Espn's annoying new three-way splitscreen

[hurleyfor3]

I'm referring to the way espn puts the game on the left and the two coachs, one above each other, on the right. Maybe this is tolerable on HD, but not all of us have HD (and I'm watching the game on an HD teevee with a standard def signal, which isn't any better). Please quit this splitscreen crap and just show us the damn game.

[Greg_Newton]

It's pretty terrible in HD too. What I really don't understand is why they shrink the entire screen down... there's a good 3 inches of blank space around all 4 edges. Very bizarre.

[rthomas]

It's pretty terrible in HD too. What I really don't understand is why they shrink the entire screen down... there's a good 3 inches of blank space around all 4 edges. Very bizarre.

On my 50 inch screen, it's more than 3 inches more like 8.

And why since it's a game about the team and about college basketball players, why do we need to see the expressions of the frickin' coaches? Especially Gary. I want to see the game!

[loran16]

I'm referring to the way espn puts the game on the left and the two coachs, one above each other, on the right. Maybe this is tolerable on HD, but not all of us have HD (and I'm watching the game on an HD teevee with a standard def signal, which isn't any better). Please quit this splitscreen crap and just show us the damn game.
Like others have said, this is horrible on HD...in fact, it knocks the game OUT of HD.

God...if they're not even referring to the person in the side screen, like they were most of the game, they should never have that on.

[mr. synellinden]

It's horrible. It turns a 50 in. screen into a 28 in. with a bad picture.

Just getting us prepped for the CBS four-in-one NCAA tourney screen. Can't wait!!

[sagegrouse]

On my big screen, it shrunk to one-half the width and about 80% of the depth. What a ridiculous idea! In fact, who really cares about the coaches; basketball is about the game and the players? Post-game and pre-game is for the coaches.

sagegrouse

[weezie]

How many times did our dear Raycom go blank? At least twice during this last game.
What a toss-up, goofy screen splits or blank screens with sound only, lights blanking out or shot clocks freezing?

Geez, just bring the tourney back to Gboro, or maybe even let UVA get a shot at it in their beautiful new arena. Bigger is not better.

And while we're at it, let's all hit ourselves in the head with a frying pan each time we see the Geico eyeball money commercials.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Luckily I didn't have to suffer the split screen, but it sounds horrible; I hate it when they use it for anything. Was it like that for the whole game?

[COYS]

I hate these camera gimmicks. I watched some of the first half on a small, non-HD TV and literally couldn't see the game screen when they did this. I watched the rest of the game in HD and was just annoyed that they'd shrink game screen making everything that much harder to follow. If they want to do have the split screen as an option on certain HD channels or on ESPN360.com or something like that, that's perfectly fine with me. But man, I'd much rather be able to watch the game normally.

[micah75]

Interesting replies. I kinda liked it. They only do it for a moment at a time, so I don't find it distracting. I suppose it would be intolerable if it lasted longer than 30 seconds. Plus, it's one of the few times you get to see Coach K standing up during the game, animated. In the past, you'd get the same ol shots of him sitting on the bench with hand on face, seemingly disinterested.

[biscuit30]

I don't like. I pay for a good size screen, why shrink it down?

[Greg_Newton]

Interesting replies. I kinda liked it. They only do it for a moment at a time, so I don't find it distracting. I suppose it would be intolerable if it lasted longer than 30 seconds. Plus, it's one of the few times you get to see Coach K standing up during the game, animated. In the past, you'd get the same ol shots of him sitting on the bench with hand on face, seemingly disinterested.

I think it could make sense for them to briefly use the split-screen during dead-ball situations when we wouldn't be missing any action anyway. But even then, it should use 100% of our TV screen, not 60-70%. The only time it actually made me mad was when they did it down the stretch while Duke was in the process of making a couple of big plays... it was the equivalent of having a severe weather warning pop-up at the worst time imaginable.

[rthomas]

... it was the equivalent of having a severe weather warning pop-up at the worst time imaginable.


You nailed it.

[Neals384]

I suppose it would be intolerable if it lasted longer than 30 seconds.

They do it for at least an entire possesion. It seems interminable.

For all those who don't like it - please email ESPN! I did.

[throatybeard]

I would understand it if it were cut-ins from other games. Although, remember how that early 90s 4-way CBS screen was panned?

But why do we need to see two sixty year-old guys (God love both of em, especially our guy) whom we see at every game, during live action?

If they're going to stick with this, I want a dedicated PiP camera on Erin Andrews.

[monkey]

Glad someone started this thread. This is absolutely terrible. Can't see, I yell at my tv the whole time it's up begging them to stop but they just keep right on ... adds virtually nothing - game action is busy on and I have to look at the coaches' impassive faces (or even when they aren't impassive - I just don't really care). Make it stop.

[moonpie23]

was that only on ESPN?? We get the raycom broadcast here in the triangle, and i don't remember seeing what you guys are talking about...


i could have been using gRAVus to block out the memory of that screen disaster...

[hurleyfor3]

They don't seem to have used it for today's game (the championship). I was multitasking during the game, watching in between lifting weights, but didn't see it. Maybe they got the message. :)

I wish we'd get Erin in the first place rather than the superannuated Heather Cox.

[Les Grossman]

trust me, its just as bad on HD as on SD. Its awful, hope this doesn't happen in the NCAA.

[Bluedog]

They don't seem to have used it for today's game (the championship). I was multitasking during the game, watching in between lifting weights, but didn't see it. Maybe they got the message. :)

I wish we'd get Erin in the first place rather than the superannuated Heather Cox.

They used it once or twice during today's game, unfortunately. You must have just missed it...

[PensDevil]

Glad I'm not the only one who hated this new gimmick. Every time they used it, I immediately got a little upset with ESPN, only to have Mrs. PensDevil tell me that is no big deal.

No big deal? They just turned my HD game into and SD game, as the roughly two feet (no exageration) of grey on either side of the pictures was about the same size as the bars ESPN uses during their SD programming. Then shrink the game coverage down further.

GRUMBLE....Grumble... grumble...

[TheRose77]

Glad someone started this thread. This is absolutely terrible. Can't see, I yell at my tv the whole time it's up begging them to stop but they just keep right on ... adds virtually nothing - game action is busy on and I have to look at the coaches' impassive faces (or even when they aren't impassive - I just don't really care). Make it stop.
Me too. I didn't buy a 42" HDTV only to have the picture split in half by some dork in the production truck. Give me back my TV!