WWE 24/7 should be like the NFL Network....

[NoCalMike 0]

NFL Channel expanded to other outlets?

[Jobber of the Week 0]

How much better is HDTV over regular TV?

For movies, documentaries and video postcard shows, quite a jump.

 

For sitcoms and wrestling shows, it doesn't really provide so much.

[Astro7x 0]

I don't think channels like NFL Network has ratings system.

 

Of course they do. They probably get money per subscriber though... kind of like HBO. HBO doesn't really care how many viewers Sopranos gets, just how many people are ordering HBO to watch Sopranos. Now that usually equals high ratings, but ratings is not a concern as they don't sell commercial time, and they are dealing strictly with subscription fees.

 

Kind of how Nickelodeon Games & Sports has barely any commercials in it... it's in a higher package, so most of the money comes from their channel causing subscibers to get the more expensive package.

 

would love to see a great match that aired on RAW or Smackdown viewed in HI DEF glory....

HD takes up a lot of bandwith for cable and satellite companies. So few people would want to watch these shows (which aren't nearly the draws they used to be) like this that all it would do is cause the channel to not be carried by most providers.

 

That said, I would like to eventually see PPVs go HD. It would give people incentive to order the show instead of wait for the DVD, and the 16:9 aspect ratio would be really helpful for the Royal Rumble (see more guys at once, or see the whole ring without having to zoom out real far)

HD doesn't take up that much bandwidth, especially when providers like Dish Network have a ton of bandwidth ready to use fro HDTV when all the channels start rolling out with it. They have newer types of compression technology coming out which will maintain the same quality, but take up less bandwidth as well.

 

The problem is that you can't just air one show in HDTV, everything has to be in HDTV on that station if you want to do that. It doesn't mean that you can't air old standard definition programing, as the aspect ratio is changed to the black bars on the left and right (or stretched out) for 4:3 programming.

 

Your local stations currently air a Sandard Definition signal, and a High Definition signal. To air one show in HD, and still have standard definition subscribers view the channel, they would have to put out two channels.

 

it might sound odd, but you can't just switch between an SD and HD broadcast on the same channel.

 

As for the PPV stuff, it would be awesome to get HD Wrestling PPVs, but not even boxing events are in HD yet. It's just too expensive at the moment to do for a niche market.

 

How much better is HDTV over regular TV?

At this point there is not enough programming to make the average person run out and get an HDTV set, but the picture is MUCH better on true HD broadcasts. Not a lot of people realize that there are still shows that even though they are widescreen, are still in SD or run in a 480 Progressive Scan signal.

 

I thought NFL Network was a Pay Channel or a part of a package.

NFL Network is only on Directv @ no extra charge......channel 212

 

At first the NFL Network was only on Directv...but has expanded to other outlets....

So is it on Direct TV or on cable too? You contradicted yourself here.

Probably select cable markets, everywhere it's different... but nationwide on DirecTV

 

How much better is HDTV over regular TV?

For movies, documentaries and video postcard shows, quite a jump.

 

For sitcoms and wrestling shows, it doesn't really provide so much.

Though for sports in general, it is very good. Amazing picture quality....

 

I was watching the NBA Finals on HD, then switched to my SD Broadcase, huge difference.

 

Sad part is that you are not going to find any wrestling on HD. Spike TV doesn't look anywhere near ready to start airing HD anytime soon.

[The C Man 0]

I think some people are forgetting that the new channel is 'WWE 24/7' and not 'WWE: Smarks only'. Therefore no shoots and a bit more 'general interest' programs, like Confidential and the Experience.

[razazteca 0]

Will you enjoy the MTV style of nothing but Tough Enough and Diva Search episodes on a neverending loop of reruns?

[Guest The Ultimate Fantasy]

Will you enjoy the MTV style of nothing but Tough Enough and Diva Search episodes on a neverending loop of reruns?

As long as it's Tough Enough III, a show I watched everytime it was on and despite there being the Smackdown 6, I still thought it was more intresting than Smackdown.

[Jobber of the Week 0]

HD doesn't take up that much bandwidth, especially when providers like Dish Network have a ton of bandwidth ready to use fro HDTV when all the channels start rolling out with it.

No, they don't. Both satelite providers need to launch way more satellites to be able to get the kind of coverage cable is doing locally. This is why for 5 years now DirecTV's HD offerings have been the same national channels (Discovery HD, HDNet) and now they've recently added CBS, but it's not your local CBS in HD like I'm currently getting with Comcast. it's Los Angeles' CBS or some such bull.

 

The satellite companies compressed the hell out of their picture (DTV is pretty ugly now compared to when we first subscribed in the mid 90s) to be able to fit all these standard definition local channels and provide them nationwide. HD is just going to be a huge headache and DTV has been waiting for this additional sat to launch for ages now.

 

It doesn't mean that you can't air old standard definition programing, as the aspect ratio is changed to the black bars on the left and right (or stretched out) for 4:3 programming.

I own an HDTV and use it daily. You don't have to get elementary with me here.

 

To air one show in HD, and still have standard definition subscribers view the channel, they would have to put out two channels.

Converter boxes will eventually be available, which is how "old" TVs are supposed to keep watching TV on that constantly delayed date when the government takes all the airwaves bandwith back and everything is all-digital.

 

As for the PPV stuff, it would be awesome to get HD Wrestling PPVs, but not even boxing events are in HD yet.  It's just too expensive at the moment to do for a niche market.

I'm talking down the road. PPV would be a good first step.

 

Sad part is that you are not going to find any wrestling on HD.  Spike TV doesn't look anywhere near ready to start airing HD anytime soon.

Which is exactly why I suggested using PPVs. None of Spike's other programming would be in HD, so a channel at this point is a waste.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

NFL network is pretty cool actually, much better than I thought it would be when I first heard about it. The fact that they actually show football games from the last 10 years (albeit clipped a bit, but they dont cut out plays, just the 30 seconds of the play clock that nothing normally happens in and the editing is pretty seemless). And NFL Network is going to air a lot of the preseason games too which is actually pretty cool.

 

I dont think that WWE 24/7 could ever be like the NFL Network just because of the amount of material the NFL has just over the last 10 years, not to mention all of the NFL Films stuff. Also the number of players and coaches that they can bring in for the NFL Total Access shows dwarfs the number of wrestlers and personalities that the WWE has. Plus Vince would have to air a lot of classic matches for free (well, sort of) instead of sticking them on DVDs and getting $20 a pop for them.

[Epic Reine 0]

I dont think that WWE 24/7 could ever be like the NFL Network just because of the amount of material the NFL has just over the last 10 years, not to mention all of the NFL Films stuff. Also the number of players and coaches that they can bring in for the NFL Total Access shows dwarfs the number of wrestlers and personalities that the WWE has. Plus Vince would have to air a lot of classic matches for free (well, sort of) instead of sticking them on DVDs and getting $20 a pop for them.

 

I don't know for sure, I can only guess, but I don't think there is 750+ hours of NFL footage. As Vince claims his video library is 750+ hours.

 

Plus, then you can figure in how WWE produces 2 hours for RAW [really like 2 hours and 15 minutes at most], 2 hours for SDown, 1 hour for Velocity, 1 hour for HEAT, 1 hour for AfterBurn, 1 hour for Livewire or whatever the SDown version of Afterburn is, and 1 hour for Exeperience. Thats 9+ hours a week. Not counting if they do tape house shows, and dark matches, which I'm not entirely sure if they do or don't. [i think they do sometimes, if their going ot use it for a television vignette.]

 

And this is only one week. After 3 weeks, counting one PPV into that, thats about 30 hours worth of footage.

 

So, rounding up, saying every 3 weeks, they produce 30 hours of video, after 10 weeks, that would be 300 hours.

 

There is 52 weeks in a year. 52 x 9 = 468. 12 PPVs at 3 hours each = 36 hours. 468 + 36 = 504 hours.

 

And thats ONE year. Give or take a few hours/minutes, and this isn't even counting DVDs they produce, or other bits of footage they shoot but do not use, nor does this include the possibility of them taping house shows and dark matches.

 

When Vince says 750+ hours of footage, I honestly think its probably a good 3-5 times that. Considering how vast AWA, NWA, and WCW videos were. Even ECW had a decent size to it. Add in WWE has been producing 9 hours of footage weekly since, roughly 2002, thats.... [for 2002 and 2003] a total of: 1,008 hours.

 

Sure, WWE has less personalities and such to work with when it comes to producing new shoot, or other such type of video segments, their sheer vast amount of Free TV footage alone, is massive enough to launch a WWE 24/7 channel, and considering that the library is only going to grow, it can and probably will easily out-grow whatever the NFL video libraries have.

 

And this is also not assuming Vince buys any other companies libraries, considering he's looking into a few older territories, plus XPW's library, plus if he doesn't buy out any other defunct random Indies.

[Placebo Effect 0]

They better have more than 750 hours of footage. If you combined all WWF/E, NWA/ECW, and ECW PPVs, you'd probably be close to hitting 750.

[Kizzo 0]

So is it on Direct TV or on cable too? You contradicted yourself here.

Here is the deal...Directv is the only satellite provider that carries the NFL Network...when the channel first launch....Directv was the only company that carried at that time....until NFL made some deals with selected cable companies to air the network.....

 

On Directv...it comes free to all subcribers....with cable its part of a pacakge.....

[Astro7x 0]

No, they don't. Both satelite providers need to launch way more satellites to be able to get the kind of coverage cable is doing locally. This is why for 5 years now DirecTV's HD offerings have been the same national channels (Discovery HD, HDNet) and now they've recently added CBS, but it's not your local CBS in HD like I'm currently getting with Comcast. it's Los Angeles' CBS or some such bull.

 

The satellite companies compressed the hell out of their picture (DTV is pretty ugly now compared to when we first subscribed in the mid 90s) to be able to fit all these standard definition local channels and provide them nationwide. HD is just going to be a huge headache and DTV has been waiting for this additional sat to launch for ages now.

Launch way more satellites? I sell this stuff on a daily basis, and watch the retailer chats they have. They are currently in the process of switching everything over to what they would call a new "8PSK" compression technology, compressing the HDTV signal down even smaller to fit more HD quality stations on the existing satellites.

 

The reason you have the same channels in HD is because there are not many stations that are offering HD, not because they don't have the room for them. It's also not worth it at this point for Dish and DirecTV to be paying money to provied a ton of channels in HD when it's not that big of a market at this point.

 

Providers like Voom are actually making their own HDTV stations: Monster HD (an all monster movie station), Animania (HD Cartoons), Etc. Out of the 36 HDTV channels Voom has, 21 of them are channels they themselves created. That leaves 15 channels which they carry which are currently boradcasted in HD.

 

HBO East, HBO West, Cinemax East, Cinemax West, Showtime East, Showtime West, The Movie Channel HD, Starz East, Starz West, Encore HD, ESPN HD, Bravo HD, TNT HD, Discovery HD, Playboy HD (yeah, thats right... HD Porn!)

 

Besides movie channels, not a whole bunch of regular channesl out there making HDTV Programming at this point. Throw in your broadcast locals though which you can get with an antenna, and it's looking a bit better.

 

For Dish and DirecTV to launch even more satellites specificly for HDTV is laughable... to upgrade every single customer for HDTV would be a huge headache. If anything, special interesting programming such as internationals and spanish programming will be moved entirely off the main satellites and only require those customers to be upgraded, which would be far less than those that subscribe to american programming.

 

Local channels are broadcasted through what they call spotbeam technology. It takes up less bandwidth is it only sends the signal for those channels out over a specific area. National channels from NY and LA are broadcasted nationwide for those cities that do no have local channels and need distant locals. But it would be impossible to view local channels from a city like Atlanta or Detroit on the west coast due to the way they are sent.

 

So yeah... bandwidth is not an issue, trust me on this one.

[Guest Loss]

WWE has more like 75,000 hours of footage, if not more.