Milwaukeehockey.com

Hockey in Hi Def

November 28, 2007

I've gotten dangerously jealous at my brother in the last week. He bought himself a Sony Bravia 32" LCD HDTV and upgraded his cable box to get the hi-def package from Time Warner. Thanksgiving was spent watching hockey, football, and just about anything else we could dial up in HD. Not only did I drive home stuffed from a big meal, I came home pleasantly numbed from that awesome TV viewing session. Best Thanksgiving Ever.

I had a strong urge to go shopping for an HDTV on Black Friday, with a bigger screen of course. As brothers, we have always been competitive, and this will be no exception. If I'm going to do it, I'm getting at least a 40" model. But after sleeping on it, I came to the realization that it's not quite in my budget, so the experience will have to wait awhile.

Yes, I have seen hi-def television a few times in the last few years. Mostly at sports bars. Usually just football or baseball. But until last week, I have never enjoyed a hockey game in glorious HD.

Hockey was made for watching in wide screen HD. The super crisp video makes the puck come alive. I could write a few more paragraphs trying to describe how many more details you can see in HD, but it would not do the experience justice. The wide screen format is also a big plus, as you see more action behind the play. When the puck is deep in the zone, you can still see what's happening in front of the benches.

As expected, Time Warner's HD lineup is anemic. 19 channels, most of them duplicates of what is already available in standard-definition (over-the-air channels, ESPN, ESPN2). Over time, that number will surely grow. Unfortunately, the NHL Centre Ice package and the Versus channel are not yet available in HD from Time Warner.

Hockey fans can see two games each week on the HDNET channel. Former Chicago Wolves radio/TV guy Judd Sirott does the play-by-play along with former NHL goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck. On Thanksgiving, HDNET featured the Predators hosting the Red Wings, in a game that Nashville came from behind to win 3-2.

Sirott did a decent job, although at times he seemed biased towards Detroit. He seemed especially surprised at the shot-blocking abilities of Greg Zanon, which made me question why he didn't remember that from the dozens of games Zanon played against Chicago from 2003-2006.

Vanbiesbrouck also did well, making several notable observations. I was surprised to see him working for HDNET, as he was driven away from the sport after using a racial slur on Trevor Daley (now with Dallas), when coaching him in juniors four years ago.

How many years before the Admirals TV outlet, Time Warner Sports, is available in HD? 3? 5? 15? I will wait patiently, making sure not to hold my breath.

posted by Todd # 5:50 PM

Comments:

sounds like you're getting a serious boner over HD.

# posted by

Anonymous : December 15, 2007 12:41 PM

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