Harris and CBS Team Up to Broadcast NCAA Basketball Final Four in HDTV

[Gregg Lengling]

Harris Corporation and CBS Television announced an agreement in which Harris will sponsor High Definition Television coverage of the 2004 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship, including the Final Four and Championship games.

The telecasts, which will be presented live by CBS Sports, will be "unified" productions produced in HDTV's highest definition format, 1080i, and downconverted for the CBS Television Network's analog broadcast coverage. This production technique also produces a better quality analog picture. Whether watching in widescreen HD or traditional 4x3 analog, viewers will see the same camera angles, replays and graphics and will hear the same play by play.

Once again, the High Definition NCAA Basketball Tournament games will be broadcast in 5.1 channels of CD quality surround sound. The addition of surround sound audio to the broadcast, coupled with the clarity of 1080 lines of picture resolution, will bring the stadium experience to the viewer's home.

"There is nothing like March Madness, and there is nothing like March Madness in HD and 5.1 surround sound on CBS," said Sean McManus, president, CBS Sports. "HD is the next best thing to being in the arena, and we are very pleased to be partnering with Harris who has done so much to make CBS HD the industry leader. This is the fifth consecutive year we have broadcast the Final Four in HDTV, re-affirming CBS's leadership in HD Sports broadcasting."

"We are extremely pleased to once again be able to sponsor one of the premiere sporting events in United States in HDTV," said Bruce Allan, president and general manager of Harris Corporation, Broadcast Communications Division. "But we are even prouder to be providing the enabling technology for digital television so that CBS can broadcast in HDTV."

CBS Sports' coverage of the 2004 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Final Four and Championship games will be broadcast live Saturday, April 3 (6:00-11:00 PM, ET) and Monday, April 5 (9:00-11:30 PM, ET) from San Antonio, Texas.