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Games of Thrones' Richard Madden (Robb Stark) in Discovery's first scripted series Klondike.
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Discovery Channel will be going HD in the first quarter of 2014. It'll also be replacing the current Discovery HD Showcase channel.
Discovery Channel will stay on Channel 121 - this channel will go HD - and Discovery HD Showcase (on Channel 180) will no longer be available. Shows from Showcase are going to be available via VOD Online and on the VOD service of the recently released Explora PVR.
On one hand I'm iffy about the fact that a channel's being removed but on another I don't really care.There's a ceiling on how much Discovery I'm keen on watching so two channels is too much. I only ever watch Showcase but I only choose it because it's in HD so now I'll just do Discovery instead. Do you feel the same or is it a big deal to you?
One of the reasons I tune into Showcase is to see the crisp HD picture. Literally. I won't always watch the show properly - I'll just sort of tune in to see the picture and also relish my clean TV after I've given it a sweep with my
magic cleaner.
There's something about Discovery shows that makes the HD look even better for some reason ... I'm not sure if it's broadcast quality of the specific channel or what but it often looks even better than other HD channels. Have you noticed it too?
All in all I don't mind developments - Discovery Channel in HD is long overdue. One thing I do mind (a lot!) is that Animal Planet hasn't gone HD yet.
As for what we can expect from Discovery when it's HD ... it's going to have all the regular shows currently on the channel and also, the channel's first scripted series.
It's called Klondike and it's an eight-part mini-series by Ridley Scott (Alien, Gladiator, Prometheus, Robin. It's based on the book by Charlotte Gray and it's about six strangers and their battle fight for survival and gold in a small, town in remote Klondike. Headliners in it include Richard Madden, Tim Roth and Sam Sheppard.
Here's a trailer: