Having had the misfortune of sitting through almost two miserable hours of football the other night I came to a realisation – one, Merseyside derby’s aren’t what they used to be and two, I’m just about done with watching football (and TV in general) in standard definition. I’ve only had my Sky HD box for around a year now but it’s amazing how quickly you become accustomed to the optimised visuals – I use football as an example because nothing else quite shows off the difference between the broadcast technologies. Football in high definition genuinely brings you closer to the action and provides the pop we’re used to seeing in the top Blu-ray releases. Colours, textures and overall atmosphere is enhanced by the new cameras proving a massive boon when watching on Sky but when it comes to viewing games (or even the hallowed Match Of The Day) in SD I can’t but feel a bit short-changed. Fast motion is continuously blurred and the visuals lack any sort of crispness making it painfully obviously I’m watching from my sofa and not the stands.
The quicker televisions companies jump on board and offer sports fans a high-def feed without being tied to an exclusive channel or service provider the better it will be for everyone, and if they could stay on air long enough to show the goals that might be nice as well… ITV hang your head in shame.