There is so much in our life that we all take for granted. Such things are only noticed when they are no longer available. Now, in a world with horrors happening at every moment, in every part of our life, I almost feel guilty speaking of such a miniscule absence which I experienced during my recent visit to infoComm 2013. However, this is an A/V Forum so I will tell my story.

The NBA Finals and infoComm come the same time each year. I always catch the first few games while on the road and the last few back at home. Well, for the first time in years I had to watch the game in standard definition. Why? Because apparently the Sheraton does not believe in HDTV! It’s not like I was in a truck stop. It was a Sheraton! What made it worse was every local bar in the immediate area had the same problem. What does Orlando have against 1080 resolution? I mean, I would have been happy with720i at that point. (I am not native to the area, so I am sure I was just looking in the wrong places. Still the frustration remains the same.) To add insult to injury, I had a nice LG 50” HD flat panel in my room. It just had standard signal

I don’t think that there is a sports fan out there that does not understand my pain for the week. It was bad enough I could not get my Mets games on the tube. Admittedly, I was probably done a favor. But, unless Jeff Van Gundy stated who shot the ball, I had no clue.

Now, I know there are still many Bar and Restaurant owners outside of Mickey Mouse’s neighborhood as well, who feel that HD is not worth the cost of the upgrade. Well I say this, you could not be more wrong. First, you can still upgrade to 1080i in analog for a very fair price in comparison to digital. If you say well that is not full High Deff, than I say: “Well, no game is broadcast in 1080p yet anyway!” Second, most sports fans would not even go to grandmother’s house on Christmas if they could not see NBA or NFL games in HD. So, why pay money in your establishment if they find themselves in the same boat?

Owners of sporting teams – especially MLB – have been complaining about a recent drop in ticket sales. They suspect it has much to do with the angles and HD visuals you can get watching from the comfort of your living room. According to the Mike Francesa show, a study will eventually be done to see what percentage of ticket sales has actually been lost due to fans just prefering TV over the real game experience. Hey, it makes sense! Do you still think HD is not worth it?

What is the moral of the story? If you work in the hospitality industry, stumble upon this blog and do not have HD, please, “For Love of the Game,” give JD Systems or any other qualified A/V contractor a call. Please!