Widescreen sports broadcastsing

[Don in CT]

So ESPN and Fox have been in widescreen for a few years now. NBC finally moved all of their sports into widescreen. This leaves CBS that seems to be halfway there and ABC that I would assume will make the shift at some point being a ESPN production. What is the hold up in getting a fully widescreen production out of the networks. I hate seeing 4:3 graphics on a widescreen display.

 

[raoul5788]

Money?

 

[Don in CT]

Money?

I don't see how it could be. All they have to do is flip a switch and be in widescreen. They are already broadcasting in HD. Unless the local affiliates don't want to do it. There is no reason for anything to be in 4:3 anymore. Everything should be native widescreen.

 

[osu1991]

Well I hate seeing any graphics other than a clock and score on the screen and the first down marker during football.
(hint get rid of the damn ticker at the bottom and all the network logos that everyone is using now)

There are probably several ridiculous reasons. Maybe they think a bunch of people are still watching with converter boxes or sd boxes on old tube tv's. I agree by now everything should be widescreen whether it's 480, 720 or 1080. The 4:3 graphics are almost as bad as the picture boxed sd feed of an HD network.

 

[Don in CT]

Well I hate seeing any graphics other than a clock and score on the screen and the first down marker during football.
(hint get rid of the damn ticker at the bottom and all the network logos that everyone is using now)

There are probably several ridiculous reasons. Maybe they think a bunch of people are still watching with converter boxes or sd boxes on old tube tv's. I agree by now everything should be widescreen whether it's 480, 720 or 1080. The 4:3 graphics are almost as bad as the picture boxed sd feed of an HD network.

Cable companies are still showing SD and HD. Why not free up space and get rid of the SD signals and just give everyone the HD channels. I assume the ratio of HD to SD sets is over 50% by now. And even if it isn't why not show everyone the extra space. And people need to learn that the letterbox black bars are not taking away space but adding content.

 

[Jimbo]

Well I hate seeing any graphics other than a clock and score on the screen and the first down marker during football.
(hint get rid of the damn ticker at the bottom and all the network logos that everyone is using now)

There are probably several ridiculous reasons. Maybe they think a bunch of people are still watching with converter boxes or sd boxes on old tube tv's. I agree by now everything should be widescreen whether it's 480, 720 or 1080. The 4:3 graphics are almost as bad as the picture boxed sd feed of an HD network.

I agree 1000%

Get RID of the Tickers, the Twitter feed, the Facebook cloghing up our HD TVs, its ridiculous ...
Run a score ticker 2 times an hour like it use to be, even the every 20 minute one would be better than the constant garbage we have to deal with now.

 

[CK SatGuy]

So ESPN and Fox have been in widescreen for a few years now. NBC finally moved all of their sports into widescreen. This leaves CBS that seems to be halfway there and ABC that I would assume will make the shift at some point being a ESPN production. What is the hold up in getting a fully widescreen production out of the networks. I hate seeing 4:3 graphics on a widescreen display.

Fox was the 1st one that started doing this back in the summer of 2010 and ESPN followed in January 2011. Fox has all of their content in widescreen only now. I think NBC does widescreen only on NBCSN as I thought they were still doing center-cut on NBC the network. CBS went widescreen on sports last summer and I'm hoping they'll go widescreen on their news and entertainment programming by the time the new fall season starts although we'll have to wait and see. ABC is in a weird situation being that they're owned by Disney and show ESPN on ABC. You would think that since ESPN is widescreen only now and that ABC's biggest affiliation group, Scripps, has all their stations in widescreen only now (regardless of affiliation) that the whole network would go widescreen on all of their content by now, but that's not the case. I don't get what's holding ABC, CBS, and NBC from going widescreen only 24/7 as the only 2 shows on those 3 networks that are SD only are Let's make a deal and Big Brother, both on CBS. CBS can easily flip LMAD to HD but they choose not to. Big brother I understand may be harder to do but even so, CBS can afford to do it.

 

[osu1991]

Fox was the 1st one that started doing this back in the summer of 2010 and ESPN followed in January 2011. Fox has all of their content in widescreen only now. I think NBC does widescreen only on NBCSN as I thought they were still doing center-cut on NBC the network (I'll have to check the Kings/Rangers game tonight to see). CBS went widescreen on sports last summer and I'm hoping they'll go widescreen on their news and entertainment programming by the time the new fall season starts although we'll have to wait and see. ABC is in a weird situation being that they're owned by Disney and show ESPN on ABC. You would think that since ESPN is widescreen only now and that ABC's biggest affiliation group, Scripps, has all their stations in widescreen only now (regardless of affiliation) that the whole network would go widescreen on all of their content by now, but that's not the case. I don't get what's holding ABC, CBS, and NBC from going widescreen only 24/7 as the only 2 shows on those 3 networks that are SD only are Let's make a deal and Big Brother, both on CBS. CBS can easily flip LMAD to HD but they choose not to. Big brother I understand may be harder to do but even so, CBS can afford to do it.

Already announced Big Brother is going HD this season

http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/threads/big-brother-in-hd.338222/#post-3462329

 

[CK SatGuy]

Already announced Big Brother is going HD this season

http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/threads/big-brother-in-hd.338222/#post-3462329

Ah, didn't know that.

 

[Don in CT]

Fox was the 1st one that started doing this back in the summer of 2010 and ESPN followed in January 2011. Fox has all of their content in widescreen only now. I think NBC does widescreen only on NBCSN as I thought they were still doing center-cut on NBC the network. CBS went widescreen on sports last summer and I'm hoping they'll go widescreen on their news and entertainment programming by the time the new fall season starts although we'll have to wait and see. ABC is in a weird situation being that they're owned by Disney and show ESPN on ABC. You would think that since ESPN is widescreen only now and that ABC's biggest affiliation group, Scripps, has all their stations in widescreen only now (regardless of affiliation) that the whole network would go widescreen on all of their content by now, but that's not the case. I don't get what's holding ABC, CBS, and NBC from going widescreen only 24/7 as the only 2 shows on those 3 networks that are SD only are Let's make a deal and Big Brother, both on CBS. CBS can easily flip LMAD to HD but they choose not to. Big brother I understand may be harder to do but even so, CBS can afford to do it.

NBC flipped all of their sports but golf to widescreen. Not sure why they are holding back on golf.

 

[CK SatGuy]

NBC flipped all of their sports but golf to widescreen. Not sure why they are holding back on golf.

Watching the Belmont yesterday, I noticed.

 

[hancox]

I just want some true 16:9 framing - even the "widescreen" stuff you guys are talking about is still framed for a 4x3 camera, of sorts.

 

[Don in CT]

I just want some true 16:9 framing - even the "widescreen" stuff you guys are talking about is still framed for a 4x3 camera, of sorts.

ESPN and Fox are framing for HD. They are not stuck in crop mode. The reason the other networks are framing 4x3 is because they are still favoring a cropped production.

 

[hancox]

...but they're not. They're still keeping main action points in the 4X3-safe frame, even if they're showing 16X9.

I'm thinking something more the the difference between the "widescreen" NFL you guys are talking about, and the "All 22" film that coaches use. There is still far too much pan and scan, where there doesn't need to be.

 

[Don in CT]

...but they're not. They're still keeping main action points in the 4X3-safe frame, even if they're showing 16X9.

I'm thinking something more the the difference between the "widescreen" NFL you guys are talking about, and the "All 22" film that coaches use. There is still far too much pan and scan, where there doesn't need to be.

Fox, ESPN, and Turner are not using the safe frame. They are presenting full 16:9.

 

[hancox]

Look for an example of "All 22" - you'll see what I mean.

 

[CK SatGuy]

Basically he means that the broadcaster should zoom in on the action more and not care about the 4:3 safe area at all.

 

[CK SatGuy]

Watching the World Cup on ABC, I see they're still center-cutting despite all the other networks going widescreen only.