[opendtv] Bottom Feeders

From: "Craig Birkmaier" <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> ("brewmastercraig")
To: OpenDTV Mail List <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2024 09:06:10 -0500

CBS Goes All-In On HDR, AR For Super Bowl tvnewscheck.com

For many decades now, the audience for FOTA Broadcast TV has been disparaged as “the bottom feeders,” unable to afford to pay for their TV fixes. I guess I was a bottom feeder Sunday night, as I had to use an antenna to watch the Super Bowl.
As one of the few remaining services that still relies upon interlace (1080i) to serve its viewers, CBS figured out how to make the best of the situation. Turns out that for major events, the broadcast networks abandoned our HDTV standard many years ago - at a minimum they use 1080P as the mastering format to generate multiple levels of service for the range of distribution options available today.
The article referenced above tells us:

For the first time, the broadcast network is producing the game, as well as pregame, halftime and postgame show, in the 1080p HDR (high dynamic range) format, which it will stream on Paramount+, CBS.com and the CBS Sports apps (CBS will also provide a 1080p feed to the NFL+ mobile platform).

CBS will upconvert the 1080p HDR feed to 4K HDR for distribution among select pay TV operators, and downconvert it to 1080i SDR (standard dynamic range) for its traditional broadcast distribution. Fox has taken a similar technical approach to supplying 1080p HDR, 4K HDR and 720p SDR feeds for its last two Super Bowls, in 2021 and 2023.

So it appears that the broadcast industry is capable of producing content that would take full advantage of the capabilities of ATSC 3.0. But one must question why they would waste their time on the bottom feeders when the mainstream audience has shown they are willing to pay a premium for higher quality content.
And by that I mean both higher technical quality and better programming. As I noted recently, Football dominated the highest rated broadcasts for the past year.
Perhaps there is an opportunity here for sports bars to offer the higher quality versions of sporting events using HDR technology. Mike Tsinberg may have some thoughts on this as Key Digital may have the technology to enable this capability…
RegardsCraig

[opendtv] Bottom Feeders

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