Daytona 500 in HD Saturday / Sunday

[summerfun]

NEW YORK -- January 22, 2003 -- NBC Sports will broadcast the first-ever high definition coverage of a NASCAR race when it provides exclusive live coverage of the 46th running of the Daytona 500, Sunday Feb. 15, at Noon ET. In addition to the Daytona 500, NBC Sports will provide live coverage of the Hershey's Kisses 300 NASCAR Busch Series race in high definition on Saturday Feb. 14 at Noon ET. The announcement was made today by Ken Schanzer, President, NBC Sports.

"NBC's high definition broadcast of the Daytona 500 will deliver the biggest event in motorsports and one of the premier events in sports to NBC affiliate stations' digital television homes using the world's premier television technology," said Schanzer. "NASCAR has long been at the forefront of broadcast technology and it is only appropriate that the 'Great American Race' - the Daytona 500 - be the first auto race broadcast in High Definition."

NASCAR on NBC &TNT director, Mike Wells, said: "When I'm sitting at home watching a show in HD I think about how great NASCAR will look using this technology. And there's no better race to get started with than the Super Bowl of stock car racing - the Daytona 500."

In 22 years of directing motorsports on television, Wells, a 17-time Emmy Award winner, has defined the way auto racing is seen on television today.

The HDTV broadcast will be produced in 1080i HD format with Dolby Surround Sound using the same HD mobile production unit that will produce the Super Bowl in High Definition two weeks prior and will feature the audio and commentators from NBC's standard production.

NASCAR on NBC and TNT coverage will be led by play-by-play announcer Allen Bestwick, analysts Benny Parsons and Wally Dallenbach, pre-race host and lead pit reporter Bill Weber and pit reporters Dave Burns, Marty Snider and Matt Yocum.

NBC currently has 115 digital television affiliates, reaching approximately 83 percent of U.S. digital television households

[kermtfrg]

is it me or is the sound not quite right on the pre-race? Their mouths move before the sound comes out.  I am using TWC and I have tried the digital audio and the rca audio.  Same thing.

[summerfun]

Sound seems ok to me, but you sure can tell that some of the cameras are out of focus or alignment or something. Others are fantastic.

[StarvingForHDTV]

I noticed the out of synch sound at the beginning too.  That was annoying.  Not as annoying as it will be to go back to Faux for NASCAR after today.  I thought the picture quality was very nice.  Many of the cameras were true HD, and the SD one's didn't have the horrible effects that I have seen with other HD sporting events that incoroporate some SD cameras.  Overall a nice experience.

The starting show was also much more appropriate than the Super Bowl halftime show.  Maybe the NFL can learn a lesson from NASCAR on that level.

Starving