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Every shot from the Masters will be posted online within five minutes
Golf fans who are planning to watch the Masters this weekend will have yet more ways to check out the action. For the first time at a golf tournament, practically every one of the more than 20,000 shots from the first major of the year will be available to view on the Masters website and app within five minutes of a player striking the ball.
DirecTV's first live 4K show is the Masters golf tournament
DirecTV has been talking about 4K broadcasts for a long time, and now it's finally ready to make them a practical reality. The satellite TV provider has revealed that its coverage of the Masters Tournament in Augusta will include its first-ever live 4K broadcast on the company's new DirecTV 4K channel... in fact, the first live 4K show in the US. When the 4-day golf competition kicks off on April 7th, you should see every last detail on the green -- important in an event that revolves around whacking a ball hundreds of yards through the air.
MIT's online master's courses sound like an incredible deal
Move over University of Phoenix, MIT has announced that you can now obtain a highly-regarded Masters degree in Supply Chain Management (mainly) online. The new 14-week credential is called a MicroMaster's and will be open to anyone and once completed students can get a verified certificate documenting their hard work for a small fee. Undertaken via edX, it is the first MITx course that can be put towards the full masters program, meaning the remainder of the course is only one on-campus semester. "The new combination of online courses and one residential semester will open the SCM program to many more learners," said Professor Yossi Sheffi who runs the SCM program and its online components. By making it open to anyone for free the college is recruiting those who are determined and driven, but aren't sure they can afford a traditional Master's program.
Settle those sports arguments with Who Won Sports
Many of us love to argue or rather have animated discussions about a variety of topics, politics, religion, where to go for the best hamburger and the king of argument starters: Sports. Now with Who Won Sports you and your friends can settle those disagreements by just pulling out your phone and using this free universal app. Who Won Sports is a simple app that tells you at a glance just what the name implies, who won. You will find team championships, individual award winners and more for all the major sports. Choose your sport, then select which category you want and Who Won Sports in most cases, provides you with a list of winners by year going back as far back as the beginning of the competition or as long as the award has been given. In the baseball category you can choose from twenty-two different championships or awards. You will find World Series winners going back to 1903, Cy Young winners, home run champs, Gold Glove winners, Manager of the Year awards for both leagues and many more including the winners of the College World Series in Omaha and the first player picked in the annual amateur draft held each summer. Did you know Rick Monday was the very first player picked back in 1965? You would if you had Who Won Sports. Overall the app has eight categories from which to choose: baseball, football, basketball, soccer, tennis, golf, hockey, and the Canadian Football League. Golf and tennis feature the four grand slam events in each sport. Tennis includes the Women's winners but no LPGA winners in golf. However the app does include Ryder Cup winners. Who Won Sports makes it much easier to access all this data than using a browser and search engine on your phone. The navigation within the app is a breeze. However I did find a couple of issues that troubled me. For baseball and hockey you will get the winners in whatever year you select but nothing about which team they beat or how many games the series took. However, in the NBA you get a paragraph detailing the outcome of the series and the number of games. In the football category the listing is for NFL Champions but only goes back to the first Super Bowl in 1967. For each winner it tells you what number Super Bowl it was, where it was played and the two teams that played. Why do they provide more details for two of the sports but not the others? Also what about all the NFL Championship games that were played before the Super Bowl started. And what about the American Football League? After all without the success of the AFL, we would have never had a Super Bowl. A little more attention and information would have made this app more complete. I believe you will find Who Won Sports a handy app to keep on your phone and for the most part it will settle a lot of discussions about who won what. You won't find the answer to who is the greatest NFL quarterback of all time but you can see who won the 1928 Stanley Cup if that become important - It was the New York Rangers if you need to know.
ESPN 3D exec explains why golf is such a good fit for the network
With the second consecutive year of the Masters Tournament being broadcast in 3D, if you're wondering why golf and 3D are such a good match look no further than ESPN 3D coordinating producer Phil Orlin's post on the new Front Row blog. He points out the varying terrain of the golf course and the ability to accurately read greens as reasons why 3D works so well at Augusta, and that watching it that way is the closest thing to seeing it in person. You can see for yourself when 3D coverage of the tournament kicks off today at 5 p.m., and while we're sure more people will be watching than did last year the question is still how many?
AT&T Masters Tournament coverage includes Multiview and mobile devices
For the 2011 Masters Tournament AT&T U-verse has a Multiview app of its own to compete with DirecTV's offering, that can watch up to four different holes at once as well as pull up various background info on the golfers and leaderboard. One thing AT&T brings to the table that DirecTV doesn't is live viewing on mobile devices through U-Verse Live TV or computers with U-verse Online, to go along with the 3D coverage, standard channels and VOD highlights. Check out a quick demo of the interactive channel and how to use it above before the tournament gets under way tomorrow.
DirecTV Masters Mix channel gets a few new twists for 2011 golf tournament
The 2011 iteration of DirecTV's multiview style Masters Mosaic channel has been lightly refreshed with two new channels and extended coverage. The channel itself will for the first time be available 24 hours a day during the Masters Tournament for those who want to keep up on the stats and highlights, while there's also an extra hour of coverage from ESPN on Thursday and Friday. The stats themselves have been expanded to pull down an individual player's performance on demand. As seen above, the Masters Mix channel itself has a new look, plus the new Additional Featured Group and Masters In-Depth channels. The full press release with all the details is after the break, or hit the source links DirecTV's minisite to see more screenshots plus demo video, and ESPN's coverage breakdown including 3D.
ESPN 3D will launch on Verizon FiOS April 5
After being the first with 3D pro football Verizon's 3D lineup on FiOS was looking pretty thin, but that changes next month when it will finally start offering ESPN 3D. We've been anticipating its launch since last October, but after ESPNNetworks online streaming it was apparently next in line. The early adopting 3D-capable TV owners near you who subscribe to the Ultimate HD package will see it added to their lineups for no charge, but like U-Verse, it's a $10 add-on for all others. Make decisions regarding those Hamilton's quickly, next on the schedule are the Masters and NBA Playoffs, check the press release after the break for all the details.
ESPN 3D is bringing five days of Masters coverage in April
In 2010, the annual Masters golf tournament was the jumping off point for 3D sports broadcasts when Comcast featured it, and this year it will have an even wider 3D audience by being featured for all five days on ESPN 3D. The plan is for two hours of coverage each day beginning with the Par 3 contest on Wednesday April 6 through Sunday between 5-7 p.m. As usual, ESPN's also doing its HD thing for the PAr 3 contest and first two days of the tournament with 4.5 hours of coverage a day just like it has since '08, but we'll be most interested to see just how much the prospective audience has grown since last spring.
Comcast's 3D channel goes live, just in time for the Masters
Customers in a handful of Comcast markets might have noticed that the switch on their promised 3D content just got flipped in the past 24 hours or so; viewers were greeted with a short loop of test content at first, but now, they're getting a message pimping coverage of the Masters Tournament that starts later today. We caught this particular message above in Chicago, but folks with HD boxes in San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Denver, Twin Cities, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Miami, and Indianapolis should all have access to the programming. Naturally, you'll need a 3D-compatible set and glasses to enjoy the footage, but be warned: if the ball comes straight at the camera, it's going to be really, really scary for a second. Update: Oh, and if you don't have a 3D TV or Comcast service handy, no sweat -- you can still watch it online if you've got the right equipment.
Comcast's 3D Masters broadcast explained
Still wondering how the first live broadcasts for the new 3DTVs will work? Comcast Fellow Mark Francisco has been working on bringing 3D home for several years now, and was able to clear up some of the questions that you've been asking about what takes place before home viewers slip on those "beautifully styled" glasses for the first time. Whether you'd want to, can afford to with the first generation of compatible HDTVs, or why it's expanding the use of that silly Xfinity name weren't among them, so for that you're on your own. What format/compression will Comcast use on its Masters broadcast and going forward? Just like DirecTV, Comcast is planning on a side-by-side 1080i (not sure what that is? Check out our breakdown of the different ways to send 3D) MPEG-2 transmission. Mark confirmed what we'd heard previously in our discussion with Bob Wilson from Motorola, on the backend, very little needed changing or updating to enable this transmission, which will take up a 6MHz channel, other than their frame multiplexers. There will also be an h.264 stream and VC-1 (for the Masters.com feed) and for broadcast within hospitality tents at Augusta National. Will I need a new cable box or have to get a firmware update of some kind to watch 3D? All of Comcast's HD set-top boxes connected through HDMI are already capable of handling the signal, so don't expect a firmware upgrade (unless you're waiting for remote DVR features, of course) between then and now, although future upgrades will include 3D menus and guide information, which are currently still 2D.
Comcast will beat DirecTV to the punch by broadcasting the Masters Tournament in 3D April 7-11
Very cagey way to play it Comcast. While DirecTV, ESPN and Discovery were first to say they would have 3DTV broadcasts back at CES, the cable company will actually be the first to deliver it, starting with the Masters Tournament (but why not the 3D broadcast of the Final Four?) April 7-11. That's right, the first "live next-generation 3D broadcast of a major sporting event on TV, the first live simulcast of a next-gen 3D event online, and the industry's first live multi-camera next-gen 3D production" will be on cable (& internet), not satellite or telco. Again, that's right, if you don't have a 3D television set up yet, it will also be streamed at Masters.com (no word whether this is a Comcast only or if it will be open to all) for all those with a 3D setup on their PC. We'll temper our expectations until we see what kind of quality is able to squeeze through Comcast's fiber backbone and down our neighborhood coax wires, but this should certainly blow away the anaglyph stuff currently offered on VOD. Of course, the old school HD streams will still be broadcast on ESPN and CBS, but if Tiger really does make his comeback at Augusta this should give us a better view of the course (and any residual damage from that "car accident") than ever before. [Thanks, Simon]
DirecTV loading up multi-screen HD coverage of the 2009 Masters
As should be expected by now, DirecTV is readying its interactive TV prowess for the 2009 Masters Golf Tournament from April 9 -12. The Masters Mix channel serves up CBS Sports and ESPN content, along with plenty of leaderboards, hole by hole stats for each player, a trivia me and daily highlight packages for notable player on DirecTV On Demand. We're not seeing much different from last year's implementation (with the exception of a healthy, surgically repaired Tiger ready to take on the field), but we're open to suggestions about how the Masters Experience could get better in 2010.
Masters HDTV broadcast sets records on ESPN, stumbles on CBS?
We've been getting in our fair share of greens watching the last few days, with the 2008 Masters Tournament spread our over four days on two networks, it might be one of the best sports events in HD. TVBytheNumbers called it a reason to get high definition (like we need a reason), before suffering through some SD-only hiccups yesterday -- a check of AVS Forum's thread reveals there may have been breakdown in some areas, but it looks great now. The New York Times keeps it old school, insisting the Augusta National can only be truly appreciated in real life, but with the most viewers of a golf telecast on cable ever, we're sure quite a few you took a look on ESPN-HD.Read - TVbytheNumbersRead - New York TimesRead - AVS ForumRead - Multichannel News
ESPN's HD plans for 2008 Masters Tournament coverage
Golf's Masters Tournament starts April 10, and (along with DirecTV's enhanced coverage) ESPN has big plans for its first year covering the two opening days of competition. Live coverage each day from 4-7 p.m. on ESPN HD is in the works, as well as re-airs from 8-11 p.m., and live HD streaming on ESPN360.com of all Masters telecasts. Live streaming from the "Amen Corner" (holes 11, 12, and 13 for the uninitiated), Holes 15 and 16, and Masters Extra will be up on Masters.org. Finally, for those who can't wait until Thursday for their green jacket fix - the never-before-televised Par 3 Contest on Wednesday April 9 featuring players, retired past champs and honorary invitees will be on ESPN HD and ESPN360.com from 3-5 p.m.
Blackthorn Hare receives Masters for Second Life sculpture
It's hard enough to create art in the world of Second Life, but what if your degree depended upon it? Doug "Blackthorn Hare" Anderson undertook exactly that challenge, and received the first-ever Master of Fine Arts from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design for sculpture done in Second Life.His work, "Yes", shows an aircraft about to plunge to the ground in the middle of the main street of an anonymous small town. Below it, two avatars may stand, embracing, not knowing the doom about to come crashing down upon them. It's a scene the artist hopes will show how love defies some uncomfortable truths about the world. Though constructed in Second Life, Anderson devised a method using 3D glasses to bring the installation into the real world, where he exhibited it at the college's Arnheim Gallery. Not Possible IRL talks to Blackthorn Hare about his work, his thesis, and his plans for the future.
DirecTV offering interactive, multi-screen HD coverage of Masters Tournament
DirecTV is most definitely going out of its way to appease consumers this month, as shortly after announcing exclusive HD coverage of the South by Southwest Festival, it's now making every golf fan not on DTV incredibly envious. During this year's Masters Tournament, set to open on April 10th, DTV subscribers will have access to an SD and HD Masters Mix Channel which will provide four windows of viewing. Aside from providing a look at CBS / ESPN's live coverage in View One, users will also see a highlight window with continuously updated material including voice-over commentary. View Three provides a look at "Amen Corner" -- holes 11, 12 and 13 -- while View Four showcases the notoriously difficult holes 15 and 16. Better still, each of the bonus channels will sport its own production crew and announcers, and a special recap show will also air on DTV's own The 101. You know that pricey ticket to Augusta you've been eying? Skip it. %Gallery-16539%
SMU's Guildhall awards game design degrees
The Guildhall, Southern Methodist University's video game design graduate program, has awarded the world's first master's degrees in video game development. Twenty-four graduates received "Master of Interactive Technology degrees" in "Digital Game Development" on March 24. Commencement speaker Randy Pitchford of Gearbox said, "The granting of advanced degrees from accredited universities is crucial to the future of our industry... You never know how important someone will become in time. Bill Gates was nobody [30] years ago." Gates probably shoudn't be the poster boy for higher education, since he dropped out of school to start Microsoft, but whatevs, right?
Beatles will sell music online, join rest of us in 21st century
iLounge is reporting that the Beatles catalog is currently being remastered in preparation for (finally) selling it through online music services (yea, plural). A Reuters article states that Neil Aspinall, a former Beatles road manager and witness in the Apple vs. Apple trademark lawsuit, is apparently working on remastering the Beatles' catalog and doesn't think it would be right to offer downloads of the old masters, and then release the remastered versions at a later date. Good call Neil.Presently, there is no ETA on when the remastering process will be finished or when the online music services could finally sell one of the most highly-anticipated online music catalogs in history. Who wants to place bets that, once the Beatles finally go digital, the catalog will be an iTunes exclusive?
HDTV Listings for April 8, 2006
What we're watching: I criticized golf for being SD-only recently, now that they have joined us in high definition I'm obligated to watch. Minority Report's impressive special effects should make it a great watch in HD at 8 p.m. on ABC, hopefully we'll be able to buy it on disc someday and watch it in HD whenever we want.Depending on your perspective, SNL could go either way on quality tonight, as Antonio Banderas fills in the guest host spot vacated by last week's Scarlett Johanssen.Our traditional high-def listings continue below
