[opendtv] Re: Learning From the Veterans - local news in HD

  • From: "Tom McMahon" <tlm@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "OpenDTV" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Tom "TLM" McMahon" <TLM@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Wed, 28 Apr 2010 05:05:58 +0000

Without picking on anyone in particular, and I know all the stuff about motion 
versus static imagery, I wonder if anyone has experienced the wonder of The 
Masters recently.  I went to the Getties recently and I was humbled.

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

-----Original Message-----
From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2010 10:49:25 
To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [opendtv] Learning From the Veterans - local news in HD

I wonder what the penetration of 16:9 TVs is these days. This concern about 
viewers using 4:3 sets should be rapidly waning.

Also, I think it's great to see that FINALLY some are talking about 
transmitting wide screen SDTV. And I wish that when they did so, they did it 
using anamorphic, instead of requiring the user to zoom in on a postage stamp 
image. (And then zoom out again when switching channels.) Since all DTVs and 
STBs accept anamorphic SD, I don't understand why it's not used.

Bert

--------------------------
http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/99778

Learning From the Veterans
by James Careless, 04.26.2010

OTTAWA

One year after the DTV transition, the majority of U.S. TV stations are still 
broadcasting news in standard definition.

Money is the biggest reason for hanging back. When budgets are tight, the last 
thing station managers want is to purchase new HD camcorders, editors and 
graphics systems. Yet local news is a key source of ad dollars for TV 
broadcasters: One way to lose viewers is to be the last newscast in your market 
to go HD.

For expert advice on how best to make the switch, TV Technology has contacted 
stations who made the HD leap sometime ago. These stations are "HD veterans," 
and they know what pitfalls await HD news rookies.

WATCH THE ASPECT RATIOS!

NTSC/SD has a 4:3 aspect ratio; one based on the dimensions of 1930's movie 
screens. HD's 16:9 aspect ratio brings with it a lot more horizontal real 
estate than SD.

Unfortunately, a lot of U.S. TV viewers are still using 4:3 NTSC televisions at 
home. For HD newscasts to keep them and HDTV viewers happy, careful at-tention 
to aspect ratios is vital. The rule of thumb is this: Anything that is visually 
vital must be viewable within the 4:3 ratio image. Anything non-essential can 
dwell safely in 16:9's left and right "wings."

Meredith-owned CBS affiliate WGCL-TV, (Channel 46) in Atlanta, launched its HD 
newscasts on Jan. 12, 2009. The newscast took a simple yet effective approach 
to dealing with aspect ratios: "We marked a map on the studio floor for our 
weather people, so they know where they can stand and still remain inside the 
4:3 shot," said Steve Schwaid, WGCL's director of news and digital content. "We 
are also very careful that our critical weather graphics are within the 4:3 
view, including tornado warnings."

Aspect ratio also matters at WRGB-TV (channel 6) in Albany, NY, owned by 
Freedom Communications. Its CBS 6 newscasts upgraded to HD/16:9 on Jan. 13, 
2008, using Panasonic AK-HC1500G HD box cameras and Sony HD robotic BRC-H700 
cameras. Field footage is shot in 16:9 SD using Ikegami HL-DV7W cameras. The 
editing system is Harris' Velocity ESX, which deals very well with aspect ratio.

"Our biggest problem with aspect ratio occurs when we receive video from CBS or 
CNN," said Fred Lass, WRGB's director of engineering. "If we aren't careful in 
determining whether it originated in SD or HD and we make the wrong conversion 
decision, the people on screen can end up looking very fat, or very skinny."

FUZZY NOT ALLOWED

In the old NTSC days, it was possible for newscasts to use "soft," slightly 
out-of-focus video; especially on wide angle shots. The resolution of NTSC 
video was so low, that viewers didn't notice the "soft" shots.

That's not the case with HD, according to Mark Danielson, general manager of 
the KIFI News Group, which operates KIFI-TV (channel 8) in Idaho Falls, Idaho. 
KIFI's local newscast made the move to HD on March 1, 2009.

"HD is not a forgiving format, due to its high resolution," Danielson tells TV 
Technology. "If a shot is soft or poorly composed, it really shows up on air. 
This is why our shooters take extra care these days to check their focus, 
lighting and white balance before turning on their Sony XDCAMs. The good news 
is that our ENG video looks better than ever before."

16:9 SD ENG

WISC-TV (channel 50) of Madison, Wisc. has been broadcasting HD newscasts since 
Oct. 28, 2008, shooting studio video on Sony HDC-1500 HD cam-eras. But WISC's 
ENG content is shot in widescreen (16:9) SD on Sony XDCAM PDW-510s and PDW-520 
camcorders, and edited using Avid Newscutters in SD mode.

"Our set was ready for widescreen years ago, which is why we were able to go 
in-studio HD in 2008," said Kevin Ruppert, WISC's engineering mainte-nance 
supervisor. "But the cost of converting our SD ENG and editing facilities was 
prohibitive, which is why we opted to use widescreen SD instead."

WGCL-TV Atlanta is also shooting in widescreen 16:9, using Panasonic AG-HVX200 
P2 camcorders. "It's a much better viewing experience for the audi-ence," said 
Schwaid. "A trained eye can certainly tell the difference between HD and 16:9 
SD, but the average viewer cannot. Eventually, we will upgrade our equipment to 
full HD. But in the meantime, this mixed approach is keeping our audience and 
our accountant happy."

TO TRAIN OR NOT TO TRAIN?

Local television has long been the territory of the "can do" attitude, and the 
HD switch is no exception. At WRGB, for example, "we gave our staff the HD 
equipment, offered them some pointers and then sent them out to 'just do it'," 
said Lass. "There was no way that we could afford to take the time or afford 
the expense to train people formally. We just learned on the job, and after 
some teething pains, we got it right."

KIFI-TV used the same approach, but Danielson admits that, "given the choice, 
it would have been helpful to bring in an experienced HD shooter to hold a 1-2 
day workshop for our staff. That would have reduced their learning curve and 
got us up to speed much quicker."

As for WGCL-TV in Atlanta? "We spent an enormous amount of time on training 
before we went to HD, and frankly it paid off," said Schwaid. "We also did a 
lot of rehearsals before going to air with HD newscasts. The result was that we 
looked pretty polished when we made the switch."

With proper attention to aspect ratios, proper camera work and staff 
preparation, making the move from SD to HD can be relatively painless. As for 
the improvement in visual quality? "It's like going from black and white to 
color," Danielson says. "It is well worth the effort to satisfy our audience, 
and our sponsors."
 
 
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