Apsattv
17-06-2008, 12:09 AM
From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/4/story.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10516281&pnum=0
A music writer claimed in the 1970s he'd seen the future of rock'n' roll and its name was Bruce Springsteen.
Jon Landau was the writer and, in the tradition of the bloke who liked what a company produced so much he bought the corporation, Landau went on to manage Springsteen.
Which is a tricky way of not getting to the point too quickly for fear this will sound like an advert for high-definition (subscriber) television.
But here goes. I've seen the future of sports watching, and it's called hi-definition television. And no, I'm not about to buy into the company.
Not all the information on Sky's new HD _ and HD in general _ is as clear as the pictures. The subject of subscriber television, and how Sky manipulates the content on various channels, is also contentious in an allegedly egalitarian land.
Someone has to pay for sport, though, which isn't heartening for the family of five who are struggling with food, petrol and education costs. Then again, it's cheaper to watch on TV than go to the ground. I know a family of five who were to outlay $375 for tickets to tonight's Eden Park test before saving their dosh for a Bledisloe clash.
For many sports nuts, TV is the only ticket to the game. And the game just got much sharper. Video refs and third umpires can also celebrate.
High definition is self-explanatory. But just how much sharper are the pictures? And how much sharper is the cost? Bottom line _ once you see it, you'll almost certainly want it.
Sky launched HD in Auckland this week with a presentation that included an invitation to go out the back and look at a truck. It was an HD outside broadcasting van, but a truck is a truck.
The truck is vital. All home All Black, transtasman netball, Black Caps and Warriors matches (along with all studio content) will be available in HD from late July.
More trucks means everything Sky covers here will be in HD by the end of next year. The English football premiership, Australian A-League, European and USPGA golf, Nascar, the South African cricket tour to England, British league, one game a week of NRL and AFL, and the US tennis open will arrive in HD this year.
Sky is using a broadcasting method known as 1080i. The "1080" refers to the resolution quality, in this case high. The "i" stands for interlaced, a system of forming the picture on your screen. You can delve as deep as you like into techno-babble and risk your sanity in the process. But here goes.
While Sky fairly claim that 1080i is the highest-quality system, the alternative progressive scan is rated as superior for rapid movement sport, even at a lower resolution.
We are splitting hairs, because all HD is a leap forward from standard television. The important point is that modern televisions can convert and show whatever comes in if needed.
So what's involved in getting high-definition television?
You need a hi-def-capable or full HD television _ which will cost a grand or two _ able to display the extra picture content and with the necessary cable inputs. In New Zealand, the signal can only be carried from satellite decoder to TV by a digital cable.
Sky told me it will provide a standard cable free but those who regard What HiFi magazine up there with Great Expectations may part with hundreds of bucks for a super shielded HDMI cable with a mineral count that would get the stock exchange excited.
The considered word is that a relatively inexpensive cable upgrade should bring quality and durability benefits. But digital is very forgiving compared with analogue in this department, so don't feel obliged to buy an extremely expensive one.
And you need the decoder. The installation cost is the same as for the marvellous My Sky _ which has 30,000 users out of 720,000 Sky subscribers _ plus an extra $10 a month. Existing My Sky customers can do a swap for a one-off fee of $50, and there is a great deal for current My Sky multi-room customers.
And so, dear sports fans, you will get Sky Sport One and Two plus two movie channels, TV3 and Prime in high definition. The new decoder has double the hard disk space of the current My Sky but HD takes up more room. It will hold about 100 hours of standard content down to 35 hours of pure HD.
A third tuner will be remotely enabled from Sky headquarters soon after the initial decoder release, and My Sky HD might be internet linked in a year.
Is HD worth it?
If you can afford it, absolutely.
The technical talk means stuff all unless you get to see what it means on the screen. The launch ran comparison screens of rugby, and while I can't vouch for the integrity of the exercise, Sky said it was kosher. The difference was very clear, as if a muslin veil had been lifted from the screen. Among the benefits were easily identifiable background players.
What became obvious was how fuzzy the current standard-definition pictures are. This is comparative _ I watched the standard-definition State of Origin that night and it looked superb. But on looking closely, you could see where HD makes vast improvements.
Coming from a double-income, no-kids home makes this easy to say. HD is cracking stuff and will greatly enhance the sporting experience. Putting on a working-class hat, let's hope that the mass market makes it affordable for all.
But a profit society and initial customer loyalty issues mean the chances are slimmer than the modern televisions needed to enjoy this sharp new world.
A music writer claimed in the 1970s he'd seen the future of rock'n' roll and its name was Bruce Springsteen.
Jon Landau was the writer and, in the tradition of the bloke who liked what a company produced so much he bought the corporation, Landau went on to manage Springsteen.
Which is a tricky way of not getting to the point too quickly for fear this will sound like an advert for high-definition (subscriber) television.
But here goes. I've seen the future of sports watching, and it's called hi-definition television. And no, I'm not about to buy into the company.
Not all the information on Sky's new HD _ and HD in general _ is as clear as the pictures. The subject of subscriber television, and how Sky manipulates the content on various channels, is also contentious in an allegedly egalitarian land.
Someone has to pay for sport, though, which isn't heartening for the family of five who are struggling with food, petrol and education costs. Then again, it's cheaper to watch on TV than go to the ground. I know a family of five who were to outlay $375 for tickets to tonight's Eden Park test before saving their dosh for a Bledisloe clash.
For many sports nuts, TV is the only ticket to the game. And the game just got much sharper. Video refs and third umpires can also celebrate.
High definition is self-explanatory. But just how much sharper are the pictures? And how much sharper is the cost? Bottom line _ once you see it, you'll almost certainly want it.
Sky launched HD in Auckland this week with a presentation that included an invitation to go out the back and look at a truck. It was an HD outside broadcasting van, but a truck is a truck.
The truck is vital. All home All Black, transtasman netball, Black Caps and Warriors matches (along with all studio content) will be available in HD from late July.
More trucks means everything Sky covers here will be in HD by the end of next year. The English football premiership, Australian A-League, European and USPGA golf, Nascar, the South African cricket tour to England, British league, one game a week of NRL and AFL, and the US tennis open will arrive in HD this year.
Sky is using a broadcasting method known as 1080i. The "1080" refers to the resolution quality, in this case high. The "i" stands for interlaced, a system of forming the picture on your screen. You can delve as deep as you like into techno-babble and risk your sanity in the process. But here goes.
While Sky fairly claim that 1080i is the highest-quality system, the alternative progressive scan is rated as superior for rapid movement sport, even at a lower resolution.
We are splitting hairs, because all HD is a leap forward from standard television. The important point is that modern televisions can convert and show whatever comes in if needed.
So what's involved in getting high-definition television?
You need a hi-def-capable or full HD television _ which will cost a grand or two _ able to display the extra picture content and with the necessary cable inputs. In New Zealand, the signal can only be carried from satellite decoder to TV by a digital cable.
Sky told me it will provide a standard cable free but those who regard What HiFi magazine up there with Great Expectations may part with hundreds of bucks for a super shielded HDMI cable with a mineral count that would get the stock exchange excited.
The considered word is that a relatively inexpensive cable upgrade should bring quality and durability benefits. But digital is very forgiving compared with analogue in this department, so don't feel obliged to buy an extremely expensive one.
And you need the decoder. The installation cost is the same as for the marvellous My Sky _ which has 30,000 users out of 720,000 Sky subscribers _ plus an extra $10 a month. Existing My Sky customers can do a swap for a one-off fee of $50, and there is a great deal for current My Sky multi-room customers.
And so, dear sports fans, you will get Sky Sport One and Two plus two movie channels, TV3 and Prime in high definition. The new decoder has double the hard disk space of the current My Sky but HD takes up more room. It will hold about 100 hours of standard content down to 35 hours of pure HD.
A third tuner will be remotely enabled from Sky headquarters soon after the initial decoder release, and My Sky HD might be internet linked in a year.
Is HD worth it?
If you can afford it, absolutely.
The technical talk means stuff all unless you get to see what it means on the screen. The launch ran comparison screens of rugby, and while I can't vouch for the integrity of the exercise, Sky said it was kosher. The difference was very clear, as if a muslin veil had been lifted from the screen. Among the benefits were easily identifiable background players.
What became obvious was how fuzzy the current standard-definition pictures are. This is comparative _ I watched the standard-definition State of Origin that night and it looked superb. But on looking closely, you could see where HD makes vast improvements.
Coming from a double-income, no-kids home makes this easy to say. HD is cracking stuff and will greatly enhance the sporting experience. Putting on a working-class hat, let's hope that the mass market makes it affordable for all.
But a profit society and initial customer loyalty issues mean the chances are slimmer than the modern televisions needed to enjoy this sharp new world.