"ESPN HD is for the most part a sham"

[Gregg Lengling]

posted by tvbarn on January 28, 2004 06:01 PM
(from a reader:)

I was disappointed to read "ESPN HD – A 24-hour high-definition
simulcast service of ESPN" on your website. Take another look:
ESPN HD is for the most part a sham. Yes, the signal is broadcast
as 720P, but the content is poorly converted 4X3 video that is
unnaturally widened to 16X9. My television can do a better job of
converting 4X3 images. The other HD stations offered by DirecTV
are the real thing - this one is garbage, except for a true HD
broadcast once in a while.

Personally, I prefer to watch the non-HD ESPN version, the image
is the same quality but there is no distortion. Yesterday, I
compared the Australian Open on both ESPN formats. There's no
comparison, the HD version looks stupid because of ESPN's inferior
conversion technique. Half a dozen local digital stations are
doing better than ESPN - and I don't consider them HD, only
digital.

Please report this issue accurately. If you do, perhaps ESPN will
feel motivated to improve their broadcast. I understand there is
little HD source material available, but that's no excuse for
their pathetic upconversion quality.

Ernst