My listening/viewing habits are rapidly changing.
In addition to Netflix, there are now a number of sites, mainly from Europe, offering a wide variety of programming of great interest to the classical/opera music lover.
The Gold standard for all round quality is the
Berlin Philharmonic Digital Concert Hall. I have really enjoyed this site and have just renewed my yearly subscription.
They have recently added lots of free material for you all to try this site. There is now an app in Sony, Panasonic, LG and Samsung TVs and BD players that take you directly to this site without opening a web browser. My Sony Google TV player has the icon. Video and audio quality is superb.
From the US we have the Metropolitan Opera's
Met Player, available for a monthly subscription. Video, and production quality is excellent, unfortunately audio is not as good as other sites.
Medici TV out of Cannes, France offers thousands of programs, and is rapidly establishing itself as the "Netflix" of the classical and opera world. The are now broadcasting live form major European festivals, and programs from these are under way. The Verbier Festival has just finished and now the
Salzburg Festival is under way. Audio and video quality is excellent. Subscriptions are available by the month or yearly.
Now from the Netherlands we have
Montiverdi TV and audio downloads. I am just starting to explore this site. Programs for streaming are purchased individually.
Unfortunately the BBC iPlayer only has the radio iPlayer available in the US at 180 kbs AC3.
BBC TV iplayer is locked out by IP address.
I tried commercial VPN Networks, but they were hopeless. My eldest son has programmed me my personal VPN tunnel using Ubuntu. I rent space on a UK server. I have the tunnel loaded on my audio workstation to get radio programs which are available at 320 kbs AC3. I can record programs to hard drive via WaveLab. Quality is significantly better than the best analog FM quality. I also have the tunnel on my HTPC which allows me to receive radio and TV programs. I can watch BBC and ITV live as well as prorams in iPlayer.
The
BBC Proms are on, and I have have been really enjoying them, having been a Promenarder in my youth. The BBC Proms are by far the largest musical festival in the world. There is a least one big concert daily, and often more, from July 12 to September 7. All concerts are carried on radio and three Proms a week carried on TV. All are available on BBC iPlayer for a week. As expected from the BBC quality is excellent.
Now you all have a chance to give your systems a work out.
A kind fellow by the name of Rupert Jones has put the second half of the opening night of the Proms on YouTube in 1080p 384 kbs AAC-LC
The program is a huge Choral work by Ralph Vaughn Williams, his Symphony No. 1, A Sea Symphony, from 1909, from the
Royal Albert Hall.
The BBC Symphony Orchestra, soloists and a huge choir behind the orchestra and flanking the mighty
Albert Hall organ, which provides frequent foundation and support, is under the Finnish conductor Sakari Oramo.
The poems are taken from the American Poet,
Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass.
This performance will just sweep you away. A viewing of this is strongly recommended.
For capturing all this I use my HTPC and audio work station at Benedict.
At Eagan I use my
Sony Player, which I see has now just been discontinued. My Panasonic BD player was not up to the task is this production and refused to stream it.
For all but the BPO site and this YouTube program, you need to be able to open a web browser and put it on your TV screen.
Boxee will do this, but on July 3 they were bought by Samsung, and are underoing reoganization.
This
Vizio player I think would also do the trick absent an HTPC.
Personally I find my HTPC the best device, these other devices are slow, and my HTPC is fast and loads Netflix in a seond or two.
I have really enjoyed surfing for all of this and I realize a new and exciting day has already dawned.
