HD Schedule?

[Menotti80]

95 games. what a joke.

 

BOO FSN!!! (and whoever/whatever else contributed to this)

[bani1717]

Be thankful. Remember the days when we'd be lucky to have 95 games on TV period? Yeah, I love watching the games in HD, and yeah, the SD picture sucks, but I'll gladly take the majority of games being in HD.

[temke]

Be thankful. Remember the days when we'd be lucky to have 95 games on TV period? Yeah, I love watching the games in HD, and yeah, the SD picture sucks, but I'll gladly take the majority of games being in HD.

i would normally agree with this and i realize that the number of people without HD still probably outnumbers those who do. my problem is that FSN went out of their way toward the end of last year to claim that all 2009 games would be in HD...then didnt follow through with no real reasoning as to why it didnt happen. its almost like they never claimed that all games would be on HD.

 

that and their SD picture is garbage...even in normal proportions.

[Invader3K]

Hopefully they'll end up adding some additional games in HD. I have no idea if that is a possibility, but we can maybe cross our fingers at least.

 

At least I won't have to wait until late August to see any HD games this season (thanks, Charter).

[pitchleague]

maybe they planned on doing so, but with the economy, FSN couldn't afford more HD cameras and equipment and had to postpone it for a year (or longer). Just a thought . . . . . (didn't say it was a good one)

[Patrick425]

bani1717[/b]]Be thankful. Remember the days when we'd be lucky to have 95 games on TV period? Yeah, I love watching the games in HD, and yeah, the SD picture sucks, but I'll gladly take the majority of games being in HD.

I was going to mention something like this as well. Not to sound like an old fogey with the "Back in my day" type comment...but...when I was a kid a large majority of games were not on TV. I remember something like 20 games being on TV, and I know there are people older than me who almost never saw their favorite team play. Now we complain if the games is not in HD.

 

Listening to a game on the radio, especially out on the back porch on a warm summer evening can be very enjoyable. Also, it really made you appreciate the games that you were able to go to and watch. There were some players from other teams that you never saw with the exception of highlights on "This Week in Baseball", or possibly on the "The Game of the Week", or "Monday Night Baseball". Now with games broadcast on the Internet, ESPN, The MLB Network, Extra Innings, and Fox you can watch just about any team at any time. While it's great to have these options, I still believe in absence making the heart grow fonder.

[Menotti80]

i guess i understand the "back in the old day" arguement, but this is 2009. Not all of us remember "back in the day" when not many games were on TV. How many other teams dont have every (or at least 95%) or their games broadcasted in HD? My guess is not very many. I still remember how embarassing it was seeing that TNT playoff highlight thing and having the Brewer highlight being in crappy FSN SD. Pathetic.

 

I saved up and spent a lot of money on a 50" HD TV while in college, and that was 3 years ago. And yet FSN can only up the amount of games in HD by about 20 a year?

 

There is no logical explanation to me as to why all games on FSN are not in HD. And even the economy thing to me is no excuse. I could see if ticket sales were on the decline, but ticket sales are even at a higher pace than last year. I spend close to $1000 on my cable bill a year, and I cant even count how many hundreds of dollars I spend on tickets and at Miller Park a year. And yet I still have to sit down and watch a Brewer team who is the defending NL Wild Card champion on a grainy, unclear picture? And to me that's ridiculous.

 

If this makes me an HD snob, then fine. But this really grinds my gears...

[Invader3K]

Well, I don't think as many people would care if FSN hadn't made numerous mentions and allusions to the idea that most, if not all of the games would be in HD this year. Yeah, I bought a 9 pack, and would go to more games if I lived closer to Milwaukee...but I feel I support the team enough as is. Part of what I enjoy about summer is that even if I have a crummy day at work or something, I can look forward to watching Brewers baseball on TV in the evening.

 

I do remember in the late '80s/early '90s before my family had cable, we'd get maybe one or two games a week total on TV, though. It's just that this is a different era for technology and baseball in general. The expectation these days is that most of the season will be on TV, and sports should always be available in high definition. That is the expectation set by the TV manufacturers, networks, and the sports themselves. It wasn't set by the consumer, necessarily.

[Patrick425]

I understand all of that, and I do agree this is a new era with new technology and expectations are different. I was just taking a little stroll down memory lane. I would still suggest, however, if you have never tried it, to turn off the TV and take the radio outside once in a while on a summer evening with maybe a cold beer or soda. It really can be very enjoyable.

 

Sorry, one other story regarding the "old days". In the late 80's my first job out of college was an auditor for a real estate franchise company. My territory included Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas and South Dakota. I remember being out on the road and just dying for any information regarding the Brewers games and how they were doing. Remember this was before the Internet and cell phones. This was also right around when ESPN starting broadcasting baseball games. They actually use to show a lot more games on ESPN than they do now, but it was still rare when they would broadcast a Brewer game. I remember sitting in my car in the hotel parking lot in some small town in the middle of nowhere seeing if I could possibly pick up any weak signal on the radio. I was so eager to get the paper the next day (not only for the Brewers box score, but to keep track of my fantasy team). However, on many occasions the box scores in the local papers would be 2 days old!

[Invader3K]

I still remember how embarassing it was seeing that TNT playoff highlight thing and having the Brewer highlight being in crappy FSN SD. Pathetic.

Yeah, I mentioned this earlier, and I know a lot of people noted that last September. It was ridiculous seeing all the sharp pictures of guys like Longoria and Howard, and seeing Braun's home run highlight with "blur-o-vision" on the sides. Just made the Brewers seem rather podunk.

I do agree with Patrick that it can be a real pleasure listening outside with the grill going, drinking a cold one and listening to Uke on the radio. But I'd rather have the choice, and I'd rather have the picture look good on my 50" HDTV than in FSN analog blurriness.

[thebruce44]

The fact of the matter is that FSN is woefully behind other teams broadcasts. We shouldn't have to stand for it as consumers, but since Wendy signed that awful deal, there is nothing Mark can do about it now. They will upgrade when they want to, and we will just have to sit by and wait.

[Invader3K]

Yeah, there's probably not much impetus on their end to upgrade since the Brewers are locked in to their TV contract through 2011 (if I remember correctly).

[Menotti80]

I should note that I do love sitting on the front porch or playing "cans" outside with some grilled food and a beer listening to Uke...

[TheCrew07]

What's about FSN's responsibility to it's share holders to run a profitable business? I haven't seen any inside knowledge of advertises revenues or a profit margin on Brewer games. It's quite possible that they've pushed the HD broadcasts as far as they can go for this season. They did dig themselves a hole by creating the expectations for this upcoming season, but the marketplace has changed drastically in the last 6 months. I wonder if people forget that Milwaukee is the smallest market in MLB because in the end it all goes back to supply and demand. What happens with the Brewers isn't really comparable to Atlanta, LA, NY, CHC, etc. It's like when people talk about a "deep pockets" owner... like that matters at all, it only matters what margin the owner is willing to risk running at. The Brewers don't spend more because Mark A. is rich, the Brewers spend more because Mark A. wants to win and is willing to toe the profitability line hoping things work for the best. How much money the owner has isn't any more relevant to payroll discussions than comparing FSN WI to the YES network.

 

I've had HD for a very long time, since before my satellite provider even offered a decent HD package, I can live without HD for another season or two. I didn't get my various HD TVs specifically to watch the Brewers, I got them for sports, movies, and gaming in general. I can see where if you purchased a TV with the idea of viewing the Brewer games in HD then you'd be upset, but who's really at fault in that case?

[ELCABALLO45]

I have Dish Network, I was wondering when will the game on the ALTHD channels show up? First year with HD.

[phxMILWfan]

Of the games that FSWisconsin isn't televising in HD how many of those will be available on Directv from the other teams broadcast in HD? I'm hoping most of the games FSWisconsin doesn't have in HD I will get the other teams feed that is in HD. Also, last year it was an issue where if they played on a Saturday before 7pm the game was blacked out completely. In that case I will just be happy if all of the games are on tv. I also don't understand how they can't afford to broadcast all games in HD. If you own the cameras to do it in HD for 95 games, what are those cameras doing for the other 67 games?

[pebadger]

It's not just cameras, it's also production trucks. There isn't just a 'store' where you can go and buy these things. Each one is virtualy a custom built rig that costs over $1M. The logisitics of scheduling, moving and also crewing the thing are pretty expensive as well. It's all economics.

[packfan79]

Looking at my FSNHD schedule on the channel guide I don't show the game being broadcast in HD, that can't be right can it?

[Bruce Ciskie]

Of the games that FSWisconsin isn't televising in HD how many of those will be available on Directv from the other teams broadcast in HD? I'm hoping most of the games FSWisconsin doesn't have in HD I will get the other teams feed that is in HD.

 

Sadly, this is not a rule. It should be.

 

Instead, sports leagues continue to discourage FSN's investment in HD equipment for their regional outlets by not either A) requiring that all broadcasts be done in HD; or B) stipulating that season package customers be allowed to receive the "other team's" feed if it's in HD and the local team isn't.

 

I've encountered this issue numerous times during hockey season. I have NHL Center Ice, but have been left frustrated by how seldom FSN North does Wild games in HD. Yet, when they play someone who is doing the game in HD, that feed is blacked out here in favor of the non-HD and awful-looking Wild broadcast.

[Patrick425]

So, can they take an old show and make it HD quality? For example on one of the Time Warner HD premium channels (which I don't get), I noticed that they are showing reruns of the old Hogan's Heroes all day and it states it's in HD and I'm not sure how much sense it would make to show a non HD show on an HD dedicated channel (Universal HD is the name of the channel).

[whizkid]

Hogan's Heroes was shot on film. Anything shot on film can be digitized to high quality. Shows shot on video tape can be upconverted but won't be as good quality.

[MJLiverock]

Most of those shows are also shown in 4:3 format and not widescreen either.

 

In regards to the cost of the trucks and production team for the HD stuff, where does the truck and production team go? I noticed we will have a game or two in HD (like the Twins series in May, Fri & Sat HD, sun no meniton of it) Or one game like in the Marlins series will be in HD. Does the truck pack up and leave for a day or two and drive somewhere else to cover a HD event? Or is sitting idely by in the parking lot because they just don't want to staff it?

[pebadger]

I know a guy who drives a truck pulling an HD prodcution trailer for ESPN. That thing is pretty much on the move constantly. The quietest time for him is actually during football season when it is dedicated to at most two games, but usually only one, per week. The engineer who designed and built that trailer pretty much has full job security as he is really the only one who knows it inside and out, and is the only one who can quickly fix most problems that arise. He is usually where the truck is almost the entire year.

[MJLiverock]

I understand the ESPN truck being on the move constantly but what I don't understand is where a truck used by FSN WI goes for one day on like a Wednesday from Milwaukee (just an example) and returns the next day to broadcast in HD again. There just isn't that much HD coverage within a 1 day leave and turn around to come back, especially during most of the summer when there is no NFL, NBA, College Football, College Basketball, etc. I assume the Chicago teams have HD for all games so they wouldn't need to share with Milwaukee. According to that schedule there isn't a HD game on FSN WI until April 24th but the only competition for HD sports coverage would be NASCAR, the NBA, and an occasional golf tourney, Kentucky Derby so where or what are the trucks doing for 2 1/2 weeks?

[Invader3K]

Maybe they're covering the Bucks in HD? I'm not sure otherwise.