Who will go HD first?

[LoadStar]

I could give a crap who is in HD or not.  I watch for news and news only.  HD only came around because the FCC wanted the analog spectrum to sell off.  Thus digital was born.  With digital came HD.

This. Making certain newscasts HD is like polishing a turd. It's still a turd and still gonna stink.

[Steve Mann]

This. Making certain newscasts HD is like polishing a turd. It's still a turd and still gonna stink.

But, if you had a choice between a polished turd, or a crappy looking turd, would you not choose the better looking of the two?  

[trev57]

Does anyone else think it's odd that the two stations named "Best Newscast" (WDJT; Ten at 10:00) and "Station of the Year" (WISN) by the Associated Press will be the last two to go HD?

[Jack 1000]

Does anyone else think it's odd that the two stations named "Best Newscast" (WDJT; Ten at 10:00) and "Station of the Year" (WISN) by the Associated Press will be the last two to go HD?

That depends on each viewers' perspective,

Are they looking for format and content or up-to-date technology?  Based on what I have learned through reading tech forums over the years, most information taken from general population surveys are more interested in a quality content presentation more than picture clarity.  Look at the millions of average viewers that have HDTV sets connected to S-Video or Composite Cables and they think that they have an HD picture without the proper requirements. (An HDTV set, an HD receiver if through a third-party source, and either HDMI or Component Cable, PLUS watching a station broadcasting in HD.)

The people on this forum represent such a small percentile of total viewership.  Average Jane/Joe just wants to watch their shows.  They almost have to be SHOWN the requirements needed for HD broadcasts, and to be able to see the difference with qualified guided hands who know what they are talking about.  Than when they see what they have been missing, they understand why HD is such a big deal to technology purists.  But until that difference is shown to them, along with the prerequisites for an HD hook up, most people will just look at the information presented to them and could care less about the technology used.

Jack

[wxndave]

Jack I agree with your statement.  How many times have you been to a store and heard the sales people misinform.  I have stepped in many times and corrected sales people.  10 years ago a salesman told my father that all the Milwaukee stations were digital.

If I was a station, I would look at what the return on the investment is.  WISN is still beating TMJ in ratings and they haven't needed to spent the money.  With budgets being tight, I don't blame a station for holding off.

[duncantuna]

If I was a station, I would look at what the return on the investment is.  WISN is still beating TMJ in ratings and they haven't needed to spent the money.  With budgets being tight, I don't blame a station for holding off.

The problem is, holding off until when?  10 years?  20?  Or just forever, because the ratings are still there?

I believe there's a finite number of years before all content is HD.   About the best argument you could make is .. years from now, HD broadcasting equipment will cost less, so it's best to wait.

Also .. it doesn't matter who is beating whom in ratings.  What matters is the ratings themselves = eyeballs = money.  If WISN goes HD, they'll have a better product than they do now, which usually equates to more viewers.

[trev57]

The problem is, holding off until when?  10 years?  20?  Or just forever, because the ratings are still there?

I believe there's a finite number of years before all content is HD.   About the best argument you could make is .. years from now, HD broadcasting equipment will cost less, so it's best to wait.

Also .. it doesn't matter who is beating whom in ratings.  What matters is the ratings themselves = eyeballs = money.  If WISN goes HD, they'll have a better product than they do now, which usually equates to more viewers.

I agree 100%. I think that once WISN goes HD (hopefully by the end of the year) they will gain a lot of HD viewers from FOX 6 and TMJ4. And if that does happen, they will dominate the ratings, be able to charge more for ads, and thus bring in more money.

[LoadStar]

I agree 100%. I think that once WISN goes HD (hopefully by the end of the year) they will gain a lot of HD viewers from FOX 6 and TMJ4. And if that does happen, they will dominate the ratings, be able to charge more for ads, and thus bring in more money.

I don't believe that 4 or 6 registered any significant increase following their conversion to HD. I think that the same would hold true for 12 and 58.

[trev57]

Does anyone know if either station would be able to go 16:9 SD with their current equipment, or would that require an upgrade?

IMO, 16:9 SD would be much better than 4:3 SD (if they don't plan on going HD).

[foxeng]

There is quite a bit of same effort required to go SD widescreen as it does to go HD (graphics, monitoring equipment, cameras, aspect converters, etc). Most SD equipment can be used, as long as it is digital but an analog plant doing SD widescreen has terrible  PQ. Many stations still have analog production facilities. Does WISN or the other station? I have no idea.

FWIW, as far as ratings go, I can tell you that my station was the first to go 16:9 widescreen in my market a year ago and we did see an increase in our ratings with the same amount of decrease from the two other stations that do news (one of them being a sister station of WISN) first ratings book out after we changed . Three months later the Ganett CBS went SD widescreen and two months after that, WISN's sister station went SD widescreen. Their ratings have not bounced back.

YMMV

[WITI6fan]

10 years ago a salesman told my father that all the Milwaukee stations were digital.

An antenna salesman once told my mother that she could get a number of cable channels in HD with an antenna...

Many stations still have analog production facilities. Does WISN or the other station? I have no idea.

WDJT's switcher is a GVG-200 (source) I'd imagine much of the rest of the items in that control room are analog as well. WISN has a good record of not letting images of their control room get out so I'm not sure what they have, although there are rumors that they automated a while back, which could have meant upgrades...

[foxeng]

WDJT's switcher is a GVG-200 (source) I'd imagine much of the rest of the items in that control room are analog as well.

Wow. We had one of those. 10 years ago. Used it for commercial production. We also had a GVG 300 we used for news production. That went away about 10 years ago too. Can't remember if the 200 or 300 went to WITI as a back up for them. Good switchers, but way outdated now.

[trev57]

If WDJT ever does go HD, does anyone think that they would use the CBS O&O graphics?

I think it would look amazing if it looked anything like this...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3v1mbUyHEA&sns=em

[WITI6fan]

If WDJT ever does go HD, does anyone think that they would use the CBS O&O graphics?

I think it would look amazing if it looked anything like this...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3v1mbUyHEA&sns=em

I could see them using WBBM's previous stuff. It's simple and I think they could probably pull off something similar in-house.

I don't know if they'd be able to pick up the Enforcer music collection or the CBS O&O graphics due to the market overlap with Chicago...