Today marks 75 years since the first regular high definition (as in 405 line) television service began broadcasting from the BBC studios at Alexandra Palace in North London.

The BBC’s Nick Higham has posted two videos about the anniversary: BBC celebrates 75 years of TV and Behind the scenes at Alexandra Palace, the cradle of television.

There is also anniversary coverage on:

• The BBC Story site
• The About the BBC Blog
• Ariel
• BBC News: the story of the competing Marconi-EMI and Baird systems in 1936

(Test Card C illustration from the Test Card Circle.)

I’ve been rewatching the updated, contemporary, witty, knowing, intricate, stylish, brilliant, modern, reinvented, exciting, fun, imaginative, enjoyable, excellent, fantastic, brilliant, intriguing, wonderful, gripping, thrilling, entertaining, engaging, clever, gripping BBC series of Sherlock.

Definitely one of the best television series of 2010.

I’ve just caught up with the first two episodes of The Trip on iPlayer, and it’s very good indeed.

Bringing together Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, along with director Michael Winterbottom, it reunites the trio involved in A Cock And Bull Story and 24 Hour Party People – both great films.

The Trip – highly recommended.

Excellent.

Whilst watching Channel 4′s The Greatest Ever 3D Moments I found it incredibly annoying having to constantly put on and take off my anaglyph glasses.

Of course, there was some archive material that was shot in 2D, but why weren’t the interviews that appeared throughout the programme recorded in 3D?

This spoiled an otherwise mildly entertaining programme.

Jenson Button’s immaculate Formula 1 victory from pole this weekend against the glamorous backdrop of Monte Carlo prompts me to look at the BBC coverage.

Monte Carlo is the sixth Formula 1 race covered by the BBC since it gained the TV rights from ITV at the end of the last season.

The Corporation already had the UK radio rights, which, along with the inherited live streaming rights and the red button channels showing practice sessions and alternative race coverage, a true multi-platform service has been provided.

The BBC Formula 1 site has provided the hub for all of the coverage, which, now we’re just over a third of the way through the season, has proved to be of a very high standard.

The coverage was always going to improve on ITV, just by the absence of ad breaks, but with BBC Sport obviously expending a lot more time and effort on scene set items and background material, it has produced one of the most polished sports productions in recent years.

• Stately decline [Media Guardian] and the associated PDA post Kingswood Warren: The end of an era gives the background to BBC Kingswood Warren faces strike.
• Intel unites the internet with TV [BBC News] Intel and Yahoo work towards a Widget Channel, or as Yahoo calls it the Cinematic Internet.
• iPlayer goes for higher bitrates, Olympic Gold and home theaters? [NewTeeVee] Is the BBC looking at a new generation of devices offering internet experiences alongside video content?
• Celebrating a stereo pioneer: Alan Blumlein [BBC News] His contributions to audio engineering, television and radar were amazing – some of his early stereo recordings have been restored.

• Inflection Point: What’s the practical life span of DTV? [Robert X. Cringely] Broadband and Moore’s Law – the implications for television delivery, HD and programme scheduling.
• Illegal filesharing: A suicide note from the music industry [Technology Guardian] What’s wrong with the UK ISP and record companies deal and why Napster was offering a solution years ago.
• Filesharing: Television needs to wake up and smell the coffee [Technology Guardian] Why television is in an even worse situation than the record companies.
• Horribly good internet plot to kill off TV [Observer] Joss Whedon’s online show is fun and has implications for broadcast television.

• Lost tapes of the Dr Who composer [BBC News]
• Announcing the Open Web Foundation [Open Web Foundation]
• Twitter searches for the next step [Technology Guardian]
• Wider, bigger, better [BBC Radio Labs]
• If you want to repeat Apollo, do it right [New Scientist Space Blog]