It used to be so simple, to watch TV you flicked on a, well, TV. Maybe if you knew you weren’t going to be home, or two must-watch shows were on at once, you’d use a VCR. Simple. Oh so simple. But here in the year that will, supposedly, be our last as custodians of …

At the launch for its 2012 Olympics coverage yesterday, the Nine Network announced that it will be simulcasting its Olympics coverage on high-definition digital channel GEM. According to Nine, the network will broadcast over 300 hours of Olympics coverage from London during the two-week event, beginning with the opening ceremony at 6am (AEST) on 28 July and finishing with the …

Now playing: Watch this: Tech Time Machine: 8 March 1:25 Lovers of music on vinyl should forever curse this day, while lovers of stitch-inducing comedy should revere it. If you love both, prepare to be very confused. With Syria in the news recently, it’s appropriate to note that it was on this day in 1963 that the ruling Ba’ath Party …

According to a report in The Australian (subscription required), the acquisition of Austar by Foxtel is set to be approved today by the competition commission, the ACCC. This is one of the last major hurdles to the long courtship between the two pay TV operators. After the ACCC’s initial go ahead has been given, the details of the merger will …

commentary It’s been a tough time for Sony of late — it lost US$2.1 billion between October and December last year, and is on course to be US$2.9 billion in the red for the year ending March 2012. That makes painful reading for someone, like myself, who grew up in a world where Sony was one of the pre-eminent names in …

Modified Ford Falcons, talking pigs and a famous Belgian reporter are just three threads that tie together in the knotted ball of the history that is 3 March. What does this all mean? Tech Time Machine investigates. It’s not exactly the biggest day in the history of technology, so let’s pause a moment to reflect on some other notable events …

From yesterday (1 March 2012), those tuning into Sydney’s TVS or Melbourne’s C31 for the latest instalment of Vasili’s Garden, Classic Restos or Deutsche Welle’s Euromaxx will need to do so via a digital tuner. On 1 March 2012, the community television stations in both Sydney (TVS) and Melbourne (C31) ceased the simulcast of their signal in analog and digital, …

Lost among the kerfuffle of Kevin versus Julia last week was an announcement that will gladden the hearts of those suffering from blindness: the ABC will begin a trial audio-description TV service in the middle of 2012. The trial will run for roughly 14 hours per week during primetime viewing hours on ABC1. The trial will last for 13 weeks, …

Optus is beefing up the number of streaming television channels offered for its MeTV PVR (turned online media streamer), with a choice of four foreign-language packs. From this week, the company will offer streaming foreign language channels to its MeTV customers. The channels are divided into four different packs, targeted at different audiences: Chinese in Mandarin; Indian in Hindi; Korean; …

Sony is pushing the PlayStation Vita at serious gamers, but from its release tomorrow the Vita will have access to the Sony Entertainment Network. At the Vita’s launch on Sydney Harbour it was announced that both the Sony Entertainment Network’s Video Unlimited and Music Unlimited services will be available on the device, with video streaming and downloads available from day …