of The Montreux Jazz Festival and World Premiere of A Hard Day’s Night in HD
Montreux Jazz Festival Programming to Debut July 23rd and
A Hard Day’s Night To Premiere August 7th
JERICHO, NY, July 12, 2004 One of the music industry’s most prestigious global events and one of the world’s all-time favorite bands will share the same stage this summer as RAVE HD – the leading 24/7 high-definition music channel – airs the North American HD debut of the Montreux Jazz Festival and the world high-definition premiere of The Beatles first film, A Hard Day’s Night. These two unprecedented events headline RAVE HD’s rockin’ summer line-up available exclusively on VOOM, the first comprehensive high-definition satellite television service.
A true HD experience for your eyes and ears, the Montreux Jazz Festival has been captured in high-definition since 1991. However, North American viewers have not had access to see these legendary music performances ? until now. Over the past 13 years, the Montreux Jazz Festival has attracted the music industry’s elite artists including: Miles Davis, Ray Charles, Elvis Costello, The Moody Blues, B.B. King Blues Band, Sting, Joe Cocker, Annie Lennox, Gladys Knight, Robert Plant, Angie Stone, Garbage, Me’Shell Ndeg?ocello and Carlos Santana. RAVE HD will kick off its extensive Montreux Jazz Festival programming on July 23rdwith coverage of the 2003 extravaganza featuring Radiohead, Bonnie Raitt, Morcheeba, Van Morrison, The Crusaders, and Jamiroquai. The Montreux programming was acquired by RAVE HD through an agreement with Eagle Rock Entertainment and Montreux Sounds. Terry Shand and Geoff Kempin from Eagle Vision worked closely with Montreux’s founder Claude Nobs to make this HD footage available.
A Hard Day’s Night makes its world high-definition premiere coinciding with the film’s 40th anniversary and will mark RAVE HD’s first movie event. The celebrated mockumentary, chronicling the adventures of the Fab Four during the height of Beatlemania, has now been preserved in its most pristine format with this latest digital restoration and transfer to high-definition. Debuting August 7that 9:00pm, the HD version of A Hard Day’s Night will bring John, Paul, George and Ringo to life like never before and introduce a new generation of fans to the magic of The Beatles.
According to Nora Ryan, Senior Vice President of Business Development, Rainbow Media Holdings LLC, “We are committed to making RAVE HD the venue to experience the best of the music world, in the most advanced visual and audio technology available. The 5.1 dolby surround sound plus the clarity of high-definition lets viewers see the craze of Beatlemania and hear the sounds of Montreux Jazz in their purest form, right in their living rooms.”
About VOOM HD Originals
RAVE HD, featuring concerts and events spotlighting the world’s greatest music artists, is part of VOOM HD Originals — an all-inclusive package of 21 commercial-free channels created by Rainbow Media and available exclusively to VOOM subscribers. VOOM HD Originals also include: WorldSport HD, international sports in HD; Auction HD, an inside look at exclusive live auctions; unique animation entertainment on Animania HD; artistic masterpieces from around the world on Gallery HD; 24/7 news shot in native HD on HDNews; experimental non-narrative video art on MOOV; the latest pop music concerts on Rave HD; in-your-face action sports on Rush HD; the best in fashion, food and fine living on Ultra HD; and HD Cinema 10, a 10-channel multiplex of uncut, commercial-free movies in HD.
About Rainbow Media Holdings LLC
The exclusive VOOM HD Originals package of 21 commercial-free HD channels was created by Rainbow Media Holdings LLC. A leader in sports, news and entertainment programming, Rainbow Media Holdings LLC is a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE:CVC). Rainbow Media owns and manages national networks: AMC, Fuse, IFC (The Independent Film Channel) and WE: Women’s Entertainment; as well as the on-demand services: Mag Rack, Uncensored On Demand, World Picks On Demand and World Picks Networks. Rainbow Media’s other businesses include its regional programming services – MetroChannels, News 12 Networks and Rainbow Sports Networks ? in addition to the Rainbow Advertising Sales Corporation and Rainbow Network Communications. Rainbow Media is also a 50 percent partner in Fox Sports Net.
About VOOM and Rainbow DBS
VOOM, provided by Rainbow DBS, Cablevision System Corporation’s satellite division, is the first television service to provide a comprehensive array of high-definition (HD) programming for the rapidly growing but underserved HDTV audience. With a lineup of more than 35 HD channels, VOOM delivers more HD programming than any other satellite or cable service provider. VOOM’s HD lineup includes STARZ! HD, Encore HD, Showtime HD, Playboy Hot HD, ESPN HD, HBO HDTV and Cinemax HDTV, as well as an exclusive package of brand-new, commercial-free VOOM HD Originals such as WorldSport, Epics and Animania. The service also includes more than 80 of the most popular cable channels in standard-definition (SD), 18 digital music channels, and over-the-air digital broadcast channels in HD, where available. VOOM is offered across the continental United States through local Sears retailers; at BrandsMart USA stores; through leading online retailer, Crutchfield Corporation and through O’Rourke Sales Company’s independent electronics retailers with approximately 10,000 locations in all 50 states. Customers can also purchase the service by calling 1-800-GET-VOOM or by visiting www.voom.com