Facts on ABC's HDTV Super Bowl Broadcast

[Scott Greczkowski]

Here are some interesting stats on this Sundays HDTV Broadcast of the Super Bowl on ABC.

In checking around about this years Super Bowl I found some interesting facts and I wanted to share them with all the other DBSTalk.COM members. :)

The Standard Definition Super Bowl Broadcast will use 40 Cameras while the HDTV Broadcast will use only 7 High Definition Cameras (5 studio cams and 2 handhelds)

The HD Broadcast Truck will be the same truck ABC used for its HDTV coverage of the 1999 Monday Night Football Season.

The truck features new Ikegami 720p cameras (replacing the Panasonic Cameras which were in the truck before)

The HD Broadcast will feature full 5.1 channel audio

60 Microphones will be used to the stadium including 12 on field parabolic microphones.

The HD Broadcast will not use the Electronic 1st down marker, while the Standard Definition broadcast will.

The HD broadcast will be framed for 16 x 9 sets while the standard definition broadcast will be framed for 4x3

I will be having a Standard Definition Television next to my HDTV for my Super bowl party, not only to show the differences in the picture but also so my guests can see the things that many not be shown on both telecasts.

Have a good party everyone!

[rbonzer]

Originally posted by Scott Greczkowski
I will be having a Standard Definition Television next to my HDTV for my Super bowl party, not only to show the differences in the picture but also so my guests can see the things that many not be shown on both telecasts.

Have a good party everyone!

I wish I could invite myself over to your house for the Super Bowl. I know several people with HDTV *ready* tvs, but none with an OTA tuner. :(

[DarrellP]

rbonzer, are you telling me you don't know any of the 15 people in Portland who are HD capable?

That's a snide remark that Jeff Gianola made one evening on the 6 PM news, BTW.

If you wan't to catch up on the Portland OTA Digital market, go here. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=168423&perpage=30&pagenumber=1)
Lee Wood is station engineer for KOIN and he monitors the thread.

[rbonzer]

That's a great link. I've only got through 6 pages of it. I'll see if I can get through the rest tonight. I wish there was a place I could "rent" a digital tuner just to see if I could get reception. I'm in the shadow of Murray hill and Bull Mtn, so I'm not too sure I could get a good signal.

[Tosh Shee Baa]

The international HD feed will be compressed and FIBRED to Japan - a first, rather than use satellite uplink

[Bill D]

For next year's season, ABC got a new truck put together and they will be doing every game in HD. It will not be a small production setup like they did a couple of years ago. This is a quality truck with a great switcher and other equipment. The HD show I believe will be the main show, how they do the SD simulcast I'm not positive about. The will either downconvert or they could possibility have a 2nd switcher syncroed with the HD one to send out a SD version. In either case the HD version will look production wise much like you are used to seeing for MNF. Not like the stripped down version a few years ago.