CBS to do the Upconverts

[Kevin Arnold]

From HDTV magazine this memo. CBS will now provide primetime upconverts as well as the HD programming. This should mean better quality and less "forgot to throw the switch".

 

ATTENTION HDTV Affiliates!!

Chief Engineers, Technical and Operations Managers:

CBS is happy to announce that beginning Monday, September 23, we will distribute ALL Primetime programming on the HDTV feeds. In addition to the scheduled HDTV productions we will also provide upconverted versions of non-HDTV programming (i.e., news magazines, reality shows and specials). This is being instituted in an effort to reduce the amount of local affiliate switching during Primetime hours.

The upconversion will be provided for the entire Primetime schedule for the entire week (8:00pm to 11:00pm CNYT/CPT Mon. through Sat./7:00pm to 11:00pm CNYT/CPT Sun.) In the event that no HDTV programs are scheduled, we will still provide the entire Primetime schedule as an upconverted feed. This applies to both the East Coast and PACNET originations.

We will not be upconverting any Daytime or Latenight programming at this time, however, the daily HDTV feeds of The Young and The Restless will continue as normal

Josh Offutt
Asst. Chief Engineer
KSLA-TV

[oflaherty]

NBC has also just starting doing the upconversion of all their SD programs for their affiliates. If we use that feed it will mean a lot more switching to do the local commercial breaks. If we skip the local commercials you'll see the animated peacock "screen saver."
We are working on an automation system to handle the HD master control functions, just like the system we use on the analog station.
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Sean at TMJ

[tenth_t2]

At a high level, what's required to do the local commercials?  I presume that it's an investment by the local station.

I discovered the screen saver used during the Tonight Show was while local commercials were being run.  Weird at first, but I'm getting used to it now.

Curious more than anything.

Greg O.

[oflaherty]

To run true HD commercial breaks we would need to upgrade our commercial server for HD and our master control switcher for HD.

That would include buying hardware and software for our existing Saturn SD master control switcher. That switcher could then switch both the SD and HD programs simultaneously.  The SD portion of the switcher would switch SD inputs. The HD portion would switch true HD versions of the same programs and commercials. All under control of the same automation the now runs the SD station.

Our commercial playback server would also need added hardware and software to do HD.

At the moment there are no local HD commercials and very few HD local programs (The Secret Adventures Jules Verne
is available in HD but we bought only the SD program.)

The heart of the digital station - our HD encoder – has two modes of operation: HD pass through from the network.. and local SD upconvertion. We manually switch between those two modes using a PC control panel.

The immediate plan is to hook up a simple relay to the SD master control switcher. Then any time we switch the SD station to the SD NBC feed, the relay would switch the HD encoder into HD NBC network pass through.
When the SD master control switches to back to SD local commercials or local programs, the relay would switch the HD encoder back to local upconversion. Unless we run into some unexpected problem, that relay plan should be up and running in a day or two.
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Sean at TMJ

[John Brundage]

Just curious.  Does your SD converter have an option to zoom in so that your SD letterboxed shows like ER and West Wing can be broadcast in 16x9 full screen format.  I swear I remember several months ago that ER was shown in full screen 16x9 for one episode. I, for one, would much prefer that format to the letterbox within the standard screen box that I'm getting now.  I have a Toshiba, which will not allow me to change the aspect ratio when the picture is upconverted to 1080i.

[tenth_t2]

Thanks for the explanation Sean!

John-- I did see that episode, but if I recall correctly it was my set that was the limiting factor-- My Mits 55859 does not allow you to modify a digital signal either.  On the analog side, I have 5 choices.  So I think we'd need them to push it out 1080i for us, then we would fill full screen.  

Greg O.

[Mike Sheahan]

Any word on whether ABC will upconvert Monday Night Football?  

Could it be done to a live broadcast?

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