 Watch Tayshaun Prince and the Pistons play the Heat in HDTV on Channel 20, Detroit this Sunday at 7:30 p.m.
Jesse D. Garrabrant (NBAE/Getty)
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Every home game broadcast on Channel 20, Detroit and WDIV-TV4, as well as the final home pre-season game, will be available in HDTV. The Pistons are the first team in the Detroit area to make a season-long commitment to televise locally produced games in HDTV.
“We are thrilled to be able to offer selected games on free, over-the-air television in High-Definition,” said Senior Vice President of Broadcasting Pete Skorich. “The Hi-Def experience will allow Pistons fans, who have the technology, the absolute best viewing experience available.”
The Pistons will broadcast 18 games in HDTV. The first game scheduled for HDTV broadcast will be Saturday, October 22 on Channel 20, Detroit at 7:30 p.m., a pre-season re-match of the 2005 Eastern Conference Finals between the Pistons and the Miami Heat.
Per the partnership agreement, SHARP will be designated as the “Official High Definition Television of the Detroit Pistons” and will receive television, radio and print spots promoting the HDTV broadcasts. SHARP will also provide the 42-inch AQUOS® Liquid Crystal Televisions in the new Sterling Bank & Trust Club and the newly constructed Vito Anthony Suites. SHARP will also have promotional space on the concourse during Pistons home games featuring the live feed of the Pistons game in HDTV.
“Through our partnership with the Pistons, we are able to provide Detroit fans with a one of a kind viewing experience that is almost as good as being there,” said Associate Vice President Andrew Kritzer of SHARP Electronics Corporation. “HDTV is the highest quality technology on the market, and with SHARP’s AQUOS® Liquid Crystal Televisions in The Palace, fans will be able to enjoy an ultimate level of participation in sports and technology.”
High-definition television (HDTV) is a class of high-resolution digital television and provides 1080 lines of resolution. This resolution is compared to the 525 lines of resolution provided by a usual National Television Standards Committee (NTSC) analog television screen. The highest resolution HDTV format provides approximately 2.0 million pixels, compared to approximately 210,000 pixels provided by a standard analog television. HDTV requires new production and transmission equipment at the stations as well as new equipment for reception by the consumer. The first HDTV station was WRAL-TV in Raleigh, NC. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has mandated that all stations be capable of broadcasting digital television by 2007.
“This relationship has been a win/win situation for the station, the team and most importantly, the fans,” said Sarah Norat-Phillips, president and general manager of Channel 20, Detroit. “This season’s foray into High Definition broadcasting of Pistons games, using our Digital Channel 21, ushers in a whole new era for Detroit sports on television, one that we are proud to deliver and one that we already know the fans will really love.”
Rock Financial, Michigan’s largest mortgage company, is the presenting sponsor for the Detroit Pistons. For more information about Rock Financial, please visit www.rockfinancial.com. For information regarding Sharp’s line of AQUOS® Liquid Crystal Televisions, please visit www.sharpusa.com. For more information regarding Detroit Pistons HDTV broadcasts or to purchase tickets to any upcoming Pistons game, please contact The Palace at (248) 377-0100 or log on to www.pistons.com.
| Day | Date | Opponent | Time | Station |
| Saturday | October 22 | Miami (preseason) | 7:30 p.m. | Channel 20, Detroit |
| Wednesday | November 2 | Philadelphia | 8:00 p.m. | Channel 20, Detroit |
| Saturday | November 5 | Toronto | 7:30 p.m. | WDIV |
| Wednesday | November 23 | Denver | 7:30 p.m. | Channel 20, Detroit |
| *Friday | December 2 | New York Knicks | 8:00 p.m. | WDIV |
| *Friday | December 16 | Chicago | 9:00 p.m. | WDIV |
| Tuesday | December 20 | Portland | 7:30 p.m. | Channel 20, Detroit |
| *Friday | December 23 | Golden State | 8:00 p.m. | Channel 20, Detroit |
| Tuesday | December 27 | Toronto | 7:30 p.m. | Channel 20, Detroit |
| *Friday | January 6 | Seattle | 8:00 p.m. | Channel 20, Detroit |
| *Saturday | January 7 | Utah | 7:30 p.m. | WDIV |
| Sunday | January 29 | L.A. Lakers | 6:30 p.m. | Channel 20, Detroit |
| *Wednesday | February 1 | Minnesota | 7:30 p.m. | Channel 20, Detroit |
| *Wednesday | February 8 | L.A. Clippers | 7:30 p.m. | Channel 20, Detroit |
| Sunday | March 12 | Charlotte | 6:00 p.m. | Channel 20, Detroit |
| *Wednesday | March 22 | Miami | 8:00 p.m. | Channel 20, Detroit |
| *Friday | March 31 | Milwaukee | 8:00 p.m. | Channel 20, Detroit |
| Sunday | April 16 | New York | 6:00 p.m. | Channel 20, Detroit |
| *Denotes Pistons Game Night 30 minute pre-game show. All Channel 20, Detroit games will have an encore presentation at 12 midnight and 3:00 a.m. | ||||
