He was convinced even after reading an article by TVPredictions.com that directly quoted an ESPN spokesman as saying the broadcast was not in high-def.
"This article (is) not true! I watched the coverage in HD today. The HD picture quality is the same as usual," "Al" said in a posting at the TVPredictions.com Readers Forum message board.
But "Al" is just one of many high-def owners this week who have been fooled into thinking that the ESPN2 HD Wimbledon broadcast is in HD. And it's not surprising that they would think that.
ESPN2 HD has decided to air a standard definition feed of the tennis tournament in 16 x 9 widescreen, the usual picture ratio for a HD broadcast. While the widescreen picture looks better than a cropped 4 x 3 image, the standard definition signal still lacks the clarity and sharpness of a high-def broadcast.
But "Al" and other high-def owners are finding it hard to accept that a widescreen picture on a HDTV channel (ESPN 2 HD) isn't in HD.
"I'm watching Wimbledon on ESPN2 HD right now, and it's in clear HD," said "Jessica," another poster at the TV Predictions message board.
Is Maria Sharapova in high-def or standard-def?
It didn't help, either, that ESPN and some online programming guides listed the broadcast as being in high-def. "That's just wrong," said Dave Nagle, the ESPN spokesman.
The mistaken belief that a broadcast is in high-def when it's not is understandable and commonplace, particularly considering that a network will frequently say it broadcasts in high-def although some of its programs are not.
ESPN2 HD airs many sporting events in high-def, but decided not to invest the time and money to broadcast Wimbledon in HD. (NBC, which will broadcast later round Wimbledon action, has also decided not to go high-def with the event.)
But for viewers not familiar with the industry or the technological aspects of high-def, it's easy to assume that it's all in HD.
For instance, conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh recently incorrectly informed his listeners that a Good Morning America segment on Hillary Clinton on ABC was in high-def. GMA's studio segments are broadcast in high-def, but the Clinton segment, which was filmed in Iowa, aired in standard definition.
So, folks, trust us. the 2007 Wimbledon tournament is not in high-def -- on ESPN2 HD or NBC. We swear.
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Phillip Swann is
president and publisher of TVPredictions.com. He has been quoted in
dozens of publications and broadcast outlets, including CNN, Fox
News, Inside Edition, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The
Chicago Tribune, The Financial Times, The Associated Press and The
Hollywood Reporter. He can be reached at
swann@tvpredictions.com
or at 703-505-3064.
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