Low definition tennis for Seven
Why isn't the Australian Open being broadcast in high definition, please?
- Published by David Knox
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Seven’s broadcast of the 2009 Australian Open kicks off tomorrow. Two whole weeks of almost wall to wall tennis,
If you’re a die-hard sports fan its a veritable feast, and it conveniently allows Seven to promote its key shows for February.
And as a fan you are probably looking forward to seeing the broadcast in all its glory. But you won’t see much difference in the quality of sound and vision on 7HD over Seven’s standard channel.
Seven won’t be broadcasting the tennis in high-definition.
No, in 2009 it will again be broadcast in SD on both its channels.
This is a disappointing decision by Seven.
Nine broadcasts its cricket in high definition on 9HD and TEN does likewise for the AFL on TEN HD.
While networks are trying to impress us with promises of Freeview and goading us to upgrade to digital HD television, Seven continues a go-slow on offering contemporary vision.
No doubt one of the reasons behind this is the fact that the revenue is driven by Seven’s SD channel. Offering a more appealing broadcast on 7HD doesn’t add-up when it ratings (and revenue) are not supplied.
ABC2 (which is digital but not high-def) is the only FTA network outside out traditional 5 FTA channels included in OzTAM ratings.
OzTAM is jointly owned by Seven, Nine and TEN.
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46 Responses
This is an unbelivable decision when it is being filmed in HD. ESPN and the Tennis Channel in America are showing it in all in HD so they must filiming in HD.
If they really want to broadcast alternative programming how about getting that extra channel set up that they are promising us.
Wankers.
this is a joke! Massive tennis fan here, with a massive hd tv which will for another year look like shite whilst watching the tennis! so annoying!
My opinion is: Digital take up would have been faster is the drive behind it was more channel choice rather than the promise of exactly the same channels but in slightly higher definition.
Think back to your old 4:3 tube TV days. Did you ever set your VHS machine to record a sport event to watch it at a later time? Well, did you enjoy it less because of the lower definition?
People watch YouTube! It’s not about the level of definition which, after the Wow impact, is quickly forgotten. It’s about programming choice, in my opinion.
Another inferior sporting telecast by Seven. Surprise, surprise. Thank goodness they have no Olympics or Commonwealth Games in the near future!
Yeah, it’s bad. Surprised other networks around the world hasn’t forced Seven to show it in HD. Man, they are slow
who cares. We still see the f**** game don’t we
Our government and networks really have an amateurish outlook when it comes to digital TV. Look at the UK where the public and commercial networks there have all embraced multi-channelling under their Freeview banner. Even NZ has a more progressive setup than here.
Here, our networks are showing a complete lack of interest in multi-channelling except for Ten although their new sports channel is essentially going to rob any viewers of being able to watch their normal shows in HD. Seven has an HD channel which they are not going even going to utilise for their showcase sporting event of the summer, and not any word at all as to their new SD channel.
And Nine isn’t much better. Not surprising given that a chunk of the flow of viewers from FTA is going to their partners at Foxtel, so what do they care?
ABC and SBS are left begging for funding to allow more digital channels.
And the government isn’t even giving community TV a mere foot in the digital door.
So when will OzTAM starting counting HD channels so this whole mess can end?
they are nto showing in hd because. they are going to flog to death there brilliant hd package, just like they did with tivo and it probably isnt a brilliant package like tivo. 7 should be banned from covering all sports in australia. briz 31 would do a better job at covering sports than channelm 7 do
in November 2007, seven had released an official article that said that the Open tennis would not be HD in 2008, but would be in 2009. I guess they must’ve gone back on their word.
Also just to correct something already mentioned, oztam has been separately reporting the HD Channels since late November 2008.
7 treating viewers with contempt. Hardly surprising.
The reason their not airing it in HD is coz at night time, they will only be airing 2 hours of the tennis on 7HD, as opposed to the SD channel airing the tennis from 7:30-12:30. There’s gonna be unique programming from 9:30pm on 7HD.
It is a pity that it isn’t in HD, but I think that is another of their reasons.
“You really need to see a ball being smacked over a net in HD?? Seriously”
If you saw HD sport on a good set-up you would see that it can look fantastic. And clearly superior to SD.
The AFL Grand Final was on 7HD so they can do it, though I think the OBs are done by private companies.
Yep, we all need to watch overpaid, under talanted people who cannot get a real job in the world bash a little ball over a net in HD.
I’d rather wath grass grow in HD, would be much more exciting.
But, maybe people really want to see those women/girls in skimpy outfits in HD, that I can understand 🙂
You really need to see a ball being smacked over a net in HD?? Seriously…….
AFL and cricket in HD! not if you’re watching SC10 in the regionals, meanwhile SC10 broadcasts 9am with David and Kim and House in HD. Obviously not HD sports fans. LOL.
am i imagining things or was this promised to be in HD? and also those HD ratings were supposed to start in november, much like southern cross ten delivering 10HD, promises in tv land aren’t worth a dime.
Sloppy, sloppy, work! The signal isn’t broadcast in ‘analogue’ it’s actually a digital signal only in standard definition, not high definition. Come on TVTonight!
So not only will it be in SD again, there’ll be exactly the same content on 7 and 7HD, not even different matches or something? Wow…
Seven really should be banned from sports broadcasting, they screw it up every single time.
Give us grunts and umpires calls in 5.1 surround sound…
They really need to start using the HD channel! so far its useless. The australian open would of been a great start.
If Seven was rebroadcasting the ananlouge signal on 7HD, the 7HD broadcast would be 4:3. It’s not, it’s 16:9, which means that they are rebroadcasting their wide screen digital SD signal as HD.
I think you mean 7 is transmitting in digital Standard Definition, not analogue.
This is stupid, they have HD just sitting there with 1080 waiting but it will be the SD signal we see, so much for FreeView.
Speaking of the ‘crystal clear pictures’ all falls to crap with the slightest bit of bad weather, which is common this time of year on the east coast! Last night 7 was unwatchable at times with pictures and sound break up on what is normally good reception here.