News
Update: The Times and Transcript reports on October 20 that CBC
has fixed the problem and is now able to transmit a high-def
feed.
Canadian Hockey Fans Deked Out of
High-Def
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (October 19,
2011) -- Some hockey fans in
Canada are hopping mad at Rogers Cable and the CBC network. Why?
They haven't been able to watch Hockey Night in Canada in
High-Definition.
If you're a U.S. resident or just a non-hockey fan, that may not
seem like a big deal to you, particularly if you're also
informed that the games have been available in
standard-definition. But to Canadian hockey fans, Hockey Night
in Canada is the U.S. equivalent of Monday Night Football. You
don't miss it -- and you don't want to watch it in anything but
High-Definition.
The problem, writes The Times & Transcript newspaper, is that
the CBC suddenly lost its HD signal a few months ago in the
Atlantic Canada region when Canada ordered broadcasters to
switch from analog to digital signals. Rogers Cable says it
believes the switch is why the CBC is having trouble
transmitting a high-def feed.
The newspaper says the CBC has been unavailable for comment, but
Rogers spokeswoman Patricia Trott says: "We've gotten some
complaints; we hear from our customers."
During the pre-season and season broadcasts of Hockey Night, The
Times and Transcript says Rogers viewers have been forced to
watch a standard-definition picture in a square shape on the
screen with black vertical bars on each side of the image.
Until the CBC can fix the problem, Rogers is trying a workaround
to show the games on a different channel so they will be in
high-def.
By the way, for you U.S. hosers, Hockey Night in Canada is
traditionally Saturday night, And Atlantic Canada consists
of the four provinces on the Canadian Atlantic coast.
