Monday Night Football
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Nike's FlyEase technology hits the field with Seahawks LB Shaquem Griffin
After developing FlyEase shoes based on Lebron and Jordan models, Nike has adapted its technology for zip-up basketball sneakers to a whole new sport: football. These unique cleats are made for a (so far) one-of-a-kind athlete -- Seattle Seahawks linebacker Shaquem Griffin. Griffin is in his second season as an NFL player, but unlike many others on the field during Monday Night Football, he has one hand. His left hand did not fully develop due to amniotic band syndrome and was amputated at age four. Similar to the FlyEase models we've seen before, the Shaquem Griffin FlyEase football cleat manages to create a heel entry that's easier to put on for someone with one hand, while maintaining the structure and stability needed to make the powerful moves of a pro football player. That way Griffin can focus on his game, and not his shoes, which are making their prime-time debut tonight against the 49ers.
ESPN on Xbox Live updated with all live ESPN content
Previously Xbox Live was a good place to see some of ESPN's more fringe live content, like log racing, plastic cup stacking and the occasional tennis match. Today all live ESPN content is streaming through your Xbox 360, including Monday Night Football, Sunday Night Baseball and more top draws from ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNU, Buzzer Beater and Goal Line – granted only if you're an Xbox Live Gold subscriber, that is.The updated app on Xbox 360 still features all of the familiar Kinect gesture and voice commands required by Microsoft law, and lets users stream multiple events in split-screen format, set reminders for big games and track their favorite sports through a customizable menu. Next month, SmartGlass functionality will also be added to the app.You can download the improved app right now, simply by booting up the old app or heading to the appropriate section of your Xbox 360 dashboard.
Must See HDTV (September 10th - 16th)
With football and new TV series premieres, we're ready to call it officially fall. Keep an eye out for brand news shows like NBC's Go On and The New Normal, as well as returning favorites like Glee on Fox and the various talent show competitions. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames. Monday Night Football Football is back, and it's Monday night, so you know what that means. Hank Williams Jr. is no longer a part of the festivities but the action hasn't changes. We've got a doubleheader lined up with Bengals/Ravens followed by Raiders/Chargers, so wrap up those bedtime stories and get in front of the TV. Sons of Anarchy It may not rise to the level of Breaking Bad or Justified but Sons of Anarchy is one of our other favorite cable TV series, and its new season gets started this week. SAMCRO is dealing with conflict from within and, judging from the previews, out side the club as well. We'll see how the addition of Jimmy Smits to the cast affects this show. (September 11th, FX, 10PM) Weeds At long last, the Showtime series comes to an end this weekend. Some might say it should've wrapped up a couple of seasons ago, but if you're still following the Botwin clan and their assortment of friends, enemies and drug-dealing associates it's time to say goodbye. (September 16th, Showtime, 10PM)
ESPN's new Monday Night Football deal includes 3D broadcasts, WatchESPN app
Just hours before the 2011 NFL season kicks off, the ESPN and the NFL announced a new eight year extension for Monday Night Football that runs from 2014 to 2021 and most notably to us, includes a provision for 3D broadcast rights. The new deal covers items from new studio programming (beginning this season) to availability of games on the WatchESPN mobile app to the Pro Bowl we still won't watch. According to the LA Times, the pricetag for ESPN -- before it's passed on to the cable / satellite company and eventually ends up on your bill in a rate increase -- is around $1.9 billion per season, up from $1.1 billion previously. While this should help quell ideas that ESPN 3D might be axed after its removal from U-verse, the bad news is it could still be a ways off, as we're told 3D broadcasts are expected when the extension takes effect in 2014. Sadly, 3D early adopters are probably used to waiting, with unbundled retail availability of Avatar still pending for 2012, this is just one more item to add to your calendar.
Must See HDTV (August 8th - 14th)
Yes, it's still summer, and the TV schedule still reflects that. Despite the oppressive heat, we've still found some nice things for you to watch, check our highlighted programming out right here, followed by TV and Blu-ray listings for the week after the break. Football FOOTBALL. It's back. We missed out on the Hall of Fame game last week due to the lockout, but a new CBA means the pigskin is getting kicked, tossed and carried by pros starting with ESPNs first Monday Night Football dry run Thursday night with the Seahawks vs. Chargers. Fox gets into the nationwide broadcast action Friday night with the Bucs vs. Chiefs, and not a minute too soon -- we were seriously considering watching the CFL. (August 11th & 12th, 8 p.m., ESPN & Fox) The Franchise: A Season With The San Francisco Giants If you're a baseball fan, you shouldn't have to read this because you MUST already be watching this week by week behind the scenes look at the Giants. So far this Showtime series has other premium cable peeks behind the curtain like Hard Knocks and 24/7, and it has an entire seasons worth of stories to tell as they happen. Get Showtime in your channel lineup and set your DVR, you'll thank us later. (August 10, 10 p.m., Showtime) Superheroes Another in HBO's summer series of documentaries, this one follows around real people who've decided to put on the mask and cape to become real-life superheroes, fighting evil and injustice in their local neighborhoods. Much-needed good samaritans providing community policing or dangerous lunatics who should be stopped? You watch and decide, check out the trailer embedded after the break. (August 8, 9 p.m., HBO)
Monday Night Football gets a few new wrinkles for 2010, like 5.1 audio, super slow motion and more (video)
One of the most watched programs on television is getting a makeover, as ESPN prepares to introduce several new elements for this season of Monday Night Football. According to the press release, this year will be the first time ESPN's MNF is produced in 5.1 -- does this mark the death of "Circle Surround"? We've asked for more details, but we'll wait for our ears and receivers to tell us if there's a difference. A few things that should definitely be noticeable to all (even international viewers, with ESPN Deportes on the scene and, for the first time, live coverage in the UK) are the addition of high speed cameras set to shoot at 500-600 fps (up from last year's mere 300fps cameras and capable of up to 1,000fps, remember the Olympics?) for even clearer shots, and new "Maxx Zoom" cameras. These should provide a whole new angle on goal line plays from a cluster of cameras mounted at the goal line and shooting at "up to eight times normal HD resolution." Even the old telestrator has gotten a revamp, with features that look straight out of Madden 2011 highlighting what players see, do and tracking their movement. Check a quick trailer of the new elements after the break, or hit the source link for a preview of tonight's opener featuring Hank Williams in his 22nd year on the show. Update: ESPN's Colleen Lynch has responded with details about tonight's audio production, check for the full details after the break.
HDTV Listings for December 25, 2006
What we're watching: The Yule Log burning all day on INHD of course. Otherwise there are a few more marathons, with Smallville on HDNet and Law & Order on TNT, but later on we'll probably watch Pirates of the Caribbean or Monday Night Football featuring Jets vs. Dolphins.Our traditional high-def listings continue below.
Halo 3 reminder: commercial and public beta today [update 1]
As Bungie announced in the lame strategically timed early-morning web update, Master Chief will appear in a Halo 3 commercial during tonight's Monday Night Football. Today also signals the registration frenzy to try to score a slot in the Halo 3 public beta (a.k.a Pimps at Sea); check the Halo 3 site for details. (The site wasn't yet updated when this post went live, but we expect a "many will enter, few will win" scenario.)The 60-second commercial will air on ESPN sometime between 5:50 and 6:20PM PST in North America. The rest of the world can download the commercial at Xbox.com beginning at 9:00PM PST (04.00 GMT). The ad is a mix of live and computer-animated footage, but it won't include any in-game shots. Only North American gamers are currently eligible for the Halo 3 beta. [Update: Direct from Bungie: "Don't panic. The Halo 3 Beta will be available in the US, Europe and elsewhere in the world." Thanks, Matt and azesino!]
Halo 3 events recapped [update 1]
Over at Bungie.net, Frankie has posted a fact filled Weekly Update, and does a nice recap of whats been happening lately on the Halo 3 front. Frankie confirms some details about the special Halo 3 commercial that is going to be airing Monday, that there will be a FREE Halo 3 theme released Monday, and also that they've been testing "Pimps at Sea" at its alpha stage. Also, about midway down the page Frankie lists some facts about the commercial and drops a little hint that the it is "packed full of clues and stuff". Wha? Clues and stuff ... I can guarantee that there will be 4,000+ articles picking apart this commercial frame by frame come Tuesday morning. Be quick, head over to Bungie.net, fill your brain with knowledge, and wait patiently for manic Monday to come.Update 1: It looks like the Halo 3 theme I mentioned may not be free after all and may not arrive Monday. Hey, it was wishful thinking wasn't it?
Halo 3 commercial expectations
We've been flooded with Halo 3 news recently and so we'll make it a personal mission to continue the bombardment. As you know, we have our calendars marked for December 4th already , because that night on Monday Night Football we're going to get to see the premier of the Halo 3 one minute commercial. There already seems to be a hype machine churning for what is essentially just a commercial ... but a commercial everyone is frothing from the mouth to see. So, let's recap the facts. We know that Bungie didn't create the commercial in-house, that the commercial will use actual 3D models from the game, that it is 100% CG (no actual Halo 3 footage for you!), that it will only be shown once on TV, but will be available on Xbox.com and Xbox Live, and that nobody really knows exactly what to expect. With that knowledge, time for some speculation. I'm thinking the commercial is probably going to showcase the prettiness of the Halo universe and give us a glimpse into the storyline that Halo 3 is going to be based upon. Maybe we'll see some new weapons, new vehicles or some new covenant, but no new announcements. We at Xbox 360 Fanboy are going to be hard to displease, because we'll accept any Halo 3 footage, but what about you guys? Are you expecting some really juicy stuff, secrets revealed, or the start of a new ilovebees ARG? Or are you just happy to get to see some CG Halo 3 and all that jazz? Please discussify.
New image from Master Chief's Monday Night invasion
Let's see, he's got the crouched position down pat, and that armor could probably withstand a direct hit from Joey Porter or Richard Seymour. Heck, even the guy's name is synonymous with the sport (in Kansas City, anyway). But is Master Chief -- cue Hank Williams, Jr. -- really ready for some football?!! Bungie seems to think so, which is why they've released this image from a new Halo 3 commercial that will appear during ESPN's next Monday Night Football broadcast. The ad was produced by visual effects studio Digital Domain using Halo assets, so don't expect to see any in-game footage. Still, it looks pretty sweet, and it just might make sitting through Tony Kornheiser more bearable (note to ESPN: first TV timeout, please).
2AM Halo news announcement: it's real! New maps, commercial, screenshot and bedtime
Click for big, big versionSo we weren't duped after all. Bungie finally posted (right on time at 2AM Pacific) that there's a slew of new Halo things on the way.Biggest of all -- new multiplayer maps for Halo 2. For the longest time, whenever someone would ask Bungie if there would ever be any more multiplayer maps for Halo 2, they'd say, "Well, we're kind of working on something called Halo 3. Maybe later." It looks like that later is now, or at least next Spring. They didn't say how many maps would be coming out, or how much they'd cost ... just that you'd need an Xbox 360 to play 'em (for now).They also announced that they'll be running a Halo 3 commercial during Monday Night Football on December 4th. The game won't feature any in-game footage, but is being created from scratch by Digital Domain. It'll be all-CGI using Bungie's models and and assets, and will feature new music from Marty O'Donnell. After the commercial airs on TV, it'll be available in the XBL marketplace along with the next installment of Bungie's "making of" Halo 3 documentary. Having a Halo 3 commercial air during MNF is pretty sweet, but what's this about no gameplay footage? Here's to hoping it doesn't suck.Bungie will also be holding a public beta for the game sometime in the Spring, so you can imagine the forums will start filling up right away with people begging for that chance. There are few details about the beta, so we're glad we didn't wait up for only this.They also posted the above screenshot, which they claim is from actually from in the game itself. It looks slick, but it also doesn't hold any real surprises.With all that, we're off to bed. We could have waited on this stuff until like ... January, Bungie. Maybe a slow news day in the middle of the month? Not freakin' 2AM on a Wednesday morning the week that two consoles are coming out. Didja think this news would derail either of 'em? WELL? We want our sleep back.
HDTV Listings for September 18, 2006
What we're watching: The fall season is really picking up now as NBC premieres Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip tonight, and CBS puts their new show, The Class, in front of the season premieres for returnees How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, New Adventures of Old Christine and HDBeat readers favorite CSI: Miami. Fox also has new episodes of Prison Break and Vanished, not to mention our old friend Monday Night Football on ESPN-HD now, featuring the defending Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers at the Jacksonville Jaguars. Finally, on HDNet Star Trek: Enterprise premieres in HD.Our traditional high-def listings continue below.
Dec. 26: What's on HDTV today
What we're watching: Sing it with me: "All I want for Chrismas is no more repeats, no more repeats, no more repeats..."; no Alvin, Simon and Theodore couldn't have sung it better. Unfortunately, it's a slow time of the year for new programming. We'll give you a choice, depending on your sports preferences. If you're into NHL Hockey, tune in to INHD at 8 p.m. for a 1080i presentation of the NHL on OLN (on INHD; don't ask). Tonight's game takes place in St. Louis where the Stars take on the Blues.If you prefer the NFL, you can catch ABC's last Monday Night Football game tonight at 9 p.m. The game between the Patriots and Jets is a real yawner; the better part of the broadcast is expected to be the various highlights over the last 36 years from MNF as it moves to EPSN next year. We take our helmets hats off to three-and-a-half decades of great Monday Night Football on ABC; the high-def presentations over the past several years were fantastic. After the jump is our traditional listing of HD programs throughout the night.
