Where are the HD commercials?
I know, I know. "Who wants to watch commercials?" you're asking. We're with you on that, but they're a fact of TV life. However, if you paid big bucks for that glorious looking HDTV and you're watching HD content, why do the commercials have to be in standard definition? If we have to watch the commercials, at least let us see them in HD. The Wall Street Journal looked into this question and the answer is simple: cost. HD video and Dolby Digital audio can add tens of thousands of dollars to production costs.
During one hour of the weekly NASCAR race in HD, there were 21 commercials. Out of that total, none of them were shown in HD. I'm more apt to be a couch potato during the commercials if they were in high definition. How about you? Do you think HD commercials equate to more sales value?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
monolithfoo @ Jun 27th 2005 7:20PM
I'm with you man. At least have HD commercials... I might actually watch a few instead of ff through them.
Gene Cowan @ Aug 1st 2005 8:20PM
Not if they have to run the same ad over and over -- during the Athens Olympics on NBC's HD channel, a single Sony ad (in HD, at least) ran during each commercial break. The ONLY ad to run during the HD broadcasts. Over and over and over and over... even Sony apologized for this. I'm sure it didn't help their sales too much.
When advertisers switch to HD, let's hope they give us some variety rather than saving money by showing only one ad... ad nauseum.