# Universal HD Olympic coverage a Joke?



## LUNASDUDE (Feb 2, 2006)

Ok seriously someone tell me where the real Universal HD Olympic coverage is?
I checked the UNI HD channel schedule http://universalhd.com/Schedule/
And YOU have got to be kidding?! 
It's all Hockey and looks like only Hockey???? 
There is nothing else listed at all??? 
We had to watch the Opening ceremony on our local NBC HD channel which was not bad (NBC did a decent job) but nothing on UNI HD? What is the point then of there so called "Olympic coverage?"


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## Laverne (Feb 17, 2005)

Well, it may be a joke, but I think it would fall under an _HDTV Programming_ joke, rather than a _Dish Network High Definition Discussion_ joke. 

Someone explain to me how Charlie could have had more control over the programming content than we do. It was NBC's choice, not Charlie's.


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## LUNASDUDE (Feb 2, 2006)

Laverne said:


> Well, it may be a joke, but I think it would fall under an _HDTV Programming_ joke, rather than a _Dish Network High Definition Discussion_ joke.
> 
> Someone explain to me how Charlie could have had more control over the programming content than we do. It was NBC's choice, not Charlie's.


You may be right about the place for this thread.
And I was not blaming Charlie for the program content, but so much of a BIG deal was made out of the fact that UNIVERSAL HD WAS GOING TO HAVE OLIMPIC COVERAGE! that I expected a little bit more than Hockey? And only Hockey?:dozey: 
Maybe if Dish had of checked with NBC a little closer and asked what they had in mind for coverage we could have saved a lot of hot air!
But Dish is trying to be nice and give us what they can.
I guess im pissed at NBC for dropping the ball so badly!
NBC made a big deal out of the fact that "this is the first time any network has brought you the Olympics in HD and Dolby 5.1 surround sound" that I thought they would have supported the UNI HD feed with the same type of effort, instead of there complete failure.
BTW if you watched the opening ceremonies last night on OTA HD NBC the picture was beautiful on the 10min of coverage sandwiched between the 15min commercial blocks turning what was a 1hour show in to 3hours!:soapbox:


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## Greg L (Feb 3, 2006)

LUNASDUDE said:


> You may be right about the place for this thread.
> BTW if you watched the opening ceremonies last night on OTA HD NBC the picture was beautiful on the 10min of coverage sandwiched between the 15min commercial blocks turning what was a 1hour show in to 3hours!:soapbox:


Now that is where that DVR would have come in handy. You caoul have satrted it a couple of hours late and finished about the same time!


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## LUNASDUDE (Feb 2, 2006)

Greg L said:


> Now that is where that DVR would have come in handy. You caoul have satrted it a couple of hours late and finished about the same time!


:lol: yeah if I had a Dish #622 maybe!


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## Hound (Mar 20, 2005)

It appeals to a very narrow market. But I have three daughters who play ice hockey
and we had Universal HD on all the time. NBC is saving most of the Olympic coverage for prime time. It has something to do with advertising revenue!!!!!!!!!! For women's
sports, it is outstanding to see full events in HD or SD (CNBC, USA).


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## IowaStateFan (Jan 11, 2006)

Hound said:


> It appeals to a very narrow market. But I have three daughters who play ice hockey
> and we had Universal HD on all the time. NBC is saving most of the Olympic coverage for prime time. It has something to do with advertising revenue!!!!!!!!!! For women's
> sports, it is outstanding to see full events in HD or SD (CNBC, USA).


Having grown up in Minnesota, I am really looking forward to seeing some of the more obscure winter sports, such as curling. Yes, curling  . The Olympics is the one time there is any coverage of them, and it's nice to have those viewing options. For the Salt Lake Games, I was on C-Band and my coverage was very limited. As I recall, I got the Asian version of CNBC so when most of the US was seeing Olympics on CNBC, I got Japanese and Korean stock markets  .


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

... to see more Olympic coverage!



Sorry, this thread needed an actual Olympic coverage joke to match the topic


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## LUNASDUDE (Feb 2, 2006)

HDMe said:


> ... to see more Olympic coverage!
> 
> 
> 
> Sorry, this thread needed an actual Olympic coverage joke to match the topic


GOOD ONE!:lol:


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## Larry Caldwell (Apr 4, 2005)

LUNASDUDE said:


> Ok seriously someone tell me where the real Universal HD Olympic coverage is?
> I checked the UNI HD channel schedule http://universalhd.com/Schedule/
> And YOU have got to be kidding?!
> It's all Hockey and looks like only Hockey????
> ...


The only real UniHD Olympic coverage is a 1 hour recap program called "Olympic Ice". Unfortunately, it is about 2/3 talking heads, and only 1/3 actual footage, but you can get 20 minutes of real HD Olympics a day.

That's all there is in HD.


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## LUNASDUDE (Feb 2, 2006)

Larry Caldwell said:


> The only real UniHD Olympic coverage is a 1 hour recap program called "Olympic Ice". Unfortunately, it is about 2/3 talking heads, and only 1/3 actual footage, but you can get 20 minutes of real HD Olympics a day.
> 
> That's all there is in HD.


Yeah I did check it out the other day and your right! Only about 20min of coverage!
What a shame! They could have blown us all away with a pure non commercial feed from Torino  
Oh well I guess im stuck with my local NBC HD channel which is not bad but it's also about 20min worth of coverage and 40min worth of commercials in 1 hour!:nono2:


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## kmcnamara (Jan 30, 2004)

I've discovered over the years that I will watch just about any Olympic sport - even ones that I would never watch at any other time (cross country skiing, halfpipe, ice dancing, etc)


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## lakebum431 (Jun 30, 2005)

kmcnamara said:


> I've discovered over the years that I will watch just about any Olympic sport - even ones that I would never watch at any other time (cross country skiing, halfpipe, ice dancing, etc)


I agree with that, but I do with UNIHD had more variety.


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## gregleg (Jan 4, 2004)

Given that hockey is my favorite sport, I have no personal complaints about the coverage on Universal HD


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## stackthepads30 (Feb 10, 2006)

gregleg said:


> Given that hockey is my favorite sport, I have no personal complaints about the coverage on Universal HD


I agree...the last few mornings have been great watching women's hockey in hd, and now that the mens tournament starts today, I am salivating at the mouth.......and as always, I wish Canada the worst in this tournament (No offense Canadians, as I really like visiting Canada, we just don't like watching you win in the olympics or world championships:nono: )


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## BobMurdoch (Apr 24, 2002)

I've been recording a lot of the channels and fast forwarding like crazy through the parts that don't interest me.

The remote got put down though during the US-Finland game in Women's Ice Hockey. It was a slugfest until the third period when the US blew it open. Through two periods it was a nail biter though......


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## tomcrown1 (Jan 16, 2006)

Never Because Cats NBC is a joke


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## jerryez (Nov 15, 2002)

I had heard for years that Univ-hd was a great channel. I believe that it definitely falls into "NO COMPELLING CONTENT" category.


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## Capmeister (Sep 16, 2003)

I cancelled my (D*) HD package today. Universal HD, HDNet and HDNet Movies, and DiscoveryHD all do NOT have closed captioning, and therefore are mostly useless in my home (my brother is deaf).


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## Rogueone (Jan 29, 2004)

they don't have it, or the receiver isn't processing it? sounds odd they wouldn't have CC, especialy Uni since NBC has already had to do the CC for the shows when they originally aired


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## Capmeister (Sep 16, 2003)

They don't broadcast any CC. I've asked when they'll get it, they say they're working on it. They said it last year, they said it this year, I'm tired of waiting. When they get it, I'll sign up again. I'm not saying they should be forced to have it--but I won't pay for it without it.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

jerryez said:


> I had heard for years that Univ-hd was a great channel. I believe that it definitely falls into "NO COMPELLING CONTENT" category.


Kind of makes us wonder now about all the times Charlie would say "No compelling content" if perhaps he had already watched it!


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

Capmeister said:


> They don't broadcast any CC. I've asked when they'll get it, they say they're working on it. They said it last year, they said it this year, I'm tired of waiting. When they get it, I'll sign up again. I'm not saying they should be forced to have it--but I won't pay for it without it.


I know closed captioning is part of the standards and required for analog broadcasts... this came up in a different discussion I was having with a TV station locally about some things... but things get fuzzy with regards to digital and HDTV. Basically, the required placement area for analog doesn't exist in the digital signals, so they have to figure another place for it... and it would seem that people are having a hard time agreeing on a standard to write up.

In the meantime, a lot of people are being left out for the lack of CC on the broadcasts. It seems to just be a technical problem of where to put the data and how to make sure receivers on the other end are capable of displaying the data. Very possible that some TVs may not be able to get the CC even when they start broadcasting it... but hopefully it is something that a software upgrade to our Dish receivers would take care of at that time.


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## ogre (Feb 5, 2004)

Thank god for living close to Canada and thank god for CBC. CBC covers the Olympics the way ABC used to in the old days of Jim McKay. None of the twelve hours late tape delays with the voice overs and the up close and personals. If I see one more of those ten minute harangues about how the athletics mother lost her hair at age thirteen and the stigma carried through to the kid, I will shot my TV. I've led a tough life too: show me some action!!! There are probably tens of events going on simultaneously for eight to twelve hours per day. There is enough action for two or three full time stations not just two or three part time dribbles here or there. Let the events create the drama and let's see some of the events and not just the voice over highlights of NBC's awful coverage. CBC coverage starts at 6 am est and goes continuously throughout the day and I end up seeing more that I do on one station then I do on the sum of the NBC stations and closer to real time. NBC sucks!


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## brmann (Apr 22, 2002)

For my money they may as well replace the olympics with Oprah, Dr Phil, or any other brain dead content. B O R I N G !


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## kb7oeb (Jun 16, 2004)

I thought that the reason the 6000 stopped production was because it couldn't process CC and the law started to require it


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## BobMurdoch (Apr 24, 2002)

I like Universal HD. Battlestar Galactica in HD is reason enough for me......


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## Larry Caldwell (Apr 4, 2005)

ogre said:


> Thank god for living close to Canada and thank god for CBC. CBC covers the Olympics the way ABC used to in the old days of Jim McKay. None of the twelve hours late tape delays with the voice overs and the up close and personals. If I see one more of those ten minute harangues about how the athletics mother lost her hair at age thirteen and the stigma carried through to the kid, I will shot my TV. I've led a tough life too: show me some action!!! There are probably tens of events going on simultaneously for eight to twelve hours per day. There is enough action for two or three full time stations not just two or three part time dribbles here or there. Let the events create the drama and let's see some of the events and not just the voice over highlights of NBC's awful coverage. CBC coverage starts at 6 am est and goes continuously throughout the day and I end up seeing more that I do on one station then I do on the sum of the NBC stations and closer to real time. NBC sucks!


No kidding! Have you looked at the Olympic Highlights on 9399? It's about a half hour loop, that goes on for hours, showing about half a dozen events. They could easily have filled up a 4 hour programming block and never repeated themselves once.

I'm pissed off enough to write my congressman. If someone has a monopoly, they have a responsibility to offer service, not just milk it for every nickel of revenue and dump on the viewers.


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## Rogueone (Jan 29, 2004)

BobMurdoch said:


> I like Universal HD. Battlestar Galactica in HD is reason enough for me......


that's what I was thnking too, but what's with it being last years episodes?! I've already watched last season, I want THIS SEASON dang it!! errrrr


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## Rogueone (Jan 29, 2004)

hey, I like what NBC is doing with the Olympics. It shows how STUPID they are  They are getting smoked by American Idol, Grey's Anatomy, were almost tied by House, will likely get beat by Lost, Survivor, Dancing with the Stars and Desparate Housewives and Grey's again. I love seeing the arrogance of NBC, and all the money they paid in advance for Olympic coverage, fly back in their faces. 

I like the Olympics, don't get me wrong, but NBC makes me sick. I don't want to have to wait to see an event that happend at noon. Use these 'other' Channels and let us "watch the events' without the insesent drivel. and at night, why do you take 4 hours to give us highlights? speed things up, stop acting like I'm not watching it on tape. if the IOC is going to insist on having Olympics outside the US or at least the US timezones, then damn it, schedule the events for our PRIME TIME viewing !! hahahaha (damned americans and our arrogance)

but seriously, with so much delay between the events and the taped showing, I'm gonna find out, so screw it, i'll just read the news and see i f I want to catch the 10 minutes the one story I care about is on.  This is why the US based Olympics have so much better ratings, we get to watch these great stories unfold rather than watching them on tape while knowing a 10 second internet search will yield everything we want to know


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

Knock Knock...

Who's there?

NBC Olympics coverage...

NBC Olympics coverage who?


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## LUNASDUDE (Feb 2, 2006)

WOW! 
RogueOne I agree with you! 
Although the interesting thing about it was with the terrible coverage on the Dish HD channels, it did motivate me to correct my lousy OTA HD Reception! So it was good for something!
I do catch about 10mins every once and a while, but like you, I think NB* has screwed it up so much that if ANY thing else is on I want to watch im there, not at "THE OFFICAL OLYMICS CHANNEL"


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## LUNASDUDE (Feb 2, 2006)

HDMe said:


> Knock Knock...
> 
> Who's there?
> 
> ...


keep em coming!:lol:


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## Rogueone (Jan 29, 2004)

the fix for the Olympics is to do what the superbowl does, let it roll across all the networks. Once Fox got it's hands on the Olympics, what kind of funny stuff would they do? haha Remember the glowing puck for hockey, lets bring back stuff like that for curling, bobsled, skating, skying etc. all kinds of goofy stuff and just be over the top haha

at thie point I think NBC is taking itself too seriously and isn't having "fun" so we aren't having "fun". Let the X-games crowd be the commentators for all the sports, then I betcha it's get interesting, and I don't know anyone other than that tomato kid! I could care less about the Xgames, but I bet it would be funny to hear those people doing Pairs figure skating analysis  hahahaha


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