The 2007 NFL Playoffs
AFC Divisional Playoff in HDTV on CBS
New England Patriots (12-4 Division Champion) at San Diego Chargers (14-2 Division Champion)
Live from Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, CA
January 14, 2007
4:30pm ET

Today's game will be broadcast in 1080i HDTV and Dolby Digital 5.1. Thanks in advance for posting all related comments here. Please include all pertinent info; source and provider, cities, station call letters, DBS, Cable, OTA.


From NFL.com, by Senior Analyst Gil Brandt

In 2005, San Diego defeated New England 41-17 to snap the Patriots' 21-game winning streak. LaDainian Tomlinson had a huge game in that meeting. Patriots QB Tom Brady needs to play lights out. Watching him play last week, he looked like he was really having fun and enjoying himself -- that was not entirely the case during the regular season. Brady did have a great year, though he was not invited to the Pro Bowl. New England scored 104 points in its last three games, with a time of possession average of 31:38. Head coach Bill Belichick is 12-2 in the playoffs with one of those losses coming when he was in Cleveland. It is tough for a team to go cross country as New England must do here.

San Diego is very good in the kicking game. The team's left tackle, Marcus McNeill, is playing great. And of course the Chargers have got a fellow who goes by the initials of L.T. I'd expect Belichick will look back at how he slowed down Marshall Faulk in Super Bowl XXXVI and look to do the same thing here with Tomlinson.

The Chargers have won their last 10 games, controlling the clock along the way. For the Patriots to win, they have to handle Tomlinson and find a way to block San Diego's blitzes. One thing in the Patriots' favor is that Brady is comfortable in the shotgun, and he can use that formation to see the blitz better.

For San Diego, the key is that they must do a good job blocking New England's vastly underrated front seven. It's not just Richard Seymour and Tedy Bruschi -- they're all good.

I'm going with the upset here.

Pregame is up in HD.

Game time weather:

54 degrees
Partially cloudy
Wind from the West, 9mph
33% humidity

It's up in 1080i & DD5.1, on the CBS digital television network.

Today's first game was a good one, I expect no less, and maybe more, here.

Great PQ and sound on WPRI-DT on OTA in Providence.

Should be a great game. Go Pats!

No surprise, Bolts go to LT right off the bat. 1st down.

Watching OTA. PQ is the best of the 4 games this weekend.

For some reason I am not getting this game on my CBS HDTV channel. I got the game earlier on FOX in HD and usually get all the CBS games in HD but todays is not coming in, in HD on my set, neither did yesterdays CBS game. Anyone know why?

For some reason I am not getting this game on my CBS HDTV channel. I got the game earlier on FOX in HD and usually get all the CBS games in HD but todays is not coming in, in HD on my set, neither did yesterdays CBS game. Anyone know why?With so little to go on, I have no idea.

Are you using OTA, cable, or DBS for your HD channels?
Where do you live?

I'm also not getting the game in HD on WCAX Burlington, must be local. I'll try to contact them right now.

In HD now, (5pm, must be a automatic switch)... Great PQ on CBS as always.

I am using Cox Cable on KOTV in Tulsa, OK. We are getting a lot of ice storms outside now. Would that have anything to do with it?

Excellent PQ on KGMB Honolulu. Avg. 17.4mb from CBS, no sub-channel.

started off here in Vermont in wicked nice HD...after the 2nd play i now have a crappy pic and its in 4:3 :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

comcast is the devil!!!!

I'm getting an HD signal OTA via WUSA-DT. Very sharp, albeit a bit too bright.

For some reason I am not getting this game on my CBS HDTV channel.The Chargers-Patriots game lost the HD signal (both OTA & TWC) about 2 minutes into the game.

I am using Cox Cable on KOTV in Tulsa, OK. We are getting a lot of ice storms outside now. Would that have anything to do with it?

From the local topic for your area:

KOTV does it again. Travis Meyer announced prior to the start of the AFC playoff game that they could not go to HD due to an FCC regulation. Does anyone here know to what regulation he was referring? FOX had no problem broadacsting in HD even though the weather is about the same now as it was earlier.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9464267&&#post9464267

KPIX via Comcast, SF/Bay area (Mountain View, CA)

Great PQ. As good as the previous game (Bears/Seahawks) looked on FOX (KTVU), the PQ on CBS has that additional "clarity", "pop", or however you might describe it. Flesh tones, uniform colors, etc. appear more realistic and 3D-like.

SQ is not as active as yesterday's game. The sound seems more front (R/C/L) oriented with the surrounds not quite as 'hot' as yesterday.

web

I am using Cox Cable on KOTV in Tulsa, OK. We are getting a lot of ice storms outside now. Would that have anything to do with it?

Yes but not due to any technical reason. KOTV is choosing (as they did yesterday) to ruin our HD experience by inserting their useless weather bug on an SD broadcast since they are unable to do so and also transmit in HD. Travis meyer is an evil weatherman.

The Chargers-Patriots game lost the HD signal (both OTA & TWC) about 2 minutes into the game.
This is only a local issue.

The game is available from the net in HD, and has not been in SD to this point.

HD signal back on at the 9:38 mark of the 1st quarter.

Looks great on WWJ in Detroit from Comcast. Better then the first game on FOX. The weather does not look half bad either, I wouldn't mind being there myself.

started off here in Vermont in wicked nice HD...after the 2nd play i now have a crappy pic and its in 4:3 :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

comcast is the devil!!!!
Are you sure it is Comcast's fault? They are most likely passing whatever they are getting from the local CBS station.

KOTV does it again. Travis Meyer announced prior to the start of the AFC playoff game that they could not go to HD due to an FCC regulation. Does anyone here know to what regulation he was referring? FOX had no problem broadacsting in HD even though the weather is about the same now as it was earlier.
I'll re-ask the question buried in that quote. :)
What FCC regulation prevents a local affiliate from presenting a program in HD?

The game looks great via DirecTV ch80. My CBS affiliate hasn't yet switched to HD. They say they will by Superbowl time. (I'm not holding my breath!)

In NY the game is being broadcast in SD still....I couldn't believe a playoff game being aired w/ no hd!!

Funny....just as i typed that HD came back on

started off here in Vermont in wicked nice HD...after the 2nd play i now have a crappy pic and its in 4:3 :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

comcast is the devil!!!!
You should know more about how HD works before making comments like this.

Comcast will only be able to send you what the local HD stations send them. If you are not getting HD, then contact the local CBS station using the 24 hour news line. Politely ask for engineering, and tell them the rest of the country is getting the game in HD, and so would you. If the news desk won't transfer you to engineering, tell them to let engineering know about the problem. If nothing happens in 15 minutes, call the news line back again.

I'll re-ask the question buried in that quote. :)
What FCC regulation prevents a local affiliate from presenting a program in HD?

The game looks great via DirecTV ch80. My CBS affiliate hasn't yet switched to HD. They say they will by Superbowl time. (I'm not holding my breath!)
It sounds like they are having severe weather, and the FCC requires that weather crawls run on all channels. If the station can't do that in HD then they are going to have to drop to SD. The FCC feels that if weather is sever enough for a crawl on the SD channel then the digital channel should get one as well for public safety reason.

Game looks good on WCBS-HD in New York. Main cam is a little grainy though.

I'll re-ask the question buried in that quote. :)
What FCC regulation prevents a local affiliate from presenting a program in HD?
They do have a mandate for public safety announcements, but in this case it's nothing more than a decision to pander to 'storm team' ratings.

There was definately a problem in NY at the start of the game. Game was in SD and there were no weather problems or anything on the screen but the game. With around 3 min in the 1st quarter the game started coming in HD

You should know more about how HD works before making comments like this.

Comcast will only be able to send you what the local HD stations send them. If you are not getting HD, then contact the local CBS station using the 24 hour news line. Politely ask for engineering, and tell them the rest of the country is getting the game in HD, and so would you. If the news desk won't transfer you to engineering, tell them to let engineering know about the problem. If nothing happens in 15 minutes, call the news line back again.

sorry :D :D

just a fanatical pats fan... :rolleyes:

The shots from the Cable Cam today look particularly awesome.

sorry :D :D

just a fanatical pats fan... :rolleyes:No problem, just call them up and see if you can fix the issue. I did it for years until the local stations finally realized it would be easier to get it right than hear from me. Oh, I also called on the following day doing business hours and spoke with the station managers.

"CBS was painful" to watch compared to the previous Fox game. I was wondering why. CBS looks good to me.

Frank Stein, please send me a Private Message with any questions.

Looks like KIRO-DT in Seattle has finally lowered the bitrate on their sub channel to < 3mb/s. The HD main channel bitrate is much higher from yesterday; about ~14.7 mb/s. A nice improvement. ;)

Big props to CBS for doing a great job dealing with the very extreme shadows on the field.

Looks like KIRO-DT in Seattle has finally lowered the bitrate on their sub channel to < 3mb/s. The HD main channel bitrate is much higher from yesterday; about ~14.7 mb/s. A nice improvement. ;)

< 1mb would be better. = 0mb would be the best. :D

In this case then the original post should state that there is a weather crawl, then I wouldn't repeat a stupid question. :)

Just did a recording and play back and the max bit rate was 18.75 Mbps for WCBS-DT.
I'd use TS reader but it's not working for me at the moment.

Well I got TS reader working :)
http://img170.imagevenue.com/loc471/th_16222_Untitled_1_122_471lo.jpg (http://img170.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=16222_Untitled_1_122_471lo.jpg)

Big score before halftime by the Patriots.

What's going on today with the first down and scrimmage lines? Sometimes they are on top of the players, plus they are shaky and not accurate...

Looks fantastic here in Cleveland, WOIO-DT via WOW cable. WeatherNow subchannel fixed at 2Mbps. No noticeable macroblocking.

I am stunned at the excellent PQ from the cable cam. Never seen it look that good. They need to bring that to the Super Bowl.

Looking back at the Bears game on Fox earlier, the CBS PQ here blows Fox away.

Viewing on 50" 1080p plasma.

Shadows are probably making the green matte difficult to add the PVI lines, so they may be just adding the line over everything at times. I expect that to be better as the shadows disappear.

The PQ is looking better now as the shadows have covered the field.

Having several PQ issues on D* in FL. I have checked the mpeg-4 locals and my OTA both are showing blurry spots in and out during the course of the game. Anyone else having problems?

Having several PQ issues on D* in FL. I have checked the mpeg-4 locals and my OTA both are showing blurry spots in and out during the course of the game. Anyone else having problems?
No, OTA Detroit WWJ-DT.

Horrible challenge by SD, I wonder what the SD coaching staff saw to challenge there.

Marty being Marty...

and oh that tricky Bill.

I'm thinkin' Bears vs. Colts

Gee, an extra timeout would have been nice Marty.

So long San Diego, we hardly knew ya!

Gotta love the Marty Ball!

Bunches and bunches of great playoff games this year.

I have been a Charger fan for almost 30yrs now and I hate Marty ball as much as anyone. However, he ain't to blame this time. The blame lies solely with Eric Parker (not falling on the ball) and Florence (dumb ass 15 yrd personal foul). The players cost Marty this game :(.

I hope the Pats get the crap kicked out of them next week cuz they aint that good.

WHAT A JOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow what an ending. Chargers handed the Pats that game.

This weekend = 75% excellent games.

Pretty decent PQ for this game, some blocking during the graphics washes, but not bad. (KIRO-DT via Comcast)

The DD5.1 for this game was excellent as well with a nice overall balance and plenty of fun stuff in the surrounds.

Congrats to the Patriots and da Bears, SD and Seattle played tough.

I have been a Charger fan for almost 30yrs now and I hate Marty ball as much as anyone. However, he ain't to blame this time. The blame lies solely with Eric Parker (not falling on the ball) and Florence (dumb ass 15 yrd personal foul). The players cost Marty this game :(.

I hope the Pats get the crap kicked out of them next week cuz they aint that good.

WHAT A JOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thats not saying much about your own team since they just lost to them. And yes discipline is very important, the Chargers could probably get away with that stuff against other teams but when it's against the Pats they will make you pay dearly. They let the Pats hang around and that was the biggest mistake of all because it cost them the ballgame in the end. And here is some Breaking News, the Patriots are still a pretty good team. Who would have Thunk?

Game had absolutely no "pop" here. KPHO-DT Phoenix via Cox cable. Their damn subchannel has ruined the pristine picture they used to have and replaced it with a flat, lifeless image that looks a lot closer to 480p widescreen than the clarity of 1080i they had before. Games on Fox and even NBC look better than the presentation they put out today.

I have been a Charger fan for almost 30yrs now and I hate Marty ball as much as anyone. However, he ain't to blame this time. The blame lies solely with Eric Parker (not falling on the ball) and Florence (dumb ass 15 yrd personal foul). The players cost Marty this game :(.

I hope the Pats get the crap kicked out of them next week cuz they aint that good.

WHAT A JOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pats looked awsume on WBZ-DT on Comcast.

I have been a Charger fan for almost 30yrs now and I hate Marty ball as much as anyone. However, he ain't to blame this time. The blame lies solely with Eric Parker (not falling on the ball) and Florence (dumb ass 15 yrd personal foul). The players cost Marty this game :(.

I hope the Pats get the crap kicked out of them next week cuz they aint that good.

WHAT A JOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Are you by any chance related to LT? A lot of things had to go right for the Pats to win this game. But this has been their pattern in winning 3 SB's. Some where along the line you have to give some credit to Belichick and his team. The Chargers are probably the most talented team in the NFL but the Pats are the "BEST TEAM"!

I have been a Charger fan for almost 30yrs now and I hate Marty ball as much as anyone. However, he ain't to blame this time. The blame lies solely with Eric Parker (not falling on the ball) and Florence (dumb ass 15 yrd personal foul). The players cost Marty this game :(.

I hope the Pats get the crap kicked out of them next week cuz they aint that good.

WHAT A JOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

tell us how you really feel....j/k I thought it was stupid on the part of Marty to challenge that one play at the end of the game. Left them without a timeout... Its time to let Marty go IMHO....

Are you by any chance related to LT? A lot of things had to go right for the Pats to win this game. But this has been their pattern in winning 3 SB's. Some where along the line you have to give some credit to Belichick and his team. The Chargers are probably the most talented team in the NFL but the Pats are the "BEST TEAM"!


Look, it is plain and simple: The Patriots don't win without those two bonehead plays on our part. I give them credit for taking advantage of a gift. Those were not forced plays, far from it.

I did not even mention the interception/fumble play towards the end of the game. If our saftey either bats the ball down (4th and 5) or falls after the interception, it is most likely game over.

Unfortuately, I think Marty will have to lose his job over this.

I give the Patriots a great deal of credit for their 3 Super Bowl wins. They are a class organizion (in spite of the classless Shawn Merrihman imatation at the end of this game).
However, I give them VERY little credit for this game. The Pats did not win this game. The Chargers lost it.

GO COLTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Look, it is plain and simple: The Patriots don't win without those two bonehead plays on our part. I give them credit for taking advantage of a gift. Those were not forced plays, far from it.

I did not even mention the interception/fumble play towards the end of the game. If our saftey either bats the ball down (4th and 5) or falls after the interception, it is most likely game over.

Unfortuately, I think Marty will have to lose his job over this.

I give the Patriots a great deal of credit for their 3 Super Bowl wins. They are a class organizion (in spite of the classless Shawn Merrihman imatation at the end of this game).
However, I give them VERY little credit for this game. The Pats did not win this game. The Chargers lost it.

GO COLTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That's the Patriots' formula for winning: Belichick puts them in the best position he can then takes advantage of opponent mistakes to put them over the top. The Pats have never had the most talented team. The Steelers and Rams were more talented in '01, the Titans and Colts in '03 and the Colts and Steelers in '04. Now add the Chargers in '06. As for Shawn Merriman's dance, isn't that taunting the opposition? The Pats just threw it back in his face.

I have been a Charger fan for almost 30yrs now and I hate Marty ball as much as anyone. However, he ain't to blame this time. The blame lies solely with Eric Parker (not falling on the ball) and Florence (dumb ass 15 yrd personal foul). The players cost Marty this game :(.

I hope the Pats get the crap kicked out of them next week cuz they aint that good.

WHAT A JOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't forget the guy who intercepted Brady's pass only to fumble it right back to the Pats. ;)

As a Broncos fan I was hoping there was some way for both teams to lose. I guess now I can hope for the Patriots to lose due to an Adam Vinatieri field goal. :D

As for Shawn Merriman's dance, isn't that taunting the opposition? The Pats just threw it back in his face.

While I prefer players who celebrate "quietly" (L.T.), I don't view Merriman's dance as taunting. He is just celebrating a play he made. It is not even in the same ballpark as dancing on an opposing teams insignia AFTER the conclusion of the game. That is just plain classless. I gurantee you Belichek will have words with those players.

Marty should be fired. His team were unable to perform under pressure...rookie mistakes...confused on defense at the end when Brady was driving.

He throws away a time out.

LD made a fool of himself at the news conference. Okay...so dancing after the game is over is no class....but head butting during the game is okay? What in the world did Bill B ever do to him?

The folks on ESPN radio have been making fun of LD all night.

If LD didn't want the Patriots to dance....he might trying winning next time. If the Charges don't want other teams mocking them.... try winning.

Whining losers like him and Marty will end their careers as losers while Bill and Tom collect rings.

All the Patriots do is win...win without a groups of superstars....while the losers make excuses.


Next week I get to enjoy the cry baby Manning shaking his head as Tom and Bill add another loss to Payton's resume.

Marty should be fired. His team were unable to perform under pressure...rookie mistakes...confused on defense at the end when Brady was driving.

Whining losers like him and Marty will end their careers as losers while Bill and Tom collect rings.

All the Patriots do is win...win without a groups of superstars....while the losers make excuses.

Next week I get to enjoy the cry baby Manning shaking his head as Tom and Bill add another loss to Payton's resume.
You are talking out of both sides of your mouth. Either Marty lost the game (what was his jersey number?), or future Hall of Famers; Brady/Belichick, and a cast of supporting characters won the game. C’mon, NE is now 14-4 and SD is 14-3. It isn’t like SD lost to an 8-8 inexperienced team. All things considered, I thought it was a hellavu game like the rest of the playoffs were. In the end only one team will be standing. And whether you or anyone else likes it or not, that doesn’t make the losers bums. I’ll be pulling for Manning and the Colts, like I pulled for Elway and the Broncos to win their first, simply to shut up those whiny fanatical sports fans that take their frustration with life out on athletes.

Although the S.D. (standard definition?) Chargers were the best team in the NFL during the regular season this year; they seemed ill-equipped to win a tight, pressure-packed, playoff game. Too many mental errors. And then Marty wastes two time outs that almost certainly could have been used to extend the clock and win the game for them.

And, as Ron Borges relates in today’s Boston Globe:

“Chargers front office representatives met last week with city officials in San Diego to plan the logistics of their victory parade after the Super Bowl. Memo to the Chargers: There's no parade for one and done.”

Mickey