4K Broadcasts + Arcane details that nobody pays attention to that will net the bad actors (networks, conferences) millions
tldr; they can make 4K broadcasts free, over the air like they do with HD broadcasts if they want to. But people have to pay attention and demand it, otherwise you're going to be paying extra for 4k games until the next rights agreement is signed eight to ten years from now.
To: <[email protected]>
Hello -
This may seem as an obscure aspect of the Big Ten Media rights agreement presently being negotiated but I feel it's well within the power of the Big Ten conference to include this mandate as part of the upcoming media agreement.
Today, you can pick a set of HDTV rabbit ears and tune in to the Big Noon game in HD telecasted by your local Fox station. Not exactly novel - this was something that was codified ten years ago with the switch from analog to digital broadcasts mandated by the FCC.
Today with 4K broadcasts, Google/YouTube TV is the only Over the Top (OTT) provider which can provide enough bandwidth (at scale) to deliver 4K (well technically it's a 1080p production by Fox Sports upscaled to 2160p (4k)). They of course charge extra for this - to the tune of an extra $20/month. Fox Sports national also provides this same 4K feed to the cablecos/satellite companies, but these TV bills are of course far more expensive than what you would pay to receive the same programming vs. an OTT provider (YouTube TV or one of their competitors, like Hulu TV).
NBC produces Notre Dame games in 4K - they provide this feed to cableco/satellite providers & YouTube TV, and may someday also offer this as part of their Peacock streaming service (presumably for an extra fee). CBS will most likely follow a similar path with 4K SEC broadcasts (haven't happened, yet) and their Paramount+ service (extra fee).
Summary - mandate that major networks provide their 4K feeds (1080p/2160p) to the local stations by 2028 - this has already been made possible with the ATSC 3 standard mandated by the FCC.
The networks will complain there isn't enough bandwidth to do 4K when multiple stations have to share an ATSC 3.0 signal for the forseeable future. The stations, their networks and their advertisers will not eliminate ATSC 1.0 service until the vast majority of OTA viewers have ATSC 3.0 tuners, which isn't happening anytime soon as there are no plans for a coupon converter program, and no plans for a mandate to require ATSC 3.0 tuners in all TVs sold in the USA by a certain date. Counterpoint - they can make it happen if they want to. There's more than enough money in this media agreement to make this work.
The alternative is that everyone is going to pay an extra $20/month from now until the next media rights agreement is signed (2030?) because of the mess of the ATSC 3 situation, the jumble of rights/distribution rules that exist for home/away teams, the applicable collegiate conference, and the national networks.
For a multi-billion dollar media rights agreement - it's worth ironing out these details. The public benefitted from the analog to digital transition by making programming available for free over the air HD broadcasts with the use of over the air spectrum commons that belongs to everyone. Let's make sure the same happens with 4K broadcasts.
Kind regards,
Wait, you want to send an email to Warde, the same AD who wanted to keep Mel and is still holding onto the circa 2005 stadium wi-fi, good luck with that.
August 10th, 2022 at 11:21 AM ^
Yes, yes... please let's all send e-mails to Warde about the wi-fi / data experience (or lack thereof) at the Big House, it is atrocious.
August 10th, 2022 at 6:04 PM ^
Of course not! He faxed it.
It is a question of bandwidth/conduit size from origin to ultimate receiving display device. Many hops when you push coast to coast.You are a few years ahead of this issue. And we need to wait for there to be an agreed standard for what comprises true 4K from initial capture to consumer display.
I suggest that you stress about something else...
August 9th, 2022 at 10:17 PM ^
Well, he does state that by **2028** this should be a standard after some years of ironing out issues.
"Little things" still need worried about.
August 9th, 2022 at 10:45 PM ^
Correct. The way this is trending, 4K broadcasts will -
1) Only be be offered as an add on package for at least the next five years if you receive programming via an OTT provider, or a meaningfully more expensive cable/satellite provider TV bill.
2) Only be made available through a Digital Rights Management (DRM) mechanism vs. the unencrypted HD signal that exists today for over the air HD broadcasts
A good compromise would be to have national networks offer a FREE live 4K IP/over the top stream (with gelocation verification), instead of having to wade into the ATSC 3 mess.
August 10th, 2022 at 6:54 AM ^
I'd be surprised if it's an infrastructure question. I'd guess it's the usual "How much can we charge for this?" question.
August 10th, 2022 at 10:54 AM ^
Username checks out.
August 9th, 2022 at 10:14 PM ^
Will more pixels help the replay officials get a call right?
August 10th, 2022 at 6:25 AM ^
That’s when they’ll go back to the 8” monitor on a stick for the official to review on the field.
August 10th, 2022 at 6:47 AM ^
Yes. JT was even shorter in 4K.
August 10th, 2022 at 10:40 AM ^
You'd think more pixels and better frame rate would help.
Currently they shoot in 60 fps. No clue what types of screens they are watching on, but you could imagine its 120 or 240 as everything seems to be heading that way. Not sure if the officials have thought about it, but it's possible whatever they are watching on is artificially increasing the frame rate by interpolating. Which theoretically could be giving you bad information.
August 9th, 2022 at 10:15 PM ^
To hell with Notre Dame. And their broadcasts.
August 9th, 2022 at 10:35 PM ^
"The networks will complain there isn't enough bandwidth to do 4K when multiple stations have to share an ATSC 3.0 signal for the forseeable future. The stations, their networks and their advertisers will not eliminate ATSC 1.0 service until the vast majority of OTA viewers have ATSC 3.0 tuners, which isn't happening anytime soon as there are no plans for a coupon converter program, and no plans for a mandate to require ATSC 3.0 tuners in all TVs sold in the USA by a certain date."
What?
August 10th, 2022 at 11:30 AM ^
Think of a broadcast in 2 parts. What the TV station sends, and what the TV in your house receives.
TV stations say they can't send anything better right now because the fancy pipeline to your house is crowded with the old style broadcasts. That's because a lot of people's TV's can only receive the old style broadcast.
If people were incentivized to upgrade their home TV's, i.e. given free upgrades for their old equipment that's holding everything back (kinda like when everyone was pushed along to ditch analog signals for digital: see here), then we could move forward as companies wouldn't have to spend resources supporting the older method of broadcast.
August 10th, 2022 at 12:25 PM ^
Thanks. I guess.
My kids talk about this shit and I'm completely lost by the end of the first sentence.
August 10th, 2022 at 4:57 PM ^
Trust me, your kids have no idea what an over-the-air broadcast is. YouTube TV... yes. But an antenna? What does that do? :)
August 9th, 2022 at 10:58 PM ^
True 4K football broadcasts are better than 1080p...not just by a little bit but by a mile.
If I was guaranteed every Michigan game in 4K I would bite at the 12 month introductory YTTV for $10. Not paying the $20/mo long term though. Don't have to worry about though since the 4K games are few are far between.
August 10th, 2022 at 8:46 AM ^
Interesting. To me 4K is irrelevant. The upgrade to HDTV around 2000 or so was huge, but everything since is just icing on the cake. There are a few shows and events that may be in 4K on my TV, but I can't tell any relevant difference while watching them.
I just want to see the games.
August 10th, 2022 at 10:32 AM ^
You haven't seen 2160p at 120 fps.
August 10th, 2022 at 11:33 AM ^
I think the biggest improvement was broadcasting sports in higher framerates. Most typical sports broadcasts aren't even 1080p, they're 720p but 60fps. The increased framerate makes for smoother, clearer action better than a resolution increase. That being said, I can't even imagine sports in full blown 4k 120fps.
August 10th, 2022 at 12:17 PM ^
I seem to buy a new TV every 5 years, and I would say every new one shows substantial increase in picture quality due to displays (higher contrast ratios, backlight management, high frame rate throughput and pixel generation) and signal processing (*much* better upscaling and interpolation/extrapolation algorithms). I agree better input signals is fundamental to picture quality, but you gotta love the increase in picture quality from the same input signal.
August 10th, 2022 at 3:43 PM ^
Agreed Grampy. The type, processing and size of TV makes a significant difference. Streaming with high bandwidth and the availability of several sources are a godsend for movies, TV shows and sports. I cheat a little with Kodi as some information/torrent packets are huge and not all my TV's can handle all of that data. The ones that can are amazing.
August 9th, 2022 at 11:10 PM ^
Y'all must have some nice tvs.
August 9th, 2022 at 11:24 PM ^
Zeniths are sweet!
August 9th, 2022 at 11:47 PM ^
Especially for cats
August 10th, 2022 at 12:15 AM ^
Genius. The cat clearly thinks it's a movie star.
August 10th, 2022 at 12:19 AM ^
Except the bottom-right photo. Looks like the cat thinking “how do I turn off this fucking light so I can sleep?”
August 10th, 2022 at 10:27 AM ^
My dad bought a Big Screen Curtis Mathis on New Year's Day in 1989 with the understanding it had to be delieved before kick off of the Rose Bowl. To the stores credit they got it done!
August 10th, 2022 at 10:52 AM ^
Leroy Hoard!
August 10th, 2022 at 8:04 AM ^
Says the guy with the 35" console that has a REMOTE. Aren't you the envy of Hillbill, GA with that fancy thing on game days?
August 9th, 2022 at 11:26 PM ^
I’d pay 50 a game to stream with less commercials and a three hour game
August 10th, 2022 at 6:27 AM ^
*Fewer
August 10th, 2022 at 11:36 AM ^
If you have a DVR capable TV service, you can basically do this now if you don't mind starting a game a little late. I'll start watching the beginning of a game when the game is actually about midway through the 2nd quarter. This gives you enough buffer time to fast forward through commercials and you'll usually catch up to the real broadcast somewhere near the end of the game. The biggest issue of course is spoilers, so you gotta avoid the internet, apps, notifications and whatnot.
August 9th, 2022 at 11:46 PM ^
Hello,
Thank you for your message. I have no idea what any of this means nor do I intend to find out. Hell, I haven’t even read the Mel Pearson report yet.
In the meantime, this media rights deal will ensure that all B1G Athletic Directors, sorry I meant Athletic Departments, will be in a strong financial position for the foreseeable future. As a result, our families, sorry I meant athletes, will enjoy only the top of the line facilities, services, and amenities for many years to come.
Thank you for your continued support of Michigan athletics. Please consider making a donation. Any little bit can help in these extremely trying times. Also note that, as a show of gratitude for donations of $10,000 or more, we are offering a free Michigan foam finger (No, not that finger haha!). Hurry, though, as we can only afford to make this generous offer available to the first two donors.
Kind regards,
Warde Manuel
(Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. 😊 You are doing a noble service here.)
August 10th, 2022 at 4:11 AM ^
Is there an appreciable difference between 4K and regular 1080p on a normal sized tv? Because my understand was that there really isn't...
August 10th, 2022 at 8:07 AM ^
If your 'normal sized' TV is a 4K version, then yes - there is a difference. It isn't so stark when companies cheat by upscaling a standard 1080p camera into 2160p. But when they use a real 4K camera, it is amaizing!
August 10th, 2022 at 10:50 AM ^
One way to see the difference (I think) is during NFL games. Pretty sure they shoot most of the game in 720, but then they will do certain replays and the commentators in the booth are in 4k. So when you see something like the skycam replay that looks better, that's the 4k.
August 10th, 2022 at 11:38 AM ^
I think it was Fox who was experimenting with a single 4K camera down on the field for close ups of players on the sidelines and whatnot. Even if you're watching the game in 720p, you could easily tell when they switched to it because the increased fidelity was ridiculous.
August 10th, 2022 at 1:02 PM ^
I guess I'd have to see it, though I'm not sure I can ever remember watching something in 1080 and wishing it had higher resolution. But maybe I would think it's amazing, or it be a situation where after seeing 4k I couldn't go back to watching regular HD (like how games on standard definition are unwatchable after having seen them in HD)...
August 10th, 2022 at 6:22 AM ^
Some future email-to-executives(-or-other-busy-people) advice: put what you want in the first sentence, or at least the first paragraph. The "summary" in paragraph 5 is the first time you say what you actually want.
August 10th, 2022 at 8:11 AM ^
Yeah, no way whoever reads this is getting through all of it. I mean, I have a fairly good understanding of the subject, but it was still kind'a difficult for me to follow along. Warde (okay - one of the AD admin assistants) isn't going to give this any consideration.
It's a good thought that's worth an effort. But I think it's too little, and too immaturely developed, to make a splash this late into the negotiations.
August 10th, 2022 at 9:46 AM ^
So true. I learned early on about the BLOT - Bottom Line On Top.
Especially for execs with short attention spans - uh, sorry, too many competing priorities to spend parsing through a technical jargon-filled email - you need to state your point quickly and clearly. In 1-2 sentences state the problem (providers/networks will start charging for 4K), why it matters (poor fan experience, excludes a lot of people), and what should be done about it (force the providers/networks to agree to a free/low-cost "true' 4K option in the Big Ten contracts, setting a precedent for others).
Then you can get to the jargon.
August 10th, 2022 at 10:35 AM ^
^ this ^
Attention span: scan quickly for essence, check if essence is on important list, if yes continue to read, if no hand it off.
Move on to next memo. Scan quickly for essence ...
Thank you!
August 10th, 2022 at 8:51 AM ^
I like your passion
August 10th, 2022 at 9:38 AM ^
Noodling on this a bit more this morning, I've streamlined the ask;
Make the national networks offer 4K broadcasts of prime time games on their apps, for free. Sinclair sucks, the ATSC 3 mess will never be resolved.
August 10th, 2022 at 6:05 PM ^
Finally, a hill worth dying on. Anyone who has seen a game in 4K will tell you the same. Thanks OP!
August 10th, 2022 at 10:44 PM ^
4K? We can't even get networks to broadcast everything in 1080p.