A “Not- So- Super”
Super Sunday

by Kris Lavery

It seems as though training camp just began, and yet the NFL Championship has been played, and a champion crowned.

I take great joy in knowing that with this victory, my favorite team, the New England Patriots, has earned a place in history. I took far less joy however in actually watching them ascend to the pinnacle of football greatness on February 6th.

I could tell you that I did not enjoy the game because there were 5 guests at my Super Bowl party under the age of 6. There should be an 18-and-over rule for those events. There just should! However, I cannot blame it on the kids. After all kids will be kids. It’s their job, but I digress.

Days later I realized that I had enjoyed the Super Bowl far less than many regular season games for one reason, and one reason only; because I could not watch the game in High Definition!

I am not a snob or strange videophile. I never send food back to the kitchen while dining out, or return gifts that are just not what I wanted. Why then did the inferior quality of my TV’s picture sack my Super Sunday?

Largely, because the NFL season that was 2004-2005, was the best ever in terms of the sheer number of games shot and broadcast in the HDTV format. The benefits of HDTV broadcasting include a picture that’s up to 10 times clearer than a standard broadcast, digital sound, and a panoramic view that allows viewers to see more of the event than ever before.

Over 100 games were covered by CBS, FOX, and ABC this year, and only a handful each week were not Hi-Def. I was able to tune in every week and catch my team making their run at history while experiencing the game better than if I had purchased a ticket. But many have learned a hard lesson when considering, or after purchasing a new HDTV. The major networks may produce a show in Hi-Def, but if one link in the chain from New York to Bluffton is not Hi-Def, your experience at home isn’t either.

The “chain” I just referred to goes something like this: Network (FOX NY) ? Local Affiliate (WTGS FOX 28 Savannah) ? Cable or Satellite provider ? YOU! In the case of over-the-air broadcasting, the TV show would go from the affiliate straight to you over the airwaves. This keeps the Cable or Satellite provider of the chain.

Exactly a year ago, I wrote an article about how great the Super Bowl was going to be in 2004. It was going to be great not because it was being presented in HDTV, but because our local CBS affiliate could bring that quality to our homes. This year the Super Bowl was broadcast by FOX. FOX presented the game in Hi- Def (chain link #1, A-OK!). That broadcast was delivered to local affiliates all over the country, including WTGS in Savannah in the standard and HDTV formats (chain link #2, also good!). But, because WTGS has not fully completed the federally mandated transition to digital broadcast, the chain breaks there, and only a handful of Low Country and Coastal Empire residents were able to see the game in HD.

So why use this space to bemoan something that may seem trivial to some? Because HDTV is your RIGHT! Because each FOX HDTV telecast boasts the “highest quality” broadcast in the industry. Yet, that won’t help me experience the Daytona 500 in 720p HDTV with 5.1 digital surround sound here in Bluffton.

If you don’t yet have an HDTV capable set, let this article encourage you! May it motivate you to buy that new HD set, followed by rattling the cages of your Cable or Satellite provider to demand a higher quality service. Draft a letter to your Representatives online, and let them know that current legislation does not insure us the ability to have access to this programming unless they stop protecting local affiliates and outlets that are breaking the chain!

This article provided by Kris Lavery of Custom Audio Video, LLC. Member CEDIA