Euro2008
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Nederland 1 testing 1080i instead of 720p after PQ complaints
Rekindling the 1080i vs. 720p HD debate, Dutch pubcaster NPO is offering an HD version of Nederland 1 HD in 1080i as opposed to 720p because of complaints about picture quality. Apparently many of the complaints stemmed from the Euro 2008 matches after the native feed was made to do the 1080i/720p switch by technical partner Technicolor, and resulted in many complaints. The 1080i feed is in testing now on several broadcasters, so any of our Dutch readers give it a shot and see if you notice the difference. As ignorant Americans we generally avoid such issues by simply ignoring sports outside our borders, but highlights of Euro 2008 looked pretty good on ESPN HD's 720p feed, so we're leaning more towards equipment or compression problems as being behind the gripes until proven otherwise.
ITV HD set for Saturday launch, just in time for Euro 2008
ITV HD already poked its head out during FreeSat trials in mid-May, but now it seems the channel is finally set to go. According to reports, the aforementioned channel will go live on FreeSat this Saturday, just in time to head up coverage of the highly-anticipated Euro 2008. The first HD match that will be shown on the station is Portugal vs. Turkey at 7:45PM, which will coincidentally mark ITV HD's first-ever high-def transmission. Here's to hoping for no issues come this Saturday -- if you think Americans get upset with botched SuperBowl broadcasts, you can't imagine the collective rage coming from across the pond when a football event gets mishandled.
Portugal Telecom / ZON expands their HD offerings in Portugal
Good news, Portugal. Two of the nation's most prominent DTH providers have just upped their respective antes, so we'll dig right into the former. PT's Meo service already features National Geographic HD, and as of just a few days ago, Eurosport HD. Now, however, the carrier will be offering up TVI to its IPTV / satellite customers in order to broadcast Euro 2008 to its customers. Oddly enough, we're told the addition of TVI (in HD / SD) will be only for Euro 2008, though it should become a regular part of the lineup in 2009. Moving on to ZON, it's planning to launch Mov HD and National Geographic HD on June 1st, and just to make sure Euro 2008 is shown in HD, it'll add Sport TV HD here shortly. In September, you can look forward to seeing Cine 1/2/3/4 in HD, and it's expected that these four could end up on PT's Meo service as well.[Thanks, Orlando]Read - Portugal Telecom expansionRead - ZON expansion [PDF]
ITV HD test broadcasts hit FreeSat a little early, official launch next week?
Now that FreeSat is actually on the air, a few lucky viewers have gotten a taste of ITV HD ahead of the official launch. Yesterday Digital Spy forum members using their own free-to-air satellite hardware tuned into ITV HD test feeds consisting mostly of upconverted footage, although they noted the PQ was considerably better than the SD feed available. An official launch could come as soon as next Wednesday's footy match between Manchester united and Chelsea or the kickoff of the Euro 2008 tournament June 7. Either way, fans looking for a little subscription-free HD sports can thank forum poster Snoods for the capture above, and hit the read link for a few more.[Via Digital Spy]
ESPN makes known Euro 2008 broadcast schedule
For folks across the pond, catching all 31 UEFA Euro 2008 matches in high-def shouldn't be an issue, and thanks to ESPN / ABC, doing so here in the US won't be either -- well, almost. The network(s) have just released their broadcast schedules for Euro 2008, which is schedule to start on June 7th (ESPN Classic) and conclude on June 29th (ABC HD). Out of the 31 total tilts, 26 of 'em will be readily available on either ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD or ABC HD, and all but the two ABC matchups will also be available via ESPN360. Who says there's no good football in June?[Via EPL Talk]
