Come on! Football is over. I am very disappointed with so few BB games in HD. Give me a break, Billiards on ESPN2 but no basketball. Big East is getting screwed after they signed with ESPN. At least I can watch Minnesota play Northwestern in HD on the BTN channel.

ESPN 2: The billiards and poker channel.

i seem to remember reading that ESPN would do all their hoops in HD in exchange for doing SD on lesser events such as the LL world series

i seem to remember reading that ESPN would do all their hoops in HD in exchange for doing SD on lesser events such as the LL world series


Basketball and the LL World Series have no effect on each other as they are at different times of the year. The issue with college basketball is the shortage of HD capable production trucks. As far as what you heard about all hoops being in HD, that is all NBA games in HD.

This month there are still NFL playoffs going on, so that ties up some trucks... ESPN never announced all college bball would be in HD. NBA,College Fball, other professional sports that have much bigger contracts take precidence I guess. Usually both Big Monday games are HD, saturday primetime is in HD, and maybe 1 or 2 games on saturdays, and maybe 1 or 2 more during the week. There are several games a week that aren't in HD, you are right. It has to be a bit under 50% of games on ESPN/ESPN2 in HD, maybe?

CBS has it going on, now nearly all college bball games are in HD, and this year word is that all tourney games will be in HD, BOTH flex feeds and constant feeds of games. All games were shot in HD for the first time last year, but CBS master control in NY couldn't handle all the flex/constant feeds in HD. This is obvious too since the "One Shining Moment" highlight reel was in HD for the first time last year.

Trust me, the Big East is getting more screwed over in that they can put our games on ESPNU as well. They have put some good matchups on ESPNU, obviously to make their product look better to Comcast, who refuses to put it on the basic digital tier. Our conf tourney remains the only conference that has all games nationally televised, and last year every single one was on ESPNHD, not even the deuce. Our Big Monday games have HD.

Our conf tourney remains the only conference that has all games nationally televised, and last year every single one was on ESPNHD, not even the deuce. Our Big Monday games have HD.
That is not true any more. With the Big Ten Network replacing ESPN+ for all Big Ten games, the entire Big Ten tournament will be nationally televised (BTN, ESPN, ESPN2, and CBS).

Basketball and the LL World Series have no effect on each other as they are at different times of the year. The issue with college basketball is the shortage of HD capable production trucks. As far as what you heard about all hoops being in HD, that is all NBA games in HD.

it didnt have to do with timeframes but rather with cost

i seem to remember reading that ESPN would do all their hoops in HD in exchange for doing SD on lesser events such as the LL world series

No, NCAA basketball was not on the list. As I remember, ESPN has focused on, where possible, bringing entire sports in HD. For example, see the recent announcement regarding the Indy Car series entirely in HD for 2008 (including in-car cameras). Indy was the most recent addition, behind NFL, MLB, NBA, FIFA World Cup, NASCAR, college football, and some other sports that I unfortunately can't remember because I couldn't find the press release that listed them specifically.

College basketball will probably be one of the last live sporting events to go fully HD on ESPN due to the incredibly high number of games and the relatively low broadcast time for each game. When it comes to college basketball in HD, the sad truth is you get the weakest bang for your buck. Hopefully the launch of ESPNU HD in the fall of this year means that next season should offer many more games in HD.

Another issue with college basketball games are that they are one day events. With setup, event, and tear down all taking place in one day. While today's HD trucks out there are capable to do that, they can not do it at the price point that broadcasters would like to see. The next move in the mobile truck market is towards trucks that are able to handle these one day events faster, easier, and cheaper then the current larger expando trucks that currently dominate the market.

Another issue with college basketball games are that they are one day events. With setup, event, and tear down all taking place in one day. While today's HD trucks out there are capable to do that, they can not do it at the price point that broadcasters would like to see. The next move in the mobile truck market is towards trucks that are able to handle these one day events faster, easier, and cheaper then the current larger expando trucks that currently dominate the market.
I doubt ESPN will ever go with that sort of thing. They tend to have pretty specific requirements with their gear. They'll probably simply strive to have more full-sized units on the road as they're able to aquire them.

I doubt ESPN will ever go with that sort of thing. They tend to have pretty specific requirements with their gear. They'll probably simply strive to have more full-sized units on the road as they're able to aquire them.

ESPN representatives have said they want to move away from the expando model if at all possible, most likely to handle lower level ESPN events, ESPNU, and eventually ESPN Plus programming.

From the Sports Video Group:
Rick Abbott, VP, Remote Operations for ESPN sees this Olympic trend coming stateside fast. “Our production staff is thinking that we’ve got to get out of the expando world and start thinking about straight trucks. That’s the only way the pricing can come down for one-day set shoots,” Abbott said.
http://www.sportsvideo.org/portal/artman/publish/article_9180.shtml

ESPN representatives have said they want to move away from the expando model if at all possible, most likely to handle lower level ESPN events, ESPNU, and eventually ESPN Plus programming.

From the Sports Video Group:

http://www.sportsvideo.org/portal/artman/publish/article_9180.shtml

Interesting. I wonder if they have discussed this with the technical crews. The directors I know like to have things as close to the home environment as possible. Of course, most of those smaller events are stringers, not ESPN crews, so they might not be worried about that.

Interesting that all three games tonight were in HD. With conference play picking up this weekend, I expect much better HD coverage.

Interesting. I wonder if they have discussed this with the technical crews. The directors I know like to have things as close to the home environment as possible. Of course, most of those smaller events are stringers, not ESPN crews, so they might not be worried about that.
You hit the nail on the head. It's production that wants expandos, not engineering. No self-promoting director want to be in a "little truck."

It actually makes sense to build smaller units for these shows. Smaller units are easier to park and use less power, but they lack creature comforts and the ability to be customized for the event. Now that these trucks are built by vendors and not the networks, vendors have a hard time justifying a small truck with less flexibility unless they have a client locked in. A network could make that decision internally to build a unit for its own use, but those days are gone (for now.)

Now that these trucks are built by vendors and not the networks, vendors have a hard time justifying a small truck with less flexibility unless they have a client locked in. A network could make that decision internally to build a unit for its own use, but those days are gone (for now.)

Thats exactly what happened with Mobile Television Group and the Big Ten Network. They were able to build out 3 slightly smaller units that combine the production truck and the uplink. The trucks are still expandos, but they are smaller then the other trucks out there. They were able to do this because they have a client in Big Ten Network/Fox Sports Net that have use for these trucks year round.

That is not true any more. With the Big Ten Network replacing ESPN+ for all Big Ten games, the entire Big Ten tournament will be nationally televised (BTN, ESPN, ESPN2, and CBS).

Well before this year, it was true. This year, BTN has a couple of the early games, yes? BTN doesn't have any carriage on the major cable networks, so while it may be called "national TV" just like ESPNU, there is a big asterisk next to it. Nearly every cable carrier and any household that has any kind of pay TV service has ESPN. Not so with BTN.

Well before this year, it was true. This year, BTN has a couple of the early games, yes? BTN doesn't have any carriage on the major cable networks, so while it may be called "national TV" just like ESPNU, there is a big asterisk next to it. Nearly every cable carrier and any household that has any kind of pay TV service has ESPN. Not so with BTN.

Yes, there are two first round games that used to be ESPN Plus games that are now BTN games during the Big Ten Tournament.

Will we ever see major college programs putting in their own HD production facilities? Kansas University but in new lights (100 times brighter) a couple of years to help HD productions.

Yes, there are two first round games that used to be ESPN Plus games that are now BTN games during the Big Ten Tournament.
Actually, it's one first round game and two quarterfinal games that will be on the BTN.

http://bigten.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/100606aaa.html

Will we ever see major college programs putting in their own HD production facilities?
No.

You hit the nail on the head. It's production that wants expandos, not engineering. No self-promoting director want to be in a "little truck."
In some cases, that's true, but often it works in the TD's favor if he can load the same files from the home board into the mobile unit rather than create something custom. It also helps to be able to have roughly the same layout of monitors and equipment so there's less searching. You also come to expect a certain number of sources on a board before you hit the shift side, a certain number of DNF, Do Re Mi, Profile or Deko channels and the same abilities to fix pre-production segments.

Of course, like I said earlier, that only applies to events where you have a crew made up from house employees. If the crew is made up of stringers, they're probably not exposed to the same environment gig to gig, so it's less likely they're going to be "used" to a certain environment.

Will we ever see major college programs putting in their own HD production facilities? Kansas University but in new lights (100 times brighter) a couple of years to help HD productions.

Just like in the pro-sports, several universities have HD or pseudo-HD facilities to run their scoreboard videoboards. Big Ten Network I understand gave several Big 10 schools a great deal of money to upgrade for things like coaches shows, etc. But by and large this will never happen, nor would any major broadcaster use facilities at a University.

As discussed on this thread most broadcasters have very specific equipment and scalability requirements that only a mobile production vendor can satisfy (and the integration and design of the gear and the signal flow processes at a house video facility can be suspect as often there are limited funds available to build out such a facility). Furthermore, I dont think any University would put forth the money (without a ridiculous private donation) to be able to build out facilities that would come anywhere close to what you'd get in a HD mobile production outfit. Convincing boosters or deep pockets to spend $200,000 per camera for 10+ cameras, $600K for a Kalypso or two, $250,000 per EVS --- this just isnt going to happen anywhere. And lets not talk about maintenance and upgrading gear. Even the most deep pocketed Athletics departments or Universities like those in the ACC couldn't afford this (nor would it be profitable to build such a facility even for academic purposes).

enlighten me... what is an "expando"? :confused:

Mobile production trucks are basically 40-53 foot semi's that you'd see on the open road. But if you've ever seen a RV that has expandable walls, mobile production facilities can be equipped the same way to expand the usable floor space of the trailer. These bigger trucks are most commonly used for bigger productions -- in England there are even triple-expandos. Straight trucks don't expand but often do not have the square footage to handle bigger crews and extra gear, so these are generally relegated to smaller productions (although these days even some "small" productions can easily utilize a large expando.) http://www.allmobilevideo.com/mobil/production.htm

Sorta on the topic, NEP just bought New Century Productions.

http://guardian.nepinc.com/news.php

Sorta on the topic, NEP just bought New Century Productions.

http://guardian.nepinc.com/news.php

wow they're going to have a huge fleet now -- right up there with NMTV that's like 8 more trucks

Mobile production trucks are basically 40-53 foot semi's that you'd see on the open road. But if you've ever seen a RV that has expandable walls, mobile production facilities can be equipped the same way to expand the usable floor space of the trailer. These bigger trucks are most commonly used for bigger productions -- in England there are even triple-expandos. Straight trucks don't expand but often do not have the square footage to handle bigger crews and extra gear, so these are generally relegated to smaller productions (although these days even some "small" productions can easily utilize a large expando.) http://www.allmobilevideo.com/mobil/production.htm

gotcha... that makes sense... should have thought of that... :o

wow they're going to have a huge fleet now -- right up there with NMTV that's like 8 more trucks
The two will be run as separate units, with NCP retaining the name and Allentown, PA offices.

Originally Posted by BJS188
Will we ever see major college programs putting in their own HD production facilities? Kansas University but in new lights (100 times brighter) a couple of years to help HD productions.

Reply by Network TV
Just like in the pro-sports, several universities have HD or pseudo-HD facilities to run their scoreboard videoboards. Big Ten Network I understand gave several Big 10 schools a great deal of money to upgrade for things like coaches shows, etc. But by and large this will never happen, nor would any major broadcaster use facilities at a University.

As discussed on this thread most broadcasters have very specific equipment and scalability requirements that only a mobile production vendor can satisfy (and the integration and design of the gear and the signal flow processes at a house video facility can be suspect as often there are limited funds available to build out such a facility). Furthermore, I dont think any University would put forth the money (without a ridiculous private donation) to be able to build out facilities that would come anywhere close to what you'd get in a HD mobile production outfit. Convincing boosters or deep pockets to spend $200,000 per camera for 10+ cameras, $600K for a Kalypso or two, $250,000 per EVS --- this just isnt going to happen anywhere. And lets not talk about maintenance and upgrading gear. Even the most deep pocketed Athletics departments or Universities like those in the ACC couldn't afford this (nor would it be profitable to build such a facility even for academic purposes).

Just curious. Do the networks use the trucks for NBA/Hockey games or are the Arenas they play in have the HD equipment in place? The reason I ask is that some college teams (ex. Marquette/Milwaukee Bucks [Bradley Center]; Seton Hall/NJ Devils [Prudential Center]) play at the same venue. No reason not to have HD for those teams.

Just curious. Do the networks use the trucks for NBA/Hockey games or are the Arenas they play in have the HD equipment in place? The reason I ask is that some college teams (ex. Marquette/Milwaukee Bucks [Bradley Center]; Seton Hall/NJ Devils [Prudential Center]) play at the same venue. No reason not to have HD for those teams.

Yes the networks use mobile trucks for the NBA and NHL. Even having multiple teams at a venue could not justify the cost of running a production facility that could cater to different networks and different size shows.

Staples Center does have its own production center that is used by visiting team broadcasters on occasion. However, this is the exception to the rule and it is used very infrequently.

Yes the networks use mobile trucks for the NBA and NHL. Even having multiple teams at a venue could not justify the cost of running a production facility that could cater to different networks and different size shows.

Staples Center does have its own production center that is used by visiting team broadcasters on occasion. However, this is the exception to the rule and it is used very infrequently.

In addition many networks have season-long contracts with mobile production vendors. For example ESPN might contract Game Creek Video to provide the same truck for all of their Sunday ABC NBA coverage. So it wouldnt matter what other show was going on that venue the night before or the night after. Yes this seems silly sometimes when you have double the facilities, but you also have two different job numbers and work orders. For example ESPN had their Saturday Night Football crew at Arrowhead Stadium for the Big 12 Championship game, but CBS also had their outfit there for the NFL game the next day. That's a lot of trucks and cable (and somewhat dicey) but its about the only viable option. SNF and MNF do this as well as they're often in venues that follow college games (i.e. Pittsburgh). I've even seen small college games on some podunk RSN use the same truck week after week.

In addition many networks have season-long contracts with mobile production vendors.

Thats the reason why the Staples Center broadcast facility gets so little use. Most of the sporting events are on FSN channels which use MTVG mobile units that are capable of dual feeds.