Good news, sports fans in the U.S.! It looks like ESPN will broadcast today’s Champions League final in HD on ESPNHD. Well, at least according to the schedule on its Web site. Why the network didn’t bother showing the whole tournament in HD when UEFA provides an HD feed, I don’t know.

The game sees the champions of England, Manchester United, against the champions of Spain, Barcelona. I’d say Manchester United are the favorites, if only because there’s no way Henry and Iniesta will be match fit (and who knows how long they’ll play) and because dumb Dani Alves had to collect his zillionth yellow card of the season, resulting in a one-match man. Good one, Mr. Alves!

Here’s a fine article summing up the situation, without the usual “Ronaldo v. Messi” cliché.

I’m excited (even if the tournament itself needs some sort of shakeup).

via B&C

We’ll have a review unit in soon, so we’ll see if PC Mag is just smoking the rock.

Who here’s been watching Euro 2008? All you English lads, I’m sure, and right from your living room.

Anyway, I only mention the Euros because of this neat camera technology ESPN has this year, Axis. It’s a 360-degree camera the network uses to show instant replays. It makes plain ol’ telestrators look genuinely pedestrian in comparison.

Moving on, I bet those of you who had money on Holland prior to the tournament’s start are happily holding onto your betting receipts right about now. Speaking of which, just how illegal is online betting here in the U.S.? Anyone with any experience in the matter, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

At first glance, I thought “Oh, hey, a gimmicky remote with an ESPN logo” but after I started reading about it, it dawned on me that this thing is perfect for sports addicts. It’s basically a universal remote that controls all your A/V stuff, sure, but it also has built-in Wi-Fi and can update real-time scores and stats on the 2.2-inch QVGA screen.

The ESPN Ultimate Remote is the sports fan’s ultimate companion. Clear the clutter off your coffee table with a universal remote designed not only to unify your existing remotes by controlling virtually countless devices, but to wirelessly download program guides, sports scores and play-by-plays, and more. As you watch the big game, get advanced team and player stats right on your remote. Get up-to-the-minute scores from all the latest games. Even keep up to date with your ESPN.com fantasy teams without ever leaving the couch.

You can also get weather info, news, TV listings, and even send text messages. Text messages!

There’s also a built-in ambient light sensor which automatically adjusts the control’s brightness and you can control up to 18 devices.

It’s available for pre-order on Amazon for $299 and should be released “just in time for Father’s Day”.

ESPN “The Ultimate Remote” Universal Remote [Amazon.com]

How about some on demand college basketball on your Xbox? Microsoft and ESPN announced yesterday that Xbox Live users will be able to download ESPN programing, including college basketball, college football and shows like “Madden Nation.” Does that include “SportsCenter” or “Jim Rome is Burning,” I wonder. Shows will be available within 48 hours of their conclusion and will cost $2 for the standard def version and $3 for the HD version.

The question is, what sense is there in downloading games well after they’ve finished? Good luck avoiding the score for two days.

Microsoft adds ESPN programing to Xbox [AP/Yahoo]

It’s one thing to watch over-the-air HDTV on giant, 70-inch plasma display, but it’s quite another to watch such programming on your MacBook or iMac (or whatever other Mac you have nearby). Elgato’s Mac-only HDHomeRun combines a digital TV tuner and EyeTV software in one smart, if not awfully named, package. You’ll need to supply your own ATSC antenna or unscrambled cable TV connection for this to work, mind you, but once you do you’ll be in high-def heaven, provided your processor is up to the challenge. (To be able to view 720p or 1080i programming, you’ll need a dual G5- or Intel Core 2 Duo-based Mac.) The HDHomeRun is network-compatible, meaning that if you set it up appropriately, you’ll be able to watch high-def content on any of your networked Macs. Pretty cool.

The EyeTV software functions like any other DVR: pause, rewind, fast-forward live TV; record everything right to your hard drive for later viewing; picture-in-picture; on-screen program guide, etc. The whole nine yards. I’d suggest that $199 might be just a wee bit pricey, but you’re actually getting a handsome package for the money. The ability to record HDNet or ESPN in high-def is very tempting to me. Surely I can’t be the only one who thinks having “Sunrise Earth” on 24/7 would do wonders for an apartment’s atmosphere?

HDHomeRun [Elgato Systems via MacMinute]

Now that ESPN Mobile is long gone and dead as a doorknob (or Babe Ruth), the company can now focus all its energy into the new mobile application that’s launching for Verizon. Verizon users who pay the $15 a month for the VPak service will be able to download the ESPN application at no additional cost. The software will feature sports scores, live updates, sports video, trivia, etc. — all the normal, fun stuff you’d expect from a sports network teaming up with a mobile carrier.

If you do sports and have Verizon, I suggest taking a look at it before you blow it off completely as there could be some juicy, exclusive content to gawk at.

Verizon Wireless to offer ESPN mobile application [Reuters]

The company has signed up only tens of thousands of subscribers since it launched the service in late 2005 and began advertising early this year, with commercial spots appearing regularly on ESPN’s cable TV broadcasts.

Too bad for them.

AP
ESPN pulls plug on cell phone operation [AP]

Earlier
ESPN Mobile: First Half, Score 0-0