NHL Center Ice HD feeds

Neal VT EE

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Original poster
Oct 18, 2007
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I was wondering if anyone knew how Dish decided which NHL CI games to show in HD. I was watching a Red Wings game within the last couple of weeks and it was not in HD. I have noticed that generally the road games are not shown in HD on CI. I just assumed that this was because FSN Detroit did not produce road games in HD. However, at the start of the telecast, Ken Daniels said it was available in high definition, but there was nothing on the companion HD CI channel. What gives? I would assume that subscribers in the Detroit area that get FSN Detroit for their RSN got the game in HD. I also assume that E* just maps this feed to multiple channels (i'm an electrical engineer, but i don't know much about how the satellite stuff works). So, I would also assume that since there is no additional transponder space required to have the game in HD on CI (if it's on FSN Detroit), then there is really no valid reason for CI to NOT show it in HD. I thought about calling a Dish CSR, but that's basically pointless as they rarely have a clue about anything.
 
Go to NHL.com and click on the schedule and all games that are on the FSN regionals and some select Comcast Sportsnet regionals are included in the HD coverage. Dish has been missing alot of feeds lately and other FSN regionals in HD have had unstable video issues such as jittery images.
 
If I remember correctly on an older uplink report something like 25+ NHLHD channels were all assigned to the same transponder. When the norm is more like 6. So I guess they can only show about six HD games at any given time. Not a CI subscriber so I don't really know if this is much of a factor.
 
yes only one TP on 61.5 is being used for all those channels, TP 30 on 61.5, so the max they can show of all the sports combined is 6, I have seen 5 at the max.
 
I was wondering if anyone knew how Dish decided which NHL CI games to show in HD. I was watching a Red Wings game within the last couple of weeks and it was not in HD. I have noticed that generally the road games are not shown in HD on CI. I just assumed that this was because FSN Detroit did not produce road games in HD. However, at the start of the telecast, Ken Daniels said it was available in high definition, but there was nothing on the companion HD CI channel. What gives? I would assume that subscribers in the Detroit area that get FSN Detroit for their RSN got the game in HD. I also assume that E* just maps this feed to multiple channels (i'm an electrical engineer, but i don't know much about how the satellite stuff works). So, I would also assume that since there is no additional transponder space required to have the game in HD on CI (if it's on FSN Detroit), then there is really no valid reason for CI to NOT show it in HD. I thought about calling a Dish CSR, but that's basically pointless as they rarely have a clue about anything.

Not sure about CI and E*'s choices on what to air, but Ken Daniels has said on numerous occasions (all of which have been away games) that it is "available on FSN HD", but the game is not on FSD-HD (Fox Sports Detroit). I am in the FSD Footprint and have found that only Home Games are aired in HD.

Geoff
 
Stars & wild no HD

I tried to see the Stars & Wild game in HD last night and it was not there even though my guide said it was.
The help said that the channel was off the air.
Any one have any idea what happened?
Was this an E* problem or Stars problem?
 
Not sure about CI and E*'s choices on what to air, but Ken Daniels has said on numerous occasions (all of which have been away games) that it is "available on FSN HD", but the game is not on FSD-HD (Fox Sports Detroit). I am in the FSD Footprint and have found that only Home Games are aired in HD.

Geoff

FSD has broadcasted away games in HD. I don't live in the FSD market area so maybe that has something to do with it. I remember one of them in December was at Denver because I was flipping back and forth wondering why the Avs feed looked better (MPEG-4 vs. MPEG-2 would appear to be the reason)

I tried to see the Stars & Wild game in HD last night and it was not there even though my guide said it was.
The help said that the channel was off the air.
Any one have any idea what happened?
Was this an E* problem or Stars problem?

E* musta just bounced it 'cause I watched it in HD on CI. It's one of the few HD games FS-Southwest has broadcast this season. I live in the Dallas area and have been miffed that such a big market is so lousy with HD coverage.
 
FSD has broadcasted away games in HD. I don't live in the FSD market area so maybe that has something to do with it. I remember one of them in December was at Denver because I was flipping back and forth wondering why the Avs feed looked better (MPEG-4 vs. MPEG-2 would appear to be the reason)

As I look over their schedule, I do see that a few games in December (4 of them) show as being in HD, but I do live in the footprint and remember looking for at least one away game in HD (as I would rather watch in HD when I can) and not finding it (though there is no way for me to double check this). So I wonder if I just missed it or if Dish chose not to carry these games (at least on the RSN) in HD.

On a side note, according to the Red Wings NHL Page, there are no more HD Away games listed (at least as of 1/8/08). We will see if Ken Daniels says it for away games in the future. Also, I posted a question on the Fox Sports Detroit Page about this. I will let you know if I get a response.

Geoff
 
I tried to see the Stars & Wild game in HD last night and it was not there even though my guide said it was.
The help said that the channel was off the air.
Any one have any idea what happened?
Was this an E* problem or Stars problem?

Same thing happened to me. But then I am used to it, whereas I see the Sabres games and MSG always announces in HD. Ya rite, except on Dish.
 
In San Diego the Stars/Wild game was on Center Ice HD. I watch the whole game no problem. It seems to me that Dish is either starting to get lazy with their Center Ice HD games or they really just don't want to pay for it in all markets. I wanted to watch the Kings/Avs game a couple of weeks ago in HD, and noticed that Altitude HD was carrying the game, so I figured that it would be on the Center Ice HD channels, as just about every RSN-HD game has been in the past (as it is just a map to altitude HD, and not re-transmitting the signal). The game wasn't listed on the CI-HD channels, so I did a check switch and downloaded new guide data, but it still wasn't there. So I called Dish, and after getting transferred around (I think I ended up with special event services) was informed that the game was only being carried in the local market due to broadcast restrictions and that altitude wasn't broadcast outside of colorado, I could only watch it on Center Ice on FSN-West. That was wrong as I was watching the SD feed of Altitude on CI. So he tells me that all programming providers have to bid on the HD games separately from the SD games and the DISH must have decided that it wasn't worth the $$$$ to show that game in HD. I told him that DirecTV was carrying the game in HD on Center Ice and he told me that was great but that DISH is the leader in HD and has more "real" HD content than DirecTV.

Anyways, just a rant, but I'm growing tired of seeing NHL games in HD on the RSN-HD stations in my guide, but not being able to see them on CI-HD channels.
 
FSD has broadcasted away games in HD. I don't live in the FSD market area so maybe that has something to do with it. I remember one of them in December was at Denver because I was flipping back and forth wondering why the Avs feed looked better (MPEG-4 vs. MPEG-2 would appear to be the reason)



E* musta just bounced it 'cause I watched it in HD on CI. It's one of the few HD games FS-Southwest has broadcast this season. I live in the Dallas area and have been miffed that such a big market is so lousy with HD coverage.

I was looking at D* while E* was fooling around about having CI but I am glad that I did not switch because when I look at the NHL-CI thread at DBStalk
I see things about the D* support of CI that leave me cold, not caring the WHOLE of HNIC, not caring the real end of a game because it went to over time or a shoot out etc. It seems that the pulled the plug at the time stated instead of when the game really ended.
But from the latter posts it seems that they have gotten better but there are still complaints a lot of them.
 
I tried to see the Stars & Wild game in HD last night and it was not there even though my guide said it was.
The help said that the channel was off the air.
Any one have any idea what happened?
Was this an E* problem or Stars problem?

Same thing happened to me, so i called FOUR times. That's right FOUR, and i pissed away an hour last night doing this. First i get disconnected before i even talk to anyone, second i get transfered and then disconnected, third i get transfered again to some Spanish que, so i call back and the fourth time i talk to someone who barely speaks English and can do nothing but apologize. She claimed it was a technical problem on Dish's end, but didn't offer a real explanation or solution. Finally i was so frustrated i threw a few F-bombs at her and sent a scathing email to ceo@echostar.com. Honestly i feel like i've been cheated by subscribing to CI. To me 1 to 2 games on an almost full schedule night in HD doesn't cut it and then when they have both home and away HD feeds for the same game it irritates me even more. I think that's a waste if they only are using a max of 5 or 6 transponders for all the CI games. This is rare, but i have seen it a few times this season. Just my 2 cents, but i'm not happy with what has been delivered this season on CI as far as HD content. I wonder if it's any better over at D*.
 
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