Blog written by two Prague residents about life in the Czech Republic.
Last week I blogged about the upcoming IPTV service from Telefónica O2 Czech Republic. Well, today Telefónica launched their rebranding of the former Český Telecom and Eurotel brands. There are O2 billboards and a newly launched website at www.cz.o2.com. In addition, they launched their IPTV service called O2 TV.
If we are able to sign up for the service, I will be writing more about it.
The UNESCO World Heritage listed Kutná Hora makes a great day trip from Prague. It’s an easy 45 minute train ride from the main train station and then a short bus or train ride into town. We have some information on Kutná Hora on our site.
The Cathedral of St. Barbara (Chrám sv. Barbory) is considered by UNESCO to be “a jewel of the late Gothic period”. Unfortunately, one section of the cathedral is cracked and it is currently undergoing emergency repairs. There is scaffolding on one side of the cathedral and also in the interior. Work is expected to be completed in 2008.
The statues along Barborská, the street that leads to the Cathedral of St. Barbara, are also having some work done.
Photos © jeffshanberg.com
Telefónica, the Spanish company that owns Telefónica O2 Czech Republic (the renamed Český Telecom), launched an IPTV pilot program in the Czech Republic last month. The “digital television over the internet” offering will initially include 30 channels and around 250 movies for download. Telefónica is planning to expand its offering beyond its employees in the next couple of months.
Cable television is not available in our apartment in Prague. We have a satellite dish, but have not signed up for any packages to increase our selection of English language channels. So the selection remains limited to two news stations – BBC World and EuroNews, which we have named our “disaster channels”. Through our antenna, we get the four Czech stations – ČT1, ČT2, Nova, and Prima. But between the reality TV programming, low budget 1998 German made-for-TV movies and Czech variety-type shows, there is not much to get excited about.
I hope Czech IPTV is available to us soon. It’s about time we had a better selection of entertainment and an added bonus will be playing with the new technology.
Telefonica 02 Czech Republic Launches Pilot Operation of IPTV – 7/19/06
Telecom preps IPTV – 2/20/06
Don’t touch that browser! ČT to launch Internet TV – 8/29/05
I remember back in 1993, after my first move to Prague, seeing all these friendly “money changers” who would stand around on Na příkopě at the bottom of Wenceslas Square. As someone walked by they would ask “change money?” and boast they had the best exchange rates around to turn your dollars or pounds or francs into … well, something.
I read in an article on the Radio Praha website that money changers are still around and tourists are still getting ripped off. I don’t know why people take a chance with someone who approaches them off the street when there is a wide selection of ATM machines and banks all over Prague. I guess some tourists feel that the chance of getting a better deal is worth the risk of ending up with a stack of Bulgarian leva.