2009 MLB All-Star Game on FOXHD

The brain trust over at Fox never ceases to amaze me.

I'm not watching the game, as I could care less. But...

There are three types of satellite feeds for this game. One is obviously the network feed to the affiliates. While I'm not ruling out that the primary route from St. Louis to LA isn't fiber, there is a sat feed from StL to LA. And lastly there is an international HD feed.

I have to assume that Fox is the primary provider of the international feed. Would be strange if they weren't.

What is amazing is that the international HD feed is FTA, i.e., not encrypted. No, I'm not going to say where. Why is that amazing? The feed from StL to LA, is encrypted. Not only that, it is using Trellis gear, which casual BUDheads do not have (Trellis licensing is extremely expensive). Why bother to even encrypt the Fox network front haul if the international feed isn't, among others?

Closing the rear barn doors isn't going to keep the animals from escaping if the front barn doors are wide open.

As Homer would say... D'Oh!

Wow; sounds like the Prez was getting booed.

Obama got booed for wearing a Sox jacket.
Also, he threw a changeup you can believe in.

Ok...the serious part:
Major League Baseball International produces the world feed separate from the Fox feed.

You could go to a short-season single A game in Lower Backwater County Swampsville and a politician throwing out the first ball is going to get booed.
What's your point?

If he wore a Cardinals jacket they all would have been cheers. Cards fans don't fool around, but I'm glad he wore the jacket of the team he roots for.

I guess my point is, I've never been to a baseball game with a politician....

ok what's the deal with the video? I'm getting some shots where it has a strobe or stutter to it. Anybody else? Seeing it mostly on the main Center Field cam. I was seeing the same effect/defect during last Sat. Angel/Yankee game.

Charter Cable Long Beach

I was in Wrigley for three games this past weekend, and I can vouch for that !!

Anyone else notice a very slight audio echo where almost every ball hit sounds like a broken bat? I only notice it on FOX HD games...

The center field cam must be messed up because its jittery when the pitcher delivers the pitch for me too.

Not seeing any problems here ... watching FOX Detroit via Shaw Direct (formerly Star Choice). Beautiful crisp clean stable picture from all cameras. No sound issues either.

Quickly checked FOX Boston via Bell TV ... see no problems there either.

60" Pioneer Pro-141FD

Wow, this is one of the best looking MLB game i've ever seen on FOX. Looks great on my new TV (LN40B640 in case you were wondering )

Watching OTA on WACH57 in Lexington, SC

I'm not sure if I can provide a complete answer ... but I'll try as I am able to receive the HD feed (720p) from FOX's Buffalo affiliate WUTV, as well as the international HD feed (720p but seems fuzzier) from Canada's Rogers Sportsnet.

The international feed is not the Fox feed. It has different graphics, choice of camera angles and announcers. The chrome key ad banner behind home plate also features a different set of sponsors from Fox's. The lead camera shot from center field appears much darker compared to Fox. And obviously the international feed did not have access to President Obama during the second inning. The Fox broadcast has a 7-second delay, while the international feed is really live.

update: upon closer inspection..... the international feed is 16:9 SD in Canada (doesn't mean it originates in that resolution). The lead announcer is Gary Thorne.

Yeah, can't complain about the pic quality, looks very nice on my display, wonderful colors. Surround sound is robust here and there. I'm just still getting that stutter movement effect on the main cam.

By the way, all the main providers in this area of Canada (Bell TV satellite, Shaw Direct satellite, Shaw Cable) have FOX HD East (Detroit and Boston or Buffalo) and West (Seattle) ... so we see the original HD feed.

By the way, Bell TV usually simsubs sports broadcasts with TSN HD, TSN2 HD, Sportsnet HD. This often results in an inferior HD signal that is not much better than widescreen SD. They are not simsubbing FOX HD this evening. The difference was very clear during Wimbledon comparing Shaw Direct (that never simsubs) with Bell TV (who simsubbed).

Definitely one of the best looking FOX presentations I've seen in a while, reminds me of a few of those BCS games the first year. I want to say the image is less saturated overall than ESPN's Home Run Derby, which seemed kinda loud to me.

Whomever thought the Taco Bell commercial was a good idea should be chained to a chair in a dark room and forced to watch it in an endless loop for the rest of their lives.

It seemed to on forever, as is.

speaking of commercials, that baseball commercial with the little babies is classic! The dad turning the Cardinals baby away from the Cubs baby! Awesome! So funny!

Glad to know the stuttering issue isn't just happening for me.

I thought I had finally found an "HD quality" picture on my new Cox Cable (Northern VA) HD service and then I saw the stutter.

I really miss DirecTV but I'm glad it seems that this particular problem isn't just a Cox issue.

I definitely don't think it was because they had any ill feelings towards the White Sox, because during the player introductions they practically cheered for Mark Buehrle as loudly as they did any of the non-Cardinal NL players.

If anything, they probably love the Sox for winning the season series from the Cubs this year.

They did boo Obama b/c he had on a Sox jacket. Mark Buehrle is from St. Charles MO so they cheered him.

OK - so that would definitely explain the Buehrle part.

It looked much more crisp and clear than the usual Fox MLB Game of the Week.

Nice, Fox. Nice.

Having recently moved to St Louis from Kansas City and Dallas, I can definitely vouch for this. Politics be damned - don't disgrace their stadium with the likes of anything from Chicago.

PQ on the local Fox affiliate (KTVI) was very good - No major complaints.

They also booed the lone Chicago Cubs player introduced, so it all fits (the Chicago vs. St. Louis thing).

maybe it was because missouri in prez vote basically voted 50-50 for obama and bush. sounded like half cheers and half boos to me. don't remeber who won the overall vote in missouri, but it has been a red state.

I doubt many politicians would get resounding cheers at a sporting event. You have to remember that not nearly the entire crowd is from MO either so concluding based on their election results is somewhat naiive.