The 2009 NFL Playoffs - AFC Divisional Weekend in HDTV on CBS
San Diego Chargers at Pittsburgh Steelers
Live from Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA
CBS HD 1080i & DD5.1
4:45 PM ET

From foxsports.com
By John Czarnecki

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Even though LaDainian Tomlinson won't be playing, the Chargers have a shot because the franchise is 2-0 at Pittsburgh in the playoffs. Oddly, the Chargers are 0-13 here in the regular season.

The Steelers haven't allowed a run longer than 23 yards this season, but you can bet they will have their hands full with 5-foot-6 Darren Sproles, who had 328 yards of total offense last Saturday against the Colts. And don't forget that his backup, Michael Bennett, has big-play speed.

The Chargers must be able to run in order to keep Pittsburgh's pass rush (AFC-leading 51 sacks) and James Harrison, the league's defensive player of the year, off QB Philip Rivers. The Steelers' offense racked up 410 total yards in the first meeting, but never reached the end zone. Pittsburgh's points came on a safety and three Jeff Reed field goals. "Our red-zone efficiency has to improve," said QB Ben Roethlisberger, who has shown no ill effects in practice after suffering a concussion against the Browns in the last game of the regular season.

Look for the Steelers to use some no-huddle — it worked well against the Chargers last time. San Diego must be concerned, too, with a healthy Willie Parker. Parker had 115 yards in the last game of the regular season and says he feels as good as he has all year. He sprained a knee ligament in the third game of the season and later suffered a dislocated shoulder.

Big Ben must keep San Diego's defense honest. It has played well down the stretch under new coordinator Ron Rivera. The Chargers are applying more pressure under Rivera, and poor protection has led to a steady diet of big hits for Roethlisberger. The Steelers have no major injuries, while San Diego TE Antonio Gates will start again on a bad ankle. The Colts were able to shut down WR Vincent Jackson, but the Chargers like their matchups against CB Ike Taylor.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/9061568/Countdown:-Previewing-Sunday%27s-playoff-games

Alright, let's get ready for a quality production with proper HD throughout.

Alright, let's get ready for a quality production with proper HD throughout.

+1

NFL football they way it was meant to be seen and heard (if you cant make it to the game)

CBS always looks stellar

Cincinnati watching Dayton station
WHIO-DT w/1 subchannel
51" CRT HD RPTV
LG LST-3510a ATSC tuner
DIY DB4 antenna with low noise indoor pre-amp

Watching Dayton because:
1)I have been reporting solely on Cinti stations all season and I like to spread the love around;)
and
2)WHIO has Dolby Digital 5.1 vs. WKRC Dolby Digital 2.0

CBS always looks stellar

Location and equipment being used would be nice to know...;)

Location and equipment being used would be nice to know...;)

I could be watching with a barbed wire, and it would still look better than Fox's pregame show;)

Indianapolis
WISH-DT via both OTA and Comcast
61" LED DLP
Pioneer VSX-918V-K

Nice to see a quality HD pregame.

I could be watching with a barbed wire, and it would still look better than Fox's pregame show;)
+1 Some folks enjoy some good old SD I guess.

That blue screen is not agreeing with Nantz and Simms' hair.

Orlando, FL
WKCF-DT(6.1) OTA and Dish HD
Multi-casting with LATV, still looks loads better than Fox's production of the game itself

I for one am growing tired of Sony "If it was shot on a Sony..." commercials. No thanks. I detest motion blur.

Watching on D*. PQ looks fantastic.

Nice to see some snow.

TD even with the uncalled PI on Pitt

I wondered if Pitt could handle Sproles's speed. I dont think they can. ANd that charger punter is like another weapon.

Pittsburgh weather
26°F
Current: Cloudy
Wind: NW at 0 mph
Humidity: 81%
Snow flurries / showers

Wow, Big Ben with the Punt

Watching on WWJ via Comcast in Detroit. Looks great as usual for CBS.

The best looking part was that return by Holmes. I loved the attack on the camera man

So much for having a great punter.

I'm always amazed at how a player can evade so many tacklers and then run right through a cameraman. :)

So much for having a great punter.

I don't think its the punter's fault when the coverage is terrible.

WCBS-DT NY OTA
Looks great in the snow. What a difference from watching the Fox game earlier.

I wish there was heavy snow that lasted the whole game :(

CBS's coverage in the rain yesterday wasn't so stellar, but it looks great in the snow today. Audio mix could still use a bump in the surrounds like most CBS games. For whatever reason, CBS's surrounds are always ~3dB down from NBC, Fox, and even ESPN. The commercials with DD5.1 mixes sound fine; only the game audio is weak.

KTVT Dallas via FiOS.

Is anybody noticing strange color differences? To me it looks like one of the cameras is distorting the green of the field.

My CBS local almost always has one issue or another most weeks. Watching in Tampa on Brighthouse Cable. Not sure if it is Network, local, or cable, but today's issue I have is a bluish green halo at bottom third of screen on one camera shot, midfield, high angle. Anyone else seeing this?

Is anybody noticing strange color differences? To me it looks like one of the cameras is distorting the green of the field.Which one?

My CBS local almost always has one issue or another most weeks. Watching in Tampa on Brighthouse Cable. Not sure if it is Network, local, or cable, but today's issue I have is a bluish green halo at bottom third of screen on one camera shot, midfield, high angle. Anyone else seeing this?Nope.

Midfield high angle as Digital Wrangler stated.

hi Ken H - you guys were correct last week about my Sony's upper screen graphics problem, on the FOX broadcast. Instead of seeing the alternating grey and black stripes above the upper screen graphics strip, I was seeing just a solid black strip. Turns out my roomie had the set on one of the factory preset displays. Within that default display, Sony turns on the advanced black corrector. Switched to my custom settings, which has black correction turned off, and I now see the FOX upper graphics strip properly. So yes, it was a calibration issue, albeit a minor one. Thanks for steering me in the right direction guys ...

Midfield high angle as Digital Wrangler stated.
So you are seeing the same exact thing? What is your source?

Provider (OTA, Cable, DBS, FiOS, IPTV), and source (station call letters & city), thanks.

hi Ken H - you guys were correct last week about my Sony's upper screen graphics problem, on the FOX broadcast. Instead of seeing the alternating grey and black stripes above the upper screen graphics strip, I was seeing just a solid black strip. Turns out my roomie had the set on one of the factory preset displays. Within that default display, Sony turns on the advanced black corrector. Switched to my custom settings, which has black correction turned off, and I now see the FOX upper graphics strip properly. So yes, it was a calibration issue, albeit a minor one. Thanks for steering me in the right direction guys ...
No problem.

For this game; Provider (OTA, Cable, DBS, FiOS, IPTV), and source (station call letters & city), thanks.

yep. only on the 50 yardline high shot. definate greenish hola witin the bottom hashmarks of the fieild, which follows the pan as play develops. symptom seen on cable and ota feeds.

Sony Bravia KDL46W4100
Brighthouse Cable Networks - Tampa, FL
WTSP Tampa

yep. only on the 50 yardline high shot. definate greenish hola witin the bottom hashmarks of the fieild, which follows the pan as play develops. symptom seen on cable and ota feeds.

Sony Bravia KDL46W4100
Brighthouse Cable Networks - Tampa, FL
WTSP Tampa
When you say OTA, you are using an antenna?

I'm seeing the same thing that Wrangler described. The only way I can describe it is a tint difference in the bottom third of the screen. I've actually noticed it on at least two camera angles. The 'referee announcement' shots are really noticable. I'm watching Time Warner cable- WCSH 13 Portland Maine.

Actually can view on ota (antenna) and cable box, and straight cable feed with QAM tuner. Symptom seen on all three sources, Ken

I'm not seeing it.

Correction: WGME 13 Portland ME (for what it's worth).

see it also on the refs announcement just now

twoods, Bright House and Time Warner are for all intents, the same cable outfits, any chance you are also watching on a Sony?

I'm looking for it, but I'm still not seeing any problem here.

Indianapolis - WISH-DT
Comcast and OTA

So we have viewers in Tampa, FL and Portland, ME seeing the same effect. I've been looking and can't see it.

DigitalWrangler is viewing on a Sony 1080p 120Hz LCD.

twoods, what are you viewing on?

No, I'm watching on an LG 37" LCD

No, I'm watching on an LG 37" LCD

Is it 120Hz 1080p?

Honestly I'm not sure. It's two years old so I think it was before they offered 1080p. Definately unsure of the htz.

did not see it on the last 50 yard line shot, or the refs announcement on the PI penalty. They may have noticed, and addressed the problem? I sure hope so ...

Honestly I'm not sure. It's two years old so I think it was before they offered 1080p. Definately unsure of the htz.

Yes, if it's 2 years old, it's probably 720p 60Hz.

Not sure how to explain this one, except maybe it's related to LCD's?

Usually, if an artifact is seen in two different parts of the country, it can be seen everywhere.

I might add I'm also using a Scientific Atlanta 2300 HD DVR from Bright House outputting in 1080i, Ken.

I'm not seeing it anymorer. How about you, twoods?

I might add I'm also using a Scientific Atlanta 2300 HD DVR from Bright House outputting in 1080i, Ken.

Right, but if you can see it OTA & cable, that removes cable & cable hardware from being suspect.

I think you're right Wrangler, I'm not noticing it as much anymore. I think I still see it in the endzone shot but I may be just seeing things...

That moon shot looked amazing.

Bye Bolts.

Much better on this end. I can rewind the DVR and see how bad the problem was before...

at least we got one top seed left

I am also seeing a slight difference in color across the field, but it seems to be more la result of the middle of the field being more beat up and also weird reflections from snow/water on the field. The middle of the field is somewhat more yellow/brown while the far side is more blue thanks to the snow/water on the field. It's more noticeable on the main 50 yard cam, but that appears to be due to the area between the 30 yard lines being in even worse condition than everything else judging from the high look in the corner of the endzone.

Watching on KTVT in Dallas via FiOS, 1080i output on the Moto box to a Samsung 1080p LCD (60Hz).

I thought that this would be a better contest. However, Steelers and Ravens. Can you Deeeefense, will be played every snap!

Chris

Yipeeeee !

Only one seed 3 or higher advances. :eek:

CBS HD game (+pregame) looked fantastic as usual. All CBS needs now is an audio demarbler/decoder so people can understand what Shannon Sharpe is saying.

Awesome! NFL in HD!

Great looking game (OTA, no multicasting). The snow flurries always seem to make things look better. I wonder why?

-R