How do the networks show a TV show in both SD & HD, especially a live broadcast? I mean, in a football game for example, if you switch back & forth between HD & SD, it's the same picture (camera angles). Is the SD 'dummied down' from an HD feed? Some SD shows really look like shit, but when you switch to the same HD program it looks amazing.

Another thing...HD movies on HBO( & other channels). We'll use the Star Wars movies for example. If these movies aren't out in HD yet, how are they, and channels like TNT, showing them in HD? When I first got my HDTV, iRobot was on 'OnDemand'. I was totally blown away by how clear it was. It really looked awesome. This was in September 0f 2005, and the movie still isn't out yet on disc...why? They obviously have the HD version of the film, why not release it? How do cable channels have HD releases when they aren't readily available to the public? You'd figure a studio would want to sell a movie before showing it on TV, much like regular DVD releases.

Thanks for the read.

~S2

I'm guessing it's much easier for the studios to sell rights to show these movies as opposed to making the discs. IIRC some HD DVDs and BDs sold in the hundreds. It doesn't take a Doctor of Mathematicianness to figure out that those discs probably cost more than $10,000 to create, produce, ship, etc.

Meanwhile, I imagine film rights for a movie like I, Robot are in the tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands. The studios can make a quick buck while they wait for the disc market to arrive.

For all intents and purposes, studios are fighting for tiny crumbs right now.

I think TV networks shoot the show on HD, and then broadcast them. The SD is being downconverted before broadcasted.

About the HD movies, since movies shot on film have higher resolution than HD, they can remaster the movie digitally in HD even if they didn't intend to put it on Blu Ray or HD DVD and use it exclusively for HD broadcast.

I don't think TV stations get film.

Yes, this is usually done at the local station after the network has sent a live HD feed out to all its locals. It doesn't take much to downconvert on the fly, every HD tuner is capable of it, too. I usually find SD from HD in this manner excellent (I mean, nothing compared to the HD, but close to DVD), it's surprising you find some of them shit. Maybe that particular station is screwing it up, or the path it takes to get to you through cable/sat or something.

It's usually sports, especially football. I'd compare it to an old VHS tape from the 80's. There were a few games on this past season that weren't broadcast in HD and I, who LIVES for football, couldn't watch it.

I think The Bus is right about the production costs vs. profits due to licensing the films. HD masters used for TV were already done for DVD as well as television, so at that point all is needed for the networks is to get the rights to show them.

Plus, as we know and loathe when it comes to music rights for TV shows, the rights for what can be shown on TV can be very different from what can be produced as discs. I remember a post years ago complaining about he couldn't get Grease on DVD due to legal clearances, but TBS could show it any time they wanted, time-compressed, panned and scanned, edited for content, and with commercial breaks.

Also, marketing plays a big role, as the studios like to wait for tie-in opportunities to maximize sales. With HD in particular, they're waiting for the market to develop to release the more popular titles so they can do a big promotional push and sell a lot more copies.

Only some of the games are in HD. CBS can only do 3 per week tops, Fox 6. That leaves about 4-7 games every week not in HD.

Those extra ones are HD at the stadium, I believe, but immediately after that are not since the networks don't have the infrastructure to get that many HD signals flying around the country, not even from the onsite trucks to the network home.

Every year CBS promises more, and every year they can manage exactly 3. I just received my NFL ST info and it indicates once again CBS lied through their teeth. 3 games/week for 2007, from what it said.