Reason for 58 artifacts this weekend

[ReesR]

I spoke with Jim Hall this morning.  In the conversation he shared with me it was decided to optimize channel 41's digital feed (1-2) instead of the HD CBS digital feed (1-1).  The reason given was Time Warner Cable receives their signal of 41 feed via digital 1-2.  He decided to give preference to the standard definition feed so Time Warner could have a good Badger game feed.  Therefore, the high definition feed had increased artifacts on 1-1 over the air.  I do not know if this is permanent or not.

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Rees Roberts
Racine, WI
reesr@wi.net

HDTV Receiver:  Sony KD-34XBR2
Bi-directional Yagi Antenna at 30 feet

[Tom Snyder]

Probably only permanent during Badger games (and maybe post-Packer game press conferences).

I guess this begs the bigger question: If Time Warner has a digital feed from WDJT, and can pass through 41, why are they not feeding through 58 Digital?

I already have my STB and an antenna that lets me pick up 1-1... artifacts and all. But I believe HDTV won't achieve critical mass until people can plug their cable box into the back of the HDTV set and get HDTV without having to buy a $500 STB and/or put up with the inconvenience of an antenna.

58 says complain to Time Warner.
Time Warner says complain to 58.

I think we've all done both... now what?

[Joseph S]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the game on "ESPN Plus" and the 41 feed was "ESPN Plus" + filler and awkward pauses? Why would Time Warner not just use ESPN's broadcast? 41 and 63 are of such poor quality with pixelation and stuttering that analog is 5X clearer  easily, did TW actually rebroadcast that? Yuck.

I still don't understand why 41 and 63 aren't on their own digital feed instead of hogging CBS's bandwidth. 41 won't have HD for years and what programming would Telemundo have outside of World Cup?

Who cared about that game anways.   I'm wondering how NBC had the funds to purchase lights for ND just a year or two before the renovation, but don't they have the funds for a nice weekly broadcast of ND Football in HD. I know one of the prior ND games was locally done in HD, but why not nationally?

[uplinkguy]

Joseph, ESPN Plus is a side business of Disney run through ESPN's offices in Charlotte, NC.  Their title is ESPN Regional.

They contract with local tv stations to air games that they obtain the rights to.  In the case of the Big 10, Disney conveniently also has the rights through ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2.  ABC will take the most desired game and so on.  The local stations then add their own commecials.  So they are the exclusive broadcaster in a market.

The ND game vs. Purdue in 1998 was the game you are thinking about.  I was working for ND's owned NBC affiliate WNDU at the time.  The NBC affiliate WTHR in Indianapolis paid for the HD production.  They had just completed their transmitter installation and was showing off HD at some large sports bars and TV stores in Indianapolis.

In the near future, the only way I see ND football in HD is someone else stepping up like HDNet.  Just like the olympics, I bet they would need to air it delayed.


The US Open did have problems as well on WISC-TV from Madison.  They were running the same Badger game on their secondary channel.  WISC left the bit-rate the same as usual for the two channels, 15 mbs for 3-1, 4 for 3-2.  Since 3-1 had an actual HD source, they left the signal the same.  I'm guessing the original network signal had some artifacts in it. New compression schemes are always being made, hopefully they can get it right.

Football and 19mbs would be a good thing.
andy

[Joseph S]

 

In the near future, the only way I see ND football in HD is someone else stepping up like HDNet. Just like the olympics, I bet they would need to air it delayed.

There should be more than enough time during the hour long TV commercial breaks to edit it on the G4s in FCP and Avid and send it out for broadcast.   WNDU sure had a monopoly on campus, they were about the only station that came in and there was a cable ban everywhere except the Towers.  In recent years dorms started sprouting Dish farms, but I'm guessing they'll ban that soon enough.