Comcast to offer U2 material in HD!

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Comcast promotes U2 videos - and new album - Daily Business Update - The Boston Globe

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From the Boston Globe Business Team
Comcast promotes U2 videos - and new album
February 24, 2009 02:23 PM Email| Comments (0)| Text size – +

Cable company Comcast said it has begun running a TV spot that not only promotes U2's new album but also alerts digital subscribers that they can get access to an HD music video of a song from the album titled "Get On Your Boots."

Comcast added that digital subscribers also have access to a whole range of music videos and concert footage from U2 and many other recording artists through Comcast's On Demand feature. U2's new album, "No Line on the Horizon," is set for release in early March, according to a Comcast press release.

Comcast said that it provides its digital cable customers with more than 10,000 "On Demand" programs every month, and the vast majority of these programs are available at no extra charge beyond monthly subscription fees; that's also true of all U2 On Demand programming that launched this week on Comcast.

“Our customers watch 50-60 million music videos a month On Demand, or 20-25 videos per second every day, and they love U2, so this is our gift to them,” Derek Harrar, Comcast's senior vice president and general manager of video services, said in a statement. "We make the best pop culture content available.”

The link to the TV spot, courtesy of Youtube, the video-sharing website, was provided by Philadelphia-based Comcast.

If this is the wrong forum to post the story, feel free to move it elsewhere.

 

[powerhour24]

Sweet

 

[Danny Boy]

Comcast HD Videos Online

A selection of U2 videos are currently showing on Comcast HD on demand. This is supposed to include GOYB, though I haven't been able to go home and see what all they have up right now.

What I DID find is that they are streaming some videos online in HD as well. Not only that, but I was able to save the videos using RealPlayer.

So far I've downloaded I Will Follow, All I Want Is You, and When Love Comes To Town as I don't think these have ever been released in DVD quality before.

The vids are 1280x720 H.264. Go check it out.

HD Gallery TV

 

[SeattleVertigo]

Looks like Comcast HD on demand has nearly 50 U2 videos, an 87-minute Paris show from around the Joshua Tree era, and full concerts from several of the concert DVDs -- Sydney, Boston, Chicago, Milan.

 

[beLIEve]

I'm watching the JT concert in Paris from 1987 right now...in HD and surround sound. I remember seeing them on tour back then...and while it was not in Paris, it certainly brings back memories. Hard to believe that was 22 years ago!

I'm really glad to see this being done for free, although you have to be a Comcast HD subscriber to get it. I was entertaining the idea of switching to Dish Network as recently as last week...but this nice little feature will keep me with cable for at least until April 7, when the concerts and videos are scheduled to come off the "On Demand" feature. Hope they add to the collection in the meantime!

 

[FuruftUta]

doesn't work for me - I'm in germany. Do I need an Abo or something?

 

[ramblin rose]

A selection of U2 videos are currently showing on Comcast HD on demand. This is supposed to include GOYB, though I haven't been able to go home and see what all they have up right now.

What I DID find is that they are streaming some videos online in HD as well. Not only that, but I was able to save the videos using RealPlayer.

So far I've downloaded I Will Follow, All I Want Is You, and When Love Comes To Town as I don't think these have ever been released in DVD quality before.

The vids are 1280x720 H.264. Go check it out.

HD Gallery TV

Very cool!! I'm going to try this when I get home. Thanks for the tip!!

 

[Lemonfix]

For once I have something nice to say about Comcast...I just finished watching ZooTV Sydney in HD.

 

[Danny Boy]

So could this mean Blu-ray is right around the corner?

That would make my wallet hurt.

 

[bcrt2000]

For once I have something nice to say about Comcast...I just finished watching ZooTV Sydney in HD.

Can you take a screenshot? I'm in Canada and can't access this stuff

I was always under the assumption that U2 concerts were shot in 480i digitally (since the Cameras have to feed back to the big screens).

 

[U2NativeSon]

Can you take a screenshot? I'm in Canada and can't access this stuff

I was always under the assumption that U2 concerts were shot in 480i digitally (since the Cameras have to feed back to the big screens).

not an expert, looks like 4:3 / 480p

this is a clip I got from a friend :

http://www.send space.com/file/35636t



@ Danny Boy, how did you download the videos?

 

[bcrt2000]

Ah okay, sounds like the pre-Vertigo stuff is in DVD quality then.

 

[Danny Boy]

@ Danny Boy, how did you download the videos?

I just opened them in Internet Explorer and used the latest version of RealPlayer to save them.

I tried capturing the HD stream from my cable box via Firewire as well but it's copy protected.

I was really hoping to capture an HD copy of GOYB.

 

[Danny Boy]

Yeah, a lot of the stuff was clearly never shot for HD and was just upconverted. The Boston DVD played on an upconverting DVD player looks just as good if not better.

 

[U2NativeSon]

I just opened them in Internet Explorer and used the latest version of RealPlayer to save them.

I tried capturing the HD stream from my cable box via Firewire as well but it's copy protected.

I was really hoping to capture an HD copy of GOYB.

That's what I thought, quality looks very nice though. Wish there was a way to save these HD videos from the cable box.

 

[Drowningman]

Wow, this is amazing. I can't believe evil Comcast has actually offered up all this U2 content for free.

I was on the verge of switching from Comcast to the Verizon Fios because of their monopolizing tactics but, I guess I'll be sticking with Comcast for a while now.

 

[doctorwho]

Thanks to this post, I looked at the Music channel selection and there it was - an item simply labeled "U2". I watched several videos (watching a very young U2 in "I Will Follow"). It isn't perfect - takes a while to load each video and there are a few mistakes (like the video for "The Sweetest Thing" being listed as 1993 instead of 1998). Still, it was quite nice to see. That is some fun promotion and I hope it gets a few music lovers interested in the new album.

 

[lostsailor1]

awesome. watching last night on earth. there's a lot on here...

 

[Lemonfix]

Ah okay, sounds like the pre-Vertigo stuff is in DVD quality then.

Yeah, my bad. It was listed under hd programming and I didn't stop to think that maybe a concert filmed in 1993 might not actually be in HD.

 

[lauramullen]

We switched from Comcast to Verizon a few months ago

 

[nirniva]

DAMMIT, CHARTER! WHY CAN'T YOU BE COOL?

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

I found it last night when I was watching something else and saw a Comcast promo for it. GOYB in HD is incredible.

Yes the older stuff is upconverted, I don't think the technology exists yet to make older stuff that wasn't shot in HD true HD

The concert stuff is Elevation Boston, Live in Paris, Vertigo Chicago and Milan, Zoo TV Sydney, SBS from Red Rocks, and Zoo TV Sydney. There are over 40 music videos.

 

[BSBONO]

U2 Month-Comcast on Demand

Not sure who here has Comcast cable but on their Music channel its U2 month. Go to Music on Demand section and there will be a special section just for U2. Has about 50 or so of their regular music videos. It also has all of their recent DVD live performances in HD including Chicago, Boston, Mexico City and Paris from the Joshua Tree tour which I have never seen.
Good stuff.

 

[TonyH]

It's awesome!! I've been watching the material off and on all weekend!

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

It's gone already. I guess the point was to sell NLOTH for a month