Picture quality from different arenas

[Kravchuk]

Preds home games: bad picture quality and much blur when the camera is following the puck. Same with Stars and Panthers.
Maple Leafs, Red Wings and Golden Knights: good quality, sharp picture.
Is it just me or is it huge difference in picture quality from different arenas and what is the reason in that case?
I live in Sweden so I use Viasat and Viaplay but I understand that they have the feed from NHL.tv.

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[Martinez]

Florida takes some getting used to

 

[DownIsTheNewUp]

I bet the arena lighting has something to do with it. I know the Lightning put serious upgrades into the lights a couple years ago which allowed for better slow mo cameras to be used. Seemed to also improve the overall picture quality of the games as well.

 

[TheSituation]

MSG broacasts in 1080i while most of Fox Sports is in 720p.

 

[Kravchuk]

MSG broacasts in 1080i while most of Fox Sports is in 720p.

That's just absurd. It's 2018 and they broadcast in 1080i and 720p. That should be criminal.

 

[Lepardi]

That's just absurd. It's 2018 and they broadcast in 1080i and 720p. That should be criminal.

Try watching some KHL games from the more rural cities and 720p will feel like the future.

 

[El Travo]

I just hope one day the review quality goes above 144p.

 

[Sol]

People buy 4k hdr tvs when all HD channels on TV are 720p..

 

[Pirate Deadpool]

San Jose seems to be very dark and far away. I hate watching games at the SAP

 

[Sol]

San Jose seems to be very dark and far away. I hate watching games at the SAP

Theres is one of the worst in the NHL

 

[IamNotADancer]

Hard to say. Picture quality depends on so many factors. Without even mentioning the different cameras/lenses that are used a big factor is of course lighting. Additionally it doesn't help that you are receiving the signal overseas. Who knows where and how you lose quality.
I'd have to see what you see.

There is a lot that factors into picture quality. For instance, a lot of the newer TV's in Europe make old (90's, 2000's) blockbuster movies look like soap operas. I was happy to be back in the States for that very reason.

 

[Legionnaire11]

San Jose seems to be very dark and far away. I hate watching games at the SAP

I hate those games too, also MSG has always been dark and shadowy but I haven't watched any of those games recently to know if it's improved.

Also I haven't seen any from the new arena in Detroit, but at the Joe the camera angle was lower than other arenas and the bottom portion of the screen was always filled with fans heads. It also seemed to be a contest among them as to who could stand up and turn toward the camera more often during the game. "Look Ma, I'm on TV!"

 

[bouncesonly]

I can't watch hockey at 29.97/30fps anymore. It's disgusting. 60FPS only.

 

[Zenos]

There is a lot that factors into picture quality. For instance, a lot of the newer TV's in Europe make old (90's, 2000's) blockbuster movies look like soap operas. I was happy to be back in the States for that very reason.

A bit off-topic, but yes, it has to do with "motion interpolation" and the artificial process of adding more frames per second. Some people call this the "soap opera effect" as it's reminiscent of the inexpensive style of shooting used on old daytime TV shows (Video instead of Film, simplified lighting, overly concentrated on foreground). It's not just a european thing though. I remember when my parents bought a new TV (USA) which had this feature it basically ruined the movie-watching experience for me.

As for the real topic at hand, I find that arena lighting is probably the biggest factor. Some rinks like old MSG, Shark Tank, or the Edmonton Coliseum always looked a little hazy or had some shadowy spots on the ice. But I used to notice variations from different channels too, even from the same building. For instance, games broadcast on CBC broadcast at Rexall always looked much brighter and clearer than the usual Sportsnet feed or (even worse) the visiting team's regional Fox networks which were always super dark and desaturated. Whether that was a result of the cameras used or the transmission though, I can't say.

 

[Legionnaire11]

I'd love to hear some insight from @Fenway on this one.

 

[LeafFever]

San Jose always looks like it's from a drone hovering in the rafters. The cameras are so far.

 

[dkhockey]

San Jose seems to be very dark and far away. I hate watching games at the SAP

No doubt, san jose has the worst camera angle, so far up ... looks like tiny match stick men skating around.... you have no real feel of the action AT ALL .... SJ is simply awful

 

[Kravchuk]

Actually I like the Sharks camera angle. When the camera is close to ice I think all the camera moves back and forth makes it hard to focus on the game. But I guess that is from person to person.

 

[Wolf357]

Wow talk about First World Problems “amount of complaining that they have to watch games that are not the highest HD possible ...
Grew up watching games “over the air” in rural Manitoba in “Farmer vision” we got one game a week (always either leafs or Habs) and it was never came in clear
Now you get every single game broadcast of every single team..you can PVR your game, watch on your phone, but OMG the game is broadcast only is 1080i....

 

[rent free]

vegas is too bright...or at least that was the case yesterday vs montreal

 

[Kravchuk]

Wow talk about First World Problems “amount of complaining that they have to watch games that are not the highest HD possible ...
Grew up watching games “over the air” in rural Manitoba in “Farmer vision” we got one game a week (always either leafs or Habs) and it was never came in clear
Now you get every single game broadcast of every single team..you can PVR your game, watch on your phone, but OMG the game is broadcast only is 1080i....

One game a week? Growing up in Sweden in the 90s looking at hockey cards was the closest I was watching NHL hockey.
Got to watch one game a week but OMG it was either Habs or Maple Leafs.

 

[Jauffre]

People buy 4k hdr tvs when all HD channels on TV are 720p..

Except all they really have are 4K TVs now, it's hard to find a 1080p TV that isn't 27-32".

4K HDR hockey would be absolutely incredible but these cable companies aren't interested in using extra bandwidth or updating firmware/providing new set top boxes.

 

[blood gin]

Do Preds home games remind anybody else of the old Canuck games at Pacific Coliseum? The yellow jerseys on the very bright white ice. For some reason the ice looks very bright and crisp during Preds games

 

[blood gin]

Actually I like the Sharks camera angle. When the camera is close to ice I think all the camera moves back and forth makes it hard to focus on the game. But I guess that is from person to person.

Some people prefer it up a bit higher because they can see plays developing better than the tighter angles

 

[Bizz]

Except all they really have are 4K TVs now, it's hard to find a 1080p TV that isn't 27-32".

4K HDR hockey would be absolutely incredible but these cable companies aren't interested in using extra bandwidth or updating firmware/providing new set top boxes.

with current compression technology it shouldn't take that much bandwidth to stream 4k at 60fps (~50 mbps?). The question is if the networks want to invest in upgrading their broadcasts and if there is enough demand from consumers for it.

 

[blood gin]

Always found the old Bruins Boston Garden camera bit interesting. That arena was small and compact (only say 14,400 or so when it closed) but when plays went into the offensive zones it almost felt like you were facing the back boards. It zoomed in so tight you couldn't even see the D at the points anymore.