Level 3 to deliver uncompressed HD broadcast from Super Bowl XLIV

We're still not sure if this has any noticeable result on picture quality, but Level 3 has announced its going to assist in delivering Super Bowl XLIV's feed uncompressed from the site back to CBS headquarters in New York. Instead of being compressed onsite in a production truck then sent to the studio and stations where it's compressed again, this could help CBS bring a more high quality signal home. If you've been watching Denver Broncos home games, you've seen Level 3's Vyvx broadcast network at work, we'll see how beautiful it keeps things looking in Miami on Sunday.

[erh Posted Feb 2nd 2010 4:12PM]

It won't matter, because the local cable company will compress the crap out of it.

[Eugene Action Posted Feb 2nd 2010 4:24PM]

@(Unverified) DID U JUST COMMENT?! ooooo ahhhhhhh

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 2nd 2010 4:49PM]

@(Unverified) Not my cable company... Verizon FiOS FTW!!!

[Robert Mechum Posted Feb 2nd 2010 4:57PM]

@(Unverified) It depends more on your local affiliate. Most cable/sat providers don't add compression to locals. Your local affiliate may in the form of subchannels and limiting the bitrate.

[jason202 Posted Feb 2nd 2010 4:49PM]

It won't matter if you're watching in Washington, DC, either, because local affiliate WUSA has a terrible HD signal, thanks to their crap weather radar sub-channel and their poor encoding.

[breissim Posted Feb 2nd 2010 5:41PM]

@jason202 Let's hope it's at least better than CBS' atrocious, artifact filled Grammy broadcast in the DC area. It was un-watchable due to all the blocking going one. Of course, perhaps WUSA thinks more blocking is better for football (did I really just type that - sorry about that).

[nsfw Posted Feb 2nd 2010 6:49PM]

Might be time to try OTA for the SuperBowl.

[mugatu Posted Feb 2nd 2010 10:26PM]

@nsfw

I think you will get a better picture, but only slightly. It's all cut off at the hub which is the network feed. And if your local channel is anything like mine they will find a way to throw up weather reports or anything else they can do to ruin the experience. God I hate them.

[Biggiesized Posted Feb 2nd 2010 7:12PM]

I'm so glad my local CBS affiliate (KDKA) is O&O by the CBS corporation.

This means NO SUB-CHANNELS! Woohoo! (One HD and one SD feed)

[mugatu Posted Feb 2nd 2010 8:40PM]

Dish Network will crush the pristine picture under its jack boot. This is such a marketing ploy. I wish I could see an uncompressed picture. I think I used to see a fair approximation about 3 years ago on the Voom channels.

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 3rd 2010 10:07AM]

Our family only watches TV OTA. The Superbowl should look pretty sweet!

[Slappy Wag Posted Feb 3rd 2010 11:54AM]

All wonderful in theory, but when you let the local affiliates get their grubbies on the signal, all bets are off.

Go Saints.

[CapNJunkie Posted Feb 4th 2010 11:47AM]

You guys think you got it bad. You should see what it looks like when CTV (here in Canada) simsubs it and sticks their stupid channel id bug on everything. They cut away to commercial at the wrong time, and come back from commericals late.

[SunDevil2012 Posted Feb 5th 2010 6:32PM]

What I'm curious about is whether or not we can hope for this game to show up in 1080p LIVE on DirecTV (this year or next), now that would be something else.

But back to the original point of the article, does this mean no more pixelated junk from CBS Sports, at least for this Sunday? And will people be able to notice a difference - especially on something like DTV.