Why Do FOX Broadcasts Always Blow?

With my new big screen I have been marveling with football games on CBS or NBC. The HD quality is superb, the audio, camera work is class. Then I watch a football game on FOX and it's a sh!t show every single time. The HD signal goes in and out, just has a general fuzzy look to it, and the audio feed clips in and out, etc, etc. I could go on and on.

When I saw the game today was going to be on FOX the first thing I said was, "Oh great, FOX is covering the game." Even the wife knows what I mean by that. And then, like clock work, I start the game and the audio clips off as the team is running out on the field. Unbelievable.

What gives FOX? I am pretty sure you have enough money to offer the same quality signal as your competing networks...What am I missing?

I wouldn't know. Dish yanked fox off and I can't even watch the game.

There are two common broadcast HD standards. 1080i and 720P.
CBS and NBC use 1080i(30 frames, interlaced) and Fox and ABC use 720P(60 frames). Presumably sports look better with the higher temporal resolution of 60 frames a second, while sacrificing spatial resolution (1920x1080 vs 1280 x720)

I always thought FOX looked OK; for baseball anyways, but I guess you need to define "big screen".

5.1 surround audio on a live event, downmixed to 2.0/Stereo is just plain hard. I guess FOX isn't very good at the audio.

Aros":1n4oxnh6 said:

With my new big screen I have been marveling with football games on CBS or NBC. The HD quality is superb, the audio, camera work is class. Then I watch a football game on FOX and it's a sh!t show every single time. The HD signal goes in and out, just has a general fuzzy look to it, and the audio feed clips in and out, etc, etc. I could go on and on.

When I saw the game today was going to be on FOX the first thing I said was, "Oh great, FOX is covering the game." Even the wife knows what I mean by that. And then, like clock work, I start the game and the audio clips off as the team is running out on the field. Unbelievable.

What gives FOX? I am pretty sure you have enough money to offer the same quality signal as your competing networks...What am I missing?

Click to expand...

Not your TV it's their feeds and equipment, not sure if it is just our area or not but have the same issue on my feed and I watch on a 20 inch here when I am on the computer.

The cut out of volume and voice is maddening and it almost always happen at a moment you actually want to hear something.

My antenna feed from the ski mountain above me at about 40 miles was skippy last weekend. THis weekend it was not bad at all. Audio was fine, tv was fine. but I only have a base 47 inch tv. No big ticket items.

I clicked on this thinking it was going to be about how the broadcast blows because of Aikman and Buck, but I agree with the above also. Not sure why it is. No problems with CBS.

I’ve often heard this about FOX. But for me, the NFL on CBS always looks the worst. Looks grainy more often than NBC or FOX broadcasts do. Probably just my eyes and/or TV though.


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bevellisthedevil":3riusn50 said:

I wouldn't know. Dish yanked fox off and I can't even watch the game.

Click to expand...

Cut the cord and get YouTubeTV.

Aros: are you sure it isn't just too much Joe and Troy?

Palmegranite":1ieq0xcz said:

There are two common broadcast HD standards. 1080i and 720P.
CBS and NBC use 1080i(30 frames, interlaced) and Fox and ABC use 720P(60 frames). Presumably sports look better with the higher temporal resolution of 60 frames a second, while sacrificing spatial resolution (1920x1080 vs 1280 x720) I always thought FOX looked OK; for baseball anyways, but I guess you need to define "big screen". 5.1 surround audio on a live event, downmixed to 2.0/Stereo is just plain hard. I guess FOX isn't very good at the audio.

Click to expand...

Somebody that knows their stuff! I do agree FOX looks better for baseball, but why on earth wouldn't that translate to the NFL broadcasts? It's interesting, even the local FOX news channel just doesn't seem to have that same aura that the local ABC/NBC channels do. It's hard to explain. I like a lot of the crew on CH113 generally, but I always have the feeling FOX is a step down from the other major networks.

PS...I went from a 46" wide to a 67" wide and I noticed this issue on my 46" as well. Just feels more pronounced on the bigger screen.

hawksfansinceday1":r42rf5h8 said:

Aros: are you sure it isn't just too much Joe and Troy?

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Ha! Nah, they don't bother me nearly as much as some 12's...Although I am curious why Troy's eyes just get more bloodshot by the day.

Aros":3rgqzgz6 said:

hawksfansinceday1":3rgqzgz6 said:

Aros: are you sure it isn't just too much Joe and Troy?

Click to expand...

Ha! Nah, they don't bother me nearly as much as some 12's...Although I am curious why Troy's eyes just get more bloodshot by the day.

Click to expand...

I imagine you would be too if you had to travel with Joe Buck for 20 plus weeks a year.

Weird, here in Montana, I've found quite the opposite. Fox and NBC pretty equal, and CBS is just a dog. Maybe it's not the network, but the local station

Here in Texas, I don’t notice any drop off in the Fox feeds vs any others.

Wonder if it’s a regional thing.

I’ve got decent TVs
View via DirectTV

Interesting! Maybe it is a regional feed issue...Hmmm...

Just a couple of tidbits. One, Most if not all feeds are coming thru the airwaves to an antenna near you. Dish direct cable over the air comes thru an antenna. It is just how it is. So the best way to determine if it is on your end is to reseat or reset your antenna connections. I dont know if it is all you or all them or all Romulans... :smilingalien: . I just dont know.


I do know that if my antenna (over the air) is just a little bit off (shifted to a different angle than Bogus Basin Ski Resort), my feed gets really screwey. The digital feed becomes fragmented and some of the feed is weaker or not working at all. I have some weather that came thru and made some stuff a bit more difficult to determine whether it was the feed or other. I moved the antenna and it cleaned it up. Also connections needed to be cleaned a bit. I may put a dab of RTV sealant on the connections as they are out in the weather and can become corroded. That includes the connector to the rabbit ears antenna and the Coaxial cable RG-6 going to my receivers. Receivers are a magnavox DVD Recordable, Homeworx DVR/Receiver, and a TV with the digital receiver built in. Sometimes the splitter inside the house just needs a little reattachment of the cabling.

Sometimes I have seen where the center core of Coaxial cable has shortened itself and now has an emotional attachment over a physical attachment to the connector. In this case, emotions are bad...physical is good.


Heck, check it with a tv in a different room with a different cable. Troubleshooting 101....check all switches, dials, and connectors. Dont forget fuses if there are any. Did time for not looking for a burned fuse one year. It was ugly. But that is a story for a different time.

Just some ideas....good luck and enjoy the offseason.

Comcast no antenna.

I don't see much difference between any of them . Just think back watching the NFL in the 60's...70's...and even 80's . Everything is better now even OTA antennas have good reception . IMO

Aros":2q49x4tz said:

hawksfansinceday1":2q49x4tz said:

Aros: are you sure it isn't just too much Joe and Troy?

Click to expand...

Ha! Nah, they don't bother me nearly as much as some 12's...Although I am curious why Troy's eyes just get more bloodshot by the day.

Click to expand...

When you realize that Aikman is a Caucasian Jay-Z you can't unsee it.

TreeRon":39p39i1b said:

bevellisthedevil":39p39i1b said:

I wouldn't know. Dish yanked fox off and I can't even watch the game.

Click to expand...

Cut the cord and get YouTubeTV.

Click to expand...

Fox NFL on YouTube TV has looked pretty good. I haven't had any weird issues with Fox NFL, so I was surprised to hear about the OPs Fox problems.