complexion (pores you can see from space!) and the thought crossed my mind: does anyone actually watch anything in HD and if so, what? It's not that I am sceptical of it as a brilliant technological advancement that will revolutionise telly-watching – well, I am a bit - but I always forget what's worth watching.
Take Battlestar Galactica. There I was, in the wee small hours of this morning, watching it again (thanks to Sky+) and still no closer to working out who/what Starbuck is, whether time travel is about to rear its head as a plot device and what Ellen really meant when she said "Everything is in place..." and then I remembered that I could have been watching it in HD.
Of course, by that point it wasn't just too late to watch it but I would have had to cancel the series link on Sky1 and skip forward to next Tuesday on the EPG to put the series link on BSG on HD. I know: poor me. I concede that such an inconvenience wasn't on a par with breaking rocks, but it did make me think that Sky could really do with improving their EPG, which isn't half as swish as the one on BT Vision.
I've decided to change the link all the same, for journalistic purposes, and I'll let you know how my experience of Battlestar Galactica improves in HD, or not. I dare say that I'll be just as confounded and confused as before. Though in a good way, obviously.
What do you watch in HD? Does it really make that much of a difference? I suppose the likes of Planet Earth or Life in Cold Blood would be all the more amazing in HD but the news? I watched Torchwood in HD once and though I have a real soft spot for Eve Myles, it was still quite ropey (and the music seemed louder for some reason but that, perhaps, was just my imagination).
Have you been watching programmes in high-definition? Does it immensely improve your viewing experience? Is it like being there? (There being a football pitch or Cardiff). If how we view TV is changing, thanks to the iPlayer and iPods and all sorts, will we shortly be confronted with the choice of either watching programmes – sorry, content - in HD on ginormous TV at home or else on a teeny-tiny screen while on the bus?
And while we're on the subject, are you waiting, breath bated, for 3D TV? The thought of Jonathan Ross swaggering around my living room is enough to give me the heebie-jeebies and I'm sure I don't want anyone from a Lynda La Plante drama soiling my humble abode. Is there any programme you'd actually like to see in 3D? (No, porn does not count).
Movies such as Shrek Goes Fourth at the cinema are one thing but EastEnders, Britain's Got Talent and Deal or No Deal? No deal, if you ask me. They can stay where they belong – confined within the magical telly box. In fact, some shows might like to improve on the two-dimensions that they're working in at the moment before getting any ideas about a third. (You can insert your own "cardboard characters" quip here, if you so choose).
