As an avid HD Sports watcher, something that has always bothered me (HD and SD, for that matter) is networks like FSN shrinking the picture while they periodically scroll other scores on the bottom of the screen.

If you watch the game in SD, it becomes literally unwatchable on the RSNs as everyone is scrunched and oblong. In HD, the picture quality suffers bigtime. If it's during a crucial stretch of the game, you are watching your team go on a big run with crappy PQ.

I could understand the RSN perhaps doing it if they lacked the technology to overlay it on the screen, however ESPN does it for their :18/:58 bar during NBA broadcasts. What I don't understand in that respect is that ESPN2 runs the bar constantly and they don't shrink the screen to fit it on, they simply overlay it.

TNT isn't afraid to throw up a narrow info bar and just overlay it underneath their scorebug.

Some screen grabs:
FSN
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/DIMPHardcore/th_vlcsnap-2375310.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/DIMPHardcore/vlcsnap-2375310.jpg)
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/DIMPHardcore/th_vlcsnap-2375230.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/DIMPHardcore/vlcsnap-2375230.jpg)

ESPN
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/DIMPHardcore/th_vlcsnap-2377653.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/DIMPHardcore/vlcsnap-2377653.jpg)
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/DIMPHardcore/th_vlcsnap-2376621.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/DIMPHardcore/vlcsnap-2376621.jpg)

TNT
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/DIMPHardcore/th_vlcsnap-2381040.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/DIMPHardcore/vlcsnap-2381040.jpg)
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/DIMPHardcore/th_vlcsnap-2380472.jpg (http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/DIMPHardcore/vlcsnap-2380472.jpg)

All three of those bottom line tickers appear to be the same size.

All three of those bottom line tickers appear to be the same size.

You're probably right. TNT's just looks thinner because the actual text is crammed towards the top.

That still doesn't explain why FSN and ESPN don't simply overlay it over the game action.

The ESPN 18/58 update is taller then regular BottomLine then is on ESPN/ESPN2 during all other times. That is way the picture is squeezed back during those times, so that the BottomLine does not cover any action or graphics coming from the game site. This practice dates back many years since ESPN stopped doing the L-Bar graphic for the then 28/58 update in the early 90's.

The same reason applies for the FSN ticker, if there was no squeeze back the ticker would cover any lower third graphics that the game production had in during the time the ticker is in.

I don't mind them shrinking the picture slightly as long as the perspective stays the same, unlike FSN.

Just show the game..give scores during breaks....

Just show the game..give scores during breaks....

I agree - the "bottom line" score tickers are just annoying, whether they overlay the picture (which takes away viewing area) or squeeze or stretch the picture to make room for the bar, which also takes away from the picture. i don't see how any of that enhances viewing the game, and i actually find myself watching LESS of ESPN's networks because of that. for the others, if it's every 15 minutes and not on for that long, i can tollerate it. when i'm watching a program that's not even scores and highlightes, i don't even see a reason to have the stupid bottom line on at all (think watching a game from 1993 on ESPN Classic and being annoyed with scores from today taking away from what you're trying to watch - i'm not watching that 1993 game to see today's scores).

The constant bottom line is not used during pro events. But they use it all the time during college games. I guess I have gotten so used to it that I find myself looking for it during pro games. But I do like the clean look much better.

The ESPN Bottom Line is always on during baseball for some reason. This year, they have added animated crap on the right side for things like "Baseball Tonight/Baseball Tonight is on ESPN 2"

You want a bad bottom line? Go take a look at MASN's "squeezebox" which comes up from time to time. Useless plugs for the O's, Nats, and MASN programming, every pro and college score imaginable. Oh and the aspect ratio gets a little messed up. :(

The FSN graphics as the usual Fox Box and ESPN ticker are really onerous. Why even bother with a 16 x 9 screen when a significant portion is completely blocked off. When it comes to graphics, my motto is less is more.

....You want a bad bottom line? Go take a look at MASN's "squeezebox" which comes up from time to time. Useless plugs for the O's, Nats, and MASN programming, every pro and college score imaginable. Oh and the aspect ratio gets a little messed up. :( Gotta agree with you, saw it last night on the MLB Extra Inning free preview O's game on FIOS 1474HD, its really bad, detracted from the game.

I don't quite understand this practice either, they should keep that on the SD broadcast.

OT - Watching Sportscenter last night, the MASN scorebug was nearly in the middle of the $#%#$ screen. It was like if you divided the screen into 3rds, the scorebug was on the very bottom of the top 3rd.

Ok, back on topic. I would post this thread the day that ESPN launches their new scorebug. With the new scorebug, the screen was not shrunk during he Jazz/Mavs game.