France -v- Ireland soccer match coverage on TV

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RTE could have taken the opportunity to show Croke Park off to the French TV public on HD TV last night – but didn’t bother. It was broadcast on the M6 HD channel in plain old standard definition.

Not unlike the early days of the Eurovision song contest, when they had to make special voting arrangements for Ireland, because the Irish phone system couldn’t be trusted to handle the few dozen “international” phone calls which would be required to be set-up in a timely sequence.

Most TV channels in France offer multi-lingual audio choices (eg if you are watching an American movie it will not only be in HD but the audio will typically be available in the original American English soundtrack as well as the French language version). There was a multi-lingual sound track during the match – the English language track had to be filled with a duplicate in French.

While I am at it, RTE didn’t appear to be providing AC3 (Dolby Digital 5.1) sound either. Instead all one heard was the usual (for RTE) (probably 2 channel audio) – despite the fact that my receiver was showing AC3 as being active.

French households have a high penetration of HD receiving TVs - because all the platforms - DTT, DTT Sat (TNT Sat), FTTH, traditional cable, and traditional satellite support it, and there is lots of HD content to watch.

http://www.m6.fr/emission-100_foot/

The Cush

Are RTE to blame or is it Sky?
Which broadcaster do the FAI use to televise their games i.e. who produces, who owns the cameras?

The reason I ask is because of this article in Friday's Irish Independent about the schedule of converting the Croke Park from soccer to rugby and specifically this line

11pm: Sky personnel leave stadium. Rugby posts up. Catering restock. Corporate level clean-up begins.

probe

The Cush wrote: »

Are RTE to blame or is it Sky?
Which broadcaster do the FAI use to televise their games i.e. who produces, who owns the cameras?

The reason I ask is because of this article in Friday's Irish Independent about the schedule of converting the Croke Park from soccer to rugby and specifically this line

This is irrelevant – whether accurate or not. Ireland Inc screwed up by not using HD.

(If Sky had an involvement, RTE legitimised Sky/Fox/Murdoch – the most brain toxic, anti-democratic, culturally insular, media network on the planet - by providing their content on that company’s platform. They couldn’t be bothered to put an Irish digital TV platform up in a timely manner, unlike every other European country. Disorganised. No forward planning. Clueless).

If the FAI or IRFU sell television rights without a HD must carry where deliverable clause, they too are responsible for making Ireland look as if the country is in the B&W TV age still.

The French are totally aghast at the grandeur and spectacle of Croke Park, for such a small country. An event of this nature is a free advert for Ireland which would cost tens of millions to buy on French TV if it was an advert. The opportunities to show off Croke Park in the future seem very limited.

Whoever is responsible shouldn’t have deprived TF1 of access – it obviously gets far more channel zappers than M6.

And because France is spread all over the world in little pockets – North America (St Pierre et Miquelon), South America, Africa, Asia/Far East, (they have to pay the French TV license €118 in the same way as people in Paris, although they get it for €75 in the sticks – because prices tend to be lower in those parts of France). TF1 is available over most of the planet due to this satellite overspill.

TF1* is an SA, listed on Euronext in Paris – like most French TV companies (it is not state owned). They get a squirt of license fee money (la redevance audiovisuel), as does every other TV station that provides quality public interest programming.

Ironically, most of the griping on forums and blogs in France about the Croke Park match not being in HD are blaming M6! The French assume (ie know with total certainty!) that Ireland is such a technologically advanced country that something as basic HD TV is a given, like clean drinking water, mains electricity, and 20 to 100 Mbits/sec broadband with low contention ratios.

M6 is an excellent channel focused on 20 somethings, but they are not known for covering major sporting events. French TV channels tend to be very specialised. TF1 and France 2 are in the best position to broadcast big sporting events on a non-pay TV basis to gain max exposure.

Perhaps the people in RTE, sporting property rights negotiators in Ireland , and those responsible for regulating TV distribution should attend crash courses in “HD expectations in Europe"?

*http://fr.finance.yahoo.com/q?s=TFI.PA

bk

Probe you are being unfair to RTE.

1) It seems it was Sky, not RTE who filmed and broadcast the game.
2) RTE already have the capability to do HD matches, they did the Leinster GAA Football final at Croke Park in 2007 in HD.
3) Had DTT been left to RTE, we would have had it years ago (RTE even originally wanted Irish DTT to carry the 4 UK channels for free!!). DTT is such a mess and so late due to the incompetency of our politicians and their qunagos.

I do however agree that all international sporting events should be transmitted in HD.

afatbollix

It was observes cameras who filmed the match.

They work for sky rte setanta.. anyone who needs a OB...

RTE provided the graphics / commentry for the world feed, they also provided a french channel of audio..

for some reason nothing out of croke park is HD, the 6 nations wasent or was this match even tho everything thing is HD...

snaps

why was sky doing the broadcast? Surely its the national broadcaster doing the broadcast? If sky done the broadcast did RTE have to buy it off sky?

Mossy Monk

I always thought it was RTÉ who did the pictures at Croke Park. Sky only produce the pictures coming from their studio at the ground.

I don't think RTÉ are going to be bothered about French viewers not getting a HD feed.

Ludo

Mossy Monk wrote: »

I don't think RTÉ are going to be bothered about French viewers not getting a HD feed.

Exactly...why should RTE spend more of our license fee money on providing a HD feed when they don't transmit in HD themselves (which is a different discussion).

neil_purdy

Mossy Monk wrote: »

I don't think RTÉ are going to be bothered about French viewers not getting a HD feed.

But will that affect us in the future, other broadcasters wont bother with HD for us??

parasite

I doubt the French viewers were too bothered either, besides the obligatory few internet cranks

Sam Russell

I think the most important aspect of the broadcast of the match was the away goal!

Let us not lose the run of ourselves here.

Mossy Monk

neil_purdy wrote: »

But will that affect us in the future, other broadcasters wont bother with HD for us??

HD feeds will be available.

ScrubsfanChris

afatbollix wrote: »

for some reason nothing out of croke park is HD, the 6 nations wasent or was this match even tho everything thing is HD...

Was the Ireland v. Australia match last week not on BBC HD?

Mossy Monk

ScrubsfanChris wrote: »

Was the Ireland v. Australia match last week not on BBC HD?

No.

snaps

For the record the commentry on Al Jazeera was from RTE on saturday

oppenheimer1

Mossy Monk wrote: »

HD feeds will be available.

HD feeds for some, minature american flags for others!

The Cush

afatbollix wrote: »

It was observes cameras who filmed the match.

They work for sky rte setanta.. anyone who needs a OB...

RTE provided the graphics / commentry for the world feed, they also provided a french channel of audio..

for some reason nothing out of croke park is HD, the 6 nations wasent or was this match even tho everything thing is HD...

Thanks for the info afatbollix, I see they also provided cameras for the two home qualifiers in October against Italy and Montenegro.

What do you mean by "even tho everything thing is HD..."? Are all cameras HD?

STB

Ludo wrote: »

Exactly...why should RTE spend more of our license fee money on providing a HD feed when they don't transmit in HD themselves (which is a different discussion).

But they film all GAA in HD - They mightnt necessarily tx it. Infact RTE have broadcast in HD on terrestrial for the All Ireland Final during "de trial".

The gear is there alright.

afatbollix

The Cush wrote: »

Thanks for the info afatbollix, I see they also provided cameras for the two home qualifiers in October against Italy and Montenegro.

What do you mean by "even tho everything thing is HD..."? Are all cameras HD?

All football / rugby is shot in HD in Ireland. The companys who provide the cameras to RTE sky setanta use HD trucks.

Im not sure why they dont show any of the irish sport in HD... It might be a issue with cables from cameras to the truck that would of been built into the stadium which was before HD... is the only reason I can think of..

More Music

I don't think France will complain if we don't transmit a match in HD, but it may help them see the Henry handball more clearly.

The French public service broadcaster only went 16:9 widescreen last year! And only 14:9 for analogue terrestrial transmissions in order to reduce the letterbox effect.

It's also quite rare on terrestrial TV in Italy. Anybody remember the Six Nations rugby games broadcast from France and Italy in recent years. Yes, in glorious 4:3 [ ].