2008 Summer Olympics Trials - On NBC HD, USA HD, Universal HD (replays) - Page 2

end of a tunnel? That's not what you want to hear about your show. The analog is derived from the hd in NYC. So it sounds like a local issue.

Wendel via iPhone in Eugene.

The wireless HD handheld that NBC is using poolside looks particularly bad, with tons of blocking.

I'll vouch for the other end of the truck... looked and sounded good leaving.

Thanks for replying. I thought it might be a local issue with the digital, but I thought I would ask.

Sorry to hear you're still seeing this with WNBC-DT via FIOS. Thought I recall you having similar artifacts while on Cablevision earlier.

But, as mentioned some time earlier, we're not getting such blocking with NYC's TWC--at least at my location from Manhattan's southern head-end. Watched the golf Open and snippets of the Olympic trials from NBC over the weekend and didn't see motion blocking at all.

Eagerly awaiting FIOS to arrive here to get, from what I read, crisper SD/HD and a wider HD selection. But wouldn't want to switch providers and acquire artifact problems.

NYC's TWC may have 'dumbed down' higher resolutions enough, to ~1300 lines maximum effective horizontal resolution (on HDNet's test pattern at least), to avoid the breakups you might expect from MPEG-2 overburdened with motion and, ah, "excessive" detail. Perhaps both Cablevision and FIOS are using OTA WNBC-DT pickups, suffering from NBC's multicasting, while TWC is still using a direct fiber link to NBC that seems to bypass blocking artifacts. NBC's national distribution problems have been often outlined here. -- John

Too bad you missed what many consider the highlight of HD Olympic broadcasting:
Sony's "Todd" ads! again and again and again...

(I'm guessin' NBC's not giving away many HD spots this time around)

Most of the stuff I've seen on NBC has looked great, especially the Track and Field Trials.

My jaw is still on the floor after that 9.68 (wind aided of course) run by Tyson Gay...wow.

For those interested in the Olympic swimming trials, USA HD coverage is on tonight.

For those interested in seeing what NBC with no subchannels would be like, that too can be seen.

The Swimming trials look good on USA-HD via Comcast[the 5.1 mix isn't quite as good imho.....reminds me of ESPN's faux 5.1]

Exactly, Ken. Looked and sounded much better on USAHD last night compared to NBC. Very minimal macroblocking, if any.

Is anyone else finding the audio of the Track and Field trials broadcasts on Universal HD on DirecTV to be totally unacceptable? For several days, the audio has been out of synch with the picture, which doesn't matter until they show an announcer or an interview, but yesterday (Wed) the audio fluctuated in volume for the entire hour-long broadcast. Did others experience this?

-Jason

hmmm....good leaving Eugene

WS

That's interesting because the truck was dark yesterday (WED.) except for editing. There was no broadcast out of Eugene. The other days as SNFMixer noted there were no issues leaving here.

Its a big downer he's out of the 200 meter run now, after pulling a hamstring.
Still macroblocking on TW in SoCal, and its a local issue that has sadly been going on and on.

It really takes the luster off of buying a HDTV for people if they are getting poor quality HD. I've been raising hell (politely) as much as I can with TW executives here in SoCal, and I'm still waiting.

I think NBC and USA did a superb job at handling the USA Trials this year. Lots of great moments were witnessed.

Dara Torres qualifying at 41 in two individual events. Wow.
The 800 meter final was one of THE BEST races i've ever witnessed. I don't know anyone who couldn't enjoy that race.
Jordan Hasay, 16 year-old girl, qualifying for the 1500M final. Setting an American High School Record in the process.
Tyson Gay runs the fastest 100M in any conditions, ever recorded. Wow. 9.68. Wow
Allyson Felix is just hot. Same with Lolo Jones

On NYC's TWC is looks like the additional SD digital subchannel from NBC has been dropped, leaving only NBC Plus, the weather subchannel. The other SD subchannel carried news and other features; not sure if it went out nationally along with NBC+. EDIT: Correction, looks like there's still a NBC4.4 on cable but it's been renamed UniSprt and carries Olympics-related programing (for now, I guess) .

Easy to see how two subchannels might cause motion artifacts on the main 1080i HD channel (coupled with reduced-bit-rate national distribution), but wonder if this news/feature (edit: see above) subchannel is still around locally OTA--or nationally? Can't get OTA at my location, and a NYC-OTA-forum search doesn't reveal much. -- John

Watching swimming trials from Omaha on UHD this afternoon (Pacific time)...

Screen clutter compounded: NBC multi-color opaque peacock in upper-left 4:3 corner, large reasonably transparent UniversalHD logo in lower-right 16:9 corner, various timing graphic objects (showing records) appearing and disappearing at various locations in the lower half of the 4:3 area.

Adding to the irritation is the UNBELIEVABLY LOUD AUDIO on UHD!! My digital SPL meter shows -9db to -3db, and even louder when the crowd gets going and EVEN LOUDER for commercials! In contrast, NBC-HD is the lowest audio of all the networks, usually -27db to -15db on my meter for primetime shows (even lower for golf and tennis).

Compensating (as one must) with Volume control is annoying, especially when changing channels.