Source : Montreal Gazette

That annual Canadian rant about being deprived of those famous U.S. Super Bowl commercials is as obsolete as the old black-and-white TV - as long as you're among the estimated six to eight per cent of Canadians hooked up with the latest technology.

So you can thank high-definition television for the privilege, or chore, of watching Kevin Federline's commercial debut Sunday during Super Bowl XLI.

If you have Videotron's digital Illico cable and HD package, or a Star Choice satellite dish, you'll be able to watch Britney Spears's soon-to-be ex revel in what should be his final 15 minutes of fame, or the famous Clydesdale horses do their thing, or rapper Jay-Z playing chess with legendary coach Don Shula.

"Not only will (customers) be in the thick of the action at the crowning event of American football, including the pregame show featuring the Cirque du Soleil and the halftime show starring Prince, enjoying unparalleled image and sound quality, they will also get an extra kick: the same commercials the U.S. audience will see," Videotron senior vice-president (marketing) Manon Brouillette said yesterday in a statement trumpeting the company's coup.

Global (owned by Canwest, which owns the Gazette) has the rights to the Super Bowl in Canada. And the simultaneous substitution regulations set by the Canadian Radio and Television Commission mean the network will take the U.S. feed and substitute the famous ads with their own, at a rate of $100,000 for 30 seconds. That means more Rona, Canadian Tire and Tim Hortons.

But there's a loophole - for now. And Videotron, Star Choice, and even Shaw Cable in some Western Canadian markets are taking full advantage, but Bell ExpressVu viewers will be out of luck.

"The Global signal in HD is Global Toronto. So according to the regulations, Videotron is not obligated to substitute it, because it's not considered a local (over-the-air) signal," Videotron spokesperson eve Lacasse said.

"It's a developing story and I would say it's too early to comment," Global executive vice-president (programming and production) Barbara Williams told The Gazette yesterday. Williams had been unaware of Videotron's plans to air U.S. spots.

Global has been under fire for more than just the commercials, ever since some technical glitches two weeks ago, during the AFC and NFC championship games also aired on Global.

Videotron Illico HD subscribers were spared, but complaints came in from across the country to all concerned parties about a pixilated and grainy picture, sound dropouts, and dodgy transitions back to the live action from commercials.

"Yes, there were questions and complaints on that," CRTC spokesperson Denis Carmel said.

A release issued on the CRTC's website yesterday to defend its policies against the annual Super Bowl ad controversy was identical to the release it issues at this time every year, even if the television landscape is changing every day.

It is the CRTC's policy that if the simultaneous substitution is to be made, "the signal should not be replaced with a lesser-quality signal," which was the complaint during the championship games. But that is a policy, not an enforceable regulation.

Carmel said Global would have to file a complaint. "The CRTC doesn't give advance rulings. As far as what may be happening on Sunday, it would be premature for us to intervene," he said.

Williams said the complaints two weeks ago were the first the network has received about its wide array of HD programming, which cover programs from sitcoms to dramas to sports.

"Sports has very loyal fans who care about the details. And sports programming also puts demand on an HD signal because of the amount of action, the layering, the graphics. When it's compressed, it's more of a challenge. And it's fair to say the different broadcasters deliver different signals," she said. "CBS is probably the better one. But except for the one bad Fox game, I think we've been delivering a good signal all year long."

CBS will broadcast Sunday's game. And Williams said the network has found a way to improve the signal. Instead of receiving the feed from Miami through New York, where CBS adds the commercials, Global will get a feed directly from Miami.

"We were testing it yesterday and the engineers were delighted," she said.

So, to sum up: if you have regular cable, or Bell ExpressVu, you'll get the Global broadcast with Canadian commercials. But the picture quality is supposed to be better than it was for the Bears-Saints game.

But if you have Illico or Star Choice HD, you'll get to see what all the fuss and hype is about.

Whether or not this year's crop of ads, which are going for $2.6 million apiece in the U.S., will rival the standouts of the past like the 1984 Apple ad, the 1993 Macdonald's spot featuring Michael Jordan and Larry Bird playing horse, the cat herders in 2000, or even the Miller Lite catfight featuring two comely ladies and a mud-wrestling pit, remains to be seen.

But if you want to see those classics, they're readily available on the internet. And just minutes after this year's crop airs during the game, they'll also be online at sites such as AOL.

© Montreal Gazette