Espn Is Here!!! (Official: 7 ESPN Channels added )

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Yahoooo! Now everyone can start bi#@&$#@ about the crappy HD picture!

As for me, I'll start whining and crying about needing my RSN.
 
Yeh, just a note to all of you guys that have been bemoaning the fact that there was no ESPN. Wait till you see the PQ on the HD channel. Mostly stretched out crap. At least for the present til they get their new studios up and running. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news to those of you that have not yet seen their HD.
 
Fayrich:

I have seen ESPNHD with my local cable company before I switch to Voom, so I know what you are saying. However, its a good sign that Voom is going to add these channels to their lineup.
 
Yeh, I agree with that. Their occasional HD is ok even though it is only 720P. They think that format is better for fast moving sports action.
 
I am getting espn 1 and 2 by doing the manual tune thing on 204 and 206.

There's no NBA game on espn hd till like may 7. so i guess i can wait a week
 
From ESPN HD schedule:

May. 02 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS ON ESPN PRESENTED BY NEXTEL
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS VS. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
WACHOVIA CENTER PHILADELPHIA, PA USA
CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS GAME 5 4:00 pm to
6:30 pm
May. 02 ESPN'S SUNDAY NIGHT BASEBALL
BOSTON RED SOX VS TEXAS RANGERS
ARLINGTON, TX, USA 8:00 pm to
11:00 pm
 
Guys, don't bash the quality/stretching of the espn-hd. It's like any of the other popular broadcast channels. They only have an HD feed for "prime time" sort of stuff.

And has anyone verified an actual channel number for espn-hd on voom yet ?
 
Thank god...

On an amusing conspiracy note, anyone find it odd that they added one of the most requested channels 1 day before the expiration of the MBG? ;)
 
I was watching ESPN this morning and I hope they fix the PQ of the channel before they make it available to everyone. I dont know about everyone else but ESPN had a flicker to it.

The crawl on the bottom of the screen moved a few inches, paushed for a monent, moved again a few more inches, paused again....
 
MNHTUG said:
Warning - Use at your own risk

Manual Tune Process for viewing ESPN & ESPN2
Change channel to 204 or 206
Press Voom Button
Press Green Button (Options & Settings)
Select System Settings
Select 8 (Installation Settings)
Press 9 8 8
Select 1 (Manual Tune)
Make sure "Right_Vert" is checked
Select Tune

Note: As soon as I change the channel eveything goes back to normal for me. The manual tune appears to be temporary. Which is good.

Thanks! I can see it now. But it seems to whack out the colors on my box after the change. Not only affecting the picture, but the Voom menus too. The colors on all channels get all hazy and messed up. So I did a quick reboot by holding in the power button and that brought it back to normal. Very neat though! I think seeing little hidden stuff like this is my favorite part of electronic gadgets like Voom. :D
 
The same flicker was visible with the other sd channels added the same day they added hbo back in february. They will fix it before it goes live
 
shadow_keeper said:
Guys, don't bash the quality/stretching of the espn-hd. It's like any of the other popular broadcast channels. They only have an HD feed for "prime time" sort of stuff.

And has anyone verified an actual channel number for espn-hd on voom yet ?
I will bash, and I will continue until they change.

#1 ESPN chose to stretch its SD a long time ago stating that "people would get used to it" Frankly it is an insult to any knowledgeable viewer

#2 Dont try to defend ESPNHD's lack of HD events. They do about 20 hours a month. Pathetic. It has nothing to do with an "HD feed for prime time sort of stuff." It has to do with the lack of HD trucks that espnhd rents.

#3 ESPNHD has chosen to spent a boat load of money on a new HD complex to bring you sportscenter in HD rather than spend the money renting more HD trucks to bring you more HD events. And to quote espnhd "you will get more HD events when more HD sets are sold".
 
I'm going to have to go find my own quote now Vurbano... just so we can continue the war of the signatures :)
 
Well gosh, the "prime time" sort of stuff quote was to sum-up a brief description of the problem without having to type up all the details. But if you have that much time to childly bash the company...then I think you are complaining to the wrong forum. Invest the time you do have to write up formal complaints, or maybe a petition, post it on a "well-hit" internet site, and let the feedback roll up. ESPN may then care about your concerns, but I would not hold my breath on it, or take the odds to Vegas.

Enjoy :)
 
I had this problem too. Only had time last night to try it on one of my SD setups. I solved it by doing the manual tune thing again and reselecting "left" and then "tune". This seemed to change everything back. I'm looking forward to the permanent ESPN locations. :D

FunkyBoss said:
Thanks! I can see it now. But it seems to whack out the colors on my box after the change. Not only affecting the picture, but the Voom menus too. The colors on all channels get all hazy and messed up. So I did a quick reboot by holding in the power button and that brought it back to normal. Very neat though! I think seeing little hidden stuff like this is my favorite part of electronic gadgets like Voom. :D
 
Awesome news. ESPNHD is the HD channel that I watched most of all when I had it on Comcast.

I'm one of the few who like the strech-o-vision. Obviously all HD all the time would be better but when I had ESPNHD I watched the upconverted stretch over their regular SD channel everytime.
 
Question regarding ESPN channels by Sean at Yahoo Group: "wilt,

the guys over at Sattelliteguys.us are reporting EPSN and EPSN 2
being added yesterday. They are using the right horizon trick to view
it......any word form you on this subject?"


"They should be added no later than tomorrow from what I've been told/know.
Wilt"
 
madpoet said:
I'm going to have to go find my own quote now Vurbano... just so we can continue the war of the signatures :)
Maybe you can use one from the authority on HD.. ESPNHD..who chose 720p?LMAO (i guess that why espnhd looks so much better than hdnet?.. NOT)

Here ill make it easy on you

"
Why Did ESPN Choose 720p versus 1080i?

ESPN chose 720p because of the "p," which stands for progressive scan technology. Progressive scan technology paints the picture on your television screen from top to bottom on a line-by-line basis….as in lines 1,2,3,4,5,6,7, etc. Interlace technology, the "i" in 1080i, paints the picture on an every-other-line basis, first painting lines 1,3,5,7,9 and then a split second later painting lines 2,4,6,8 and 10. Your eyes then assemble the painting into one image.

Progressive scan technology produces better images for the fast moving orientation of sports television. Simply put, with 104 mph fastballs in baseball and 120 mph shots on goal in hockey, the line-by-line basis of progressive scan technology better captures the inherent fast action of sports. For ESPN, progressive scan technology makes perfect sense.

We note with interest that when consumers now shop for DVD devices which produce the best pictures, the industry standard for quality is "progressive scan DVD players." We believe that says a great deal about our selection of 720p.

However, it is important to note that 720p and 1080i are not mutually exclusive technologies. Unlike certain incompatibilities in industries like cellular telephone service, DVD's and other products dating back to VHS versus Betamax and 8-track audio tape versus cassettes, all television sets, set top boxes and tuners are required to accept a series of formats, in which 720p and 1080i are included. Therefore, no one is excluded, and consumers with sets that inherently create pictures with progressive scan technology will automatically be able to see programs that are produced in the interlace format and vice versa. Some will debate the quality of the technologies, but we believe both 720p and 1080i produce HDTV pictures of a quality far above what most consumers have experienced over the first 50 years of television. As such, all HDTV viewers win!

Why Isn't ESPN 24:7 in HDTV?

The simple answer is lack of facilities. When ESPN produces a sporting event at a stadium or arena, we use what is simply called a "remote truck." These trucks are very complex and very expensive. During the typical 12 month year, ESPN will use roughly 40 different remote trucks to produce the telecasts of the sporting events we display. When we announced the launch of ESPN HD in September of 2002, no remote trucks existed in the 720p format. We now have access to a limited number of trucks that are capable of producing the high quality productions that result from our coverage of such sports as the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, Major League Baseball, the Women's NCAA Basketball Final Four and the College World Series. As HDTV grows, we will seek to expand the numbers of telecasts that ESPN originally produces for ESPN HD.

ESPN is also building a new 120,000 square foot facility at our headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut. When completed in early 2004, it will be the then-largest HDTV facility in the world. Over time, ESPN studio programming, such as SportsCenter and NFL Countdown will be originally produced in high definition. Stay tuned for future announcements regarding additions to the ESPN HD schedule, such as our new original series, Playmakers, which will display its three airings each Tuesday starting August 26th (9p, 10p and midnight) on ESPN HD in the 16:9 format.

In all of our program categories, from live remote events to studio programming to pre-produced programming, we are working to appropriately increase the number of hours of originally produced programming each week on ESPN HD. However, we have chosen to focus first on quality over quantity, in an attempt to deliver our most viewed, highest profile programming to showcase the quality of HDTV…rather than being able to say that we have a large percentage of our programming originally produced in HDTV. As the number of homes with HDTV and ESPN HD grows, more and more programming will be originally produced in HDTV.

When ESPN Is Not Originally Producing An Event In HDTV, Why Do You Stretch The Picture To The 16:9 Format?

We have found that most consumers with HDTV want to "set it and forget it" when it comes to stretching original 4x3 video to the 16x9 format. We also have a series of on-screen features (bottom line information throughout some programs like Baseball Tonight…interspersed on other programs at 28 and 58 minute past the hour) for which ESPN desires a consistent look and spacing for information and for the sponsors of those on-air graphics and features. It is important to ESPN to transmit a consistent 24:7 signal to all consumers nationwide for continuity of service and viewer satisfaction for the majority of consumers with HDTV sets. We also use equipment for this "upconversion to 720p" and "stretching 4:3 to 16:9" which is of a quality far superior to that contained within consumer HDTV units."
 

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