nazz

If you have time between grilling and beer drinking ... check out the first shuttle launch ever on the Fourth of July which is being broadcast with extensive coverage in high definition on HDNET. The launch is scheduled for 2:38 PM EDT today.

'The rockets red glare.' I can't imagine more impressive fireworks for the holiday.

Achtung

Yeah its being shown right now... can't wait for the actual liftoff.

Derrich

The networks arent covering it in HD?

D

nazz

I'm not sure about the answer to that since I don't get HD OTA and I'm still waiting for Dish to activate the Indy HD locals. I doubt they'd be dedicating the hours to it that HDNET is however. Their coverage of this is very impressive as is their picture quality.

aktick

Ya know, when they show closeups of that thing, it is really quite ugly.

nazz

I was thinking the same thing. It looks like they picked it up cheap at a used shuttle lot. The tile repair patches look like something you wouldn't even want looking like that on your roof.

das Monkey

That was many kinds of kickass. I love all the different camera angles. And I love Mark Cuban.

das

nazz

That was no small accomplishment on Cuban's part considering how many units he tied up with all of the delays. Very cool!

I had some extra excitement when it started pouring and thundering here 90 seconds before launch. I was really afraid that the rain fade would take out my signal but my own little mission control here managed to go smoothly too.

das Monkey

Did you all stand up and shake hands after a successful viewing?

das

nazz

I was actually the only one here watching it but I did high five the dog.

Cartload

I was watching it on hdnet, but then realized I could run out on my porch, look south and see it for real. WAY COOL. It's the first launch since I've been a resident of Ormond Beach. No one else was outside and I must have looked like a complete maniac jumping up and down.

Judge Smails

Does HDNET have commentators talking during the actual launch? Don't have HD yet, and just once I want to be able to crank up the HT without someone talking over the rockets. C-SPAN had NASA's feed, and of course they were talking over it, after barely speaking before the launch.

cornflakeguy

See, the Men of the Square Table are right to want to abolish the high-five.

High-five'ing dogs after shuttle launches surely must not have been what the High-Five Forefathers had in mind when they invented the high-five.

TheGuy

Do you think they have a camera inside the shuttle, giving the POV of the pilot? I would have liked to have seen that! I can't imagine going 2500mph!! I guess if they do they don't show it to the public.

griz

My guess is all they see if blue sky for a while...then darkness?

How about a camera on the shuttle looking back to the Earth. That would be better.

Achtung

It was cool, although I wish there had been a timer and maybe a little more commentary beforehand. I kept having to switch to CNN to see how much time was left before the launch.

Overall really great though, and another perfect use of the capabilities of HD.

Quatermass

In case you're interested, ABC was the only network that carried it live and in OTA HD. They did it as a Special Report only for about 15 minutes in the middle of a soap opera. I was surprised they were the only OTA broadcaster that had it live after all the news and concerns the last few days.