I finally got a response from an engineer at my local CBS about the blurring effect during NCAA games. Can some of you engineers let me know which is the correct setting to get rid of the "out of focus" blur? I've done some searches but I only saw mentions of it and not how to actually fix it.

My email to him:
Also can you find out what kind of encoder ya’ll have? I was noticing a lot of blurring effects which appeared during NCAA games and was seen a lot during NBC SNF games. If it’s a Harris or Tandberg encoder could you have them check the adaptive filtering setting? Could you please have them let me know what it is set to? I mentioned this to you during the NCAA games and also referring to it on the various CSI’s among other shows. Apparently the correct setting is supposed to be “0”.

His response (they have a Harris switcher and encoder):
I personally checked the settings you questioned in your email this afternoon. We do have adaptive filtering turned on and the fixed noise reduction setting is set to 0. Increasing the noise reduction setting does reduce noise and sparkles in the picture but softens or blurs the picture in the process.

Does he have it set correct? He just changed it last night and I didn't Tivo anything on that channel so I can't check if it is fixed.

It is my understanding that with the Harris Flexcoder, the adaptive filtering should be off not on. It should reman fixed. It is the adaptive setting that is causing the problem.

Have him contact CBS in NYC for details.

It took an email to my local CBS affiliate to get them to change the Harris encoder settings. Now everything looks great.

Some remarkable AVS detective and correction work here. :) Recall the earlier thread discussing this. Not that atuned to broadcast gear, but Harris encoders, in the past here, seem to be mentioned unfavorably when PQ is being discussed. The blurring, resolution-loss problem seems similar to discussions in the HD-disc forums regarding MPEG-2 encoding and excessive filtering that cuts in when motion occurs. Video expert Joe Kane discusses this MPEG-2 encoding problem in a current Widescreen Review article. -- John

I'm sorry to probably ask the same question but are we saying that the out of focus blur during Basketball games has been fixed and CBS NY knows the details on what settings need to be changed locally? I wasn't involved in all the threads during actual play so if this happened its news to me. If so i will definately email our local engineer about this development. Just wanted to be sure exactly what had occured. Thank you.

This was a serious problem that affected a lot of CBS, NBC, and ABC stations, so they should all be aware of how to fix it. The solution is to take the take the filter out of Adaptive mode and set it to any of the fixed settings. The manual for the Harris FlexiCoder even notes that the adaptive setting should not be used for HD, but from what a station engineer told me, it is the default setting.

So, not to put too fine a point on it, it's not necessarily any encoding at the sports originating point, but a setting on Harris encoders at some stations taking the downlinked network signal (~45 Mbps) and converting it into a standard ~19-Mbps ATSC OTA signals. -- John

His response (they have a Harris switcher and encoder):
I personally checked the settings you questioned in your email this afternoon. We do have adaptive filtering turned on and the fixed noise reduction setting is set to 0. Increasing the noise reduction setting does reduce noise and sparkles in the picture but softens or blurs the picture in the process.

Does he have it set correct? He just changed it last night and I didn't Tivo anything on that channel so I can't check if it is fixed.The prefiliter setting (using craft port) needs to be set to a value of 1 which is OFF. A value of 0 is adaptive and causes the blurring.

Here is the craft port command line: prov video slot# channel# prefilt value

The value should be 1.

First let me say I am not anywhere as technical most of the people that responded to this thread. The out of focus/blurring has driven me crazy for the past two years on CBS NCAA B-ball. I have watched a ton of the NCAA games the last week and half and have come up with following observations/questions:

1. I watched games both OTA(WISH-Indianapolis) and on D* MMM.

2. The out of focus seemed to be consistent at a game location meaning the games in Chicago had the problem but not the ones in Sacramento for example.

3. If it is a local encoder issue why did the out of focus also appear on D* MMM.

4. Once again if a local issue why do we not see this on CBS football both college and NFL. NBC football had this problem all season.

5. Could it be the strobe lights at the arena affect this

Like I said I am not technical but these are just my observations. I want this fixed but I am not seeing this consistently on my local station and other sources seem to have the same issue.

Hoosierfan:
I agree with some of your observations but cannot get into the technical side either. I just noticed a in/out of focus effect on CBS during the entire tournament. I have recently purchased my first HDTV (thank you) and had that eerie feeling of buyer's remorse but it doesn't happen on other HD channels/shows.

It occurred throughout the tournament and the only nice shots were the studio of halftime shots. They were all relatively fixed focus.

Glad to see this thread here. I will contact my local station engineer with my comments and ask if he reads this forum.

The blur was only from some locations. I didn't see it from Atlanta. If you saw blur on the final 4, it may have been your local station's encoder.

The Atlanta CBS station does not use the Harris Encoder they use a Divicom unit. Im assuming this is not a Harris specific problem? I ask because unlike TVOD i am in Atlanta and noticed the blur all this season including the final four and championship game (comcast and ota on a 57" screen). Its a subtle loss of focus and resharpening of the entire picture including on screen graphics (scoreboard line, etc). Again not macroblocking or general soft camera shot as some people get it confused with.

I don't know the encoder WCBS-DT in NYC is using but their NCAA coverage also had the out of foucs blur.

Prior to tonight WGCL atlanta was once again experiencing the out of focus blur that happens during CBS College Basketball games. Our local affiliate does not use Harris Encoders so it wasnt a fixable issue mentioned above. However so far on the championship game tonight I have not seen the blur once. I know its been occuring often this season leading up to tonights game, so hopefully someone there is aware that it isnt happening.

I believe the CBS network uplink encoder is still a Flexicoder.

Ron

4. Once again if a local issue why do we not see this on CBS football both college and NFL. NBC football had this problem all season.I have never seen the focus/blur issue on the local NBC affiliate here in Cincinnati (WLWT). I see it fairly consistently on the local CBS affiliate (WKRC).

I have never seen the focus/blur issue on the local NBC affiliate here in Cincinnati (WLWT). I see it fairly consistently on the local CBS affiliate (WKRC).

Earlier in the thread (a year ago) many people were confusing out of focus with macroblocking. The key thing here is that it was impacting graphics (the scoreboard). Are you seeing the blur tonight on CBS jimp?

Earlier in the thread (a year ago) many people were confusing out of focus with macroblocking. The key thing here is that it was impacting graphics (the scoreboard). Are you seeing the blur tonight on CBS jimp?Unfortunately I'm in a hotel currently watching in SD, so I'm not able to answer that question properly. I have definitely regularly seen the blur issue on WKRC though during CBS NCAA coverage, and yes it is most notable on graphics, especially after a scene cut.

Unfortunately I'm in a hotel currently watching in SD, so I'm not able to answer that question properly. I have definitely regularly seen the blur issue on WKRC though during CBS NCAA coverage, and yes it is most notable on graphics, especially after a scene cut.

I agree, and ive seen it throughout the year, until tonight. A friend in Nashville who also has seen it in the past has yet to see it tonight as well. So whether they did it on purpose or not (i still think its lighting related) i hope they find a permanent fix.