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HD's killer app?

Aug 1, 2006 12:00 PM, BY CRAIG BIRKMAIER

Resolution realities

Somewhere out there a bunch of marketing and PR types are scratching their heads, trying to figure out how to convince us that we need to replace all of those boxes that play shiny DVDs with new HD boxes that play shiny DVDs. Good luck!

For decades, Hollywood types have been telling us that they are the real deal when it comes to sharp pictures on big screens. They sneer at what the television types are calling HD, claiming that they need 4K × 2K to faithfully reproduce what cinematographers have been capturing on film for decades.

What they don't tell us is that cinematographers will go to tremendous lengths to avoid capturing too much resolution. There's much more to the film look than the sometimes inadequate 24fps acquisition rate. Prime lenses keep only the content they want us to see in focus. Filters soften the look of images.

In short, movies (and television sitcoms and dramas) are not about resolution. This and the fact that the original source was captured as progressive frames are the main reasons that standard-definition DVDs look so good on an HD-capable display. The major benefit of the move to HD broadcasts of prime-time network programming has been the widescreen format, which moviegoers have enjoyed for decades.

But sports in HD is a whole new ballgame. You can actually see what's happening when the director sits on a wide shot. The instant replays have incredible detail, especially when the cameras are running in 720p mode. But most important, HD coverage of sporting events is the primary driver in the rapid growth in sales of HDTV displays.

The motivation for viewers to take the HD plunge may be the result of a neighbor inviting friends over to watch a game in HD; it may be the result of dad killing time in the electronics department while mom and the kids shop for new school clothes; or it may be the number of sports bars that are upgrading their displays to HD.

HD for the love of the game

According to a news release from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), November and December 2005 factory-to-dealer sales of DTV products hit 2.3 million, marking a 35 percent increase over November and December 2004 sales. The CEA attributed this to the desire of sports enthusiasts to watch HDTV broadcasts of college bowl games and the Super Bowl. Overall, total DTV sales for 2005 reached more than 12 million units and $17 billion in revenue, an increase of 60 percent compared to year-end 2004. High-definition products comprised 85 percent of total sales.

Apparently, the Super Bowl and March Madness have helped to sustain the momentum. The CEA reported in May that sales of digital televisions grew more than 100 percent during the first quarter of 2006. CEA president Gary Shapiro noted that more than 35 million DTV units have been sold since market introduction in 1998.

HD coverage of sporting events is proliferating thanks to national cable networks, including ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD, HDNet and InHD, and a large number of regional sports networks that are beginning to cover events in HD. And the major broadcast TV networks are covering most of their premiere sporting events in HD. To get a flavor of what is available, take a look at the HDSportsGuide.com. (See “Web links.”)

Now that there is a constant supply of content, HD is transforming your local sports bars as well. ESPN Zone, the sports bar and amusement centers found in eight cities across the country, recently completed a multimillion-dollar overhaul of all its TV screens, replacing them with high-definition monitors.

What's behind this dramatic growth in coverage of sporting events in HD? It's gone mobile.

The U.S. fleet of mobile production units is undergoing a transformation of its own. Statistics supplied by the Sports Video Group indicate that 25 percent of the units used to cover sporting events are now fully converted to originate in HD. Based on a recent study of the 164 trucks now being used to cover sporting (and other) events, 41 can originate in HD. At least 10 new HD trucks will be on the road this year, and many standard-definition units are going back for an HD makeover.

Look out, Hollywood. HD movies might have been a nice starter, but HD sports is becoming the main course.

Craig Birkmaier is a technology consultant at Pcube Labs, and he hosts and moderates the OpenDTV forum.

Send questions and comments to: craig.birkmaier@penton.com