The main camera looking in from center field looks very soft, like it's not HD.

Take a look at this thread that I started about last week's broadcast that also originated from Anaheim. PQ looks exactly the same this week.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=901867

Not sure what ESPN is doing with the centerfield cameras but it's not good.

I have to agree. Here in the Palm Springs area, on Time Warner, it wasn't great quality HD.

It wasn't just the camera, even the graphics on the top of the screen looked very soft/low res. However the ESPN bottom line graphics looked normal (sharp). Maybe a bad uplink from Anaheim?
My provider: D*

I made a thread just a bit ago about the somewhat bad PQ of ESPN in comparison to ESPN2. But from your comments, it looks like I may have just watched it on a bad day. So the PQ of the baseball games on ESPN aren't normally like the Anaheim one today?

I made a thread just a bit ago about the somewhat bad PQ of ESPN in comparison to ESPN2. But from your comments, it looks like I may have just watched it on a bad day. So the PQ of the baseball games on ESPN aren't normally like the Anaheim one today?

The only thing I can think of is maybe a bad uplink (however most ESPN network traffic comes in via 100mbps VYVX fibre which is more-or-less minimally compressed HD video) so I'm not sure why it looks so bad for you. The Bottom Line is inserted in Bristol master control way, way downstream of the actual game feed (actually even downstream of the control room integrating the game).

The problem with these remotes (and all remotes) is that there are so many signal hoops, (and i cannot say it enough) way too many hoops for the signal to have to jump through before getting on the air. Assuming it makes it back to Bristol pristine, it still is run through another control room, switcher and signal processing chain just to integrate the game (30 at 30 updates, cut ins, etc), and then sent to master control for breaks and bottom line and then goes out to the uplink (not to mention whatever your providers are doing to the signal), so it's hard to look at the end result of a cable product and say a particular camera looks bad because most likely what you're seeing is probably the result of something happening way downstream of the remote production.

99.9 percent of the time the guys in the truck (many of which are watching on SD 16:9 letterboxed monitors because many HD trucks out there serve dual purposes and have not yet been fully outfitted with 16:9 HD monitors) are confident that the game is leaving the site looking as good as it can get (this is true for any remote whether NBC Sunday Night Football, the Academy Awards or a golf remote). What happens beyond that point is largely and unfortunately often a toss up.

So the PQ of the baseball games on ESPN aren't normally like the Anaheim one today?That is correct. Normally their PQ is as good as 720p can be, albeit they do use some 16:9 SD cameras.99.9 percent of the time the guys in the truck (many of which are watching on SD 16:9 letterboxed monitors because many HD trucks out there serve dual purposes and have not yet been fully outfitted with 16:9 HD monitors) are confident that the game is leaving the site looking as good as it can get.Thanks for the feedback. I had indicated in last week's thread that it appeared the game was being sent out in 16:9 SD, much like Fox handles most of their Saturday games. I wish you could have seen the game. There's no question in my mind that the CF camera was SD as well as several others. It's no secret that ESPN still utilizes some 16:9 SD cameras, although I never see it talked about on this forum. In any event, I assume that's the last ESPN broadcast from Anaheim this year. It's ironic that with Disney owning both the Angels and ESPN/ABC that the PQ would have been so substandard. :confused:

I thought I heard the announcers say during the game that Disney had sold the Angels. The statement was made when they were showing the water fall.

That is correct. Normally their PQ is as good as 720p can be, albeit they do use some 16:9 SD cameras.Thanks for the feedback. I had indicated in last week's thread that it appeared the game was being sent out in 16:9 SD, much like Fox handles most of their Saturday games. I wish you could have seen the game. There's no question in my mind that the CF camera was SD as well as several others. It's no secret that ESPN still utilizes some 16:9 SD cameras, although I never see it talked about on this forum. In any event, I assume that's the last ESPN broadcast from Anaheim this year. It's ironic that with Disney owning both the Angels and ESPN/ABC that the PQ would have been so substandard. :confused:

The use of SD cameras in HD broadcasts would be very minimal at this point in time. Only in rare instances would it happen such as a special camera (Camera in the dirt on FOX baseball), an RF Camera (golf on NBC), or a high frame rate camera. Even in those situations most of the challenges have been overcome and these types of cameras are now HD. Outside of a major problem ESPN would not use a SD camera for the main centerfield camera, the problem was happening somewhere else down the line. Disney no longer owns the Angels, btw.

I thought I heard the announcers say during the game that Disney had sold the Angels. The statement was made when they were showing the water fall.

Artie Moreno now owns the Halos..... been that way for 3 or 4 years now.

I noticed this problem all weekend with different broadcasts from ESPN. It was almost like it was out of focus then would correct itself.