The Ryder Cup – Watch it in HD for the Best Experience

A guest post:

Watching the upcoming Ryder Cup on television isn’t the same as actually being among the spectators at Medinah Country Club. But if you can’t make it to the tournament for travel reasons or other obligations, there’s an easy way to simulate the experience of being there. High-definition TV service (see cable.tv to learn more) is about the closest on-course simulation you’ll find.

I like watching all sports in HD. But it’s especially appropriate for golf because you can see the flight of the ball and hear it being struck as if you were right behind the tee box. The only thing that’s really missing is the smell of fresh cut grass.

With the upcoming Ryder Cup, you’re going to miss out if you’re still stuck with analog programming or a basic cable box.

Advantages of HD

Clear and color-true picture

Millions of fans own flat-panel television monitors. But a lot of us haven’t taken advantage of the true technology behind them. Without a high-definition box and subscription, the picture quality of the golf tournament is probably worse that it would be if you watched it on a smaller TV purchased in the 1990s. Basically, a flat-panel monitor has to stretch a fixed number of pixels across a wider, larger screen. This usually results in a blurry image.

The flat panel monitors are designed to handle a greater number of pixels – something that only fully-digital high-definition signals can achieve. HD offers less distortion, assigns more accurate colors from the signal source (the golf course) to your home (your TV), and delivers an overall sharper picture. HD is the only way to get just as clear of a view as you would if you were standing on the course.

Realistic sound

All HD channels are compatible with fully-digital sound. So if you have a 5.1 setup, and you’ve always wondered why you only hear sound coming from a few speakers, it’s because your TV receiver isn’t capable of delivering the digital signal to all the speakers. With the fully-digital sound of HD, you can hear every detail of what happens on the course – from the tee shot to the ball hitting the green.

Watch up to 4 holes at once

HD programming also brings a channel mix feature for major tournaments. With channel mix, you can watch coverage of up to 4 holes of the PGA Championship at once. So after the conclusion of the Ryder Cup and other tournaments beyond, you can look forward to watching next year’s major at Kiawah Island.

High-definition makes it more enjoyable to be a golf fan watching TV, because it puts you right on the course with Rory, Tiger and Phil.