How I wished Fox Soccer Channel broadcasted digital picture!

[ISiddiqui]

Ok, so FSC is on the digital channels I got, but the picture is definetly analog. I compare it with Gol TV and Gol TV ALWAYS has it beat (it broadcasts in digital picture quite obviously). Of course this means that sometimes the picture gets somewhat muddled in certain leagues on FSC (like the Argentinian league game I'm watching now). While English Premier League games have better picture, it is still leaps and bounds behind Gol TV's pictures.

The Brazilian League Game on Gol TV is 100 times better than Argentianian League Game. It just takes away from the experience on FSC.

Man, I wish FSC moved to full digital :(. I wonder why they aren't. Are they not on Digital Cable in all of the country?

[ZXTT]

On our system (Comcast) FSC (the former FSW) is terrible. I can barely tell who the players are. My understanding is that this is because it is highly compressed, to save bandwidth. So it has nothing to do with the source (FSC) or digital vs analog. In fact, it can only be done on a digital channel - digital at least through the cable co. system.

I have a fuzzy recollection of a discussion about this and I believe it was said that Comcast receives a collection of the digital channels it broadcasts from a source that compresses them like this to squeeze as many channels as they can into little bandwidth. My guess is that it is done mainly to niche channels, like our beloved FSC. Alas, this is why digital, which could be clean and crisp, isn't in many cases.

[ISiddiqui]

Hmm, I have Comcast as well, but I'm not sure that explaination makes that much sense, since Gol TV is absolutely beautiful. And it's the English version of it, so its not like they are counting on Spanish speaking people to be watching. Perhaps they are compressing FSC massively, but you'd think they'd do the same to Gol TV.

Also there are certain shows that really don't look that horrible on FSW, but some games look like you've forgotten to put on glasses!

[Mac Howard]

Ok, so FSC is on the digital channels I got, but the picture is definetly analog. I compare it with Gol TV and Gol TV ALWAYS has it beat

That's interesting. It's the very reverse here - Fox Sports is fine but Gol absolutely awful (that's bad in English English :) )

A pure guess but I think it may be that Fox original content is produced for the PAL system and converted for NTSC and Gol the reverse - we have a PAL system here in Australia so the second is almost unwatchable :(

[ISiddiqui]

Well I guess anything is a guess really ;). I just want to see Premier League football as best I can. Just venting my frustration... but regular Fox is always the clearest of channels... and Fox Sports Atlantic, Central, and Pacific aren't that bad. It may be that FSC is the runt of Comcast's lineup.