I know this doesn’t really have to do with CBS’s crappy HD policy, but I just had to post it. I just sent CBS & CBS Sports this letter:

CBS Needs To Give Up On The 7:00 Hour On Sunday

Sincerely,
BlinkerGuy

If you’d also like to complain to CBS about this, go here & click on the Feedback link on the left hand side.

Last week I mentioned that I was ordering an Up-Converting DVD Player and it got here on Friday. I hooked it up yesterday, did the set up (which took all of 2 minutes) and then watched Miami Vice. I’m impressed.

It’s not HD like sporting events are & it’s not quite HD like regular TV shows are, but it’s a lot better than the regular DVD player that I have (which I now have to find a home for - lol)

One of the cool things that Samsung DVD-HD960 Up-Converting DVD Player lets you do is cycle between 480, 720 & 1080, which means you can see what it used to look like compared to what the player can do.

For $160, I highly recommend it.

I can’t believe I’m about to type this up, but I’m really rooting for Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary & Vancouver to make the NHL Playoffs. Why? Because that means I’ll get to watch some of the NHL Playoffs in HD on CBC via my antenna. (since I’m convinced that Versus HD doesn’t actually exist)

I even have a best case scenario:
Toronto & Montreal each actually make the playoffs (right now, they are both 1 point out) Hopefully, the Sabres are 1st, Toronto is 8th, Ottawa gets 4th or 5th & Montreal gets 6th or 7th. Buffalo would play Toronto and I get to see all the away games in HD since the CBC channel I pick up is out of Toronto. We beat Toronto and Ottawa & Montreal each win their series. With any luck, we’d play Montreal, beat them, have Ottawa win & then face Ottawa for the conference finals. Calgary or Vancouver (I could care less) make it to the finals. BINGO! All of the Buffalo games are in HD & we’d have beaten 4 Canadian teams

Even if that scenario didn’t play out (and odds are against me) it’d be nice to watch any of the playoffs games in HD on CBC, so GO CANADA!

Apparently, Versus has a High Def channel. How one goes about watching it is beyond me.

I have Time Warner Cable & they don’t carry it (but I have requested it)

I looked at DirectTV & Dish Network and neither of them have it.

So I decided to go to the source & ask. I’ve emailed Versus as well as called them (203-406-2500) but I’ve got no reply to either.

The NHL Playoffs are approaching really fast & without the Versus HD channel, I’m gonna be stuck watching most of the games in SD and after watching all of the games on INHD last year (Versus simulcast their games on the now defunct INHD2 channel last season) that’s really gonna suck.

I don’t think I’m ready to buy a High Def DVD player just yet. 1st off, the obvious problem is which one to buy. The 2nd problem is the cost (everyone knows that DVD players were really pricey when they 1st came out)

But I was in the doctors office today reading an old Popular Mechanics and on their Christmas 2006 Wish List, they had a small review of the Samsung DVD-HD960 Up-Converting DVD Player which allows you to play regular DVD’s on your HDTV at near HD quality. And since my DVD player is about 8 or 9 years old and this one is only $160, I decided to order one today. Stay tuned for the review.

I wrote this email to Time Warner late Saturday night (3/10) after being rather pissed off at not being able to watch the Sabres game in HD:

• Subject: Sabres/Devils Game Not Shown On HDNet 770

  Why was the Sabres/Devils game not shown on HDNet channel 770 this evening?

  I have a feeling that I know the answer: blackout rules. If that’s the case, I can live with it. But could you please not have it in the guide as being on the HD channel?

  It’s bad enough that 99% of the HD hockey I get watch is on channel 5.1 off my antenna, but to basically tease that a Sabres game will be on in HD is not necessary.

I got my reply back today:

• Thank you for using Time Warner Cable Online Customer Support.

  I am sorry for HDNet showing the Sabres game would be offered on this channel. We, as Time Warner, can’t make a network change the information that unfortunately shows on our guide. The issue is if MSG is broadcasting the game they have exclusive rights to the game, which disallows HDNet to broadcast. However, if Versus has the right to the game they may allow HDNet to broadcast. I understand it’s frustrating, and all I can suggest is that if you know the game will be on MSG it won’t be broadcasted on HDNet.

  Thank you,
  Time Warner Cable Customer Support

My reply:

• Thanks for writing me back.

  You’re saying that Time Warner can’t manually edit their own guide? Doesn’t that seem kinda silly.

  And I think you’re confusing HDNet with INHD2 (the now defunct channel) as Versus used to show their games on INHD2 (HDNet’s NHL contract is separate)

  Put in the good word for me & request that Time Warner get the Versus HD channel before the NHL Playoffs start

So not only can’t Time Warner edit what’s on their own guide, they also have personal working for them that confuse HDNet with INHD as this is the 2nd person I’ve spoken to via email that didn’t know the difference.

I’m not saying that the reps should know what’s on every channel, but they don’t have to make guesses.

I’m pretty much stuck with Time Warner Cable. We used to have Adelphia, but I think everyone knows what happened to them I was sorta happy when I found out that Time Warner was taking over for Adelphia, as I have a friend in the Syracuse area and I was jealous of all the programming & HD channels he had.

Of course, my joy went away very quickly as soon as the NFL Network was dropped.

My recent complaints to them have been the lack of HD NHL games. We don’t get the Versus network in HD. Last year was great, as Versus simulcast the Playoff games in the now defunct INHD2 channel. This year, the only HD NHL games I’ll get to see are the few that NBC decides to give us as well as games involving Canadian teams that I can watch on CBC via my antenna.

If you have Time Warner, you’ll remember all their football commercials from last year as they tried to convince people that they really didn’t need the NFL Network. These commercials also focused on the HD games they were broadcasting (which was insane, since they did not have the Fox HD channel at the time) Time Warner needs to step up and back hockey the same way they want everyone to believe they back football.

If you have Time Warner, go here & put in your zip code. The click the Customer Service links & email them. Tell them that you want to watch the NHL Playoffs in HD & that they should get the Versus HD channel in their lineup ASAP.

I hate NBC Sports as far as their NHL & Olympic coverage goes. If I had this blog up last year, you’d have seen copies of the many emails I sent to NBC Sports about their lack of HD Hockey coverage as well as their lack of live HD Olympic events. In 2004 when the Olympics were in Greece, their HD channel was pretty much 24/7 HD Olympic programming. The SD feed was the usual daytime crap with a couple of hours of the Olympics at night. For whatever reason, they didn’t do that in 2006.

I’m also really upset at their lackluster attitude towards the NHL. They are the only major network (Versus is not a major network IMHO) that broadcasts NHL games. Supposedly they are all supposed to be in HD (all 9 regular season games - how’s that for a commitment to a sport?) but for whatever reason, the March 4th game I saw was in SD. The reason?:
NBC made a late decision not to air the Philadelphia/Pittsburgh game in high definition. We did not receive notification of the change until Friday evening. The Dallas/Detroit game, which was advertised as well over the past weeks, did air in high definition in other parts of the country. I apologize for the confusion and hope you will continue to watch our programming in the future

Who’s on this Sunday you ask? No one. I have no idea why they’re taking this Sunday off from showing NHL games, but my bet is that it’s golf.

And, while this has nothing to do with HD programing, I love how the show airing locally before the Sunday games is an infomercial, while the hosts plug their 30 minute online pregame show. Someone has to remind NBC that not everyone has a TV sitting next to their computers.

At least their NFL Games are in HD

I like HDNet as well as HDMovies. They do show a handful of NHL games throughout the year as well as some other sporting events (soccer looks amazing in HD) I’m hoping that they will be able to broadcast some of the 2007 NHL Playoffs, but I have a feeling that’s not gonna happen anytime soon.

I hate CBS. Since I follow the Bills, I’m pretty much forced to watch at least 8 games a year on CBS. I think 1-1/2 of them were in HD last year. How is 1/2 a game in HD you ask? The Bills were getting their asses handed to them by the Bears, so CBS decided to change the national feed to another game. That left us watching the 2nd half of the game in SD.

In Nov 2005 I wrote this letter to the local CBS affiliate (I’ve written many to CBS Sports, but I’ve never gotten a reply)

Subject: Show the HD NFL games!

Way to go! I just turned on Fox & will enjoy the Dolphins & Falcons in HD with my antenna.

This is the reply I got back:
As you may be aware, we are at the mercy of CBS. We only air what they give us. We are hopeful all CBS games will be in HD next year.

Regards,
John
Director of Engineering and Operations
WIVB-TV/WNLO-TV

I’m sorry to say that 2006 was the same. I think they only have 3 HD camera crews, which doesn’t work that well if you broadcast 5-7 NFL games each week.

My fingers are crossed that CBS will get all their NFL games in HD for the 2007 season (and you know I’ll be complaining if they don’t)

If you want to complain to CBS about this (and have your complaint fall on deaf ears) then please go here:
http://www.sportsline.com/help/contactus/usersspeak