Soccer in HDTV

[SoccerScout]

Finally got My HDTV DVR installed and now I have HDTV and can even record it. Tonight theres an MLS game on HDnet in HDTV, cant wait to see it. SO far very impressed by the HDTV quality. Anyone know if the World Cup will get HD treatment in the US? All the games will be shot in HD but will it make it to US screens that way. My hope is that ESPN HD will transmit the games since ESPN seems to always have US rights for WC games. Has that been anounced yet who has US rights?

[monster]

ABC/ESPN have the rights. The deal was a package for 2002 and 2006.

[DAGSports]

ABC/ESPN have the rights. The deal was a package for 2002 and 2006.
Right. But I do wonder how that is all gonna shakedown, seeing as the deal was made before ESPN acquired French Open and Wimbledon rights, plus renewed US Open golf.

I do suspect some of the games will air in HD. Maybe not all, but I have a feeling that the USA games, semis, and final will.

[ddavenport]

Good for you.

[Magpie Maniac]

Finally got My HDTV DVR installed and now I have HDTV and can even record it. Tonight theres an MLS game on HDnet in HDTV, cant wait to see it. SO far very impressed by the HDTV quality.

Do you have DirecTV, Dish, or cable?

My current setup is a 27" SD TV with DirecTV DVR, sports package, and MLS Direct Kick. Plenty of soccer to watch on FSC, GolTV, ESPN2, Direct Kick, etc. Love it, but the TV is getting a bit dated.

Amazon.com has a good deal on the Sony 42" Grand WEGA LCD HDTV. Really nice TV. I couldn't pass it up, so I bought one. Also added a nice Sony DVD Dream home theater system. Should arrive within the week.

Even with my current DirecTV package, I should have fun with this new TV, but I'd really like to take advantage of its HD abilities. I can pull down local broadcast HD signals with its internal tuner, but should I go with DirecTV's HD-DVR? I've read that their new satellites will be using the MPEG-4 format and the current HD-DVR boxes will not be able to view the new HD channels to be offered within a year. And DirecTV's HD-DVR equipment is pretty expensive as well. I don't mind the extra $11 per month, but the $1,000 setup for the receiver and dish is steep.

I hate our local Comcast monopoly. They don't offer FSC and GolTV. And (when I was a Comcast subscriber) they always ended up screwing up Direct Kick every year. I ditched them a few years ago for DirecTV and I have no plans to go back.

Recommendations? Should I wait? Other options?

Regardless, I can't wait for the Sony to arrive. :cool: DVDs will be neat.

[OldFanatic]

My current setup is a......DirecTV DVR.....

Even with my current DirecTV package, I should have fun with this new TV, but I'd really like to take advantage of its HD abilities. I can pull down local broadcast HD signals with its internal tuner, but should I go with DirecTV's HD-DVR? I've read that their new satellites will be using the MPEG-4 format and the current HD-DVR boxes will not be able to view the new HD channels to be offered within a year. And DirecTV's HD-DVR equipment is pretty expensive as well. I don't mind the extra $11 per month, but the $1,000 setup for the receiver and dish is steep.

Recommendations? Should I wait? Other options?

I hate the fact that you can't rent out DirectTV HD DVR the way you can with DISH Network. Given that with future MPEG-4 compliance, the existing HD DVRs are going to end up as junk, I'm not interested in shelling out upwards of $1000 on it.

If you only want to access HDNet with DVR capability (and if it's not available on your Cable, e.g. Comcast), it makes better sense to get it through DISH. With DISH, you don't need to buy an HD DVR. You can rent it out. You also don't need to buy there whole enchilada package. You can only buy the HD layer a-la-carte and pay a $5 month a-la-carte fee.

Then again, Setanta is only launching on DirecTV and won't be an HD channel. If you care about this channel, you'll need to have DirecTV as well.

And then if you want INHD1, INHD2 for your new HDTV you'll want at least the HD tier through your cable as well.

It's a shame that VOOM went dead, but they didn't have any DVR either.

There is no perfect solution with any single provider. If you really want comprehensive coverage, you have to shell out money here or there. I did basic math on this a while back, and came to the conclusion that a comprehensive HD coverage (even in the absence of VOOM) could cost something like $200 a month or more.

I don't even want to start talking about how the DirecTV and DISH HD channels are crap in quality compared to true HD. Somewhere I read that DirecTV and DISH are cutting corners in bringing the limited selection of their HD channels with crappy resolution. Even for the HDNet channel which brings MLS matches, I think this is true. HDNet broadcasts their signal in far, far better quality than what DirecTV/DISH end up bringing it to you. VOOM used to bring their HD channels in stunning resolution. But VOOM went bust. Is there a lesson to be learnt in how slowly this HD acceptance is going? (I don't have the exact data on the loss of resolution in DISH/DirecTV HD. But if someone is interested in it, I can look it up.)

Someone said to me that the secret to happiness is to not own any TV, and be ignorant about all the latest emerging technolgy developments. The more you know about the latest technology standards, all the carriers, their limitations, their artificial bundling of channels, forced apartheid of content, etc. the more unhappy you become.

[Magpie Maniac]

BTW, here's the new Sony HDTV (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00061ZNVE/qid=1113794349/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/104-4084680-8235916?v=glance&s=pc&n=507846) I decided on. Good reviews on the 50" from CNET. Great price from Amazon, too. The guys at Sears looked like they had been punched in the gut when I told them about Amazon's price. They knew that they couldn't compete considering price, tax, and shipping.

[Neutral Fan]

Almost I do not have HDTV tuner. I have Cox cable
HD tuner/DVR . The HD programming looks great on that TV. I can’t get HD soccer games. I am getting Dish HD system.

Aaron

[SoccerScout]

How will MPEG-4 make current HD DVRs obsolete?

[OldFanatic]

How will MPEG-4 make current HD DVRs obsolete?

Read the first paragraph in this news article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20470-2005Apr2.html

[jammybastard]

How will MPEG-4 make current HD DVRs obsolete?

Different compression standard.
Currently your DVR accepts an mpeg2 signal, and converts it for hard disk recording and playback. YOu can't just flip a swtich and make it record mpeg4. You've got to gut the box and change out all the hardware. The only thing you could keep is the hard drives.