The best thing to happen to Al Gore was losing the election (or at least the legal battle over the election). Ever since then, it seems like the man has been on a roll. An Oscar award winning movie, an Emmy award winning TV channel, and a Nobel prize, what’s next? An Inconvenient Truth is one of those films that truly changes your life. Before I saw it, I was environmentally cautious; I recycled when I could, I already drove a hybrid car, and I tried not to buy disposable items (I used rechargeable batteries and the like). However, ever since I saw the movie, the environment has been at the front of my mind. What other films have had an impact like that? Not a week goes by where I don’t think of something from that movie.

Anyway, in honor of Blog Action Day, I figured I’d congratulate Al Gore who I really wish would run for President. Although, I somewhat think the presidency may pale in comparison to winning an Oscar, and Emmy, and a Nobel prize in a matter of years.

If you’re wondering when your favorite shows (and new highly anticipated shows) will be premiering, check out BrentEvans Geek Tonic’s list of upcoming TV premiere’s.

Here’s an update to my previous entry, “Earth, The Next Hollywood Superstar?.” The blog High-Def Digest is reporting that HD-DVD and Blueray sales for Planet Earth have broken revenue records. Although fewer units were sold (The Departed holds the record for that at 100,000), the approximately 42,000 units of Planet Earth are more expensive (around $70 each) which has lead to more overall cash than The Departed raked in.

Go Earth!

According to Multichannel News, Time Warner Cable will be installing switched digital video technology in a couple of their markets. Switched digital video (SDV) is a technology I saw at NCTA this year and in my opinion has a huge advantage over satellite. In a nutshell, SDV allows cable operators to offer a virtually unlimited number of cable channels. Currently a cable operator has to provision a certain number of channels given the limited spectrum. For example, let’s say a cable operator can only handle 100 channels due to throughput restrictions for the medium. Channel 002 is always Station X and channel 003 is always Station Y and even if no one is watching Station X, the operator has to send the station’s signal out. SDV allows the cable operator to reclaim throughput not being used and provision it for other channels. So, if no consumers are watching Channel 002, the operator can use channel 002’s bandwidth to offer a new channel, channel 101. So, the idea behind SDV is more analogous to your home internet. You have a certain amount of bandwidth going into your DSL or cable modem…what you do with it is up to you (50k of your 800k bandwidth isn’t always reserved to do one thing). SDV allows operators to virtually stream programming only when consumers want it. Therefore, a cable operator can offer thousands of channels. If no one’s watching a niche channel, nothing is affected since that space is reclaimed to send signals that people are watching a different channel.

This technology will ultimately lead to more high definition channels and more niche channels. Imagine having a high definition channel that solely consists of a camera mounted somewhere in Yellowstone Park (HD of course) and a channel dedicated to underwater basket weaving. Traditionally, a cable operator wouldn’t dream of such a thing since it would take away their ability to offer more mainstream channels but now the possibility exists to offer almost any channel as long as it’s commercially viable.

It seems like Earth is becoming a huge star in Hollywood these days. Between Winged Migration, March of the Penguins, An Inconvenient Truth, and the cable television series Planet Earth, there’s no shortage of films about the home planet. Now, according to the UK’s Telegraph, the BBC is releasing a new nature documentary creatively named “Earth.” The article describes what went into the production of the film:

It took 130 cameramen and technicians five years to make the £8 million movie, the most expensive documentary film ever made. Filming in 62 countries, they braved some of the world’s most remote and treacherous terrain to secure footage of previously unseen aspects of the animals’ struggle for survival.

I really enjoyed Planet Earth so I can’t wait for this movie to come out.