# Universal Sports HD????



## Roadrider22 (May 24, 2006)

The transition is fully with us now with Phil commentating on Universal Sports at Bejing. I am happy that Direct TV has the one Universal Sports channel but it is not in HD. Does anyone get Universal Sports in HD through Comcast or do they not shoot any of their events with HD equipment? There is nothing like the quality of Versus HD. Interested to know if this spells the end of cycling in HD.


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## DonDenver (May 30, 2007)

Thanks for this thread start. I have my popcorn in hand waiting for an authority to chime in. I'm not willing to pay a dime for their all acess version unless, from my comcast/xfinity household, I can view in HD.


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## Ripton (Apr 21, 2011)

Roadrider22 said:


> The transition is fully with us now with Phil commentating on Universal Sports at Bejing. I am happy that Direct TV has the one Universal Sports channel but it is not in HD. Does anyone get Universal Sports in HD through Comcast or do they not shoot any of their events with HD equipment? There is nothing like the quality of Versus HD. Interested to know if this spells the end of cycling in HD.


Not wanting to disappoint DonDenver, I'm no expert, nor do I have Universal. I've got Eurosport HD through Sky and a lot of their cycling coverage is not HD either, especially the mobile footage. I'd guess that it's all coming from the same source, the organisers, who haven't yet stumped up for HD cameras on the motos. Maybe they're saving for 3D


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## ArkRider (Jul 27, 2007)

Heck, I can't get Universal HD or standard, and I'm a Comcast subscriber.


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## MikeBiker (Mar 9, 2003)

I get Universal Sports as a sub-channel of my NBC OTA station. There is no way that two HD channels are going to be supported on one frequency.


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## ukbloke (Sep 1, 2007)

MikeBiker said:


> I get Universal Sports as a sub-channel of my NBC OTA station. There is no way that two HD channels are going to be supported on one frequency.


Agreed - this has been the long-standing obstacle. But they have to fix this going forward, especially with 2012 being an Olympics year. Maybe Universal Sports will get its own separate HD slot in the satellite/cable listings, with a downsample to SD for the OTA feed. The TdF has been available in HD for the last couple of years and a lot of the other Versus cycling too. They need HD to consolidate their cycling in one channel and dedicate the Versus channel back to its core competencies - bull-fighting, hunting, fishing, etc.


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## ukbloke (Sep 1, 2007)

From wikipedia:



> On September 12, 2011, it was announced that Universal Sports would convert to being exclusively distributed to cable and satellite providers, and would no longer operate as an over-the-air digital multicast network beginning in early 2012,<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference">[6]</sup> not long after NBC Universal was bought by Comcast and took over operations of Versus.


Here's the press release.

So you can say goodbye to OTA Universal Sports early next year, and then very likely say hello to Universal Sports in HD on cable and satellite. All in time for the 2012 Olympics, and before the cycling season starts so that cycling can be moved from Versus onto Universal Sports ...


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## crohnsy (Jan 6, 2011)

I wish I could get Universal Sports


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## ukbloke (Sep 1, 2007)

crohnsy said:


> I wish I could get Universal Sports


I had it for a couple of months for free on DirecTV and saw the Vuelta and the Worlds - very nice to have that access but the picture quality and presentation was pretty mediocre. This will have to improve next year, presuming they get HD and the Phil and Paul show. If Versus cycling does get moved, then I'll have to pay extra money to DirecTV which will suck.


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