Night at the Museum Movies On DirecTV

Over the Memorial Day weekend, “Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian” took the box office by storm, beating out the much anticipated premier of Terminator: Salvation. Now, because of a new deal with FX, the Night at the Museum movies will be available to DirecTV viewers right in their own living room. The FX Network purchased exclusive television broadcasting rights for the films from 20th Century Fox.

The first movie in the series has already been aired, to good ratings, directly prior to the sequels big Memorial Day theater release. The sequel, also starring Ben Stiller, is set to be shown on the Network in November of 2011.

The movie represents the most successful opening weekend for any of Ben Stiller’s live-action movies to date, earning about the same initial crowd response as “Madagascar”, the 2005 animated movie that he lent his voice to. The fact that the second “Night at the Museum” did better at the theaters than “Salvation”, the fourth installment of the “Terminator” series, came as a surprise to many – including 20th Century Fox, the maker and distributor of the comparatively high grossing film. It isn’t often that a sequel brings in nearly twice the amount of opening weekend ticket purchases that the original film.

20th Century’s broadcasting right deal with FX states that the Network will pay 12% of the movie’s domestic box office. As of now, the sequel has earned around $200 million in ticket sales, which could mean FX paying up to $24 million for the rights to the movie when it’s all said and done.

In addition to “Museum 2″, FX has also signed deals entitling them to the television broadcast rights for other feature films including “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”, “Monsters vs. Aliens”, “Star Trek”, and the yet to be released “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”, which is another good reason to go with DirecTV as your satellite television provider.

Little People, Big Show

If you haven’t had a chance to catch the TLC channel’s reality television show entitled “Little People, Big World” you’re missing out on big entertainment. This TLC series that debuted in March of 2006, and is now currently in its fourth season on DirecTV’s channel 280 (or 1280 for the handy Video On Demand version), and is about a special family of six, of which half its members have dwarfism. . The parents Matt and Amy, as well as one child, Zach, are little people, whereas the other three children, Jeremy, Jacob, and Molly are all of average height.

Throughout the series, the viewer gets to see the daily lives of the Roloff family, who live on a fully functional thirty four acre pumpkin farm in Helvetia, Oregon. Since the success of “Little People, Big World”, Roloff Farms has seen such an increase in visitor traffic (30,000 visitors during the 2006 pumpkin season alone) that Washington County had to temporarily shut down the roadway that was leading to gridlock.

One of the most original aspects of this show is that while it deals with the daily challenges of everyday life for the little people in the Roloff family, it doesn’t feel exploitative or opportunistic. There’s your typical family drama, regarding finances, children being children and shopping excursions as well. Although the little people in the family have to do things slightly different than full sized folks, you won’t hear them complain.

In late October of 2006, Jacob Roloff and his friend were both severely injured in a farming related accident that resulted in high-risk surgery for Jacob to remove a small piece of skull from his brain when a pumpkin-launching machine discharged early.

Although camera crews did not catch the incident, the moments that followed the accident led to one of the most nail-biting season finale situations on DirecTV. Although Jacob and his friend both recovered fully, the event was one in many exciting events on this well-rounded show that you shouldn’t miss.

RFD-TV: Good Stuff For Rural Folk

Are you a member of the growing population of rural citizens? RFD-TV, known as “Rural Free Delivery TV” could be just for you. This DirecTV satellite television channel is solely dedicated to bringing rural and country homeowners full programming that covers rural concerns, issues, as well as entertainment shows.

Stationed physically at Northstar Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, and airing on DirecTV channel 345, RFD-TV has been the leading rural television channel since its launch in December of 2000. When it comes to the network slogan “Rural America’s Most Important Network”, it never fails to deliver on its promise. From agricultural TV shows and reports, to music and even equine concerns, RFD-TV covers a lot of ground.

One of the biggest contributors to the success of this network is the ever controversial, albeit extremely entertaining, “Imus in the Morning” radio show that is broadcast early morning from 6amto 9am during the week. Don Imus, the man behind the show’s namesake is the main host on this talk show that covers many news and public interest stories with full commentary, and even a news ticker at the bottom of the screen that shows the daily news.

Many will be happy to hear of the reunion and new broadcasting of the “Crook & Chase” show as well as so many other shows including “America’s Heartland”, “Prairie Farm Report”, “The Cattle Show”, “Best of America By Horseback”, “Hee Haw”, “The Porter Wagoner Show”, and “Pop! Goes The Country”, to name just a few. Live auctions of all sorts appear on more than one show in RFD-TV’s programming lineup and are just one more reason this satellite television channel has the perfect balance of entertainment and information appreciated by those of us in far out country places.

Let the ReelzChannel Reel You In

The ReelzChannel network, owned my Hubbard Broadcasting Corporation, is a novel idea for a satellite television channel; it offers a true behind the scenes look at movies and the myriad of people that help to bring them to audiences. Ever wonder how certain movie stunts are done, or how Michael Bay got his start directing? The ReelzChannel is just for you, grab a director’s chair and settle in.

For movie buffs, film lovers, and aspiring directors or actors, the ReelzChannel network is the one stop shop on television for all things pertaining to the entertainment industry, and the films it produces. The independently owned and operated ReelzChannel has up to date information on TV shows on cable television, movies that are currently in theaters and the latest DVD releases as well. And for those that want to stay on top of the industry, there’s a movie and TV news update every hour.

Airing on DirecTV’s channel 238, the ReelzChannel network includes stellar programming such as a series titled “The Directors”, a feature show that different filmmakers, their process, work, individual profiles and explains how they’ve affected the film world.

The ReelzChannel is also now current home to the cult hit “The Critic”, the animated series about a film critic named Jay Sherman (voice acted by Jon Lovitz). This series, with only 23 episodes to its name, is a must-see for anyone who enjoys “The Family Guy” or “The Simpsons”.

Since the beginning of 2009, The ReelzChannel has added a few select films to its Friday night line-up of shows, which is just another reason that any movie lovers, makers, and watchers can enjoy this network as THE channel to turn to for entertainment and film news. If you aren’t a current satellite television subscriber, you should definitely check out some DirecTV deals for the best service and value.

Swing Into Spring With DirecTV’s Tennis Channel

Get ready to watch all of your favorite tennis players and tournaments in sharp, vibrant high definition broadcasting. The Tennis Channel has offered subscribers 24 hour, unbeatable tennis coverage and programming since 2003. You can expect to find high quality coverage of live tournaments, up to the minute news, interviews, and even tennis tip and skill instruction.

The tennis channel doesn’t stop with tennis matches, you’ll also find some programming related to sports such as squash, badminton, racquetball, table tennis and paddle tennis. If you like to watch the tournaments you’ll love the Tennis Channel’s extensive coverage of Wimbledon, the French Open, the Australian Open, the Tennis Channel Open, Davis Cup, Fed Cup and Hopman Cup along with many other events. New to the Tennis Channel this year is coverage of the much anticipated US Open.

In addition to all the high definition games you can catch on the Tennis Channel, you won’t want to miss out on some the popular original series’. Shows like Destination Tennis, Match Makers, Book of Tennis Chronicles, and Real Life on the WTA add interesting and educational programming options to the mix.

If you find yourself missing tennis games because your cable doesn’t have the coverage you want, you’ll definitely want to check out the Tennis Channel. For a great price, you will get 24 hour access to programming that any avid tennis fan would wish for along with the peace of mind that comes from dealing with DirecTV, America’s favorite for satellite programming and award-winning customer service representatives. Plus, with even the most basic DirecTV package you will be provided with many different channels of programming that will make every member of your family satisfied. Check out directstartv.com today to see more of what you’ve been missing and stop the cycle!

TV Does Color (Part 2)

In the first part of this article, we discussed the early beginnings and efforts of a few companies like RCA and CBS to establish a color standard to be broadcast on TVs in living rooms across the country.

After failed efforts at rudimentary coloring of black and white broadcasts, the public continued to buy black and white TVs. There wasn’t a lot of public interest in color television shows, at least not enough for RCA to continue their ongoing feud with the FCC to come to some agreement or ruling on color for TV standards. And during this time, RCA’s rival, CBS kept stumbling in their efforts to broadcast an effective and satisfying color system to the masses.

Flash forward a few years later to post-war 1946. RCA has finally developed and presented a type of color receiver that was compatible with existing standards, and was comprised of three separate picture tubes for each primary color (cyan, magenta and yellow). Lacking all the technology we have today regarding blur correction, the picture of this system seemed to suffer during video movement. This left many at a loss, despite the presence of bright colors finally.

Seven years later, the FCC finally came to implement a standard for broadcasting color TV. Both RCA and CBS did their best respectively to woo the FCC into choosing their systems, but the FCC surprised many and went with RCA. It was also a surprise when, in 1950, the FCC reversed their prior decision and decided to adopt CBS’s color standard. Lawsuits ensue and RCA loses, leaving CBS time to being producing millions color TV sets.

Strangely enough, the extension of the Korean War led CBS to stop producing color television shows and TVs alike. RCA got the help of the National Television Standards Committee (NTSC) to believe in their proprietary color standards. This led the FCC to reverse their decision again, siding with RCA’s system compatibility.

On January 1st, 1954, the Tournament of Roses Parade was the first country-wide full color broadcast, brought to you on television sets made by such manufacturers as General Electric, Philco, and of course, RCA. Color blossomed on the TV sets of everyone across the land, and the rest, as they say, is history.

To see all of your shows and movies in the brilliant color capable by today’s technology, check out DirecTV! They provide the most channels in high definition so that you can get the best performance possible (and your money’s worth) from your modern television.

TV Does Color – A History Lesson

With all the talk these days about HDTV, flat screen TVs, satellite TV, video games and a myriad of other television related topics, its easy to forget the humble days of black and white television. With this article, I’d like to briefly explain how we got to this world of beautifully vivid color that is today’s modern TV.

Black and white television had not been around for very long before color TV came to be, but not before many failed attempts in the early 40s by a few overseas companies and some corporations like RCA. RCA developed a technique that involved broadcasting the television images separated into the three primary colors, cyan, magenta and yellow, through spinning filters transposed upon the original black and white image, rendering a colored but not truly color, video.

At the same time, rival company CBS had been developing it’s own color system, similar although completely incompatible with RCA’s current color standards. Basically this meant that if one wanting to view a black and white TV show on any other network broadcast, and then a color show on CBS, two completely different television sets would have to be owned. After this issue, the two companies battled it out over channel space, ultra-high frequency (UHF), and a few other technological issues that heavily involved the oversight of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). These events led to a stalling of CBS’s efforts while RCA continued to profit off the sale of thousands of black and white TV sets.

Next time, we’ll discuss the other stumbling blocks tossed in the way of getting color broadcast into our homes, and what technological and legal hurdles had to be traversed to create the world of color we all now enjoy in our movies, satellite TV shows, video games, and other media.

To see all of your shows and movies in the brilliant color capable by today’s technology, check out DirecTV!  They provide the most channels in high definition so that you can get the best performance possible (and your money’s worth) from your modern television.

Great Direct TV Packages for Sports Fans

There are so many times when we wish we could sit and watch the “big game”, but work, television programming black outs or lack of availability and busy daily schedules don’t allow us to get the chance to see a lot of the programs we would like. While there are a variety of ways to record our favorite programs and sporting events, some viewing areas do not make every sporting event available to their viewers. With this in mind, Direct TV, the digital satellite television provider, began to offer subscription services to most major league, college, popular or even international sporting events, leagues and seasons.

There are currently Direct TV packages available for  fans of the National Football League (NFL), the Major League Baseball (MLB), NASCAR, College Football, Soccer and Rugby, the National Hockey League (NHL), the National Basketball Association (NBA), College Basketball and even Cricket.

Each subscription opportunity has various activities and items that a Direct TV customer can access. The unique and innovative offerings include pay per view or on demand items and replays, interactive games, Direct TV only viewing experiences, for example the NASCAR HotPass experience has 28 cameras inside the four fastest cars during a race, allowing a racing enthusiast to experience the rush of “real time” auto racing. Sporting subscriptions allow fans to select certain games to view or even save some money and pick a combination pack of seasonal games and events.

We exist in a digital era when instant information through the Internet and immediate communication through e-mail, cell phones and instant messenger tools are expected. Television providers have had to meet the challenges of consumer demand for customized services and “on demand” offerings. This played a role in the development of the large menu of sports offerings on the Direct TV system.

In addition to the many subscription-only events and services that Direct TV offers, there are several networks that can be rolled into a customer’s channel lineup. Expanded or round the clock coverage, analysis and news of the sporting world is available through such programming channels and networks. The company also includes many events and channels that broadcast in HD in their list of available sports programming.

The company has also created special public viewing packages for businesses such as bars and restaurants where sporting events and music channels can be used frequently. Businesses are encouraged to consider investing in such services to earn repeat business and garner a reputation for providing sporting event coverage that would regularly require a customer or patron to pay a cover charge or the purchase of a ticket. Hotels, college dorms and hospitals are also encouraged to review the sporting events menu of commercially available channels.

Games and sports play a major role in the lives of many people and households. In response to increasing demands for access and coverage of popular athletic and sporting events Direct TV created their special service to guarantee customer satisfaction. Take a look at the many great Direct TV deals available right now for sports fans!

Will DirecTV Save Show For Fans?

It appears that a program named Moonlight that airs on CBS has met with the chopping block and the fans are fighting back by asking in a big way that Direct TV pick it up.

The program while it might not be the sports event of the year has a following of fans that do not want to see it end and want something done about it and rather than sit and complain about it they have organized to get their Friday night program back.

The program is about a detective who is a vampire, has a girlfriend who is not and solves crimes, often with the help of the vampire community. It is also sandwiched in between two other popular programs that complete the Friday night lineup with solving crimes and dealing with ghosts.

While it might not be a complete night for men it is for women on television, this front is so organized that they have taken their demand to keep this program on the air to DirecTV.

They also have a message board where they not only discuss the program they have a poll to keep it on the air that will be sent to DirecTV who asked for it and would like to know how many of these fans would change to DirecTV should they pick it up like they have other popular programs that were canceled.

This poll has entries for those who have DirecTV Deals already, those who will switch and those who will not change their current provider. The percentage for those who will switch so they can see their favorite Friday nigh program is 71% of the votes.

The fan base within the first twenty-four hours of the poll had more than 1300 voters at Moonlight Line.

There is also a page where fans and non-fans are letting their thoughts be known after an article that let the Internet public know about these fans and their plight. This can be found at Mark’s Sci-Fi / Fantasy Blog.

The big question that is left is what will DirecTV decide, either way it shows DirecTV has their subscribers and future subscribers in mind with their programming line up.

When News Events Happen Where Are You?

That is often a question that people ask when some worthy news event occurs and one answer is watching it on television. Having what Direct TV offers means that all the top news channels are available, with all the latest news and complete coverage of news events. That same thing can not be said for local channels, yes they cover it until but not for the length of time and as in depth as the channels that deal with news all day every day.

When you have these kind of channels with a Direct TV deal it means knowing the full details of important events when they occur not a week after when all the newspapers and local channels have had time to add their opinions in also. There are some events that for years to come people will ask where you were when they occurred and when you have the advantage of watching it from the start you will be able to answer clearly.

Having the channels that Direct TV offers is not just about the news, its about all the channels that can be entertaining, educational and exciting and that is just as important in life as news worthy events.