NFLHD Quality This Week?
- Thread starter Raptorman
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The NFL Network itself does not provide the cameras and electronics for the game, it is contracted.
Maybe they choose a low bid and are getting what they pay for, but if there are variances from camera to camera, it is the originating entity's deficiency, not necessarily the network per se.
Guy's,it's the compression.I've worked those games and did not see microblocking or pixilation in
the truck.The up cameras don't have tight shots of fast moving objects.The
field cams do and that's
where you will notice the problems (caused by the sat. or cable company) with the video.All the cameras come off the same truck and are the same.In fact,most of the cameras on the games are running on fiber,not triax cable.That's the best for HD cameras and most networks don't use fiber for the games. The GameCreek truck we use for the games is first rate.Blame E* for the video problems. Here's a link to one of the trucks the NFL network uses every week for the games.Like I said,It's first rate. http://www.gamecreekvideo.com/specs/yankeeclipper/equipment.html
the truck.The up cameras don't have tight shots of fast moving objects.The
field cams do and that's
where you will notice the problems (caused by the sat. or cable company) with the video.All the cameras come off the same truck and are the same.In fact,most of the cameras on the games are running on fiber,not triax cable.That's the best for HD cameras and most networks don't use fiber for the games. The GameCreek truck we use for the games is first rate.Blame E* for the video problems. Here's a link to one of the trucks the NFL network uses every week for the games.Like I said,It's first rate. http://www.gamecreekvideo.com/specs/yankeeclipper/equipment.html
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Thanks for the info. I've seen this same thing happen many times when viewing sporting events. It happens a lot on TNT's NBA games. I don't see it as much on ESPN HD football, but E* is giving ESPN a lot of bandwidth (most of the time).
Most video rooms in the trucks have 2 or 3- 13" or some times 20" QC monitors.Plus 20 or 30 smaller monitors for all the cameras and feeds coming in.The control room will have 2 or 3 larger (25" or so) monitors for program (what's on line) and preview (whats about to be on line).Then a whole bunch of small monitors for all the cameras,tape machines,effects generators,graphics,etc.,etc. Here's a link to the layout of the typical monitor wall in a HD truck: http://www.gamecreekvideo.com/specs/yankeeclipper/Add_Monwall.pdf
Yes, these are $7,000 to$10,000 monitors made for video QC and we only sit 2 feet away.They are made by Ikegami,Shibasaku,Sony etc,etc.Right now I'm sitting infront of 3 $7,000 Ikegami 14" high resolution monitors.I'm working the Thrashers game tonight.
If you are viewing a high quality 13" TV from a close distance, you should easily be able to see macro-blocking problems. Especially at the magnitude of those problems as it has been on NFL Network from the ground-level cameras. It would be more difficult to see mosquito noise and some of the subtle compression artifacts.
Even 10 years ago I saw digital compression artifacts during the Olympic Games on my 32" SD TV from 10' away. The pictures were razor sharp on low-motion, with great color, but on downhill skiing, on the splashes as divers entered the water, on camera pans during track & field events, the macro-blocking was bad. I wrote to the network to ask what was going on and why were these effects so visible.
That so many people on this and other forums don't see it on their HDTVs is one of life's mysteries to me. It jumps off the screen to my eyes.
You don't need much maximum TV resolution to see the worst of these effects. There are times when the video breaks up so badly than the actual resolution looks like something in the vicinty of 240x200.
Even 10 years ago I saw digital compression artifacts during the Olympic Games on my 32" SD TV from 10' away. The pictures were razor sharp on low-motion, with great color, but on downhill skiing, on the splashes as divers entered the water, on camera pans during track & field events, the macro-blocking was bad. I wrote to the network to ask what was going on and why were these effects so visible.
That so many people on this and other forums don't see it on their HDTVs is one of life's mysteries to me. It jumps off the screen to my eyes.
You don't need much maximum TV resolution to see the worst of these effects. There are times when the video breaks up so badly than the actual resolution looks like something in the vicinty of 240x200.
Here is a link to some specs on Ikegami's high resolution broadcast monitors:
http://www.ikegami.de/br/products/hdtv/pdf/htm1990r_1517r.pdf
These little guys have 950 lines of resolution.
http://www.ikegami.de/br/products/hdtv/pdf/htm1990r_1517r.pdf
These little guys have 950 lines of resolution.
Many people have different tv's.I think some of the older LCD's have slow refresh rates and that contributes to what they are seeing.With the monitors I work with,I can see miniscule camera problems that a layman would never notice.That's a big part of my job.
No NFL game tonight, but the Texas Bowl on the NFL Network channel has very mediocre picture quality. A lot of detail is lost on even the slowest camera pan. With any camera movement the playing field looks like a smooth green carpet behind the players.
The flesh tones also looked very washed out.
I guess all of their good equipment was sent to Washington for the next installment of the Giants Soap Opera, "A Tiki Time Bomb."!sadroll
Could someone explain to me why the NFLHD channel shows highlights of a just finished game in SD and not HD? ESPN is showing the same highlights in HD. I guess it's the same reason they can't pony up for three more HD cameras for the halftime show. I have to say the NFL is embarrassing themselves with their attempt at broadcastng.
The pre and post game shows use 8 cameras out of a SD truck from which the shows are produced.It would be extremely expensive to use 2 HD trucks.Therefore,the highlights are in SD.
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