According to satellite TV provider Sky, the number of users subscribed to its High Definition service has doubled in the last year. Sky lowered the cost of its STB to £49, helping to increase the number of Sky+HD customers by 465,000 from March 2008, to total just over 1 million. Stephen van Rooyen, Sky’s Director of Product Management, said: “The growth of HD is really starting to take off as more people discover the difference in picture and sound quality.  Whether you’re a fan of Hollywood movies, Test cricket, dramatic documentaries or operatic arias, you can enjoy more of the things you love in stunning high definition with Sky.

The BBC’s head of digital media technology, Anthony Rose, has confirmed the iPlayer’s jump to HD. The updated online service will detect a users internet connection speed, before automatically switching to the highest quality image. “Introducing HD streams [enables] users to enjoy BBC programmes in HD without a set-top box,” said Rose, adding: “The new adaptive bitrate technology and speed diagnostics page help optimise the viewing experience, while the resizable window gives users flexibility to switch between different quality streams, hopefully leading to a more satisfying experience overall.” Shows to get the HD treatment include Doctor Who, Kerwhizz, and Dragons’ Den, but no date has yet been set for planned updates to PS3 and Virgin Media versions of the service.

Sky last night pulled off the first successful live 3D broadcast to a 3D ready domestic HDTV through a Sky+HD set-top box. Having proved the potential of the technology in December when it showed off 3D recordings of a Ricky Hatton fight, a football match, a rugby match and an episode of Gladiators, the news means Sky is one step closer to creating a dedicated 3D channel on existing Sky+HD set-top boxes.

The live Keane concert at Abbey Road Studios in London was sent via the existing satellite system to a Hyundai 46-inch 3D ready TV and to a Vue cinema kitted out with 3D equipment. The gig was also aired on the web where fans around the world could watch Keane strutting their stuff in the third dimension, but only through plastic red-and-blue cut-out glasses. Will we ever escape these Eighties throwbacks?

The BBC has announced that this year’s coverage of the US Masters Golf from Augusta, which takes place over the Easter weekend, will feature significant portions broadcast in high definition on BBC HD.

The action starts on Thursday 9 April with three-and-a-half hours of HD coverage on the first three days and five hours of live HD coverage for the tournament’s climax.

In related news, Danielle Nagler, head of BBC HD, recently let slip that BBC HD would be arriving on the iPlayer ‘very soon’. It’s about time for this long overdue update.

Sony UK has announced it is to give customers a three-year guarantee on all BRAVIA LCD TVs above 26 inches from 1 April, trebling the standard one-year guarantee usually offered to customers.

The move will delight late adopters of HD sets, offering peace of mind usually only available at a high cost, but you have to ask yourself is Sony starting to pull out all the stops in an effort to revive flagging sales during these tough economic times?