The ESPN family of networks has the following games in HD today:
Please post which game you are viewing, what channel, your location, and how you are viewing the game (OTA, Cable, Sat, Fiber, IPTV).

12 Noon ET
Wisconsin at Minnesota ESPN HD
Arkansas State at Iowa ESPN2 HD
Clemson at Maryland ESPNU HD
Alabama at Kentucky SEC Network HD (ESPN Regional Television)

3:30 PM ET
UCLA at Stanford ABC HD
Penn State at Illinois ABC HD (Reverse Mirror with ESPN HD)
Florida State at Boston College ABC HD (Reverse Mirror with ESPN (SD Only))
NC State at Wake Forest ESPNU HD

7 PM ET
Ole Miss at Vanderbilt ESPNU HD

7:30 PM ET
Texas A&M vs. Arkansas ESPN2 HD

7:45 PM ET
Auburn at Tennessee ESPn HD

8 PM ET
USC at California ABC HD
Oklahoma at Miami ABC HD

10:30 PM ET
Colorado State at Idaho ESPNU HD

3:30 and 8pm coverage maps in case you haven't seen it elsewhere: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?page=coveragemaps2009

From what I have seen both the noon ESPN and ESPN2 games look really good.

MSGHD's broadcast of Alabama-Kentucky looks loads better than WZDX's broadcast in Hunstville, AL

Penn State at Illinois on ABC in Detroit from WXYZ via Comcast, looks like a solid ESPN production. PQ is good but not great.

Great audio on the FSU/BC game but really aggressive on LFE channel. The band's drumline is vibrating the room and the plosives in Holly Rowe's mic sounded like canons going off.

Great audio on the FSU/BC game but really aggressive on LFE channel. The band's drumline is vibrating the room and the plosives in Holly Rowe's mic sounded like canons going off.

The graphics appear to be a bit fuzzy.

Not sure if this should go in the local HDTV forum, but in Madison, WI via Charter, we are not getting the mirror game on ESPN, for the third week in a row. Charter says this is being done by ESPN. Should be getting Florida State at Boston College since the local ABC affiliate has the Penn State at Illinois game, but instead the ESPNHD is showing ESPNNewsHD. What possible contractual considerations could be keeping ESPN from showing a Boston College home game in Madison, WI?

Not sure if this should go in the local HDTV forum, but in Madison, WI via Charter, we are not getting the mirror game on ESPN, for the third week in a row. Charter says this is being done by ESPN. Should be getting Florida State at Boston College since the local ABC affiliate has the Penn State at Illinois game, but instead the ESPNHD is showing ESPNNewsHD. What possible contractual considerations could be keeping ESPN from showing a Boston College home game in Madison, WI?

Nope it's correct. Judging from the map you should have PSU/Ill on ABC and FSU/BC on ESPN standard def, but blacked out on ESPNHD.


Read the fine print under the ESPN map (the 2nd map here):
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?page=coveragemaps2009

The only way to see an HD game on ESPN is to be in an area where the PSU/Ill game is on ESPN, not ABC. This is nothing new, there's a short thread on it here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1176011

Thanks, never noticed that before. Yep, you're right, but I still wonder about the reason/logic for blacking out the HD mirror broadcast. Are they trying to get as many people as possible to watch the local ABC HD affiliates?

Thanks, never noticed that before. Yep, you're right, but I still wonder about the reason/logic for blacking out the HD mirror broadcast. Are they trying to get as many people as possible to watch the local ABC HD affiliates?

ESPN can only broadcast 1 HD feed nationally. From what I understand, and I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, that feed is typically the Big Ten feed since it's in their contract that all games must be in HD. If you aren't slated to get the Big Ten feed, then you have to watch whatever's on ESPN on the sd channel.

ESPN can only broadcast 1 HD feed nationally. From what I understand, and I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, that feed is typically the Big Ten feed since it's in their contract that all games must be in HD. If you aren't slated to get the Big Ten feed, then you have to watch whatever's on ESPN on the sd channel.

Interesting. I wonder how long that arrangement will last, given the advent of the Big 10 network, and the general decline of the quality of Big 10 football (and this from a big Badger fan).

Are they trying to get as many people as possible to watch the local ABC HD affiliates?Yes. No sense in showing the same game on two channels just to undermine the ratings on ABC.

ESPN can only broadcast 1 HD feed nationally. From what I understand, and I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, that feed is typically the Big Ten feed since it's in their contract that all games must be in HD. If you aren't slated to get the Big Ten feed, then you have to watch whatever's on ESPN on the sd channel.
The HD feed is given to the game going to the largest number of people on ESPN or ESPN2. This week it is pretty close, the Big Ten game is going to 49% on ABC and 51% on ESPN. If it was the other way around the ACC game would get the HD feed. It just depends on what game has the largest distribution on ESPN/ESPN2.

Interesting. I wonder how long that arrangement will last, given the advent of the Big 10 network, and the general decline of the quality of Big 10 football (and this from a big Badger fan).

The current ESPN/ABC Big Ten contract started the same year the Big Ten Network started. The contract runs thru the 2016 season. As far as I know there is no HD requirement.

Texas A&M/Arkansas game looks awful on ESPN2. The colors are completely wrong and the picture is extremely soft, ESPN, NBC, and Fox have all done good looking games from the Cowboys stadium before, but something isn't right with this one. Watching via FiOS in Dallas.

Oklahoma/Miami is looking good on WFAA in Dallas via FiOS. Great lighting in a pro stadium certainly helps.

Texas A&M/Arkansas game looks awful on ESPN2. The colors are completely wrong and the picture is extremely soft, ESPN, NBC, and Fox have all done good looking games from the Cowboys stadium before, but something isn't right with this one. Watching via FiOS in Dallas.

Not sure what is up. Not seeing a soft picture per se but the cameras are definitely seeming undersaturated. The images of that stadium definitely had a lot more life last Monday. Who knows maybe they're using an uplink and not fiber. Are the Cowboys home this week, if there is an NFL crew there, that might necessitate having to work around a FOX crew (but that shouldn't have affect PQ). It's almost like the white balance is slightly off...i mean white is white, but everything is leaning toward red, makes me think the lighting is at a higher color temperature then where they balanced their cameras. There's definitely magenta tinge in the uniforms and on white shirts.

Dallas is on the road this week.

The turf was very yellow/red too. All the Fox, NBC, and ESPN broadcasts to date have shown the turf to be a nice deep green with a bit of blue, but ESPN2 tonight looked like ugly yellow dead grass.

Fox Sports had the same issue all day last Saturday..EPSN was fine here.....BOOHOO Sooner!