2005 Masters with 42 high definition cameras

[Skaggs]

AUGUSTA NATIONAL GOLF CLUB AND CBS SPORTS TO PRESENT 18-HOLE COVERAGE OF 2005 MASTERS IN HDTV WITH LARGEST HIGH DEFINITION GOLF PRODUCTION

For the third year, the standard analog and HDTV productions of the 2005 Mastersâ Tournament will be unified and will provide 18-hole coverage in HDTV's highest definition format with 5.1 Channel Surround Sound.

In the largest HDTV golf production, CBS Sports will utilize 42 high definition cameras and 10 hand-held 16x9 standard definition cameras. The unified productions will be produced in HDTV's highest definition format, 1080i, and downconverted for the CBS Television Network's analog broadcast. This production technique also produces a better quality analog picture. Whether watching in widescreen HD or traditional 4x3 analog, viewers will hear the same golf announcers and see the same camera angles, replays and graphics.

The 2000 Masters was the first golf tournament ever presented live in HDTV on network television. The 2003 Masters marked the first time that the standard and HDTV productions of the Tournament were unified.

CBS Sports will broadcast the 2005 Masters on the CBS Television HD Network on Thursday, April 7 and Friday, April 8 (4:00-7:00 PM, ET, each day) and Saturday, April 9 (3:30-7:00 PM, ET) and Sunday, April 10 (2:30-7:00 PM, ET) live from Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. The third and final rounds of the Masters will be broadcast simultaneously in standard definition by CBS Sports on the analog CBS Television Network.

Beginning in 1993 the Masters experimented with HDTV on a limited basis to discover how the new system could improve the presentation of the tournament to the television audience. The 2005 Masters broadcast will be presented in the highest form of HDTV with 1080 lines of resolution and over two million picture elements which makes it six times sharper than standard definition television.

One hundred and eighty-one of CBS's owned and affiliated stations are currently broadcasting in digital, covering approximately 97 percent of the nation.

From CBS Sportsline

[Skaggs]

Here's the HD coverage schedule in an easier to read format:

Thursday, April 7 (4:00-7:00 PM, ET)
Friday, April 8 (4:00-7:00 PM, ET)
Saturday, April 9 (3:30-7:00 PM, ET)
Sunday, April 10 (2:30-7:00 PM, ET)

[Skaggs]

From The Masters website:

Thursday, April 7
4:00 - 7:00 pm, Live Coverage, USA Network
8:00 - 11:00 pm, Replay of the first day telecast, USA Network
11:30 - 11:45 pm, Highlights Show, CBS-TV

Friday, April 8
4:00 - 7:00 pm, Live Coverage, USA Network
8:00 - 11:00 pm, Replay of the second day telecast, USA Network
11:30 - 11:45 pm, Highlights Show, CBS-TV

Saturday, April 9
3:30 - 7:00 pm, Live Coverage, CBS-TV

Sunday, April 102:30 - 7:00 pm, Live Coverage, CBS-TV

[dkennedy]

Prep for Masters On Discovery HD Theater (tm)

Golf Escapes High Definition marathon prequel to Masters Tournament final round.

Press Release from Discovery HD Theater

(Silver Spring, MD) -- While Phil, Tiger, Ernie and Vijay warm up and shoot for the Green Jacket in Augusta, Discovery HD Theater (tm) viewers will do a little golf warming up of their own at home. Prior to the final round of the Masters Tournament on Sunday, April 10, the all-high definition cable network will offer viewers a six-hour marathon of the entire first season of GOLF ESCAPES, one of the network's signature programs. This is the first time all 12 episodes will run back-to-back on Discovery HD Theater.

Beginning at 9 am (ET), viewers will be treated to a high definition tour of the United States' best golf courses, from the lush links of Georgia and Texas in the deep South, to the historical beauty of Colonial Williamsburg's Golden Horseshoe Club, to the beaches, sunsets and even golf on The Big Island of Hawaii. Episode descriptions follow.

* Colorado Springs (Ep. 1): Experience golf at four resorts in the Centennial State: The Broadmoor's three challenging courses at the foot of the Cheyenne Mountain; the Cheyenne Mountain Resort Country Club of Colorado, designed around the 35-acre spring-fed Curr Reservoir; The Lodge of the Four Seasons; and The Ridge at Castle Pines North, Colorado's premiere upscale public course.

* Deep South (Ep. 2) See Southern hospitality in action and tour some of the top courses including Hyatt Hill Country in San Antonio, the Robert Trent Jones Trail Preview in Alabama and The Gardens at Callaway in Georgia.

* Big Island Golf (Ep. 3): Golf on The Big Island of Hawaii is a magnificent melding of emerald grass, black lava, and deep blue of sky and ocean. The signature courses of the Big Island are clustered along the Kohala Coast and feature some of the best golf facilities in the world. Included are the "Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows" and the courses of the "Mauna Lani."

* Hawaii: Mauna Kea Resort (Ep. 4): The Mauna Kea Resort on The Big Island of Hawaii is a destination of unparalleled dimension. Two outstanding hotels, the most dreamed of beaches in Hawaii, and incredible sunsets await your escape to paradise. But golf is the signature sport at Mauna Kea Resort and you'll delight at the designs of Robert Trent Jones, Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay as we pay tribute to The Prince of Golf on Hawaii's Big Island.

* Nevada: Lake Las Vegas Resort (Ep. 5): Lake Las Vegas Resort brings together championship golf courses, world-class hotels, luxury residences, and impeccable services, all centered on a private 320 acres lake in the Nevada desert. Escape from the hustle and bustle of the Las Vegas strip to this Mediterranean themed village with cobblestone streets, waterfront cafes and restaurants and white sand beaches.

* Golden Horseshoe Golf Club: Colonial Williamsburg (Ep. 6): All three courses are cut from, and through, rugged Virginia hardwood forest and ravines. The Spotswood Course opened in 1963 and is named for Colonial Governor Alexander Spotswood. Also opened in 1963, Robert Trent Jones called the Gold Course his "finest design". The Green Course, designed by Rees Jones, opened in 1991 and completes the first father-son tandem of side-by-side layouts.

* The Bear Trace (Ep 7): As one of the most naturally beautiful states in the southeast, Tennessee now boasts a classic collection of Jack Nicklaus designed golf courses. Follow our cameras to The Bear Trace, as we tour just how Nicklaus has succeeded in providing courses that the average golfer can play while enjoying scenic settings, good course conditioning and a challenge equal to the best private resort courses.

* A Salute to Pete Dye (Ep. 8) Pete Dye is one of the most influential golf course designers in the history of golf. His challenging designs around the world have brought him international acclaim and are enjoyed by recreational golfers and professionals alike. Escape with us as we enjoy the old and the new of golf course architect Pete Dye.

* Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort (Ep. 9): Sandestin where the car stays parked and your imagination runs wild. It's a morning of solitude on a sugar-sand beach. It's a textbook two-iron on one of four championship golf courses. It is southern charm, grace and style on your Golf Escape to Florida.

* Private Courses You Can Play (Ep 10): We'll sneak on to some of the most private golf courses in America. First stop South Shore at Lake Las Vegas where celebrities hang out by the handfuls. Next visit a private masterpiece designed by Jack Nicklaus in Missouri, Porta Chima, on the Lake of the Ozarks. Also visit the private courses of Reynolds Plantation in Georgia.

* Golf Trails of the South (Ep 11): The back roads of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama dish up huge helpings of championship golf. These three states wrote the book on state-supported Golf Trails. They hired golf course architects Robert Trent Jones, Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus to blaze the "Golf Trails of the South".

* Favorite Escapes (Ep 12): Tour our favorite Golf Escapes, from the most elegant to the most unusual these destinations will keep you coming back year after year for great golf and great memories.