Category: ABC1

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ABC1 Videos: Promos

The curious, and potentially exciting ABC Now.

abcnoww - Twango

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The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has just flicked the switch on its new software offering ABC Now. Currently only available on PC (with Mac on the way) the desktop client is an audio/video hub for ABC content that allows you to stream and download programs and listen to live radio. And while comparisions are bound to be made to the BBC’s iPlayer this isn’t quite it, not yet at least.

The software is currently pretty basic, and doesn’t offer anything you can’t already get through the ABC’s website. What I find exciting about this is the potential it has. The fact that the ABC is building its own software is great, and its promise to be cross platform is also nice, what it needs though is much more content, much better quality streams and downloads, an integrated media player and library for your downloads, live streaming of ABC television channels, and a huge video back catalogue of every ABC production they have the rights to give away or sell to us.

And while my wish list is probably a bit of a stretch, I think this very first release is a nice start, with a lot of room to grow. Try it out for yourself here.

In related news: The ABC have announced that vodcasts are being downloaded at a rate of 327,000 per week, with over 14 million video downloads so far this year.

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ABC1 Videos: Chaser's War

Public Service Announcement: If the Chaser trespass on your property, you have rights!

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Its almost too exhausting to have to defend, but after the Chaser filmed a sketch involving Today Tonight host Anna Coren at Seven’s studios in Sydney.. “there was a bit of a Mexican stand-off with cameras for about an hour and all these Today Tonight executives went berserk and ran off to the Supreme Court” explained executive producer of the Chaser Julian Morrow.

Long story short Channel Seven have obtained an injunction to prevent the footage being aired on tonights episode of The Chaser’s War on Everything. Today Tonight led with this story tonight (first video) in a piece running for 16 minutes (topping an earlier Chaser story they did for 11 minutes). The story is basically one long interaction between Chas and TT reporter Bryan Seymour where he tries to be as offended as possible by the whole thing, while Chas waits to hear from the ABC’s lawyers and continues to point out the enormous irony of the whole situation.

Whatever comes out of this, the fact is that Today Tonight masquerades as a serious news program while doing nothing more then chipping away at our society and culture with the garbage its broadcasts five nights a week. Its understandable then that a show like Today Tonight, the complete antithesis of the Chaser would be so upset by the success of this amazing satire, that so publicly tears apart the role and significance of tabloid television on a weekly basis.

For more on my admiration of this show check out The Simpson’s War on Everything, or download entire episodes right here.

Update: Read the official response from The Chaser and ABC here.

Update 2: Read the interim injuction granted by the NSW Supreme Court here.

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ABC1 ABC2 Videos: Broadcast News Videos: Openings

The blue of Australia, and orange of the Pacific.

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The Australia Network (formerly ABC Asia Pacific) is a free to air satellite television station operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Its available to over 20 million homes across Asia, the Pacific, and India, and although technically not broadcast in Australia, some of its programming is available on ABC2.

The above video comparison shows the opening sequences of ABC News as broadcast locally, and ABC News Asia Pacific produced for the Australia Network.

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ABC1 Nine Network Videos: Broadcast News

The Great Debate, and the Pirates of Television.

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Update: The ABC explains everything slightly more eloquently here.

The fight for the next Prime Minister of Australia is well underway, and this evening the current PM John Howard faced his rival Kevin Rudd in the first (and possibly only) debate of this election campaign.

The debate was telecast on the ABC, as well as commercial network Channel Nine and news channel Sky. And while the debate was largely an exchange of speeches between the two men, there was some drama behind the scenes. Basically the event was being recorded by the ABC (for the first time since 1993), under an agreement with the organisers of the event, the National Press Club. The ABC agreed to supply a clean feed of the debate to any broadcaster that wanted it, however when Channel Nine included the worm in its broadcasts against the wishes of National Press Club there feed was pulled, forcing Nine to “pirate” a feed from Sky News.

Unfortunately that technical back and fourth (further explained in the videos above) was about the most interesting thing about the evening, for a slightly more interesting, if only fictional election debate, check out The West Wing’s live debate from the shows final season after the jump..

Continue reading “The Great Debate, and the Pirates of Television.”
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ABC1 Videos: Chaser's War

Anderson Chaser 360.

Update: Last night was the 3rd highest rating show on the ABC since 1991.

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Tonight could very well be the biggest night The Chaser’s War has seen, as the story behind the prank that made international news last week during APEC is explained.

This video is a promo showing the coverage the prank received on CNN. Hear what Chas had to say about the criticism today on 2UE in the audio below;

Download tonights episode from official vodcast here, or download it off me here.

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ABC1 Videos: Chaser's War

Subterranean Chaser Blues


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The Chaser’s War on Everything returns tomorrow night to the ABC. With 13 episodes left in the season, and a Federal election due sometime during the filming, it should make for a very interesting end of season two. That is, unless Howard holds off calling the election just to avoid getting Chaser’d (although I doubt that would stop them).

Subscribe to the Chaser’s official vodcast here, or download them off me here.

Bob Dylan’s Subterranean Homesick Blues music video gets the Taylor/Hansen treatment in the above promo. Watch the original Dylan video after the jump…

Continue reading “Subterranean Chaser Blues”
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ABC1 Videos: Promos

Summer Heights High: Enrolling this Wednesday.

UPDATE: The ABC will be offering downloads of Summer Heights High here.

UPDATE 2: The ratings are in.. Wednesday’s rock the ABC.

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In May last year Chris Lilley became the first Australian ever to win at the prestigious television awards, the Rose d’Or. He won for best male comedy performance in his show, We Can Be Heroes, which introduced us to among others, his character Ja’mie.

Ja’mie is back this week, with Summer Heights High starting Wednesday on the ABC.

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ABC1 Videos: Promos

The new ABC News Online.. on television.

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When you’ve got one of the best online news services around, the least you can do is promote it. So check out the video above thats been running on the ABC lately, or just start reading, listening and watching the news here.

Categories
ABC1 Videos: Promos

Get your download on with the ABC.

UPDATE: The ABC served over 5 million downloads last month!

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Its been over a year since the ABC began their trial of video podcasting, and what started out with just two shows has now expanded to over a dozen of the national broadcasters news and entertainment programs.

And while the video is far from DVD or DivX quality, at 8-cents a day I’d say their doing a pretty good job. While the BBC has taken the iPlayer route allowing you to download a DRM protected version of videos that automatically deletes itself, I hope the ABC keep on with the podcasting, keep far away from DRM, improve the video quality and keep adding shows.

The ABC’s enormous archive would probably make for a pretty good for-pay download store, amd I’m sure the ABC are already looking at something like that. For now though, no other network in Australia comes close to the video download offerings of the ABC and I look forward to seeing what they do next.

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ABC1 Videos: Idents

Books on your ABC Television, Radio and Shop.


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Music, the arts, science, kids, news, and now books. The ABC continues to remind us of all that “cultural stuff” they do so well. Check out the whole collection here.