The much loved (to the tune of 6.5 million hours of video or so streamed last year) March Madness On Demand Player on CBSSports.com is returning for 2010 with enough new features to make another run at the championship. Still powered by Microsoft's Silverlight for the high quality video stream (Adobe Flash for the low bandwidth version), this year viewers can also see picture-in-picture highlights of other games without leaving the one they're watching, and pull up stats in realtime over the video, including tourney and game leaders in various categories. If you're watching at work, CBS is also promising an improved "Boss button," but you'll have to wait for March 14 for that to be unveiled... and hope the folks you work with don't see it.

CBS announces new PiP, stat overlay features for 2010 March Madness On Demand originally appeared on Engadget HD on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We're still not sure if this has any noticeable result on picture quality, but Level 3 has announced its going to assist in delivering Super Bowl XLIV's feed uncompressed from the site back to CBS headquarters in New York. Instead of being compressed onsite in a production truck then sent to the studio and stations where it's compressed again, this could help CBS bring a more high quality signal home. If you've been watching Denver Broncos home games, you've seen Level 3's Vyvx broadcast network at work, we'll see how beautiful it keeps things looking in Miami on Sunday.

Level 3 to deliver uncompressed HD broadcast from Super Bowl XLIV originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We're still working out our attack plan for the Super Bowl but CBS is more than ready for the big game with a significantly larger outlay of cameras and equipment than it brings to regular season games. Broadcasting & Cable learned from VP of engineering, operations and production services Ken Aagaard that its setup is "eerily similar" to the one CBS used for SB XLI two years ago, upping the number of HD cameras to 50 from 48 including a healthy mix of manned, unmanned handheld, fixed, RF and super-slo-mo setups among them. New for 2010 are cameras capable of up to 450 fps for for replays, plus "HyperZoom" graphics tracking to magnify the smallest details of a play -- like whether or not Meachem made that catch in overtime -- a new virtual system to extend the goalposts upwards on field goals and an impressive network of servers for replays.

CBS lays out its HD broadcast plan for Super Bowl XLIV originally appeared on Engadget HD on Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Sports

The world needs another cable sports network as much as it need more credit card debit, but if we have to continue to be forced to subscribe to another 24x7 channel to ensure that we have access to as much HD sports as possible, than so be it. The big news this year for CBS College Sports -- as far as we're concerned -- is that every single one of its 42 college football match-ups will be presented in HD. This will mostly consists of games from the Mountain West, C-USA and military teams, which should make for some pretty good games. Now if only our provider carried the network in HD we'd be all set.

CBS College Sports has 43 HD games on the schedule originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 07:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: CBS, New content

We ask, and we receive. A few months after Craig Ferguson topped our poll asking who is still watching standard definition television comes word that The Late Late Show is going high definition. CBS plans to flip the HDTV switch August 31, complete with an updated show opener and theme song. There's nothing better that we can think of than seeing that beautiful, beautiful face in HD...wait, we may need to reconsider this.

The Late Late Show switches to high definition at the end of August originally appeared on Engadget HD on Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Misc

Turns out that even after multiple posts and a podcast, we had even more to say about Comcast's On Demand Online announcements, this time captured on video as a couple of our editors joined our friend Randall Bennett on his show TechVi. In case you missed it, this has been a busy week for the yet-to-launch streaming platform, and we chimed in with a bit of our feelings on what this means for cable, streaming video and where it could go in the future. We're glad you take time out to follow us on twitter (@EngadgetHD, @bjdraw, @stevekim & @Rjcc just in case you didn't know) and hopefully participate in the live podcast sessions on UStream each week, so if you've got eight minutes to spare, check out the video streaming from the TechVi site or embedded after the break.

Continue reading Video: Engadget HD editors talk On Demand Online on Tech Vi

Video: Engadget HD editors talk On Demand Online on Tech Vi originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 16 Jul 2009 22:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: DVRs, Set-top boxes, Others, Internet

In a move that hopefully goes over better than the jittery mess that was 1080p Flash streaming, TV.com will now allow users to schedule recordings directly to their TiVo. They're not the first or only third party site with support, Zap2it.com is another but combined with the existing community features and streaming video this might be a better option. It should work with any Series2, Series3 or TiVo HD box, just look for the Record to TiVo button on TV.com show pages.

TV.com adds Record to TiVo scheduling originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 18 Jun 2009 01:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: CBS, Daytime, New content

Up early on a Sunday? Take a minute to check out the first edition of CBS News Sunday Morning broadcast in high definition, as Charles Osgood anchors the annual "By Design" episode. That means your HDTV will see lots of home tours, a peek into the UCLA Medical Center checking out doctors that are remaking disfigured faces and a report on how retirement is changing for more active elders. Us? We're going back to sleep, two NBA Game 7's and the start of the NHL conference finals make this day a marathon, not a sprint.

CBS Sunday Morning News makes the jump to high definition originally appeared on Engadget HD on Sun, 17 May 2009 08:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Satellite, Sports

As should be expected by now, DirecTV is readying its interactive TV prowess for the 2009 Masters Golf Tournament from April 9 -12. The Masters Mix channel serves up CBS Sports and ESPN conent, along with plenty of leaderboards, hole by hole stats for each player, a trivia me and daily highlight packages for notable player on DirecTV On Demand. We're not seeing much different from last year's implementation (with the exception of a healthy, surgically repaired Tiger ready to take on the field), but we're open to suggestions about how the Masters Experience could get better in 2010.

DirecTV loading up multi-screen HD coverage of the 2009 Masters originally appeared on Engadget HD on Sat, 04 Apr 2009 20:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Fiber

FiOS TV lovers who enjoy dipping into CBS' stash of on-demand content are sure to love this. The aforesaid network and Verizon have just signed long-term retransmission-consent and program-carriage agreements that will give the operator VOD access to hit shows such as CSI and Survivor along with mobile access to select programs via V CAST. The so-called "broadened and extended" rights do not appear to include Showtime content, but they do include rights for high-definition versions of the material that the deal encompasses. And really, that's all you care about, right?

CBS and Verizon land retransmission agreement for VOD content originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Misc, CBS, Daytime

This summer, we had assumed The Price is Right had finally gone HD during the daytime, but unfortunately, it wasn't to be. Instead, we were forced to wait a few months until its 37th season began. As of this week, however, the fabled game show is back and clearer than ever in sparkling high-definition. Viewers will also notice a freshened set, bigger prizes and a new game as well. Add one more to the list of reasons your boss should let you work from home.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Filed under: CBS, Primetime, Daytime

With practically every other broadcast station in Chicago already beaming out local news in HD, we can only say that it's about time CBS 2 made its move. As the station slides to a new headquarters at Dearborn and Washington Streets across from Daley Plaza, it will also begin airing its newscasts in beautiful high-definition. We're hearing that ratings have been on the decline of late (that's what you get for not keeping with the program!), but hopefully the switch to HD will be a shot in the arm, er, meter. Give it a look on September 22nd.

[Thanks, Stephen]

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Filed under: CBS, Daytime, New content

We know, you're all politics, sports, tech and other "serious" subjects when it comes to your HDTV programming schedule, it's just you have this...friend who watches daytime syndicated programming. Tell your "friend" that talk show hosts Ellen, Oprah (only a year after initially rumored) and Dr. Phil will all make the jump to glorious high definition. Later in the day, Entertainment Tonight and The Insider make the jump to 720p/1080i (depending on your local station and if they're ready to handle syndicated HD at all), complete with newly built sets and likely a few extra layers of makeup. Anything else your "friend" is still waiting to see get a resolution bump? Check after the break for a video tour of ET's new HDTV-ready digs.

Read - Dr. Phil
Read - Entertainment Tonight & The Insider

Continue reading Oprah & Ellen & Dr. Phil & Entertainment Tonight & The Insider enter HD tomorrow

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Filed under: CBS, Daytime

Some four months after The Price is Right made the leap to high-definition on Friday nights, the daytime variant of the famed game show has now followed suit. During today's first pricing game, host Drew Carey proudly proclaimed that the show was now airing in HD during the day, after which kids home from school and grandparents with TVs from 1982 celebrated and did nothing, respectively.

[Thanks, Justin]

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Filed under: CBS, Primetime

All those millions invested in its New York City studios will be on display July 28, when CBS Evening News goes all-1080i on us. With a date established for its 60 year-old flagship program, we're still looking forward to 60 Minutes in September, followed by 48 Hours and CBS Sunday Morning next year. The Early Show's transition date is still up in the air, with the possibility of high definition later this year or 2010 depending on where it is filmed. Interestingly, we could have been enjoying HD primetime news next week, but according to the broadcaster staff vacations caused things to be pushed back a bit. All the same, you know where to be Monday after next at 6:30 p.m.

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Filed under: Misc, CBS, Primetime

Nearly two years ago, we pondered how long it would take network news to really commit to HD. Now, one of the laggers is finally catching up and hoping to grab the attention of those who refuse to peer at anything less than 720p. CBS News is reportedly getting set to start fully utilizing a new HD control room that will not only improve the look of productions, but also provide "producers and directors [with] more space and an improved work flow for events such as Election Night." Additionally, we're told that 60 Minutes will make the leap to high-definition in September, while 48 Hours and CBS Sunday Morning follow suit next year. No doubt, CBS has poured millions into overhauling its 57th St. facility in New York City, and while you may not be interested in all the specifics detailed in the read link, here's to hoping the investment pays off on the tele.

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Filed under: Industry, CBS

CBS has finished renovations on its HD control room, dubbed CR47HD, for the CBS Evening News' transition to HD in a few weeks. This is the same control room that 2008 election coverage has been hinging on, and the linked article gives a behing the scenes look at some of the HD gadget-wizadry involved. The control room was last updated in 1985, and as we all know, a lot has changed since then. If our own look behind the scenes of an HD newscast got your attention, you'll want to hit that read link for the same sort of gear-porn writ large. Things like a plasma and LCD video wall, an 80-input Sony production switcher with access to 22 feeds, and eight Sony HDC-1400 studio cameras with Canon glass quicken our pulses, for sure.

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