I agree 1000%.

Posted by FF184 on 10/02/09 at 08:43 AM ET

Totally agree Paul.. I have Direct TV as well. Versus is on Choice + coverage but I have Choice only. I usually get Center Ice after the free preview is over I too am but bummed about Canadian games not in HD!!

I live in Texas now but grew up watching CBC in Michigan. The Canadian broadcasts are the best… Bettman really has destroyed this league....

Posted by Otto Skorzeny on 10/02/09 at 08:45 AM ET

I was thinking the same thing… no hockey for me today, even though I did get free Center Ice…

You are 100% right on the CBC stream, in fact, Center Ice needs to pick up the HD stream of all Canadian feeds. The only Canadian feeds in HD are the TSN and CBC when shown on NHL Network. I end up watching far far inferior commentators just to have HD…

Posted by Chris on 10/02/09 at 08:46 AM ET

A bit off-topic… I am a new subscriber to CenterIce because I moved out of Michigan recently, so it’s my only way to get all the Wings games. I watched the games on CBC last night via CenterIce, and there didn’t appear to be an obvious way to determine if a game was available in HD, and if so, what station it would be on. Is there any schedule online or any way to figure this out?

Am I barking up the wrong tree? Maybe this varies from provider to provider and I need to ask this question of Cablevision.

Posted by Nathan from Jonny Ericsson's ice cream truck on 10/02/09 at 08:54 AM ET

Nathan, All games on CBC are broadcast in HD, but for some reason, CI does not and never has picked up the HD feed.

Also, MSG games are HD too, yet CI does not pick-up those games either since the middle of last season.

It must be a contract issue, but hey, we were todl more HD and we are actually getting less.

Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 10/02/09 at 08:57 AM ET

I am canceling my DirecTV today.  I am VERY disappointed I cannot watch the games today AND last night.

Does anyone know how I can see these games?

Posted by Ryan from MN on 10/02/09 at 09:27 AM ET

@Nathan,

Also, the games on the -1 channel (eg 770-1) are the true HD games.

Posted by FF184 on 10/02/09 at 09:48 AM ET

Thanks Paul. I guess my question is more general—when CI does in fact carry a game in HD, how do you find out which station it is on? Is there a channel guide with CI, or a channel with a schedule on it?

One thing nice about living in the NY metro area (I am in Stamford, CT) is that I get to see HD broadcasts for four different teams on a regular basis (all the MSG network coverage), in addition to the “national” HD feeds that are on Versus and NHLN.

Fortunately, when NHLN shows CBC games, they show them in HD. But I agree, frankly there’s no reason every game on CI shouldn’t be in hi-def. Are there any local broadcasts that aren’t in HD anymore?

Posted by Nathan from Jonny Ericsson's ice cream truck on 10/02/09 at 09:49 AM ET

FF184, thanks for the tip, but my provider (Cablevision) doesn’t work like that. You have to have a box to subscribe to CI, and then they park all the CI programming in a range of channels (I think it’s like 415 - 475), along with all the other sports packages, so figuring out which is which is a nightmare (unless they actually update the program guide… which to this point doesn’t look promising).

I’d love to have CableCard and just be able to tune right in using my television with no box, because in that case, it is always a lot easier to locate the HD version of every channel.

Posted by Nathan from Jonny Ericsson's ice cream truck on 10/02/09 at 09:51 AM ET

Since the Center Ice schedule seems to be hard to find, at least it was for me, you can follow this link and enter your zip code for the schedule.

http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPageIF.jsp?assetId=1800012&page=Packages/NHLCenterIce

This schedule has the SD channel and HD channel if available for that game.

Posted by FF184 on 10/02/09 at 09:52 AM ET

@Nathan - Oops sorry, thought you had Directv.

Posted by FF184 on 10/02/09 at 09:53 AM ET

I’m not too upset about the lack of Versus at the moment, because I think it will be back on before long, and I have Center Ice to watch most games on.  But you’re absolutely right about the lack of HD hockey on DirecTv.  As a Flyers fan, I’m lucky if I get 10 of their games all year in HD on Center Ice.  It was also a shame that during the 1st round of the playoffs last season there were so many games I wanted to watch that Vs. didn’t air, and had no option other than SD feeds.  There is no reason that when there are only 4 or so games/night in the playoffs, and one or two are covered by Versus, that you can’t get the remaining ones in HD on Center Ice.  It’s a disgrace I’m paying $160 for Center Ice, plus the extra money every month for a programming tier that allows me to get Versus and NHL Network, PLUS the extra money for HD programming and I am stuck with so much SD.  When my two year agreement ends with DirecTv next year, I will definitely be looking to switch to another carrier who actually gives me HD hockey when I pay for it!

Posted by Caleb from Pittsburgh on 10/02/09 at 10:02 AM ET

Nathan, I’ve got Time Warner and get one Center Ice HD channel that’s not well placed. For most of my channels, adding 1000 to the channel number gets you to the HD version (Versus is channel 55 here, Versus HD is 1055).  My Center Ice channels run in the 487-501 channels and my HD Center Ice channel is 998.  Just gotta check your guide for all the HD channels to see where it lies.

I expect that while baseball season is still running and the channels still overlap, that HD channel is going ot be full of baseball.

I expect that Versus’ rights to air the games are super-duper exclusive to Versus.  If the NHL gave viewers a way to watch those exclusive games without DirecTV carrying Versus, it would look like a slap in the face to their television partner, since Versus is largely hoping to bank on the support of hockey fans to make DTV buckle to their demands.

Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 10/02/09 at 10:18 AM ET

Thanks guys. I think you’re probably right, J.J., it’s just that Cablevision does a lousy job updating the program guide. I’ll poke around again and see if I can find it, otherwise I’ll call and nag their customer service.

Posted by Nathan from Jonny Ericsson's ice cream truck on 10/02/09 at 10:24 AM ET

I agree wholeheartedly Paul.  If only we knew someone who worked for the NHL…

*cough*

Posted by Hippy Dave from San Francisco by way of Detroit on 10/02/09 at 10:48 AM ET

@Nathan
i am a long time cablevision subscriber (not proud of it) and also a 5+ year subrscriber of CI. usually cablevision updates the program guide after the baseball season. the hockey games will be on channels 415-428. and that depends on how many games are on per night. Last night for example the games were both on 416 back to back. but i really wish they would give us some HD already its just not the same having to watch hockey w/o HD.

Posted by miked051 on 10/02/09 at 01:00 PM ET

Nathan,

Cablevision does not carry the channel (GameHD) that carries the Center Ice HD games.  You will get no Center Ice games in HD from Cablevision, just the games on MSG, MSG+, Versus and NHL Network.

Posted by RemyM on 10/02/09 at 01:16 PM ET