Have any networks announced that they will be showing 4th of July shows with firework displays?

Any info would be appreciated!

PBS.

HDNet the last couple of years shows fireworks after an MLS game.

HDNet the last couple of years shows fireworks after an MLS game.


yes, specifically a game at Mile High stadium in denver. don't know if they showed it last year though...

yes, specifically a game at Mile High stadium in denver. don't know if they showed it last year though...
This year the game is at FC Dallas. The on-line schedule only goes 7 days so I'm not sure if they will do it this year or not. I hope they do.

The Boston Pops isn't HD again!!!:mad:

They really need to take this national and go HD. You guys are missing quite a treat. It's much more fun compared to the boring Capitol Fouth concert PBS runs.

The Boston Pops isn't HD again!!!:mad:

They really need to take this national and go HD. You guys are missing quite a treat. It's much more fun compared to the boring Capitol Fouth concert PBS runs.


I agree this sucks it should be in HD

It is a shame that the Boston Pops Fourth of July concerts and fireworks displays still are not in HD. They are a great American tradition. My wife and I used to watch every year during Arthur Fiedler’s tenure, long before HD existed. I have enjoyed John Williams’ and Keith Lockhart’s work with the Pops, too, but there was only one Fiedler.

The Boston Pops isn't HD again!!!:mad:

They really need to take this national and go HD. You guys are missing quite a treat. It's much more fun compared to the boring Capitol Fouth concert PBS runs.

Since 2005(?) the Boston Pops show has aired on CBS at 10pm. It's to bad they don't air it in HD.
I know when it was on A&E it aired for at least 2 hours.

There is another fireworks show on My Network.
Taste of Chicago 2007 Fireworks Spectacular.
July 3rd Live 8-10pm on My50 Chicago
Encore national broadcast July 4th 7-9pm on MyNetworkTV.

NBC did the Macy's show in HD in 2005
http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/1218/mc7040532ff8.th.jpg (http://img72.imageshack.us/my.php?image=mc7040532ff8.jpg)
but I believe went back to SD in 2006? Or was it HD and Letterboxed on the SD feed?

http://www.nbc.com/Schedule/ shows the Macy's as HDTV.

As the post above points out, NBC's site shows the annual Macy's fireworks (http://www.nbc.com/Schedule/schedule_day-20070704.shtml) as HDTV, although my STB cable listing lacks the 'HDTV' symbol. -- John

I don't think NBC is doing Macy's in high-def. I have a call into NBC to find out.
Swanni

Since 2005(?) the Boston Pops show has aired on CBS at 10pm. It's to bad they don't air it in HD.
I know when it was on A&E it aired for at least 2 hours.


Yep, it was 2 hrs, I use to record it every year when it was shown on A&E. I miss A&E showing the Boston Pops. :mad: IMHO CBS does a piss poor job covering it, A&E was way better. I've only watched once since it started airing on CBS and once was enough.

PBS is showing "A Capitol Fourth" at 8 pm from Washington, D. C.'s mall. It is in HD and is to finish with fireworks over the Washington Monument.

SMK

I don't think NBC is doing Macy's in high-def. I have a call into NBC to find out.
Swanni

It's now listed on http://www.nbc.com/Schedule/ as HD.

I saw that before but their press releases don't mention high-def. Plus, they had Wimbledon listed in HD.

I saw that before but their press releases don't mention high-def. Plus, they had Wimbledon listed in HD.

NBC's concept of "HD" maybe different from those here at AVS.

Guides shows John Mellencamp concert on July 4 on HDNET.

I'm thinking HDNet will show fireworks after the MLS game. They are allocating 2:30 on the schedule when they usually do only 2 hours for games.

WHy don't you go outside and watch them in HD and Surround. Watching Fireworks on TV... wow well that's just un American! :D

WHy don't you go outside and watch them in HD and Surround. Watching Fireworks on TV... wow well that's just un American! :D
I have our city shoot fireworks less than 2 miles from me and a huge church shoot them probably 7 miles from me so I'll be outside watching both from my house. And I'll watch them on TV. I'm double American.

WHy don't you go outside and watch them in HD and Surround. Watching Fireworks on TV... wow well that's just un American! :D

Watching TV is the America's favorite pasttime.;)

I've watched fireworks in HD one way or another on every July 4th since 2002. As I've said before, it's not a good venue for them. There is really no sense of scale or depth. To make the shot wide enough to get a sense of scale makes it such that they are too far away.

NBC confirms that the Macy's special will be in high-def.

I'm double American.

AWESOME!

I'm thinking HDNet will show fireworks after the MLS game. They are allocating 2:30 on the schedule when they usually do only 2 hours for games.

Who does fireworks at 8:30ET? It is not dark anywhere in the country?

THe NBC 2005 HD broadcast of the Macy's fireworks was notable for two reasons (I have it on DVHS). First, the PQ was terrific along with the camera positions and angles. Second, the show was nearly ruined by production decisions made in real time. Namely, after a few minutes of the show, the decision was made that we all wanted to see shots of the crowd on the stage rather than the fireworks. They started to cut to goofy shots of people every few seconds. It ruined the broadcast of the final 10 or so minutes. Really really annoying and was roundly criticized. Hopefully this time NBC will focus on the fireworks and not people looking at the fireworks.

The local NBC here in Columbus, Ohio will be doing our fireworks in HD.

The local NBC here in Columbus, Ohio will be doing our fireworks in HD.

Ditto here in Atlanta.

While fireworks look nice in HD, I think its one of those things best enjoyed live.

With NBC also being in HD I may catch both shows.

(with NO HD the CBS show is irrelevant,even though i have seen the Boston show in person one year)

While fireworks look nice in HD, I think its one of those things best enjoyed live.


i couldn't disagree more. fighting 2+ hours of nyc traffic (plus 2+ hours back, 4 hrs total), drunken idiots, terrible view, mosquitos, cigarette and marijuana smoke, sweltering heat (making you a dripping mess), etc. for a 45 minute light show is NOT a good tradeoff. i'd gladly take the hd version from the comfort of my living room, thanks...

with NO HD the CBS show is irrelevant,even though i have seen the Boston show in person one year

Yeah, it is good looking, the IRONY is, the local news here did a spot on the prep, and the cameras that are being used have HD lenses, I know! Its like just take the extra few steps, but alas, nothing!

THe NBC 2005 HD broadcast of the Macy's fireworks was notable for two reasons (I have it on DVHS). First, the PQ was terrific along with the camera positions and angles. Second, the show was nearly ruined by production decisions made in real time. Namely, after a few minutes of the show, the decision was made that we all wanted to see shots of the crowd on the stage rather than the fireworks. They started to cut to goofy shots of people every few seconds. It ruined the broadcast of the final 10 or so minutes. Really really annoying and was roundly criticized. Hopefully this time NBC will focus on the fireworks and not people looking at the fireworks.

And was it not last year the NBC felt the need to keep showing the orchestra in a small window on screen taking away the view of the fireworks?
Lets hope they do not do that also.

Well, the local Boston channel here that carries the whole Boston Pops (WBZ-CBS) does an excellent job with overall coverage with 3hrs total, but there is absolutely no HD coverage whatsoever.

So I am at odds over what to watch.

And was it not last year the NBC felt the need to keep showing the orchestra in a small window on screen taking away the view of the fireworks?
Lets hope they do not do that also.

They did the same thing during the 2005 HD fireworks. The last 10-12 minutes consisted of shots of a particularly unattractive child and her scary looking mother glaring at the sky...cut to the orchestra....cut back to the demon possessed child....cut to a serviceman nudging his girlfriend to let her know they were on camera...cut back to beelzebub mom....cut to 3 seconds of fireworks....cut back to orchestra....cut to Donald Trump....cut to demon shooting out of the child's eyes......cut to orchestra....cut to same serviceman now seen for at least eight times......it was awful.

While fireworks look nice in HD, I think its one of those things best enjoyed live

i couldn't disagree more. fighting 2+ hours of nyc traffic (plus 2+ hours back, 4 hrs total), drunken idiots, terrible view, mosquitos, cigarette and marijuana smoke, sweltering heat (making you a dripping mess), etc. for a 45 minute light show is NOT a good tradeoff. i'd gladly take the hd version from the comfort of my living room, thanks...


True, if you are in NYC or another large city, any public event is a PITA.

But fireworks in HD.....well, if you go outside and see them for real, isn't that the most pure HD (and uncompressed surround sound) there is? ;)

True, if you are in NYC or another large city, any public event is a PITA.

But fireworks in HD.....well, if you go outside and see them for real, isn't that the most pure HD (and uncompressed surround sound) there is? ;)
Well I've lived up to the first part of my American-ing. We had some fireworks less than a mile from our house last night. So loud and close they were rattling our windows. And yes it was VERY pure. :) Luckily it didn't wake our son up.

Now I just need to see it on TV. ;)

THe NBC 2005 HD broadcast of the Macy's fireworks was notable for two reasons (I have it on DVHS). First, the PQ was terrific along with the Really really annoying and was roundly criticized.

Hopefully this time NBC will focus on the fireworks and not people looking at the fireworks.


So true...I remember that one year where they constantly cut to Donald Trump during the show.

But still, I understand why showed a lot of shots of the military folks in the audience.

But yeah...just give us the show in HD with fewer cutaway shots.

True, if you are in NYC or another large city, any public event is a PITA.

But fireworks in HD.....well, if you go outside and see them for real, isn't that the most pure HD (and uncompressed surround sound) there is? ;)

I could skip the surround sound effects of annoying teenagers and bad music. Enveloping sound isn't always good sound. :)

Back in Minnesota, where I could sit on the grass across from a lake and watch the fireworks exploding above me while the ashes fell all around me, it was a great experience. Paying a bunch of money and trying to find an open spot to sit at an overcrowded Tempe town lake kinda ruins the experience.

Ya they can be seen in HD on channel 4 in Boston. Those without HD TV's will see a better picture too because of HD being a "more compact technology" !!!! Want a laugh??? I posted this earlier today.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=869826

Enjoy..................

according to the article above (http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2007/07/03/ch_4_fireworks_go_high_def/), it seems like that CBS's fireworks coverage will be in HD nationally since the exec. producer said that the tech. would be showcasing Boston to the whole country. One can hope.

I love fireworks and may go watch them in person but it's a 30 minute drive to downtown plus it comes and goes while I can record HD fireworks and enjoy them when I want. :)

I live in a small city and we had our annual fireworks show earlier this evening. I was positioned perfectly on the top of a small hill almost directly under the show. It is a spectacular show...well designed with an almost constant flow of visuals. The crowd is quite homogeneous, upscale and well-educated...no ho's, pimps, drug dealers, street people and not a note of rap music to be heard. Very pleasant experience.

Also shot the show using a 1080i camcorder....can't believe how good it turned out. Not a single shot of the crowd :)

The fireworks from the Taste Of Chicago were in HD last night on WPWR they'll be rebroadcast tonight.

They did the same thing during the 2005 HD fireworks. The last 10-12 minutes consisted of shots of a particularly unattractive child and her scary looking mother glaring at the sky...cut to the orchestra....cut back to the demon possessed child....cut to a serviceman nudging his girlfriend to let her know they were on camera...cut back to beelzebub mom....cut to 3 seconds of fireworks....cut back to orchestra....cut to Donald Trump....cut to demon shooting out of the child's eyes......cut to orchestra....cut to same serviceman now seen for at least eight times......it was awful.

How the hell the you get the production notes shot list???? :)

Really nice description of the events, I see a future for you in directing live TV !!!!

Have a great 4th...

We live in small town as well and our fireworks are shot over the lake our house is on from the park that borders our property. We can see perfectly from our house but being that our property borders the park we have a great opportunity to walk down and socialize with a large crowd of our fellow townspeople. Its an amazingly good show for being put on by the local fire department. The crowd was quite eclectic but I didn’t think to check on their incomes or education. I didn’t ask if anyone was selling drugs, themselves or where they lived, somehow it just never came up. There was lots of different music, some country and some rap from the kids. No bigots though. Was a very pleasant experience.

I live in a small city and we had our annual fireworks show earlier this evening. I was positioned perfectly on the top of a small hill almost directly under the show. It is a spectacular show...well designed with an almost constant flow of visuals. The crowd is quite homogeneous, upscale and well-educated...no ho's, pimps, drug dealers, street people and not a note of rap music to be heard. Very pleasant experience.

Also shot the show using a 1080i camcorder....can't believe how good it turned out. Not a single shot of the crowd :)

Can we got some screen shots of it?

I wonder if the rain will effect the equipment in NYC and Boston?

I might watch a bit of CBS's fireworks if they're in HD, while waiting for my town's display. This is our first year in a new house, and I don't know what my view will be like now. Our old house was about half a mile from the park, and we had a perfect view from our front porch. Now we live on the other side of the park, not really any further away, but we have large trees in our back yard. There is one area that the fireworks may be visible from, but I really have no way of knowing until they actually start.

CNN is reporting A Capitol 4th Concert has been canceled due to weather :(
But the FireWorks should still go off.

There is a tornado warning in the DC area.

WNBC is reporting the Macy's show might be delayed but should go on.

I might watch a bit of CBS's fireworks if they're in HDI was told that it will be in HD.

Still can't find out if the PBS show will go on or not. Any word on Boston?

Yes, Boston fireworls are in HD on Channel4, also this year the firework company Pyro Spectaculars will use HD friendly fireworks in Boston and othe cities.

The firm's wares will be used tonight at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California and also at Dodger Stadium, and those not in Schwarzenegger's state can catch them at the Macy's New York show as well as in Boston, Seattle, and Houston.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/07/04/pyro-spectaculars-to-use-hd-friendly-fireworks/

I was wondering if the rain might cause a delay in Boston?
http://www.intellicast.com/National/Radar/Current.aspx?location=USMA0046&enlarge=true

It's HD now on CBS Boston :)

It's HD now on CBS Boston :)3 HRs in HD no less, and the sound is 5.1DD. Looks great, sound is cutting out of course.

PBS is live :)

But it looks very dry :confused:

Note: Odd the first hour was in SD

My question is, the HD on CBS (or WBZ for the moment). Who is running the show? CBS or WBZ (knowing there the same company, but national or local?)

As in, are the cameras rented, or are they part of the allocation that WBZ apparently got, and is it being routed to the WBZ station, or sent up through a satellite truck, to a national CBS feed, then being received back by WBZ etc.

Simply short, if it is WBZ's show, will we see them with HD News shortly in the future?

looks like capital fourth is on w/ hayden singing the anthem

funny how the nation's independance program is always so lame

CJ, you might want to ask that question in Boston OTA thread in the Locals forum HERE (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10950897), as there is someone from WBZ monitoring that thread.

funny how the nation's independance program is always so lameWell perhaps it wouldn’t be lame if they had a host that could sing or maybe know how to dance, or how about speak… :rolleyes:
The mook Tony Danza who looks like his hair is going to start running down his face was the best they could come up with?

CJ, you might want to ask that question in Boston OTA thread in the Locals forum HERE (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10950897), as there is someone from WBZ monitoring that thread.

Thanks!

Well perhaps it wouldn’t be lame if they had a host that could sing or maybe know how to dance, or how about speak… :rolleyes:
The mook Tony Danza who looks like his hair is going to start running down his face was the best they could come up with?Nice ethnic slur.:rolleyes:

Here in Boston they got Craig Ferguson to host The Pops. They made him a citizen of the City because he's been campaigning on his show that the INS would speed up his naturalization. He's been waiting for years (no longer than anyone else I guess). Now over 1000 towns and cities have made him citizens. Good for him.:D

Boston will have the Pops exclusively for the 1st 2 hours in HD, then CBS national feed joins for the 3rd and final hour.

Nice ethnic slur.:rolleyes: :eek: I don’t know how you got that out of my post… I didn’t call him a googootz. :D
If you saw the opening number his dancing was lame—especially after watching Cangney earlier today… and his singing was off key too.

No, I believe you, I know he sucks. He's about as musically talented as Suzanne Somers.

As I said before, the PBS show is always boring as hell. Watch the CBS-4 Pops show or the NYC one.

Boston will have the Pops exclusively for the 1st 2 hours in HD, then CBS national feed joins for the 3rd and final hour.Will the CBS national feed third hour be in HD? It’s not listed as in HD here on my TWNY guide and I know in previous years it wasn’t HD.

WNBC-DT FIOS NJ

Video looks soft for the roof performance.

Fantastic opening for the Macy’s show “on the top of the rock” wow looks great.

LOL, Blue Man Group is on CBS4 and it's pouring. I want to see if any of their paint runs.;)

Well, that was wild. The BMG with the Pops behind them in a downpour. Crazy.

Since when did the Capitol fireworks start before the end of the last performer?
Looks like PBS missed the early start :confused:

Since when did the Capitol fireworks start before the end of the last performer?
Looks like PBS missed the early start :confused: :D I know too funny, Bebee was still singing and the crowd was running to watch the fireworks.

Doesn’t get better than the 1812 in DC!

MyNetwork show in HD on WWOR-DT. No bug logo on the SD feed.

Macy's on NBC looks great, but Joss Stone needs to fire whoever handles her lighting. Her performance looked horrible.

MyNetwork show in HD on WWOR-DT. No bug logo on the SD feed.Didn't know they sent out a HD feed. I only have their SD channel.

Macy's on NBC looks great, but Joss Stone needs to fire whoever handles her lighting. Her performance looked horrible.

The purple hair does not help much either :p

I feed bad for NBC, some of the fixed cams and the helicopter shot are full of rain drops.
The chopper shot looks blurry cause of the rain on the lense.

No shots of the crowd or the dopey picture and picture box yet on NBC. :)

For the record, this is actually being presented in letterbox on the SD channel. Has NBC ever done that before for a live broadcast?

The usual stretched SD on WBAL in Baltimore until 9:25PM.

:rolleyes:

For the record, this is actually being presented in letterbox on the SD channel. Has NBC ever done that before for a live broadcast?

2006 I believe also.

NBC always screws up a great show-- terrible direction once again… too many cuts. Let the damn fireworks speak for themselves. Give us a static shot for more than three seconds. Someone muzzle the director! How do you ruin a show like this? A chimp can make better cuts.

WNBC-DT NYC FIOS NJ

http://img482.imageshack.us/img482/9001/pdvd008qg0.th.jpg (http://img482.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pdvd008qg0.jpg)http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/3634/pdvd003os1.th.jpg (http://img141.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pdvd003os1.jpg)http://img478.imageshack.us/img478/3106/pdvd004bg0.th.jpg (http://img478.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pdvd004bg0.jpg)
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CBS4 has the best music and presentation by far. Any of you guys getting it in HD outside of the Boston area? Everything about it is far and away better than all the other HD presentations.

Did the Capital 4th camera shot drive anyone else nuts? What is with changing shots every eight or twelve seconds? That and the constant panning and zooming made me dizzy. I was begging for them fix a good camera angle and hold it for thirty seconds without movement. I had to switch to the Macy's show.

NBC is holding some shots a bit longer but then rapidly switching between multiple cameras in seconds. For pete's sake, please look at the shots on your little monitors instead of the main feed while trying to find a good one.

I'm off to watch Law and Order now.

Oops. Larry can type faster than I can.

CBS4 has the best music and presentation by far. Any of you guys getting it in HD outside of the Boston area? Everything about it is far and away better than all the other HD presentations.

I'll get the show on WCBS-DT at 10pm. They do not multi-cast :)

NBC is holding some shots a bit longer ... but... :eek: :eek: :eek: :D

Well NBC is much better tonight then 2006.

No video box with the orchestra taking up 50% of the screen.

I'll get the show on WCBS-DT at 10pm. They do not multi-cast :)Actually, they just said they're going to repeat the end of the 1812 Orchestra they just did for their 11-12am. Now the question is if that show will be HD as well? (while listening to the bottle rockets going off outside his window)

:mad: COME ON NBC STOP WITH THE B-ROLL OF THE FLAG AND THE STATUE OF LIBERTY :(

Well NBC is much better tonight then 2006.

No video box with the orchestra taking up 50% of the screen.This is true, despite the tommy gun direction. It’s better than past years. I wish for once they’d show shots of the millions of spectators lining up all over the place instead of the same old Macy's friends and family VIP grandstand.

I love how NBC is doing the SD feed (which I'm unfortunately stuck with for the next week and a half). They have letterboxed the HD feed, not just the program, during the program, so that the peacock bug is in the letterbox bars, as are all bottom 1/3 promos, and, by consequence, the promos are much smaller. Hope this continues for other HD programming.

NBC Rocks. Although I will have to check out this "real life" thing you guys keep saying. Heard the picture and sound is fantastic.

(Oh, and just in case this isn't a national thing, my affiliate down here is WAVY-TV in Virginia Beach)

WWOR-DT NYC FIOS NJ
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WJZ Baltimore CBS has the Boston Pops up in glorious HD this year. SD last year (I think).

:cool:

I think CBS wins for best PQ, though I am getting bad macroblocking with the very bright white fireworks flashes, with NBC in 2nd, PBS in 3rd and MyNetwork in 4th.

Ugh, was NBC playing Musical Chairs with the definitions according to those screenshots, was it a poor tuner card, or is it just poor HD period?

Did the Capital 4th camera shot drive anyone else nuts? What is with changing shots every eight or twelve seconds? That and the constant panning and zooming made me dizzy. I was begging for them fix a good camera angle and hold it for thirty seconds without movement. I had to switch to the Macy's show.

NBC is holding some shots a bit longer but then rapidly switching between multiple cameras in seconds. For pete's sake, please look at the shots on your little monitors instead of the main feed while trying to find a good one.

I'm off to watch Law and Order now.

Oops. Larry can type faster than I can.

Sorry but this is 2007 and TV directors just do not direct that way anymore. The average shot is only a few seconds. The Capital Fourth show was produced by Walter C. Miller who is 81 years old and directs the Grammy Awards (and incidentally has been in television since the early 1950s -- wrote the book on live shows - and directed an episode or two of All in the Family) and the NBC Macy's show was directed by Louis J. Horvitz, who is 60 and directs the Academy Awards. For however you may like or dislike their directing styles, I'd place money that no one on this forum understands television live directing more than those guys, they've both been in the game for decades and have probably forgotten more about directing than the rest of us have ever learned. Incidentally, the CBS Boston Pops show is generally directed by Bill Cosell who basically invented Evening at Pops and the weekly televised orchestra show concept in the 1960s.

All three shows looked pretty good in HD despite the rain. I noticed some noise in some of the cameras on the NBC show but that has to be a technical nightmare given all the different paths and locations not to mention the weather.

I thought the overall WNBC-DT video was a little soft.
The hand held shots from the pier were very soft.

All three shows looked pretty good in HD despite the rain. I noticed some noise in some of the cameras on the NBC show but that has to be a technical nightmare given all the different paths and locations not to mention the weather.

For all the complaining I've done, I'd just like to say thanks to all the crew people working in the rain tonight to put these shows on in HD. :)

Sorry but this is 2007 and TV directors just do not direct that way anymore. ... and the NBC Macy's show was directed by Louis J. Horvitz, who is 60 and directs the Academy Awards...Thanks, :cool: seriously, for the background info, very interesting.

Regardless of Mr. Horvitz’s resume, the first half of the fireworks portion on NBC was awful direction. Did he direct last years also? That was even worse. There is simply no reason to interfere with a great subject by making those rapid cuts. It’s like a sports announcer stating the obvious—or letting a dramatic scene speak for itself and staying quiet.

That said, it finished better, and as just stated above—great work by a crew working in terrible conditions.

I was hysterical with anger over the butchering of the Macy's fireworks two years ago. Way too many shots of the stage crowd...way way to many shots.

Much much better this year. Yes too many cuts between fireworks shots...but at least we saw the fireworks this year vs 2005HD. I will give them credit for this change.

I was hysterical with anger over the butchering of the Macy's fireworks two years ago. Way too many shots of the stage crowd...way way to many shots.

Much much better this year. Yes too many cuts between fireworks shots...but at least we saw the fireworks this year vs 2005HD. I will give them credit for this change.

Agreed! There were shots of the crowds this year but they were fewer, shorter in duration, and much more carefully chosen.

Here in Connecticut, CBS (WFSB) lost the HD feed during the concerts and went to SD until around 10:45... Looks good now that the fireworks are in HD!

Here in Connecticut, CBS (WFSB) lost the HD feed during the concerts and went to SD until around 10:45... Looks good now that the fireworks are in HD!


Same here in Ohio. The HD shots are great despite the rain.

WCBS-DT NYC FIOS NJ.

It looks the jib cam and the other ground cam had a bit of interferene but the PQ was good.

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Everything fine in the Boston area CBS (as it should be). No macroblocking, a few sound glitches in the beginning.

The best part of the musical show was in the first 2hrs, the stuff they didn't telecast nationally. Sorry you missed it guys.:p

The Boston fireworks display has good direction. :cool:

A lot of static shots and good reaction inter-cuts.

Unfortunately the music for the most part is lame (Sesame Street???) ...and I’ve seen better pyro at a rock concert.

Not much to work with, as far as a backdrop. No great sky line or monuments as we saw earlier. Too bad this director wasn’t doing the Macy’s show.

Thanks, :cool: seriously, for the background info, very interesting.

Regardless of Mr. Horvitz’s resume, the first half of the fireworks portion on NBC was awful direction. Did he direct last years also? That was even worse. There is simply no reason to interfere with a great subject by making those rapid cuts.

I'm not saying that its good to cut rapidly like that (though overall American directors are much more conservative with that than their European counterparts) I'm just stating that in the last 15 years or so the trend is for shows to be cut much more frenetically. It's not that they cant figure out a shot they like, its that they've just sped up the pace at which they're being called. Call it MTVisation if you want. I for one don't mind it if the cutting rhythm is motivated by the visual action, mood or music, but if it calls attention to itself (which is more accepted as artsy in Europe than it is here) then I don't like it. And you'll see this trend affecting just about every genre of live TV now from local news to events like this. Everything in TV is all about speed now.

....but if it calls attention to itself (which is more accepted as artsy in Europe than it is here) then I don't like it. ;)

Well, this turned out to be better than I thought...

Not only PBS, but our local NBC and CBS carried the HD feeds. Here in Jacksonville, I'll give best PQ to CBS, followed by PBS and finally NBC (unfortunately, both PBS and NBC have sub-channels).

pleasantly surprised to see the CBS show in HD despite all listings not having it in HD (only the Boston Globe article said it was in HD from what I saw)...

too bad rain spoiled some of the camera shots but at least NBC and CBS were in HD...

I had a little macroblocking, probably due to a subchannel taking a bit of bandwidth...

I forgot to record the NBC one just had it open and didn't have timeshifting on so I didn't see that one but I watched the CBS one, interesting music choices...Sesame Street, Pirates of the Caribbean, "Our Country" (again)...

hopefully it won't rain next year and we'll have nice clear picture on both :)

thanks NBC and CBS for HD fireworks!

ABCTV99,
The Boston show was directed by Glen Weiss.
I honestly believe the pace of cutting has sped up for one simple reason: more cameras.
Where an entertainment show might be 6 or 7 20 years ago, something on the same scale today is probably at least double of that.

CBS sound quality was garbled. Oh, wait... the MC was Scottish. (I kid. We love love Mr Wick.)

Spectacular HDTV Fireworks coverage from King 5 Seattle (NBC) with great DD5.1 sound!

Washington Mutual Family 4th from Gas Works Park, Lake Union

No pixelation or macroblocking, no sound problems, great use of cameras for long and close shorts. You could even pick up the bugs flying in front of the camera lens.

The only negative was the bright very large K5 HD logo sitting in what would be the right side of a 4:3 screen!

Picked up on Star Choice Channel 289.

WBAL (NBC) lost the HD feed during the opening song but got it back before the fireworks started.

Thanks CBS for the HD.

I have to give top honors to CBS for both picture quality and sound last night. The Boston fireworks seemed to have more color and the bangs and pops of the fireworks in the surrounds worked very well.

PBS looked good, but not as good as CBS. NBC had a lot of break up along with some audio problems. That might have been due to the early feed. KNTV broadcast the Macy's show at 8 so that they could broadcast their local fireworks from San Jose from 9 to 10.

It was great to see ALL FOUR 4th of July shows in HD, including the Chicago show on MyTV. This was a first for the 4th!

Larry
SF

I am so pissed at our local NBC channel here in East Cental Illinois. Whenever there is any sever weather watches or warnings the station reverts to their SD siganal to show the graphic. On the 4th there was a thunderstorm watch for one county in the southern part of the viewing area, so that meant that this graphic stayed on the screen the entire time the Macy's show was on and I had to watch it in SD. A big BOO to WAND in Decatur, IL.

Unfortunately the music for the most part is lame (Sesame Street???) ...and I’ve seen better pyro at a rock concert.

Not much to work with, as far as a backdrop. No great sky line or monuments as we saw earlier. Too bad this director wasn’t doing the Macy’s show.
Couldn't agree more.
That show was hideous.
Picture quality and camera shots were off. Sometimes they zoomed in so you couldnt see what was happening, and the main camera had water spots on it.

Then at other times, the fireworks would over saturate and you would just see a white blur. (this was not my TV!!, that was poor video control on the networks part).

...and teh video wasnt the worst part. The music was offensive.

Any chance the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular will not have the giant LIVE bug and spam text next to the NBC logo like Nashville Star has?

Here's how the screen looked in 2007,
http://img482.imageshack.us/img482/9001/pdvd008qg0.th.jpg (http://img482.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pdvd008qg0.jpg)http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/3634/pdvd003os1.th.jpg (http://img141.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pdvd003os1.jpg)http://img478.imageshack.us/img478/3106/pdvd004bg0.th.jpg (http://img478.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pdvd004bg0.jpg)
http://img468.imageshack.us/img468/8411/pdvd005ao8.th.jpg (http://img468.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pdvd005ao8.jpg)http://img465.imageshack.us/img465/831/pdvd006lk6.th.jpg (http://img465.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pdvd006lk6.jpg)http://img459.imageshack.us/img459/73/pdvd007zl1.th.jpg (http://img459.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pdvd007zl1.jpg)

2007 was vastly superior to the awful 2006 HD presentation. Lets hope they keep the focus on the fireworks and not the spectators.

So what channels this year will have Fireworks in HD?

For broadcast TV there is,

A Capitol Fourth in High Definition
Live on PBS from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol
Friday, July 4th, from 8:00 to 9:30 pm ET
http://www.pbs.org/capitolfourth/concert.html

Friday, July 4 on NBC 9pm EST (all time zones)
MACY'S FOURTH OF JULY FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR
http://www.nbc.com/Movies_Specials_More/

Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular
Broadcast live from the Charles River Esplanade in Boston, Friday, July 4
(10:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.
The fireworks display will be presented commercial free by Liberty Mutual Group.
http://www.cbs.com/specials/2008_boston_pops/

I am very disappointed that D* isn't carrying PBS HD in Mpeg4 yet.

I have an OTA on my SXRD upstairs so I can get it.

But when I setup the theater I didn't think an OTA would be necessary.

I still do not understand what is taking so long for the carriage.

A Capital Fourth is the best show by far, imo.

No HD this year for the Boston Pops according to CBS person in the Boston thread :(

For broadcast TV there is,
Friday, July 4 on NBC 9pm EST (all time zones)
MACY'S FOURTH OF JULY FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR
http://www.nbc.com/Movies_Specials_More/
The forecast isn't looking too good for Friday here, so watching from an air-conditioned living room in HD is starting to sound pretty good :D:D

HDNet is having some at 9pm Eastern, I believe, but I'm not sure where the fireworks are.

HDNet is having some at 9pm Eastern, I believe, but I'm not sure where the fireworks are.

that time is the rebroadcast
the live show is at 6.30pm est
http://www.hd.net/schedule_tomorrow.html#CMID5937

who would do live fireworks @ 6:30PM?

who would do live fireworks @ 6:30PM?

And just where does it say "live?"

Re: the HDNet fireworks on 7/4

that time is the rebroadcast
the live show is at 6.30pm est
http://www.hd.net/schedule_tomorrow.html#CMID5937

This appears to be a repeat of "Thunder Over Louisville," which is the (newly) traditional kickoff of the Kentucky Derby Festival. In other words it's a rerun ... but most of you folks have probably never seen it before.

No HD this year for the Boston Pops according to CBS person in the Boston thread :(

wow, a step back from last year when they showed up in HD without any HD flags.

Oh look, nice new NBC bug for the occasion, but still, it looks weird in the middle like that.

hey least it doesn't have ads next to it.

WNBC-DT NYC FIOS TV.

Up and running in HD,
Wow no spam text next to the NBC bug.
I have a feeling some of the music performers were taped last night cause for the last hour it's been raining in NYC.

They keep interrupting the commercials with musical performances.

NBC still manages to spam the screen with quick ads for their reality shows. :rolleyes:
But at least it's during the taped music segments.:)

The HDnet fireworks would be more enjoyable if a certain woman would stop WOOing every 5 seconds.

Where's Katharine McPhee on NBC?

Anyone else hearing some strange audio interference on NBC?
It sounded worse when they went to the crowd shot.

The live bug with the location of the fireworks on screen every min. is not necessary.
They should also stop using the shots with the giant metal platform in the way.

The audio is very low when they start to play the voiced intro of the next song.
That strange audio buzz is very loud in the background when the music is low.

I count at at least 10 times the live logo has been on screen some with the giant location name at the bottom.
Now the stupid spam text comes on screen telling us the show can be seen in HD.

oh look, NBC HD - Presented Where Available

Lots of great shots of a giant metal stage that blocks the view of the fireworks.
I have a great deal of respect for the crew guys out in the rain who work this event but the direction and heavy use of graphics just ruin the show.

I should also mention I'm getting the macroblocking bad when the fireworks explode.
Some of it is the NBC issue and some WNBC having 2 sub channels.
Anyone know how NBC gets it's feed of the soundtrack? I'm wondering where that audio buzz would be coming from?
Weather related?

I know the CBS show is not in HD but does anyone else have the audio ID as DD 5.1?
I wonder if I'm seeing this on the CBS HD network feed in SD as opposed to the local up convert on WCBS-DT?

Shots of the spectators were not as frequent as the 2006 show, they were still frequent enough to be annoying. So were the all-too-frequent reminders that the show was "live". (wonder if they'll block that out for the other time zones).

The NBC Olympics bug was placed within the 4:3 safe area. But the show was simulcast letterboxed in SD, not center-cut. So why didn't they move the bug closer to the edge of the screen?

There was rain in the New York area, and there was too much smoke in the sky to slightly ruin the affects.

It's not in HD but the show from Boston is very good.
No on screen graphics except for the CBS bug.
There are some crowd shots but it's from behind of them looking at the fireworks and it looks ok.
It's a shame there was no HD this year.

It's not in HD but the show from Boston is very good.
No on screen graphics except for the CBS bug.
There are some crowd shots but it's from behind of them looking at the fireworks and it looks ok.
It's a shame there was no HD this year.

Agreed. I would have like to have traded HD for the CBS show with NBC. It was the better of the two.

Agreed. I would have like to have traded HD for the CBS show with NBC. It was the better of the two.
actually the public tv was the best of all with the minor exception it not being in 5.1.

I’m catching up right now.

NY was the worst. Ever since the Grucci family stopped doing the fireworks it has that antiseptic look, no heart or soul. What’s the deal with the “Stuyvesan” credit every time they took that shot? Was that a contractual thing? And by the way, I was there, on a dock in a prime location-- and it sucked in person too.

The Boston one was fantastic. Great music. It is a shame CBS doesn’t do it in HD.

I’m watching the PBS right now and it looks and sounds great too. Can’t beat that back drop.:cool:

NY was the worst. Ever since the Grucci family stopped doing the fireworks it has that antiseptic look, no heart or soul. What’s the deal with the “Stuyvesan” credit every time they took that shot? Was that a contractual thing? And by the way, I was there, on a dock in a prime location-- and it sucked in person too.

What happened to the fireworks that were supposed to go off when they hit the river water?
Unless I missed it I don't remember them being on the broadcast.

What happened to the fireworks that were supposed to go off when they hit the river water?
Unless I missed it I don't remember them being on the broadcast.
I didn’t notice it. We were south of 14th street on the Queens side in Greenpoint and were perpendicular with the furthest North barge. The three others were South of us, which was really bad. I remember them being more North giving a better view of the city as a background. Regardless, the show had no soul. The weather wasn’t as bad as it appeared. Just a few sprinkles, no wind.

Of the 3 network broadcasts, here is my rundown:

PBS - by far the best in quality and presentation. Full HD on the fireworks (which I think was a first) as well as good program.

CBS - No HD, No Boston Pops (sorry editorial comment: ever since they sold out their full A&E concerts of several years ago to CBS for portions of 3 songs I've been bitter), but best fireworks sync'd with the best track.

NBC - Was in HD, but via my affiliate (WEEK, Peoria, via Comcast cable) it was so pixalated that it was mostly unwatchable. Ok fireworks, sappiest of the three in programming.

So in summary... keep it up PBS and here's to a full Boston Pops concert next year with HD fireworks.

What’s the deal with the “Stuyvesan” credit every time they took that shot?
Per the Gothamist (http://gothamist.com/2008/07/05/a_very_stuyvesant_town_fourth_of_ju.php), "Is it a mere coincidence that Stuyvesant Town owner is Tishman Speyer, which happens to own and operate Rockefeller Center, which is where NBC's headquarters are? After all, Tishman has wanted to bring in more market-rate tenants to Stuy Town and what better free advertising than implying the fireworks are right near by?"

I thought it was a production error when I saw it up repeatedly.

Of the 3 network broadcasts, here is my rundown:

PBS - by far the best in quality and presentation. Full HD on the fireworks (which I think was a first) as well as good program.

CBS - No HD, No Boston Pops (sorry editorial comment: ever since they sold out their full A&E concerts of several years ago to CBS for portions of 3 songs I've been bitter), but best fireworks sync'd with the best track.

NBC - Was in HD, but via my affiliate (WEEK, Peoria, via Comcast cable) it was so pixalated that it was mostly unwatchable. Ok fireworks, sappiest of the three in programming.

So in summary... keep it up PBS and here's to a full Boston Pops concert next year with HD fireworks.

I have to agree with you on every point!

PBS was GREAT - except for the one SD camera they kept cutting to during the fireworks. The audio was FANTASTIC! My whole room shook when the mortars went off. Great rear channel action too. Sorry for those that didn't get it in DD 5.1. Jimmy Smitts was a great addition to the show. A little class and some dignity. I hope I NEVER see Barry Bostwik again, or Tony Danza for that matter.

Macy's was interesting with the triple setup, but the music was the pits. I don't need an announcer telling me tid bits during the show.

I was all set to enjoy the Boston feed when i found it SD!, then we get a little music and they cut to canned music for the fireworks - bad move.

I did not notice any macro blocking on any of the HD shots, all well done. I recorded it so I don't know if my PBS outlet killed the subs for a better feed.

Jimmy Smitts was a great addition to the show. A little class and some dignity.
I agree that Jimmy Smitts’ introductions and narration were a significant improvement. He seemed very nervous at first but soon settled down and did a good job, although I had to wonder about his French-tickler mustache, soul patch, and earring.

I was anything but impressed with the fireworks display on the mall. Nothing spectacular and nothing new. That may have a little to do with watching the amazing The Festivals of the World where creativity is almost beyond belief. They also spent way too much time showing the Marine Corp Band with the fireworks in the background. The music was great, but it’s just that, music. Those production shots were beautiful, but again, I can listen to and appreciate the music while I’m enjoying the fireworks as they fill my TV screen. YMMV.

I totally agree with dgreen's assessment of the three shows. I also agree with his editorial comments about the Boston Pops concert. I always watched it when it was on A & E for the entire three hours broadcast. I have never liked the abbrebviated CBS broadcast and when it wasn't in HD I didn't watch a single minute of the show.

I am sure CBS is paying more for the one hour of broadcast that A & E paid for the three hours, but CBS is not doing this show the justice it deservers. Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now.

I'm watching the Chicago fireworks show on WGN it looks to be in digital widescreen and not in HD.[bummer]

I'm watching the Chicago fireworks show on WGN it looks to be in digital widescreen and not in HD.[bummer]Not only that, but it was really bad SD - all blurry and ringing. I couldn't stand to watch it anymore after about 3 minutes, and had to turn it off. It was literally hurting my eyes.

I totally agree with dgreen's assessment of the three shows. I also agree with his editorial comments about the Boston Pops concert. I always watched it when it was on A & E for the entire three hours broadcast. I have never liked the abbrebviated CBS broadcast and when it wasn't in HD I didn't watch a single minute of the show.

I am sure CBS is paying more for the one hour of broadcast that A & E paid for the three hours, but CBS is not doing this show the justice it deservers. Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now.

The telcast is actually produced by Boston affiliate WBZ. They show a full 3 hours locally.

Well, let's see how everyone does this year. Surprisingly, it looks like PBS is the one to beat!

WOW!!!

I didn't know they were going to have Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. What a surprise.

That was the cast of Jersey Boys btw.

Sad to say, once again, even for their local broadcast WBZ doesn't pick up the WBZ Pops broadcast in HD. In these days after the switchover there's absolutely no excuse.

I really don't understand why CBS doesn't pickup the Boston broadcast nationally. It is one of the best (if not) the best July 4th conert/fireworks in the country, far better than the DC and NYC ones (this coming from a native NYer now living in Boston). Come on CBS, step up!!!

The Boston telecast starts on CBS at 10pm et.......the Macy's show's in HD on NBC now btw.

The Boston telecast starts on CBS at 10pm et.Ah, so CBS is picking it up in HD this year (because my program guide doesn't show it as HD)? Well, even so it's still a shame that the WBZ portion isn't as the Pops is still backing up all the local talent (and they're quite wonderful).

Not in HD afaik but it's still on nationally at 10pm......too bad it's not on A&E anymore they showed the whole thing when they had it.

Not in HD afaik but it's still on nationally at 10pm......too bad it's not on A&E anymore they showed the whole thing when they had it.This is an HD forum. If it ain't in HD it don't mean jack- and I really don't understand why they don't carry it in HD at this point when all the other networks do.

Mystifying.:confused:

NO HD on CBS?
Seriously? C'mon.

Now Neil Diamond?
Forget it, back to NASCAR.

Looks like they broke out the nanny-cam for Boston.:rolleyes: Is that Sam Donaldson singing…oh never mind… its that Neil Diamond fella.

Very disappointed with the Macy’s fireworks. The music was boring. Too much Stephan Flaherty (who is this guy?). And showing the orchestra “playing live” looked about as authentic as the 60 year old toupee looks on my 80 year old Uncle.

I prefer to see the barges on the east river, not the Hudson.

I must be the only person on the planet who never heard of The Jersey Boys. It was a complete surprise. I've already replayed it six times.

NBC was disappointing. They only had less than three minutes of West Side Story. And it seemed really weird that they did not pick up any sound from the dancers' feet. Five of them leap into the air and land in silence. They give you a seat on the stage but don't let you hear it.

Other than that, it was a great almost three minutes for NBC.

The CBS fireworks show was not only in SD, the audio was only 2-Channel!

Ridiculous!!!!!

CBS fireworks were pre-empted by Orioles baseball (which IS in HD) on WJZ. A rare moment where I actually applaud the interruption of network programming.

NBC's production was spectacular with a great DD5.1 sound mix. CBS's looked like it was done by a bunch of high school kids. Aside from the lack of HD and 5.1 audio, the directing was very poor, with bad shot selection and timing of switches. The camerawork itself was truly awful, with too much panning and zooming, causing large portions of the actual fireworks display to be off-screen.

Pretty sad that CBS can't do the fireworks show in HD this day and age.

If I had known they would not be launching from Brooklyn I would not have even watched.

Most of the what they shot from cameras on the west side of the Hudson showed half the screen full of New Jersey in the foreground. Yuch! Or they shot just the river. Or they shot from Manhattan which again showed only Jersey and river.

In other words, no Brooklyn Bridge, no statue of liberty. What a waste.

And I just saw a great picture from the New York Times taken from east of Manhattan so you get spectacular fireworks rising behind a silhouette of the skyline plus the lights shining in the buildings. Another opportunity lost.

Guess I won't be seeing NBC's HD fireworks in Cleveland tonight. Thanks to the Indians, NBC programming was dumped to 2AM tonight. And the WKYC-tards recorded the effing ANALOG FEED so everything has black bars on all four sides of the screen. :mad:

And I know they can record HD since they have syndicated programming and an episode of Chuck was shown in HD one night at 2AM. This windowbox crap is inexcusable.

Now Neil Diamond?
Forget it, back to NASCAR.I can't imagine him being half as bad as PBS.

I couldn't even get through the opening two acts of Aretha Franklin completely destroying our National Anthem, and Barry Manilow singing "Ith a Miracle".

On DirecTV, PBS production was horrible (at least while trying to watch on WETA) - macroblocking, screen freezes, sound breakups and the like. WETA insists it isn't them but this seems to only happen on live shows they produce on the mall (Memorial Day concert similarly plagued).

As Jimmy Smits said "Where else can you see Barry and Aretha on the same stage?" Fortunately, only by the US Capital. Too over the top on the National Anthem for me, Queen of Soul. She made up for it later.

I have been downtown (on a roof of a building my wife works at) many years for the show and it is awesome, plus you get a 3-5 minute jump on the crowd to get home on the Metro. Ditto for Boston and New York.

Got to say I enjoyed "A Capitol 4th" this year. Aretha was OK, and I like Barry's closing number. I was very thankful for no whiny country singers this year, wonder how we escaped that crap.

PQ was fine on my PBS station, no macro blocking or artifacts, audio was fine.

I haven't seen the others yet, perhaps I'll watch them tonight - no "Tru Blood"...

So in summary... keep it up PBS and here's to a full Boston Pops concert next year with HD fireworks.

I feel like we could take last year's productions and just say 'ditto'. PBS was be far the best in quality and content. CBS continues to mess with the Boston Pops in music snippets and SD. I can't believe I am saying this, but bring back A&E even in SD, if we get what we had years ago.

As I said, locally, on WBZ-DT Boston we get the full Pops concert but it's all in terrible, fuzzy SD, so it's really not worth watching at all.

You'll never get a "full" Boston Pops concert on CBS.

Did you notice how the network opened the "special"? It started with the very end of
the "1812 Overture" with the cannons and bells. No way were the idiots at CBS going to allow classical music to be on the air more than necessary.

Before CBS took over the national broadcast, A&E, partially owned by Hearst, carried the concert produced by WCVB, Boston - a Hearst station.

Local crew and production personnel did a much better job - especially the local director who had a wonderfully keen ear for music. This attribute was totally missing during the CBS coverage.

2-Channel sound, Standard Definition pictures and sub-standard production - what a bore and what a pity!

What a disgrace there were not in HD I was at the esplanade and have to say they were the best fireworks I have ever seen. We recorded the whole 3 hours and watched in SD but was shocked that CBS did not do these in HD maybe next year.

A Capital 4th was good down here in Raleigh (WUNC and its network) in HD - no freezes, etc. Was VERY DISAPPOINTED in the Boston Pops presentation (SD and stereo - ugh)... and our CBS WOULD have sent something like that in HD .

When it comes to the 4th CBS sucks. When A&E ran the POPs it was one thing I looked forward to seeing, this butchered crap is a disgrace. Either show the whole thing or give up the rights.

Is the Boston Pops Fourth of July show even broadcast anymore on any network?

CBS, unfortunatetly - as mentioned above your question!

No response from WETA and/or DirecTV. WETA has been fine the last two nights showing regular programming (a little soft, but that's besides the point). Since nobody else is reporting any "Capital Fourth" problems, it has to either be D* or my H21 receiver. Any ideas?

CBS, unfortunatetly - as mentioned above your question!

What I meant was the COMPLETE broadcast (like when it was hosted by Jack Perkins) with "The 1812 Overture", "Stars and Stripes Forever", the sing-along. Not just the part with the fireworks.

No network now carries the full concert.

Your going back to the days when A&E carried WCVB's coverage.

CBS could learn a lot from what this wonderful local station did - especially the director.

The local station's director was so far more competent and musically sensitive vs. the
import CBS used.

No network now carries the full concert.

Your going back to the days when A&E carried WCVB's coverage.

CBS could learn a lot from what this wonderful local station did - especially the director.

The local station's director was so far more competent and musically sensitive vs. the
import CBS used.

Especially with the 1812 Overture - when it called for church bells, they used REAL Boston area churches ringing their bells; when it called for cannons, they used REAL cannons (the local military units were happy to oblige).

I know the musical piece itself is not a true piece of Americana (it refers to the Crimean War), but it's a staple of the Boston Pops Fourth of July concert.

Especially with the 1812 Overture - when it called for church bells, they used REAL Boston area churches ringing their bells; when it called for cannons, they used REAL cannons (the local military units were happy to oblige).

I know the musical piece itself is not a true piece of Americana (it refers to the Crimean War), but it's a staple of the Boston Pops Fourth of July concert.
Although Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture was composed without reference to America or Americans it is nevertheless, a stirring old warhorse, which works well to excite the patriotic passions of all who hear it. It's no wonder the Pops has featured it in its Independence Day concerts for as long as I can remember.

I think the 4th movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 would be great for fireworks. It would make a nice change from the cannons.

For those of you in the Washington, D.C. area who were watching the PBS July 4th programming. WETA's HD picture was awful but their sound was top-notch. Channel 22 out of Annapolis had a vastly better HD picture -- much crisper. However, the sound from on 22 was sub-par. Take your pick next time.