Channel 4 HD joins Virgin Media

C4 HD now on Virgin TV

Virgin will begin broadcasting C4 HD from Friday, July 31st on channel 146.

Blimey, it was only a few hours ago that we posted the news that ESPN is bringing Premier League football matches in high definition to Virgin TV.

It seems Richard Branson's cable TV company is playing a game of catchup with Sky HD, as it has announced this afternoon that Channel 4 HD will also be joining its roster of high-definition channels.

And tomorrow, three more HD channels will begin broadcasting on Virgin: FX HD (channel 158), National Geographic HD (channel 232), and MTVNHD (channel 310).

It's all a far cry from this time last year, when Virgin seemed somewhat indifferent to the HD revolution, concentrating instead on its video-on-demand service.

Virgin's C4 HD service will start from July 31st on channel 146, and when it goes live viewers will be able to watch popular shows such as Skins, Shameless, Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives in all their high-definition glory.

4HD is a simulcast of the core Channel 4 schedule and will be available to all Virgin Media's TV customers, at no extra cost. Virgin subscribers already get the 4oD catchup service.