NCAA Hoops & CH 58

[Sparkman87]

I have read where last year ch 58 multicast all the feeds of the NCAA tournament on the digital channel. Any word yet yet if they have plans to do so?

Also, if Jim Hall happens to see this I wonder if he would answer questions about waivers for CBS-HD on D*. I have a neighbor who has D* and can't get them to activate CBS-HD withoout the waiver because we are grabe B signal for ch 58 here (Waukegan). He has no OTA antenna and no capability to get ch 58 and would like the waiver. Has had no luck as of yet. Will ch 58 grant the waiver?

[wjennings]

In the EPG on CBS-58's OTA signal, they list the blank channels as NCAA2, NCAA3, etc.

[JimHall]

Sports Fans:

Yes, we will once again be broadcasting all of the games in the first couple of rounds of NCAA Basketball Tournament. The primary game will be on CBS-58 analog and our digital channel will be showing all the remaining games. All of Time Warner Cable in S.E. Wisconsin and Charter Cable in Washington & Dodge counties will also be carrying our multicasts on cable channels 581, 582, 583, & 584. During the multicasts, our HDTV channel will be dark.

Additionally, after the Selection Show, we are once again offering everyone to play our Tournament Challange at www.cbs58.com

As far as DirecTV waivers are concern, we are attempting to work through a solution that is fair to all.

Jim Hall
General Manager
WDJT-TV & DT
WMLW
WYTU

[Tom Snyder]

Jim:

I'm not an NCAA fan at all, so excuse my myopia. :)

But if the HDTV channel will be dark during those times, the questions here are:

What will TWC be broadcasting on 505 at those times? Will there be any NCAA simulcast at a time that regular CBS primetime shows would normally be on?

Also...If CBS is showing an HDTV game, at the same time there are other games going on, will the HDTV game be blacked out in lieu of the other multicasted games?

[Mrtanner]

Mr. Hall,

Thank you for all you've done in HD and your accessibility to this group. I ask you to (re)consider the flat statement that there will be no HD in favor of multicasting in one situation.

I agree multicasting is the way to go when there are four comparable games on. However, don't you think there will be more interest in the Badgers in HD than in games involving teams such as Vermont, Princeton, East Tennessee State, Eastern Washington, etc going on at the same time?

I urge you to reserve judgement on the HD vs. Multicast decision in the event the Badgers get assigned to play in the HD region and more than 95% of your customers want the same game.

It would be very frustrating for to have an HD set, HD cable box, get a local team in the HD region, and still have to watch in SD because there are five people in SE Wisconsin who would rather watch LA-Lafayette than the Badgers.

Thank You

[agrundman]

So you're telling me that during the biggest sporting events in the country, CBS 58 is not going to broadcast the HD CBS feeds. This has to be the most ridiculous decision I've heard; not to mention the 2nd consecutive year that you've done this. Why the hell is CBS even broadcasting HD games during the tournament if you're not going to air it. You could have two games on simultaneously by showing one game on the analog channel and the other on the HD feed (unless of course Wisconsin is one of those games). The percentage of people that can receive HD coverage has to be greater than the percentage of people that get the OTA simulcast (just guessing).

I am very irritated by this decision! This tournament is one of the very reasons I got an HD TV last year.

Thanks CBS 58 for screwing the HD TV owners again!

[gb4fan92]

I am very irritated by this decision!
Thanks CBS 58 for screwing the HD TV owners again! :bang: :bang:


I too voice my displeasure!!

[Sparkman87]

Well it doesn't look like too many games of local interest in the HD region (St Louis). But I would think that even if ch 58 would not broadcast the HD game OTA it should pass the HD feed through to the digital cable.

I am kind of lost about the Directv comment. I don't think that you should do anything that isn't fair, but that didn't really answer my question. If someone isn't able to receive a signal from ch 58 in any way, wouldn't it be fair to sign off on the waiver to allow them to get the CBS-HD feed from Directv?

I am going to try to get the signal Thursday & Friday by turning the antenna. Will have to run a signal search again when I do because right now ch 1 is set to Weigel's Chicago station and I'm afaid that that would stop the box from receiving ch 58.

[agrundman]

Originally posted by Sparkman87
But I would think that even if ch 58 would not broadcast the HD game OTA it should pass the HD feed through to the digital cable.


I wish this were true; last year Channel 505 was blank during the CBS HD games. I only wish I could somehow communicate my frustration to someone who cares about the HD transmission at CBS. I'd be surprised if CBS would be pleased that they go through cost and effort of producing HD games, while their local affiliate chooses not to show it. Keep in mind that the majority of the rest of the country will get to see the HD games.

Someone should communicate to the folks at American/Best Buy, etc. that you should be sure and tell prospective HDTV customers that our local affiliate won't bother to show the HD broadcasts of the NCAA tournament until the Final 4.

[Sparkman87]

Originally posted by agrundman
I wish this were true; last year Channel 505 was blank during the CBS HD games. I only wish I could somehow communicate my frustration to someone who cares about the HD transmission at CBS. I'd be surprised if CBS would be pleased that they go through cost and effort of producing HD games, while their local affiliate chooses not to show it. Keep in mind that the majority of the rest of the country will get to see the HD games.

Someone should communicate to the folks at American/Best Buy, etc. that you should be sure and tell prospective HDTV customers that our local affiliate won't bother to show the HD broadcasts of the NCAA tournament until the Final 4.

Why would they wait until the Final 4? The Regional final games won't be muticast and the Sweet 16 games will only have one other game at a time on. They surely should be able to show the HD feed of those.

[oz]

Originally posted by agrundman
Someone should communicate to the folks at American/Best Buy, etc. that you should be sure and tell prospective HDTV customers that our local affiliate won't bother to show the HD broadcasts of the NCAA tournament until the Final 4.

I doubt any sales person would tell a prospective customer this. Take a look at the ads in the Sunday paper. Every TV they show is displaying a basketball game on the screen.

[Sparkman87]

I guess it is possible to have the multicasting show all the games in SD and have the HD signal available on Digital Cable, they are doing it in Raliegh. See this:

Oh, to be back home in Raleigh..

http://www.wral.com/news/2916410/detail.html

WRAL-TV, WRAL Digital To Air Entire NCAA Tournament
Watch All 63 Games!

POSTED: 6:53 p.m. EST March 11, 2004
UPDATED: 11:30 a.m. EST March 12, 2004

RALEIGH, N.C. -- For the fourth year in a row, college basketball fans will be able to watch any one of the 63 NCAA basketball tournament games on WRAL-TV5 and WRAL Digital.

The two local stations will take advantage of digital television capabilities to broadcast up to 16 tournament games per day.

ACC fans can also catch post-game press conferences for games involving ACC teams on the WRAL NewsChannel. This multichannel NCAA coverage begins at noon on March 18 and continues throughout the tournament.

WRAL-TV5 will broadcast the primary game of local interest, while WRAL Digital will use its multiple-channel capabilities to carry the remaining games taking place at any given time.

Basketball fans can watch these additional games for free over the air on WRAL Digital channels 5.1, 5.3 and 5.4.

Viewers with digital cable can watch the games on Time Warner Digital Cable channels 257, 258 and 259 or Cox Digital Cable channels 701, 703 and 704.

Digital television technology makes multichannel broadcasting possible, allowing up to four standard definition channels to be transmitted simultaneously on the digital station. While multicasting, WRAL Digital will be unable to broadcast in high definition.

Early round tournament games available in high definition can be seen on Time Warner Digital Cable channel 255.

[gb4fan92]

Originally posted by Sparkman87
While multicasting, WRAL Digital will be unable to broadcast in high definition.

Early round tournament games available in high definition can be seen on Time Warner Digital Cable channel 255.

How about it TWC and TV58!!! Are we in for the same treatment??
If not all the games I'm most concerned about dropping the HD broadcast (oh please don't) in favor of multicasting. Looks like you can do BOTH!!!

[gb4fan92]

I see that channels 581, 582, 583, 584 have been added to TWC for the NCAA tournament!!! Will 505 be HD????::bow:

[agrundman]

I sure hope that we can still get the HD coverage. It is encouraging that the multi-cast will at least be carried by TWC this year. I don't believe it was last year.

[Mrtanner]

The bandwidth for the multicast comes from not using it for HD. Four SD or one HD - you don't get both.

[agrundman]

Originally posted by Mrtanner
The bandwidth for the multicast comes from not using it for HD. Four SD or one HD - you don't get both.

Well apparently they do in Raleigh.

[Sparkman87]

Originally posted by agrundman
Well apparently they do in Raleigh.

Raleigh is only getting SD on the multicast, no OTA HD. It looks like from that article that they are passing on the HD feed to Time Warner there, but not putting it OTA. Unless you have a local team in HD (like we do in Chicago with UIC), I would think that they have found a pretty good solution in Raleigh.

[JimHall]

Dear DTV Viewers;

In regards to the question on how WRAL may be showing both multicast games and HD NCAA games on cable, (I am not sure they really are doing both per the article, seemed a little vague) but not over-the-air, is likely due to the fact that they may have a fiber feed from the station to the cable operator and the cable operator is allowing the station additional bandwidth beyond the 19.2 stream.

For our station and TWC, at this time we are working towards a fiber feed in the future that may allow for such an event to occur if practical, but it will not be completed by the time the NCAA telecasts begin this year.

Jim Hall
General Manager
WDJT
WMLW
WYTU

[agrundman]

Thanks for the information, Jim. The ability to watch any game on TWC will certainly be nice. Hopefully, next year we can get the best of both worlds with the multi-cast and HD coverage.

Keep up the good work CBS.

[sp44again]

FYI

If you sign up for the March Madness package on Directv you get 8 games this weekend in HD!

[gb4fan92]

So then what is the HD NCAA Tournament schedule for TWC??

[Sparkman87]

Originally posted by gb4fan92
So then what is the HD NCAA Tournament schedule for TWC??

It sounds to me like NONE.

[agrotto]

I think once the "simultaneous" games are done (Elite 8)??? Then we will return to HD content as offered by CBS.

[Sparkman87]

Just tried turning the antenna and can't get CBS 58, no sinal on digital ch 46.

FYI - here's what Milwaukee I can get.
4,10,12,18,24,36,& 55. All seemed to come in pretty well.

I do get CBS NY & LA on DISH, I'll get a good variety of the games, plus will get the HD games from Chicago tomorrow.

[summerfun]

TWC is already broadcasting the ch 58 multicast channels on 581,582,583,584. They are currently running NCAA playoff trivia questions and game schedules.

[tbarney]

What is the schedule for the 581-584 channels on TWC? I just looked at them now (6:51pm central) and they are all black. I know that there are multiple games on right now.... am I not getting the channels, or is CBS just not multicasting right now?

[summerfun]

Originally posted by tbarney
What is the schedule for the 581-584 channels on TWC? I just looked at them now (6:51pm central) and they are all black. I know that there are multiple games on right now.... am I not getting the channels, or is CBS just not multicasting right now?

They were on the air and playing games on my system.