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FSN: 24/7 high definition in 2009, more HD than any other sports provider
FSN's been all over HD in the last year, rolling out MLB broadcasts and even 3D NBA games, but according to President Randy Freer, HD telecasts will "skyrocket" in '09 as the network rolls over to 24/7 HD broadcasting. Wth the capability to produce all of its 3,000 MLB, NBA, NHL, college football and basketball games in HD would give it more than any other sports provider (read: CBS Sports & ESPN) in the U.S. All this HD will be made possible by the new Fox Network Houston, a 184,000 sq ft facility that it claims can handle more signal traffic than any other similar facility, with up to 40 live games in one day. HD rollouts will vary in each region based on distribution agreements, and team telecast rights, but if there was ever a time to avoid Big Ten Network-type squabbles, we'd say all this sports action in HD is one of them. We've come a long way from just 31 college games.
College football players train on custom EA Sports simulator
Coaches of college football teams have a lot of resources at their disposal to make sure they can get the best performance possible out of their student athletes -- resources like research films, exercise and diet regimens, and other training programs. However, according to a recent article on MSNBC, quarterbacks from LSU and Tennessee State have received additional training from an unlikely source: A custom-built college football simulator using the Madden and NCAA engines by EA Sports.The game features the playbook of the offensive line of the team it was designed for, and includes the defensive playbook of every other team. Based on the offensive play you choose, you can see how your opponent will react -- and how to best counter each team's defense. The quarterbacks who have played the game said that it helps them learn how other teams match up against their own, and the best routes to use to get around their opponents.It sounds like a pretty fun learning tool -- we wish there was a game we could play that would teach us how to blog more effectively. Perhaps Broderbund, the now defunct makers of Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing, could get back together to make JoySim: The Joystiq Simulator. A doubtful scenario, to be sure, but still -- we can dream.
Oceanic TWC orders up 6000 HD DVRs for Hawaii vs. Georgia bowl game
Sure, the University of Hawaii has a legitimate gripe for not being in the BCS Championship game -- you know, considering its undefeated record and all -- but islanders are apparently just as stoked to have their Warriors in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Oceanic Time Warner Cable (partly owned by Time Warner, parent company of AOL, which owns Engadget) announced that it ordered up (and received) some 6,000 HD DVRs in anticipation of a spike in demand stemming from the upcoming bowl game. Reportedly, over 3,000 subscribers have been on a waiting list since December 1st to get their box in time for the New Year's day matchup, and Oceanic also noted that it would be extending business hours for O'ahu residents to get their hands around a box in time for the tilt. Of course, users not on said waiting list will be helped on a "first come, first served" basis, so we'd get a move on if you're scouting one.
ESPN U to go HD next August
Despite all the BCS BS, we still love college football -- especially when it's in HD. We've grown to expect more and more HD every season, and with ESPN and ESPN2 presenting all their games in HD these days, we should've seen this coming. As of next August, ESPN U is going HD and will become the forth ESPN HD network (ESPNews is the thrid). In addition to the biggest college sport being presented in HD; basketball, lacrosse, baseball, softball, volleyball, wrestling, and hockey will also get the HD treatment with a total of 200 HD events on schedule in the first year.
ABC HD College Football regional coverage maps
With so many college football games in HD this year it can be hard to tell which games will be available in your area. As usual, we can depend on HDSportsGuide.com to figure out which games will be presented in our favorite format, but now they've added links to coverage maps. So now you're only one PDF link away from knowing exactly what ABC/ESPN college football game will be available in your area.
Big Ten Network lands on Wide Open West
Considering just how zany this past weekend was in the world of college football, it's good to see that even more folks now have access to even more games. Wide Open West, which serves around 400,000 domiciles in the Big Ten's eight-state footprint, announced that it had landed a deal with the Big Ten Network to position the channel "on its expanded basic package." This agreement pushes the network beyond the "the 30 million subscriber mark within a month of its launch," but a number of major players (namely Cox, Charter, Comcast, Time Warner Cable [partly owned by Time Warner, parent company of AOL, which owns Engadget], and Mediacom) have still refused to shake hands on terms.
CBS steps up their SEC college football coverage
NFL fans have known for some time that this was the year that CBS was doubling the number of HD games per week, but now the Tiffany Network has announced that starting September 15th, they'll also be producing all of their SEC college games in HD. CBS has always been known for the top notch picture quality -- local issues aside -- and as one of the biggest HD proponents, but recently they've taken a lot of criticism over the fact that they only produced three NFL games a week in HD, when FOX was doing five. Since many HD fans just recently joined the club, they weren't around for all the years when CBS was blazing the HD football trail while FOX was touting that their FOX Widescreen was just as good as HD. Great job stepping up your HD football coverage CBS, now, about Survivor.
More College Football games in HD than ever before
Today's the first day of summer and now we can finally start looking forward to football season. First we learned that CBS is stepping up their NFL HD coverage, then the new Big Ten Network announced that they'd be delivering some HD coverage and now FSN has announced that they will also be producing 31 games this season in our favorite format. Ten of these games will also be carried by Versus to add to their eight HD games. While we're still a long way off from every college game being produced in HD, there is no doubt that we will have more HD football this season than ever before. Now all we have to do is wait...
The iTunes Bowl - College Football games coming to the iTS
As an big college football fan, this got my attention. Playlist is reporting that Fox Sports will bring entire bowl games to the iTunes Store. Erica previously noted that iTunes is changing the way people watch sports. As a commenter on that thread pointed out, this is a godsend for sports addicts in far away places. The games will include the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, the FedEx Orange Bowl, the Allstate Sugar Bowl and the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game and will generally be up within 24 hours after the final play. In addition to the full-length games there will be highlight shows available at reduced prices (presumably similar to what they had last year from ABC; I still occasionally enjoy my Longhorn's rousing National Championship in iTunes).
ESPN airing 2007 Hula Bowl in HDTV
That ESPN is airing a college football game in HD isn't news, that the game is in Hawaii and will look just as good as Lost on your HDTV, is. Due to the cost of shipping the necessary equipment to the islands, the Pro Bowl and other games relegated to 480i. Even this year, the Hawaii Bowl on December 24th will be the only ESPN bowl game not in HD, but on January 14th the 2007 Hula Bowl college all-star game will be in high definition. The reason for the switch? A poll after a recent college game on ESPN indicated 13% of viewers watched it in HD, and 32% of those people said the fact it was in HD influenced their decision to watch it. Whether or not HDTV is a viable business model for broadcasters may still be open to interpretation for some, ESPN is putting its money where its mouth is and making this happen by paying another company to ship the necessary equipment by air in time for the game. Here's hoping this attitude extends to the Pro Bowl and other sporting events in 2007.
HDTV Listings for September 9, 2006
What we're watching: Tonight is the kind of big game that you probably bought your HDTV to watch. Ohio State vs. Texas on ABC, #1 vs. #2 this early in the season is possibly the biggest game we'll see until the National Championship game. Troy Smith, Ted Ginn Jr., Limas Sweed, Selvin Young and all the rest, some of the best players in college football will be on display tonight, if you're a sports fan it is the only option. Well...not the only option, there's also NASCAR Racing on TNT, the US Open Women's Final on CBS, Georgia vs. South Carolina on ESPN-HD, and MLS Soccer on HDNet, but you know what our choice is. If you absolutely must have watch something non-sports tonight, you can catch four episodes of Weeds on Showtime or The Dukes of Hazzard on Cinemax. Our traditional high-def listings continue below.
ESPN Mobile to offer full-length college football games
Mobile ESPN might not have attracted quite the following they'd have hoped for so far, but that's certainly not to say they won't keep on keepin' on. In a deal with potentially broad-reaching implications for 3G data, MVNOs, and mobile entertainment in general, the sports-oriented carrier has announced plans to broadcast live college football games to their handsets, with as many as 25 planned for the 2006 season. Details are slim for the picking -- including the all-important question of pricing -- but if they can get this feature out the door for little or no additional cost on top of their basic service plans, we can definitely see this winning a few converts (not to mention flooding Sprint's EV-DO pipes in the process).[Via Moco News]
