In a first for ABC TV, the new series of Doctor Who will launch on the iView online video platform two days before it airs on ABC1, and just under two weeks after its UK debut on the BBC.

From midnight Friday, April 16, Australian fans can stream the first episode at abc.net.au/iview, ahead of its TV broadcast at 7:30pm Sunday, April 18 on ABC1.

However, the remaining episodes will only be on iView after they air on TV, where they will be available for two weeks. ABC plans to fast track the series, with weekly episodes continuing to air two weeks after their UK showing.

The titles of the first six episodes have also been revealed:

Episode 1: The Eleventh Hour

Episode 2: The Beast Below

Episode 3: Victory of the Daleks

Episode 4: The Time of Angels

Episode 5: Flesh and Stone

Episode 6: Vampires of Venice

Kim Dalton, director of Television at the ABC, says: “iView is a fantastic offering, an additional way for Australian audiences to watch ABC TV’s content - generally after, but in this special case before, its television broadcast.

“We hope the lure of Doctor Who - and what a fun and exciting lure it is - will provide incentive for more viewers to discover iView, and experience how convenient and easy to use it is.”

Matt Smith (Party Animals) who plays the 11th Doctor in the new series, was introduced in the final episode of the last series “The End Of Time: Part Two”, which wrapped up David Tennant’s role as the 10th Doctor.

Karen Gillan also joins the cast as the Doctor’s companion, Amy Pond, though she previously appeared on the show as a soothsayer in the fourth episode “The Fires of Pompeii”.

Award-winning writer Steven Moffat (Coupling, Jekyll) will replace Russell T. Davies as lead writer and executive producer.

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In a nutshell, the management at Ars Technica had grown sick of the fact that many of its readers were using ad-blocking software on their browsers, so it ran a little experiment and temporarily made content invisible to readers using ad-blocking software. This being the internet, this exercise caused, what could euphemistically be called, a storm in a teacup.

Ars decided to run this 12-hour experiment because it, like many popular sites, sells most of its ads on a per-view basis, rather than a per-click basis that many ad-blocking readers assume is the case.

There are many arguments for and against ad-blocking. Chief reasons cited by pro-blockers are that ads are annoying and distracting. This argument is certainly not without some justification, especially in the case of animated Flash ads, some of which spill over into the content that you’re trying to peruse.

Another potential reason for using ad-blocking software is that Flash ads can slow down older or low-power computers, such as netbooks. As a side note, this author had to install ad-blocking software on his parents’ old PC to stop it from grinding to a halt every time they surf the web, although that machine was considered new in 1997.

No amount of ad-blocking, however, will prevent us from being annoyed by interstitial ads - these are the full page ads that are served up to browsers on some sites before readers are allowed to see content.

On the flip side, many popular sites have an advertising model based primarily on ad views. And with a successful subscription model yet to be found, advertising is the primary revenue source for most internet publications. The logic then follows that the lower the ad revenues for a site, the fewer people it can afford to have on its books, which then has implications for the quality and quantity of the content served up on that site.

What do you think about ad-blocking? Are you for or against it? Do you use it? Vote in the poll above and share your thoughts below.

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Do you like your Australian mobile operator charges shaken and not stirred? Yesterday, VHA announced a swag of new post-paid caps, Virgin was quick to remind us that it also offers free in-network calls and text, and now Optus joins the fray with new additions to its prepaid caps, offering “virtually unlimited” calls to any Australian phone number.

AU$70 will now buy you a TurboMax recharge from Optus, adding 3000 minutes to your account to be used in a 30-day period. Add another AU$30 and you’ll also get unlimited SMS messages and 2GB of data to be used in the same time frame. This credit cannot be rolled over from month to month and cannot be used for international calling.

You’ll also get AU$70 or AU$100 credit to be used for services outside of the included allowances. Those recharging at the AU$70 price point could use this credit for SMS messages or data. Optus charges “pay as you go” data at 2.2c per kilobyte (charged in 60Kb blocks). The new TurboMax recharge option is available to all new and existing Optus prepaid customers.

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This model shares more than just the C7000 numbering system with its 3D LED counterpart, which Samsung is also releasing in April. It incorporates Samsung’s built-in 3D processor that the company claims is compatible with multiple broadcast and PC 3D standards, as well as the Blu-ray 3D standard recently approved by the Blu-ray Disc Association. To address the current paucity of 3D content, it also supports 2D-to-3D processing in real-time of broadcast TV and legacy games and DVDs.

Samsung’s Internet@TV feature will be on-board, which links to IPTV content and the new Samsung apps store. So far, Internet@TV content partners include YouTube, USA Today, Picassa, Accu Weather.com, and in Australia, ninemsn. Unlike the 7000 and 8000 Samsung LED models, however, there is no option for a Skype application on this plasma counterpart.

This full HD TV sports a very slim design for a plasma set, yet with its black metal finish and square base, it doesn’t quite have the pizzazz of its sexier LED equivalents. It does offer four 3D-ready HDMI 1.4 ports, two USB ports, and one Ethernet port to connect to AV components, multimedia devices and the web.

The Samsung Plasma C7000 will be available in 50-, 58- and 63-inch screen sizes, although so far pricing has only been announced for the 63-inch model (AU$5499). Active 3D glasses (stand-alone pricing also TBC) and a 3D copy of Monsters vs. Aliens will be part of the C7000 bundle.

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(Credit: CBSi)

The new caps will range across standard price points (AU$29, AU$49, AU$69, etc), but all the new caps from AU$19 and higher will now include free unlimited calls to customers on the same network. The same caps will also offer the choice to use the entire calling allowance on international calls, unlike previously where only an allotted amount of the calling allocation could be spent on overseas calls before customers were charged beyond their contract amount.

Internet data is also considered in the new pricing structure, with customers choosing an AU$49 per month contract receiving data included alongside calling and messaging quotas. Customers who choose an AU$69, AU$79 or AU$99 contract will either receive more data to use each month or have the option to access unlimited BlackBerry web browsing and email if they use a compatible BlackBerry handset.

All the new caps on both Vodafone and 3 will also share a single call rate; 90c per minute charged in 1-minute blocks and with a 35c flagfall.

*The AU$19 cap is only available on the 3 network.

VHA is also targeting BYO customers in its pricing shuffle, with 3 and Vodafone both offering new SIM-only deals at the same time. SIM-only contracts can be 24 months, 12 months or on a month-to-month basis.

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The C7000 will be available in 40-, 46- and 55-inch screen sizes. Samsung’s Crystal Design is still in evidence on the narrow bezel frame; however, piano black has given way to a bronze metal finish and solid bases have been replaced with a four-legged stand.

All models include a proprietary built-in 3D processor that Samsung says is compatible with multiple broadcast and PC 3D standards, as well as the Blu-ray Disc Association-approved 3D standard. There’s also a real-time 2D-to-3D conversion engine, so viewers can make do with artificially-enhanced 2D content until more 3D material becomes available. Active 3D glasses and a 3D copy of Monsters vs. Aliens will be part of the TV bundle.

Connectivity options are served with four 3D-ready HDMI 1.4 ports, USB and Ethernet ports and wireless-ready DLNA capabilities. Web access is required to support the range’s new Internet@TV feature, which offers connections to IPTV content and the new Samsung apps store. Initial Internet@TV content partners include YouTube, USA Today, Picassa and Accu Weather.com. In Australia, ninemsn will be providing IPTV content to Samsung exclusively for an initial six-month launch period. The most notable Samsung app on-board the C7000 is Skype video calling; though an extra proprietary webcam is required for this application at a price Samsung Australia has yet to confirm.

Note: the big-brother C8000 (due in June) is also a full HD, 200Hz edge-lit LED TV. The primary difference over the C7000 is its brushed-titanium finish, precision dimming capabilities and the size range on offer - which steps up to screen sizes of 46, 55 and 65 inches.

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