HDTV Broadcast cameras

[guate dad]

Why is NBC shooting games in 720p and then broadcasting in 1080i? This makes no sense to me. ESPN HD (720p) looks so much cleaner. I am getting a lot of motion blur and pixelation on certain shots from NBC and CBS. Fox also broadcasts in 720 and their picture is pretty good. How long are we going to have to put up with lousy network HD quality.

[davring]

I believe it is nothing more than growing pains. The lack of new equipment, training people to use it correctly and I am sure that there are hundreds, if not more, reasons things don't go the way they should. And multiply that by the number of people who do not set up thier equipment at home properly and it really gets complicated. In time these problems will be a thing of the past.

[Stewart Vernon]

Just curious... how do you come by the statement of NBC shooting in 720p and broadcasting in 1080i? I have never heard that before.

[guate dad]

I was told the networks shoot the games with 720p cameras because they are able to keep up with fast motion sports. If the cameras are 1080i that would shoot down my theory, but it wouldn't explain why the broadcasts have so much pixelation on certain shots.

[Cholly]

I was told the networks shoot the games with 720p cameras because they are able to keep up with fast motion sports. If the cameras are 1080i that would shoot down my theory, but it wouldn't explain why the broadcasts have so much pixelation on certain shots.

It doesn't make any sense for a network to shoot in 720p and transmit in 1080i. To my knowledge, NBC's equipment is all 1080i.

[machavez00]

The cameras I have seen at the D-Backs game are 1080i, Fox Az is broadcast in 720p.

[Stewart Vernon]

There are cases where they may shoot in 1080p and then downconvert to 720p or to 1080i for transmission... but I have never heard of shooting in 720p for transmission at 1080i. That would not make any sense at all, which is why I was questioning the statement.

[n3ntj]

If you are talking about the PGA on NBC, they use handheld SD cameras, display it in 16:9 format but it is still blurry. Only the tower cameras appear to be in HD. The PQ quality with NBC Sports is very bad, even when in HD.