WSVN’s sibling in Boston is turning the HD switch on Moday at 4pm (or tuesday at the latest) according to Boston media blog The Scoop and btvn
They just got done re-modeling their newsplex. The video wall behind the anchors with all the little monitors was shortened a bit and in their place are several large flat screen tvs.
The 2nd floor has a projector screen like WSVN’s with blue columns on each side.
The light boxes in the middle between the floors are now all red instead of blue! And the anchor desk has received a rather nice update.
WSVN is expected to probably do similar changes to their newsplex, but unfortunately couple weeks ago I was told they’ve pushed their HD transition date from August into the fall. I don’t know what caused it or if it’s definitive delay or what, yet.
admin, I’d like to suggest another informal poll. Here’s the question:
How many MIA/FTL stations will NOT be broadcasting local HD by the analog death date next February?
Choices could be: 1, 2, 3, more than 3
For extra credit, name the stations that will NOT be local HD by the cutoff.
Should we just write off WSVN as “won’t be ready” right now?
I think, Joe, that if they don’t continue to delay it they should be in HD by the end of this year.
Let’s hope so!
Except for WTVJ, I’m _extremely_ disheartened that this market has been (and continues to be) dragging their collective feet on going local HD.
Joe,
I assume that you know that the 2009 cutoff has nothing to do with HD. It is when stations are required to turn off the analog transmitters. All of the stations in this market have been transmitting digital for quite a while now. It should not be a surprize that the market has been slow to move to HD. There is not a large demand coming from clients to be able to play HD spots. And clearly being HD doesn’t effect overall ratings that much…ask the folks at WTVJ how big of an impact it had on their numbers when they where the first in the market to do it.
ever since we got the HD tv, and before that using the LCD monitors
I’ve noticed I don’t watch much of any SD channels at all it just looks so much better even if Comcast compresses the life out of it sometimes.
Joe did you know that WRAL in Raleigh, North Carolina was the first station to go HD in the US?!
On July 9 1996 and claims to have produced the first sports in HD in 1997!!
Once you go HD you never go back
If WHDH really goes HD monday and these changes are in theory in place, why don’t I see any of them on the live stream of their noon newscast? I.e., the red lightboxes, flat screens, colored columns, rear projection screens?
Simple, they are using a chroma key wall (greenscreen) behind the desk, showing loops from the old newsroom until they are ready to unveil!
indeed, for the last month or so
they’re using the new anchor desk tho but only show the top
and only one standup area in the studio has been shown on the air
LMB: Yes, I’m fully aware of what all that means. I’m just using the analog cutoff date as a “marker”. My point with all my ranting about the lack of local HD is that this market is the absolute pits (except for WTVJ) when it comes to technology and video quality. Most other Florida markets have left this market in the technological dust. The fact that most stations here without local HD capability are stretching their picture tells me that they’re more interested in deceiving the public rather than providing a superior picture. Absolutely pitiful.
admin: I can’t agree more – once you go HD you never go back. After watching live news on WTVJ-DT, switching over to 4, 7, or 10 is just horrible. I am _really_ sick of watching a distorted, fuzzy picture because 4, 7, and 10 don’t have their act together.
Those TD’s at WHDH must really be good then, cause it must SUCK to punch an entire show on a key bus.
You really cannot tell they’re in front of a green screen, occasionally you can see an outline around them or sometimes you can “see through” the anchors faintly, but to the casual viewer they probably have no idea.
They have already showed two new set pieces, I uploaded them both to btvn.net, even though they have a new anchor desk they only show the top of it. I actually liked the top of the old desk better. Can’t wait for Monday!
Here are the links to those pictures I spoke of in my previous post:
http://groups.msn.com/bostontvnews/shoebox.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=370
http://groups.msn.com/bostontvnews/shoebox.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=372
I love the second one, not a big fan of the first one.
i just watched their webcast on whdh.com…you can totally tell they’re in front of a chroma key…look closely at the surface of the anchor desk…there’s a distinct green reflection across the entire glossy surface, not lights or anything else…also, about halfway through, the camera moves ever so slightly…the anchors and the desk shifts on the screen, but the background doesnt…
The 10:25 am and 10:55 am cut-ins during “Today” were in HD.
the new set is very WSVN-esc, with the repeating 7 News on the balcony (3 times) and the new screen above the balcony, and the new desk with the large 7 on it instead of a monitor…. all in all though its not too bad, not a big fan of the repeating 7 News or the large 7 on the desk but it still looks good… They are using WSVN’s font for their Weather graphics as well, so if WSVN is going to go HD soon they may not change much since WHDH as incorporated much of what WSVN already has
It looks like WHDH also changed weather graphic companies, from WSI (based in Andover – every Boston station uses them) to WeatherCentral (WSVN uses them). That may be why their wx graphics look more like WSVN’s.
yea I noticed that the radar pictures look different, the earth was a different green and the water a different blue… they also have the feature of “touching” a current temp and making it turn yellow and grow, I might be wrong, but doesnt WSVN use that as well?
here is a link to the opening of the noon newscast on youtube, the only mention of the news being in hd was when Adam Williams says, the news in HD is next or something like that, they didnt say anything about it at all during the newscast
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KKzTEvzMgo