Skip to Content

Get the latest Age of Conan news and views at Massively!
AOL Tech

Posts with tag football

Inside the NFL switching to HD on Showtime

by Richard Lawler, posted Jul 7th 2008 at 9:09AM

For years, we've wondered why Inside the NFL, with its sweet NFL Films footage and in depth coverage of one of the best sports to watch in high definition, was stuck in SD; but the show's move to Showtime has remedied that. TV Week reveals the upcoming season will be produced for your HDTV, the only proper format considering we get the games live in HD and daily highlights on ESPN-HD, why should a weekly magazine show be any different? If you miss an episode Wednesday night at 9 p.m. (starting September 10), expect plenty of opportunities to see it again with about 10 replays per week, hosted by Cris Collinsworth, Phil Simms and James Brown plus a series of guest hosts. Thanks Showtime, for letting HBO know how things should be done -- seriously, Bill Maher going HD first should have been a crime.

Mississippi State plans biggest HD scoreboard in the SEC this fall

by Richard Lawler, posted Jul 6th 2008 at 1:38PM


Mississippi State can be proud of more than reigning SEC Coach of the Year Sylvester Croom, with a biggest-in-the-SEC (but not as big as Texas) $6.1 million HD video board under construction for its debut October 2008. Nestled in the south end zone of Scott Field the total board measures 152 feet wide x 135.5 feet tall, with a main high definition screen of 111 feet by 47 feet. Packing the usual LED technology, it can split up to show multiple displays and stats as we expect from our scoreboards, and has size that compares nicely with HDTV displays on the way in Minnesota and Arizona. Congratulations Bulldogs, you've got a team able to compete in a tough conference, and now some stadium amenities that are able to measure up as well.

[Via Busted Coverage]

University of Hawaii games stay SD, for now

by Richard Lawler, posted Jul 5th 2008 at 2:22AM

Warrior football fans will need to watch their next QB to put up incredible college numbers and proceed to a career as practice squad NFL QB in standard def for the next season or two. Local station KFVE/KHNL just doesn't see it being feasible to put its PPV University of Hawaii games in HD yet (although the local cable channel on Oceanic already shows high school games in HD). The good news (we guess) is that HD is on the way, someday, unfortunately the cost of the necessary new facilities -- despite the Hula Bowl managing to go HD -- has put it on the back burner at the moment.

All live 2008 NCAA Football games on ABC / ESPN networks to air in HD

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 10th 2008 at 5:51PM


Not that we're trying to rush the summer away or anything, but August can't get here soon enough. Shortly after hearing that CBS would be producing every single NFL game in high-definition, in flies word that all live 2008 NCAA College Football games shown on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN U will also be available in glorious HD. Granted, there's a shot you won't even have those four networks in HD before the season begins, but at least your local watering hole will. For a look at the current schedule (which is far from complete), check out the goods in the read link. Rest assured, we'll be geared up for the network opener (August 28, 8:00PM on ESPN HD) as NC State shows South Carolina how it's done down at Williams-Brice Stadium.

Portugal Telecom / ZON expands their HD offerings in Portugal

by Darren Murph, posted May 30th 2008 at 1:40PM


Good news, Portugal. Two of the nation's most prominent DTH providers have just upped their respective antes, so we'll dig right into the former. PT's Meo service already features National Geographic HD, and as of just a few days ago, Eurosport HD. Now, however, the carrier will be offering up TVI to its IPTV / satellite customers in order to broadcast Euro 2008 to its customers. Oddly enough, we're told the addition of TVI (in HD / SD) will be only for Euro 2008, though it should become a regular part of the lineup in 2009. Moving on to ZON, it's planning to launch Mov HD and National Geographic HD on June 1st, and just to make sure Euro 2008 is shown in HD, it'll add Sport TV HD here shortly. In September, you can look forward to seeing Cine 1/2/3/4 in HD, and it's expected that these four could end up on PT's Meo service as well.

[Thanks, Orlando]

Read - Portugal Telecom expansion
Read - ZON expansion [PDF]

Eurosport HD launches right on time

by Darren Murph, posted May 26th 2008 at 12:06PM


Right on cue, Eurosport HD has gone live. The high-definition sports network is currently airing in Poland on Cyfra+, Cyfrowy Polsat and N, Sweden on Com Hem and Denmark on YouSee. It's also slated to show up soon on a smattering of other European cable / satellite providers, though no specifics have been detailed just yet. Hit up the gallery to see a couple of comparison shots between the SD and HD variants -- looks good from here!

[Thanks, Arsenal and AreKK]

Eagles Television Network goes all HD for the 2008 season

by Richard Lawler, posted May 17th 2008 at 12:37AM

Eagles fans, we can't guarantee you'll return to the top of the NFC East this season, but we can say you'll enjoy an Eagles Television Network lineup produced entirely in HD. Owner Jeffrey Lurie's film production experience (and we're sure an overpriced stadium beer or two) is apparently to thank for the transition, facilitated by some forward thinking during a recent master control upgrade, and new cameras from Panasonic. Unfortunately, the monitors in the stadium will still be standard def only, with no chance of an upgrade before 2009 at the earliest, but with Philly's history, odds are we can expect them before another sports championship in the city (though the Flyers may have something to say about that).

ESPN makes known Euro 2008 broadcast schedule

by Darren Murph, posted May 10th 2008 at 2:17AM


For folks across the pond, catching all 31 UEFA Euro 2008 matches in high-def shouldn't be an issue, and thanks to ESPN / ABC, doing so here in the US won't be either -- well, almost. The network(s) have just released their broadcast schedules for Euro 2008, which is schedule to start on June 7th (ESPN Classic) and conclude on June 29th (ABC HD). Out of the 31 total tilts, 26 of 'em will be readily available on either ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD or ABC HD, and all but the two ABC matchups will also be available via ESPN360. Who says there's no good football in June?

[Via EPL Talk]

NFL Network coming to IP-PRIME IPTV

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 26th 2008 at 3:18PM

IPTV providers relying on SES Americom's IP-PRIME service could soon have some excellent news for their customers, as the aforementioned firm has just landed a deal with NFL Network. Just days after announcing that it was bringing HD service to a solid dozen telcos, the outfit is now able to bring NFL Network to its customers. Interestingly, the release doesn't specifically mention carrying SD and / or HD feeds, but hopefully the latter will indeed be made available. It is noted that the station is now accessible by all IP-PRIME operators throughout the US, but each operator will still have to sign "individual carriage deals with NFL Network in order to offer the channel to their subscribers." Oh, goodie.

Season 3 of Friday Night Lights to air on DirecTV's The 101 first, NBC second

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 2nd 2008 at 7:31PM


It's not atypical to see shows ink exclusive deals with carriers every now and then, but this one's pretty bizarre. Apparently the third season of Friday Night Lights has been green-lit for production, but in an effort to "spread production costs while rekindling a series," all 13 new episodes will air first on DirecTV. In other words, by the time all non-DTV subscribers see S3 in early 2009, customers of the aforesaid sat provider will have already experienced the baker's dozen. Filming is slated to resume sometime this summer, and DTV users will have access to the new season on October 1st on The 101; sometime after the Super Bowl (in 2009), it'll broadcast on NBC. Weird, huh?

[Via Chicago Tribune, image courtesy of PopTheology]

NFL still clamping down on churches for illegal Super Bowl parties

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 3rd 2008 at 12:03PM


Restaurant and bar owners, fret not, you're free to broadcast tonight's matchup between the Giants and Patriots on a screen larger than life, but for churches, movie theaters, casinos and the like, throwing that Super Bowl XLII party is likely a no-no. After a well publicized tilt last year between the league and Fall Creek Baptist Church in Indianapolis, it seems that Goodell and company aren't backing down from the 55-inch image restriction nor the stipulation that the big game cannot be used to "promote a message." According to a recent article at The Wall Street Journal, many venues are renaming the event, scaling it back or simply not having a single large gathering in order to stay within the guidelines. One more reason to just blow it out at your place, we guess.

[Image courtesy of ChristianPost]

SuddenLink adds FOX HD to Longview, Texas lineup just in time

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 1st 2008 at 4:10PM

NFL fans calling Lufkin, Nacogdoches or a surrounding locale home may be thrilled to know that SuddenLink and the Longview, Texas FOX affiliate (KFXK) have finally decided to put their differences aside and shake hands. Merely days before Super Bowl XLII kicks off from nearby Arizona, the station has apparently landed an agreement with SuddenLink (cash very likely involved, by the way) that will enable the cable company's subscribers to finally receive FOX in HD on channel 705. Better still, these very customers will also be able to tune into Fox Sports Network HD on channel 750 if they decide to plunk down $7.95 per month for the SuddenLink HD Plus package. According to Gene Regan, director of corporate communications at SuddenLink, the firm still plans on juicing up its lineup with additional high-def options in the near future, but unfortunately for Austin-area folks, there's still no end in sight to the drama keeping NBC HD off of your EPG.

Super Bowl XLII to be beamed to naval ships in Pacific Ocean

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 1st 2008 at 2:20PM


We already knew that pigskin fanatics in 223 countries would be able to catch Super Bowl XLII this Sunday, but thanks to Raytheon's Global Broadcasting Service (GBS), even sailors and Marines stationed aboard ships in the Pacific Ocean will be able to catch the Giants attempt to mar the Patriots' currently unblemished record. The aforementioned technology has been in use for over a decade delivering "high-speed, multimedia broadcasts of mission critical information to military and government decision makers," but this weekend, it'll be used to bring home entertainment to folks far, far away from home. Sadly, it doesn't sound like the broadcast will be in HD this go 'round, but we suppose any football is better than none at all, right?

[Via DailyWireless, image courtesy of ProJo]

How to host the Super Bowl bash they'll all remember

by Darren Murph, posted Jan 30th 2008 at 5:00PM


Still haven't had your fill of Super Bowl talk? Good. Head on over to Engadget Classic and take a peek at the complete rundown of what you'll need to host the Super Bowl XLII party that'll have the entire neighborhood begging for more. Just remember: never touch another individual's remote without prior permission, got it?

[Image courtesy of Crutchfield]

How to get geared up for Super Bowl XLII

by Darren Murph, posted Jan 30th 2008 at 10:16AM


Yeah, you've seen an awful lot of Super Bowl XLII talk 'round these parts over the past few days, but considering that it's probably the biggest sporting spectacle in all of America, we suppose it makes sense to get everything absolutely perfect for gameday. Sound & Vision has an interesting writeup that details the dos and don'ts for throwing a shindig that will leave guests in awe, and while having the right equipment most certainly plays a part, using that DVR judiciously and ensuring that seating is setup so that all guests can view the screen satisfactorily also makes a huge difference. Hit up the read link below for the rundown -- you can never be too thorough, right?

[Image courtesy of NY Times]




Weblogs, Inc. Network

AOL News

Other Weblogs Inc. Network blogs you might be interested in:

Joystiq
Download Squad
The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)
BloggingStocks
Xbox 360 Fanboy
Autoblog
Big Download Blog
AOL Sports Blog