Greetings from Scotland. Yes, we're in SD.... AGAIN! Below is a picture of our control room. Ironically, we're in an HD truck this year. We're ready for HD, just waiting on the BBC.

The weather this week has been fantastic, hopefully it will stay this way.

http://photos-d-2.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs143.snc1/5293_235547800174_790745174_8092899_1285110_n.jpg

Well this is the last year for TNT/ABC. ESPN will show all live coverage next year and ABC will show 6 hours of taped highlights. I must say that in previous years the upconvert did look very good.

Yes I would say looks pretty good this year.



Trido

Well this is the last year for TNT/ABC. ESPN will show all live coverage next year and ABC will show 6 hours of taped highlights. I must say that in previous years the upconvert did look very good.

Do you mean to say ESPN will take over the TNT portion of coverage? I'm sure ABC would like to be the OTA carrier for the third and final rounds, live.

Why did I get an email from DirecTV saying that the Open will be on 701-05 in HD?

I thought EVERYTHING was in HD on Direct? It seems so watching their commercials. :)

Do you mean to say ESPN will take over the TNT portion of coverage? I'm sure ABC would like to be the OTA carrier for the third and final rounds, live.

ESPN will show all 4 rounds live starting next year, ABC will only have taped coverage.

The D* British Open extra channels look to be widescreen SD regardless of them being marked as HD in the guide.

Ad People listen to US.

If the PQ is just so-so, we will not watch it!!! The last hour or so maybe. But i will not watch Golf any more unless it is in HD. It's just too boring/grainy/hard to fallow and i can do other things. Just to make my point when the Masters was on, on Saturday, some friends came by to do something with my wife...(non golfers). Saw the Plasma HD PQ and sat down for a good half hour to watch the pretty screen. I wouldn't even do that for SD...

is TNT's presentation tape delayed?

Ad People listen to US.

If the PQ is just so-so, we will not watch it!!!

You may not watch it, but if it is the British Open, I will be watching as much as possible. In fact, I don't think the widescreen SD presentation is unwatchable at all.

is TNT's presentation tape delayed?

No we're live. Although TNT does rebroadcast our live coverage after our live window ends.

I watched a few minutes this morning on TNT HD, and it looked pretty good for an upconvert. Much better than a lot of the SD widescreen golf coverage on Golf HD.

While it was a number of years ago, Golf Digest asked a number of tour players to rank the majors in order of their personal preference. As you might expect, most US players picked the US Open and Masters above the British Open. Non US players usually picked the British Open first, with the Masters being generally second. Hence, for the most part it depends on where you're from and the style of game required by the type of course you typically play/watch.

I don't agree that the BO courses are photogenic. Compared to Augusta, Cypress Point or Pebble they don't really knock your eyes out visually. In fact, they come across as pretty bland on television. The reason is they are flatter and have far fewer trees than the typical course we see here. But, they have their own type of character. The subtle humps and bumps that don't come across very well on TV. That is why I think it's more important for the BO to be in HD than any of the others. Its because their hidden and unique charm is nearly invisible in SD and US viewers are denied the opportunity to see what the players see. In my opinion, even more than the other majors.

Post split off old topic, and new topic created.

Do you mean to say ESPN will take over the TNT portion of coverage?No, in 2010 ESPN will have all live coverage in HD, and ABC will have weekend highlight shows.

I'm sure ABC would like to be the OTA carrier for the third and final rounds, live.Don't be so sure. ABC & ESPN are both owned by Disney. It's a corporate decision how to maximize revenue.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1163210

No we're live. Although TNT does rebroadcast our live coverage after our live window ends.

So no coverage will be shown of people teeing off at 3AM EST?

I had several 'errors' during the broadcast on day 1. Was this a local issue on my end or was there some problems with the feed coming across the pond?

Tons of audio dropouts on TNT HD with Comcast in the ATL yesterday. Not sure if that's how it came into the cable plant here, but we had no problem with other channels. Picture was fine, audio was not.

You lose a lot of detail when the guys are putting on the greens with widescreen SD IMO, but it's way better than the old days of regular (and often grainy) SD British Opens.

Interesting listening to the howling winds. If I weren’t watching and only listening, I’d think I was atop the Andes Mountains in –20-degree weather.

Looks like ABC's chance for decent ratings may take a dive.

Tiger is having a horrific round, he's at +7 through 13 (and the cut line appears to be at +4), so it appears he's burnt bread (i.e., toast).

One saving grace - Tom Watson (yes, 59-year old Tom Watson) is tied for the lead.

Looks like ABC's chance for decent ratings may take a dive.

Tiger is having a horrific round, he's at +7 through 13 (and the cut line appears to be at +4), so it appears he's burnt bread (i.e., toast).

One saving grace - Tom Watson (yes, 59-year old Tom Watson) is tied for the lead.

Why is the cut at +4? I thought PGA rules for the cut were either within 10 strokes of the leader or the top 60 players. Therefore, the cut should be +5.

Why is the cut at +4? I thought PGA rules for the cut were either within 10 strokes of the leader or the top 60 players. Therefore, the cut should be +5.

I kind of doubt that the British Open pays much attention to PGA rules.

Reasonably nice pictures, as expected. Too bad, though, they're filtering the sound of the wind so effectively. At least for some shots it would aid you-are-there realism IMO--surely needed without true-1080i. Can hear a very faint whooshing sound using headphones, at least when they switch outside the studio. -- John

PGA - the A stands for 'America', so that doesn't apply. The rules they follow here are from the Royal and Ancient (R&A) book.

It's top 60 plus ties, and Tiger (who finished at +5) is now just outside that. He'll need lots of help to get that cut line moved to +5.

What a world! John Daly made the cut (at E), Tiger Woods is (pretty much) out!

FYI, no worry about Nick Faldo on the course - he missed the cut, so he's back in the broadcast booth for the weekend.

Why is the cut at +4? I thought PGA rules for the cut were either within 10 strokes of the leader or the top 60 players. Therefore, the cut should be +5.

Only the USGA and the Masters uses the "10 shot rule." The R&A doesn't use it nor does the PGA Tour.

FYI, no worry about Nick Faldo on the course - he missed the cut, so he's back in the broadcast booth for the weekend.

No, he's not on our broadcast this year. In fact, we were supposed to have Tom Watson as one of our announcers. Of course that's not happening now!

Yeah, I'm sure Watson is heartbroken he can't honor his broadcast committments because he's one stroke behind the leader of the British Open going into the third round. Drinks are on him of course! :p

No, he's not on our broadcast this year. In fact, we were supposed to have Tom Watson as one of our announcers. Of course that's not happening now!

You should try to get Tiger, he's got nothing to do this weekend.:eek:

Actually, the '70 and 10' rule was in play at The Open until 1996. It's amazing the Tiger will miss the cut yet still be within reasonable striking distance of the leader for an Open.

I'm pulling hard for Watson.

Just as a rough guess, I'd say there were perhaps a dozen golf shots portrayed in the first hour of coverage today (Saturday). Are we not supposed to be interested in how the course is playing today, or how players other than the leaders are performing? Is the audience really that narrow-minded?

^^^ Not the audience, but perhaps the network sports executives in charge of making those decisions. :(

I'm pulling hard for Watson.

Whatever you've been pulling ( :eek: ), keep doing it. Watson is going into Sunday's final round one stroke ahead of the entire field. Tiger who? ;)

mtiffee, great to see you on location again. We still owe you big time for all that you did for us tennis fans to make the European majors watchable in HD, or almost.

Not that I am a big golf fan, but it always looks better in HD, so I will check it out next year.
This year it looks OK. Where is the 2010 British Open?

Where is the 2010 British Open?

St. Andrews!! In HD!

No, he's not on our broadcast this year. In fact, we were supposed to have Tom Watson as one of our announcers. Of course that's not happening now!

Yeah, I forgot. Faldo (and Ian Baker Finch) work for CBS and The Open is on ABC.

^^^ Not the audience, but perhaps the network sports executives in charge of making those decisions. :(



Whatever you've been pulling ( :eek: ), keep doing it. Watson is going into Sunday's final round one stroke ahead of the entire field. Tiger who? ;)

Ratings will be way up on Sunday morning to see if Watson can pull-off a miracle. 59 years old and a one-stroke lead going into the final round of The Open Championship. He loves links-style courses, and the Brits and Scots love him (more than any other Yank, it appears). Go Tom!

He loves links-style courses, and the Brits and Scots love him (more than any other Yank, it appears). Go Tom!

Or even the English and Scots love him? ;) (From an English Brit who gets a bit tired by Britain and England being used interchangeably)

Britain includes Scotland - so Scots are Brits... It's a bit like saying "and the North Americans and Canadians love him"... but not quite...

Trying to explain the difference between Great Britain, the UK, The British Isles and then which include or don't include England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, The Isle of Man, The Channel Islands - and even The Republic of Ireland - can get confusing...

I watched a little of the replay on ABC today (I am on the west coast so live is too early). I thought the broadcast was terrible. The SD picture was bad enough, but they superimposed the "bottom line", a ticker which shows baseball scores, all the way through the broadcast. It is really distracting, and ruins the coverage.

I'll root for Watson as well. Somewhat unfortunate if he makes history and it cannot be captured in HD. Someone at Turnberry please bring an HD camcorder.

My local ABC looked better than the broadcast did on TNT.

Well Kudos to ABC, even though HD is out of their hands their upconverted poduction is excellent. No it's not as nice as HD but for an SD production this is really nice.

Well Kudos to ABC, even though HD is out of their hands their upconverted poduction is excellent. No it's not as nice as HD but for an SD production this is really nice.

I agree. In 2009, where just about every other playoff and championship sports events are in HD, the British Open should be, too! Fortunately, the PQ today looks great. If I didn't know, I'd think this was HD.

What happens if it ends in a tie? Always amazes me that the announcers never tell the audience until the final hole or even wait until after the 18th to announce the scenrio....and even then sometimes they just say what hole they go to without stating what happens after that hole.

4 hole total stroke playoff is the tiebreaker at the Open Championship.

4 hole total stroke playoff is the tiebreaker at the Open Championship.

Thanks. Will say how long it takes for the announcers to state that!

This is great. I don't usually watch golf, but having Watson in contention right to the end is pretty exciting.

I can tell it's not HD but it's pretty close. The text isn't sharp and the image seems to be a tiny bit out of focus, but it's so much better than normal SD.

(The announcer said it would be a 4-hole playoff, about a minute ago.)

Holes 5, 6, 17 and 18 for playoff, and then sudden death 18 if three or more players? What if two players?

My local ABC looked better than the broadcast did on TNT.
Agree. SD on TNT was poor in comparison to ABC.

They screwed up Watson's first putt on the 16th. You could not see the hole.

I'll check The Golf Channel when it's over to see who won. I refuse to watch if The BBC is too cheap to broadcast in HD. This is 2009, not 1999! I won't add to their ratings.

Cink birdied the 18th to post -2 par.

There was a four-man playoff in 2002. After the four holes, two were still tied for the lead, and Ernie Els won the sudden death.

But what if nobody wins the sudden death? Do they keep playing the 18th hole over and over?

So Westwood is the only player to hit the green from that bunker this tournament?

Is it really necessary to have both the ESPN and ABC logo's onscreen? I know about the "ESPN on ABC" schtick, but come on...

This is great. I don't usually watch golf, but having Watson in contention right to the end is pretty exciting.Yes, pulling for the old guy is great.

Where did the ESPN logo come from? It wasn't there before.

Four more holes means we'll see two more erectile dysfunction commercials. :D

...the cover of Sports Illustrated just changed.

Where did the ESPN logo come from? It wasn't there before.

Four more holes means we'll see two more erectile dysfunction commercials. :D

...and two Flomax commercials...and maybe one male enlargement ad.

Where did the ESPN logo come from? It wasn't there before.

All sports on ABC are 'ESPN On ABC' now. The ESPN ID shows up as they desire. It's been off and on all weekend.

Not a good ending. Perspective changes from defying age to losing because of age (comments about fatigue, etc. for Tom due to his age).

Watson had a lot of help from the other players today, except for Cink. Although about half the players today made par, five of the six closest to Watson shot 73, 75, 71, 72, and 76.

Oh, well. Second place is good too.

The ESPN logo shows up during "important" moments in sport; basically, when they think a clip will be used a lot for highlights.. They do this on all the ESPN Networks.

PQ on this (ABC) was as good as I've seen from upconverted SD OTA, IMO better than the shows on FOX. There was a little blur on some motion due to frame rate conversion, but nothing horrible.

Why did Watson say he thought he could win at The Britsh Open (prior to tournament) but that he knows he could not compete at Augusta? I had thought it would be great if Watson played all the majors from now on and could be a major player once again. Will he try?

Why did Watson say he thought he could win at The Britsh Open (prior to tournament) but that he knows he could not compete at Augusta?Two different types of courses, that call for two different shot capabilities.

I had thought it would be great if Watson played all the majors from now on and could be a major player once again. Will he try?I seriously doubt it. This was probably his last great run.

Two different types of courses, that call for two different shot capabilities.

I seriously doubt it. This was probably his last great run.

I gathered that he meant different shot capablities, but wasn't sure what he meant. Is Augusta too long for him or ? Is their an element unique to the course this year that led to him being able to compete?

And would have been interesting if he had won if there would have been a movement to have him compete more. I did not hear one reporter ask him a question about future tournaments.

PQ on this (ABC) was as good as I've seen from upconverted SD OTA, IMO better than the shows on FOX. There was a little blur on some motion due to frame rate conversion, but nothing horrible.

Here in the UK - delivered via OK-ish SD MPEG2 - it was pretty good. Some shots were a bit edgy (but many were pretty nice) - but seemed to be pretty much 100% component (not composite) on the stuff I saw. Colour matching seemed OK. (i.e. the grass and sky stayed the same colour between cameras) Not the best SD I've seen - but pretty good.

The high-frame rate (higher than standard SuperSloMo 150Hz stuff) stuff gave some very nice replays.

... I did not hear one reporter ask him a question about future tournaments.

Next is the British Senior Open. Starts Thursday.

:)

But, on the other hand, he may be able to get past it more quickly than a younger man; he wasn't supposed to be there anyway.

Don't think so; it is easier when you're young and feel you'll have many more chances.

It was compelling drama, but a sad ending.

Actually, he did make history. Oldest to lead or be tied for the lead in three consecutive rounds of a major.

Why are people being so gloomy about this. :D

I have a hard time seeing anyone beating Tiger at St. Andrews. He's dominated the course twice now and that's one thing Tiger is pretty consistent at, playing well at courses he has good history on.

Heartbreaking defeat for Watson. When he tried to put that ball off the green on 18, I was screaming at the TV that it was a stupid idea. He should have bump-n-run it into the ridge in front of him and let it trickle down to the cup.

His caddy should have told him on his par putt "Hit this to make it. We aren't going to a playoff. If you miss, miss it by 20 feet."

I feel bad for him. He should have won this championship. Everything was set up for him.

Here in the UK - delivered via OK-ish SD MPEG2 - it was pretty good. Some shots were a bit edgy (but many were pretty nice) - but seemed to be pretty much 100% component (not composite) on the stuff I saw. Colour matching seemed OK. (i.e. the grass and sky stayed the same colour between cameras) Not the best SD I've seen - but pretty good.

The high-frame rate (higher than standard SuperSloMo 150Hz stuff) stuff gave some very nice replays.I noticed the edges, especially on high contrast areas like white caps. Some cameras were worse than others for this, but overall OK. I expect more enhancement on sports, although some here have waaay too much in HD. I have seen better and sharper SD in the past, but usually not from live cameras. The SD downconverts from HD cameras has improved this.

Of course we are getting used to seeing HD coverage of nearly all events now in the US, so we all will look forward to the next one in HD, albeit 720P.

I watched some of NBC's HD broadcast of the American Century golf tournament this afternoon and I didn't think it was any better than the British Open SD. The text on the graphics was sharper. But that was about all I could see different.

I noticed that balls at the British Open sometimes had dark halos around them, but then so did the NBC golf in HD.

I noticed the edges, especially on high contrast areas like white caps.


I was wondering if the radio cameras were a bit edgier than the triax cameras - and whether they had remote control of detail on the rad cams.

(In the days of the BVP7s and BVP70s the BBC had an in-house remote radio data system for racking radio cameras that didn't have a triax link - as Sony at the time didn't have a decent solution for this. It used a 300baud modem and a narrow band talkback radio circuit to send data to all radio cameras, and eventually integrated into the Sony RCP/MSU systems ISTR -along with the custom BBC in-house "colour wheels" for colour balance/paint)


Some cameras were worse than others for this, but overall OK. I expect more enhancement on sports, although some here have waaay too much in HD. I have seen better and sharper SD in the past, but usually not from live cameras. The SD downconverts from HD cameras has improved this.


I think they were native SD cameras running triax this year. I've seen less edgy and more consistent SD native over here - but it wasn't terrible - and the mix of radio and triax is going to be a bit more tricky. The colour matching on the grass was pretty good though. (Our grass is always a very different colour over here!)

I agree HD native downconverted to SD can look a lot better - particularly the absence of edge!


Of course we are getting used to seeing HD coverage of nearly all events now in the US, so we all will look forward to the next one in HD, albeit 720P.

Yep - it will be interesting to see how they do it!

When he tried to put that ball off the green on 18, I was screaming at the TV that it was a stupid idea. He should have bump-n-run it into the ridge in front of him and let it trickle down to the cup.


Oh, I think Tom Watson knows a little bit about the game of golf. ;)

It wasn’t the shot, it was the execution, and that was due to the pressure. The same pressure that caused Westwood to implode at the end. I thought Tom lost it during the front 9 when he missed the short putts he had been making all week. Had he made those it wouldn’t have come down to the 18th hole. For him to rally back and have the chance to win it at 18 surprised me because I thought Westwood had it going on. Great drama!

sneals2000,

The high speed camera at the Open is called X-Mo. We provided one to the world feed and one to the ABC feed. Both shot 720p50 at 500-7000fps.

The World feed camera was transmitted HD to the truck and downconverted.

The ABC camera was downconverted at the camera before it was transmitted.

Both had RF systems to remotely control/shade each camera from the truck.

Both camera operators could change frame rates at the camera depending on what they were shooting.

Jeff