Pool and HDTV

9BallPaul

9BallPaul

Banned
It's been nearly two years since I bought an HDTV, and not once have I seen a pool match broadcast in that format. Of all the sports I can think of, pool would seem to benefit more than any other from this technology.

I'm guessing that the expense of high-def cameras is the primary reason. Recently at the Derby City Open, I asked one of the technicians about this. He agreed that HDTV would vastly improve a pool broadcast, but was clueless about why nobody is doing this.

I mean, hey, they broadcast poker in HDTV. Poker!

On a related issue, I haven't seen a pool match on television in several months. I live in Denver, so maybe COMCAST is to blame. But what's going on?

9BP
 
With the better resolution and greater number of colors, they wouldn't have to use that stupid pink 4-Ball.
 
Hi-def isn't about the cameras, it's about the broadcast quality.

I think the going rate to take an hour-long show and save it off in HD format, from the original source, is about $10k. Seems like I saw that cited sometime recently (I just got my first HDTV myself a few weeks back).

Case in point - I caught an old '70s movie, "Raid on Rommel" in HD the other day. Surely they didn't have hi-def back then. :D

As far as pool programming goes - ESPN obviously has HD programming, but I doubt they (or the programming's creators) are interested in ponying up that extra few grand to HD-ify it. Maybe as such things drop in price, we'll start seeing it.
 
9BallPaul said:
It's been nearly two years since I bought an HDTV, and not once have I seen a pool match broadcast in that format. Of all the sports I can think of, pool would seem to benefit more than any other from this technology.

I'm guessing that the expense of high-def cameras is the primary reason. Recently at the Derby City Open, I asked one of the technicians about this. He agreed that HDTV would vastly improve a pool broadcast, but was clueless about why nobody is doing this.

I mean, hey, they broadcast poker in HDTV. Poker!

On a related issue, I haven't seen a pool match on television in several months. I live in Denver, so maybe COMCAST is to blame. But what's going on?

9BP
Click to expand...

My guess, it will be YEARS before you see pool in HD format unless the production company is not related to pool. In other words, if ESPN is producing it, you have a chance. If it's accu-stats, forget about it. I mean, it's expensive for the more popular sports that are extremely profitable. You can't justify it for a sport where its top competitors are making nothing. I mean, I'm willing to bet the biggest color issues have more to do with the type of film being used rather than the resolution. If they even used better color film, the pink 4-ball would probably not be necessary.
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
My guess, it will be YEARS before you see pool in HD format unless the production company is not related to pool. In other words, if ESPN is producing it, you have a chance. If it's accu-stats, forget about it. I mean, it's expensive for the more popular sports that are extremely profitable. You can't justify it for a sport where its top competitors are making nothing. I mean, I'm willing to bet the biggest color issues have more to do with the type of film being used rather than the resolution. If they even used better color film, the pink 4-ball would probably not be necessary.
Click to expand...
Uh, Jude, they don't use film for TV production. It's videotape. Film would be a movie. And the problem has to do with our current NTSC television system that is due to be retired in a few years. It's color reproduction has always been comparatively poor.

HDTV would greatly enhance the quality of a pool program. It's simply cost versus return. Right now, no chance, at least in the US.

Brian in VA
 
I suspect, in time, all programming (over-the-air, cable, satellite) will end up HD. It'll take another ten years at least. It'll get to the point that it's more cost-effective to do EVERYTHING in HD than to do HD/non-HD. It's like with photography - it actually costs more to deal with B&W film than color, and has for quite a while, because all the resources are on the color side of things.
 
i have seen pool on HD-espn. it was very neat. the table and balls were so clear and sharp. it was a huge step up.
 
Jude, don't you get the Mets' station, SNY? They had a deal last year with Billiard Club Network and showed some of the Derby City Ring Games in HD, along with U.S. Open matches. Not bad, though not exactly life-changing. For some reason (ratings???), they stopped the Derby City series after about two hour-long episodes of the 2005 10 Ball Ring Game. I've got it on DVR, often sit and watch Alex run his 4th and 5th racks that one of the sessions opens with.
 
"Hi-def isn't about the cameras"

you're very wrong Scott

although high def is often defined as a minimum of one million pixels, true high def means shot with high def cameras, anything else calling itself high def is just upconverted standard def, no pool event has yet to be shot in high def

and high def pro grade cameras are costly

i
 
Sigh. You're wrong, smashy. How else do you explain seeing films filmed with IMAX cameras (surely as hi-def as they go) on your normal TV? It's the BROADCAST that makes the difference as far as what you see on your TV.

You can film stuff with hi-def cameras and sample it down.
You can film stuff with normal cameras and sample it up.
It all depends on how the signal is pushed from origin to destination.

I'll grant you that yes, a program in HD filmed using a hi-def camera is BETTER than a program in HD filmed otherwise.
 
It is no different

than when they had interlaced pixels tubes vs. non-interlaced pixel tubes.

And BTW, when they have an i after like 1020i, that means the pixels are interlaced, and you are not getting 1020 true pixel resolution, more like 720.

And, I guess you guys have forgot that all TV Broadcasting has to be HD when the law is effective in February of 2009 (unless it gets pushed back more).
 
Snapshot9 said:
And, I guess you guys have forgot that all TV Broadcasting has to be HD when the law is effective in February of 2009 (unless it gets pushed back more).
Click to expand...

Not quite - it has to be DIGITAL (no more analog), but not necessarily HD.

There's already several companies that are selling digital-to-analog converter boxes, to use with existing TVs.
 
FORGET POOL IN HD, WHAT ABOUT PORN? ;)

Seriously I think in another 2 years we'll have it, its just a guess but Direct TV just installed a new satalight for me and the guy said that there will be an avalanch of HD hit the airwaves sooner than later. i hope pool is part of it, too bad we didnt have it for Mosconi's 526, or Steve Davis 147 break. and some other historical moments in our sport
 
I've seen pool on HDTV. I believe that challenge thing they had in Grand Central Station about a year and a half ago was in HD. The picture was AWESOME; you did NOT need the commentator to point out the balls for you; you could tell which ball was which immediately and with no problem.

HD is definitely the first step to more popular pool programming.
 
The following is from an article in Forbes that can be found here:
http://members.forbes.com/forbes/2007/0108/027.html

"Hockey and soccer gain popularity. Why? Large flat-panel televisions. Fast-moving goal sports are hard to follow on small TVs. The action turns compelling on 50-inch or larger high-definition LCD or plasma screens. If you're old enough, you remember how boring football was on TV before color and instant replay. With their advent the NFL's popularity exploded in the 1960s."

I strongly believe that if Pool was filmed and broadcast in true Hi Def, it could create much higher ratings and would make the game more popular.

When Snooker was first broadcast in Black and White, nobody watched it, when it went to color, it created a multi decade boom for the sport. I believe that Pool going to HD would experience something similar to what happened to Snooker.
 
There have been two pool shows that I personally know of, that have been shown on HD TV. The 2006 World Artistic Pool Championship at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles was televised by HD TV Network, a Mark Cuban company. I know because I did the commentary for the two 2 hour shows.

Last year INHD TV network televised "The Barbox Shootout" a reality show made from qualifiers and the finals of the U.S. Bar Table Championships in Reno. It was an eight week series of 30 minute shows.

Of course you must subscribe to these networks to get their programming. Both networks are available on cable systems across the U.S. and Canada. They are not available on satellite systems as yet. Most cable systems have a package called the HD group. Both of these networks are on there. They carry many sporting events.

I will say this. When you watch any pool show in high definition, the balls are much clearer and there is no need to change the four and seven balls to a new color. It is more like the clarity of a movie in a theater.
 
They are trying to develop a HD pocket cam.:eek:

It would be nice to see it in HD but first they have to show programs that are on a HD channel in HD. How many times have you watched a program on a HD channel that is not being broadcasted in HD? I was watching a basketball game on a HD channel. It started out in regular format, then someone threw the switch and it was in HD. Went to a commercial and then it went back to regular format.

How about turning on to watch your hometown team play and you see 2 other teams playing in nice HD but it is the wrong game. Then they finally trun to the game that is advertised and it in regular format.
 
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