ESPNZone HD
By Richard Lawler 
posted Jan 23rd 2006 4:42PM
posted Jan 23rd 2006 4:42PM
Ok, so you might not be able to get the Super Bowl in
HD via your
cable provider, but if you live near an ESPNZone you are in luck. The ESPNZone's in New York, Las Vegas, Washington,
D.C., and Baltimore are all going to be fully high definition in time for the big game February 5th. Now word on the
exact equipment or resolutions, but ESPN is going with Philips LCD's, plasmas and projectors.The upgrade is more than just screens however, as each location is equipped with HD-compatible satellite and cable receivers, not to mention all the cabling and switching equipment that had to be upgraded. Chicago, Anaheim, Atlanta and Denver ESPNZone's won't be ready in time for the Super Bowl, but will be upgraded later this year.
I've never been to one of these, but I've driven past the Las Vegas location so many times in PGR3 I feel like I have. Any HDBeat readers planning on getting their 720p fix at ESPNZone?
Is there a list of areas/companies that it won't be available through? I guess it's not that big of a deal, I can allways get OTA, but it would be nice to have it via comcast the bayarea....
One negative of this: FOX HD is about 5 seconds behing analog boadcasts. Usually, sports bars will not replace ALL of their TVs with HD-capable ones, or even display the digital feed downrezzed on the SDTVs. So, you'll know what is about to happen from the reactions of the viewers around you.