Most of us have witnessed at least some of the world’s greatest sporting moments on TV. For example, those who watched it will never forget the 2003 rugby World Cup final and the nail-biting final few minutes before Jonny Wilkinson converted the extra-time, last-gasp drop goal that clinched the championship for England with 26 seconds remaining.
That was a sublime example of triumph, but some of TV sport’s greatest moments have also involved spectacular failures, such as when French golfer Jean Van de Velde managed to clinch defeat from the jaws of victory during the 1999 Open championship at Carnoustie.
Leading the field by a clear three strokes by the time he stepped on the 18th tee, all Van de Velde had to do to lift The Open title was to record a double-bogey or better on the final hole. Incredibly, instead of playing safe, he chose a driver and after a wayward tee shot struggled through the rough and water hazards to record a disastrous triple-bogey seven. That score forced him into a three-way play-off that was eventually won by Paul Lawrie. The world’s TV audience of millions could merely cringe as they witnessed his total self-destruction.
The Vancouver Winter Olympics in February 2010 provided its share of great sporting moments. None of it equalled the hilarity factor of Great Britain’s hopeless ski jumper Eddie the Eagle when the games were last staged in Canada, in Calgary 1988. For Canadians watching their athletes triumph in their home country, Britons watching Amy Williams getting Great Britain’s solitary medal or just fans of sport in general, the 2010 games offered the option to watch in high definition via satellite or cable, for those with an HD set-top box.
Regardless of success or failure, just imagine how much more vivid and memorable future great sporting moments will appear as they are broadcast in high definition. Indeed, if the pundits are to be believed we could even witness England being crowned 2010 World Cup football champions in South Africa this year in glorious HD.
By way of comparison standard viewing offers only about a fifth of the clarity of HD, and also struggles to compete with the digital audio qualities of HD broadcasts. Pixelation is vastly reduced producing such clear definition that tram lines in tennis, or touchlines in other sports appear straight and true in HD viewing format, as opposed to the blurred and jagged standard viewing counterparts.
Adam Singleton writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
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