No Syracuse University sports games in HD -for now

[Skaggs]

From a June 1st article in Multichannel News:

Time Warner Cable said in late June it will begin delivering its own locally produced, exclusive programming -- its 24-hour local news channel News 10 Now and Time Warner Cable Sports network -- in the high-definition format.

The word "format" at the end is the key word.

I asked a TWC Technical Manager if the locally produced Syracuse University basketball, football, and lacrosse games on TW Sports will be shown in HD here in Albany. His reply:

Unfortunately as far as I know, they won't be passing locally produced games in HD thru Albany....

I will follow up on them with it though.. I can tell you that the locally produced games by TW26 in Syracuse, will be shooting the games in 16x9 SD and up converting for the HD Channel in Syracuse Territory...

[Skaggs]

Exchanged emails with my contact at YNN today.

Tonight's Syracuse University Men's Basketball exhibition against Kutztown at 7PM on TW3 will be produced in 16x9 SD and upconverted. The game is sent via fiber from the production truck to Master Control in Rochester, where it is distributed to TWC Divisions in NY.

He was unsure if channel 1803 would have the entire screen filled with a 16x9 picture or it would be letterboxed all the way around. He was hopeful the picture would fill a 16x9 HDTV screen.

Channel 3 will show the game letterboxed.

They do not have an HD truck or production equipment.

I'd take 16x9 SD instead of any kind of letterboxing. The picture quality on channel 3 has been horrible in the past.

[Skaggs]

They are letterboxing a 16x9 picture!

[MasterFX1]

Nov 2, 2010 18:24:38 GMT -5 Skaggs said:

They are letterboxing a 16x9 picture!

Wow, that's unforgivably lazy on TWC's part.

My guess is they are simply (and inexpensively) running the SD feed into the HD Channel's switcher and adding those pillar-bar graphics. If that's the case, using your TV's zoom function would likely yield the same results as if the cable company did it for you.