NHL Center Ice

The agreement to get the games is between the providers and the NHL, and only guarantees the games in SD. The HD versions of the games are often available but depends on the broadcaster, and also technical limitations. For example, I believe there's a very limited number of HD links available for Canadian games and so they in particular are often only in SD.

Good to know. Thats exactly where I am running into the issue; trying to watch the Canadian games. The SD isn't so bad; I guess I've just been so spoiled with all the HD sports in recent years. Thanks so much for the response.

This is completely unacceptable. Both Dish network and InDemand (Cable companies) carry CBC HD feeds.

Directv is the only company not doing it.

Directv has the least HD available for NHL CI compared to anyone.

Shame on the company that called itself the Sports leader.

Spread the word!

I don't know about Dish but many cable networks only carry a few of these HD feeds.

Here's a quote I found:
"The NHL does have a material weakness in the manner it operates versus the other major sports leagues. MLB and NBA require its members to provide HD and SD feed of games to a central broadcast center and controls the sale of out of market games on the web and tv. The NHL is much weaker and does not have such an arrangement. The only thing they receive from their clubs is an SD feed. All else is subject to negotiations."

I can certainly appreciate that the NHL doesn't have the pull that the NFL and MLB have. That being said; I have no problem getting CFL Football games, Euorpean and even MLS Soccer games in HD. I believe I have even seen Curling in HD, fed from CBC. Why would the networks offering the CFL games not run into the same sort of problems? It is even the same station is Canada sending the feed.

Furthermore; Versus must have aired at least 20, maybe 30 + Hockey Night In Canada games last year. All were fed in HD. On the occasional exception Versus would air a US only game and the feed would be picked up by Center Ice. Whenever Center Ice airs the exact same game, from the exact same originating network, the game is always in regular definition.

I simply don't know the inner workings of how these feeds get passed along, paid for, etc., so I can't be too critical. Just frustrated. Appreciate the conversation. Would love to hear what others know or to hear their thoughts on the matter.

Thanks

As I remember, when Versus is showing a hockey game, then it is blacked out on all the other channels...similarly with the NHL network..

I'm not a hockey fan and do not subscribe.  However, the other night I saw an on screen message that the Center Ice was on a free promotion.  Remembering seeing the posts about lack of HD, I tuned to the then playing three games.  All three were in spectacular HD, absolutely beautiful pictures on all three.

As an aside, some years back I had a grandson playing for the Twins.  I switched to Directv because they were the only service offering MLB.  Soon after I got my first HD system and if the Twins were playing in a major city, I'd get HD.  But if the feed was from Minneapolis the game was SD.  The point being, if the game isn't fed in HD, not much Directv can do about it.

dcd - the issue the OP was posting is that (most of?) these games are being produced in HD, it's just that the Center Ice program is showing only the SD feed of some of them (all the "missing" HD are Canadian games, I think). No-one knows for sure why each individual game might be in SD, but we do know there are HD "link" limitations, and also might be contract issues. One of the Canadian satellites has also had problems and I guess that might have an impact. There might also be satellite bandwidth limitations if games are on at the same time as other extensive sports coverage.

I agree that it is extremely frustrating watching Canadian teams in SD. They claim dual feeds so you can listen to broadcasters for your favorite teams, but then they only show the SD feeds for Canadians teams. I know these games are broadcast in HD because I have family in Canada who are watching them in HD. It was really frustrating when this week they said the Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts were going to be in HD, and then at game time they all of the sudden weren't in HD, only SD. It still says in their schedule that the game was broadcast in HD. I wish at the very least that we could get the audio from the home station and the HD video from the other. It was amazing, the other night when Columbus was playing a game that was not broadcast anywhere, we still got an HD feed along with the radio audio for Columbus, and yet we can't get the HD feeds for Canadian teams. This really needs to change since that was the main reason I got NHL Center Ice, to watch the Canucks and the Jets, and then the games look worse compared with HD.

I'm really interested in this topic as well -- and would love to hear updates from current CI subscribers about the reliability of having HD feeds for games.

I'm currently with Comcast and am very disappointed that they only offer 2 HD channels for CI.  I'm close to switching to DirecTV but one of my primary motivators is based on the NHL Center Ice.

From their schedule (http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/content/sports/nhl) it appears that almost all the games are available in HD, including Saturday night CBC HNIC games.  For example, this Saturday, the Montreal/Toronto game on 770-1 would be a CBC feed.    It would be great if someone could post after the fact whether that actually was avilable in HD?

am currently watching the Bruins-Maple Leafs game in HD.  have never had a reliability problem with my HD signal and just about every game I've tried to watch including the Don Cherry Hockey Night in Canada games.  just have to remember that sometimes if a game isn't in HD via one teams broadcast that it typically is via the other team's broadcast.  here in San Diego can't do without my spoked B's aka Bruins

The latest Leafs/Habs game was in HD and looked great, but this was one of very very few HD broadcasted Leaf games.  I too am extremely frustrated and disappointed.  If there is an obvious trend due to contracts or whatnot, DirecTV really should put piece of information in the fine print somewhere.  I signed up having moved to the US just to watch Leaf games almost all are in SD, as well as the majority of all the Canadian teams.

Has anyone tried NHL GameCenter that can report back on their experience?

On the brightside gigantor, getting the games, even in SD, is better than not getting them at all. 🙂 Which is the main purpose of a sports subscription. To allow out of market fans to get all the games for their team.

Agreed -- try sending a mail to the DirecTV office of the president and outline your thoughts.  I just did this and hopefully if they receive a few requests about HD feeds for Canadian teams, we will see some response from them.

http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPageIFnorail.jsp?assetId=P4960016