"ABC World News Tonight with Charles Gibson" plans to go HD the week of Sept. 8, an ABC spokeswoman said yesterday.

http://www.philly.com/dailynews/features/20080729_But_is_the_news_clearer_.html

Well, CBS went HD last month (or I guess last week) and NBC had done it a while ago. So I guess its time for ABC to follow suit.

With audio I'll bet.

With audio I'll bet.

Cruel. Accurate, though. :D

There may be audio, but how about no picture!! Cruel, I love it!! :D

Methinks Charlie will be scary in HD. :eek:

I wonder if the "wee hours of the morning" ABC World News Now will also go HD?

So far NBC's "Early Today" and CBS's "Early Morning News are still in SD here in Miami.

So far NBC's "Early Today" and CBS's "Early Morning News are still in SD here in America.

fixed.. there you go :D

Gibson was in widescreen while covering "Gustav" in N.O. this evening. He wasn't HD, though.

Widescreen Graphics on World News were HD.

Nightline opening was HD. Unlike World News, Terry Moran is in 4:3 SD. Cynthia McFadden is in HD from the convention.

Does that mean they'll do an "official" launch this week? IIRC, no on air mention of the switch was made at all last week.

Does that mean they'll do an "official" launch this week? IIRC, no on air mention of the switch was made at all last week.

Yes

Love the info in the left pillarbar during 4x3 satellite shots. Stock info, weather in major cities...a cool use of the space.

HD PQ looks very good. Watching on D*. I like how they use the left sidebar on SD shots to provide weather and stock information.

Are the graphics really HD? Aside from the bug, they look awful soft. Especially the screen behind Gibson.

http://thumbnails3.imagebam.com/1289/6f112512886531.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/6f112512886531/) http://thumbnails4.imagebam.com/1289/f6246812886533.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/f6246812886533/)

ABC WLS 7 in chicago through RCN QAM. 7.71 Mbps

Are the graphics really HD? Aside from the bug, they look awful soft. Especially the screen behind Gibson.

Boy, you aren't kidding. The Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac graphics look terrible.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3236/2840676919_c546e9f48d_o.jpg

Does that mean they'll do an "official" launch this week? IIRC, no on air mention of the switch was made at all last week.

No mention this week either.

I like how they use the left sidebar on SD shots to provide weather and stock information.

Agreed!

Are the graphics really HD? Aside from the bug, they look awful soft. Especially the screen behind Gibson.

If the graphics are projected into a real projector, rather than electronically keyed (overlaid) over the camera, then the chances are that the screen is quite a long way away from the talent (aka Charles Gibson) to ensure that the presenter lighting doesn't hit (and wash out) the projector screen. As a result it may well be that the screen image is no longer in sharp focus - as the camera is focused on the talent, not the screen behind.

It is a problem when you use projection - particularly at HD - if you are running with quite narrow depths of field (which happens at low light levels and with some combinations of lens angles and distance)

Or it could be that the graphics in the projector are SD, and they are hoping they are blurred/defocused enough that you can't tell?

Hmm, it's possible. Doesn't Nightly News on NBC do the same thing though? Theirs looks HD. This does not.

Hmm, it's possible. Doesn't Nightly News on NBC do the same thing though? Theirs looks HD. This does not.

From memories of watching NBC Nightly News I think they do a mix of projected background, but electronically overlaid foreground graphics, so the bulk of the text you see isn't projected but is instead overlaid (and thus not captured optically)?

Sarah Palin sits down today for her first talk without a script. Since Palin made her debut Aug. 29, the Republican vice presidential nominee has not taken questions from voters or from news reporters. On Sunday, the McCain campaign announced she would give interviews today and Friday to ABC anchorman Charles Gibson. The first segment will air at 6:30 p.m. ET on the network's evening news

A big question will be answered tonight with the aid of the transition to HD: Is she wearing lipstick?

Gibson was in widescreen while covering "Gustav" in N.O. this evening. He wasn't HD, though.

Sorry - just seen this. Interestingly (or not) the BBC were also 16:9 from N.O. covering Gustav... (The BBC and ABC are partners in newsgathering terms - with ABC able to use BBC reporters and reports globally, and the BBC being able to use ABC footage and reporters in the US and abroad)

Lately he's been in SD widescreen with HD sidebars (which I can't fully see, BTW). It seems the only time it's true HD is when they're on location covering the pres. election conventions. Somehow, I anticipate the upcoming debates to be in full HD....

Lately he's been in SD widescreen with HD sidebars (which I can't fully see, BTW). It seems the only time it's true HD is when they're on location covering the pres. election conventions. Somehow, I anticipate the upcoming debates to be in full HD....

Perhaps you mean SD with HD sidebars. There would be no need for wings/pillars if it were SD widescreen.

Actually, Gibson's been in SD-widescreen lately. However, 4:3 supplements have HD-bookends, such as "Ike" coverage in the gulf.

I think he means: Live shots on location are typically SD widescreen. Taped segments are 4:3 SD with pillars.

Basically, SD widescreen is as good as it's going to get when they're broadcasting from somewhere other than the studio. NBC does the same thing (though the NBC bureaus in Washington and Los Angeles are HD, and NBC does live HD remotes from the White House).

Totally does not look HD to me.. more like enhanced SD
facal filters bieng used

Totally does not look HD to me.. more like enhanced SD
facal filters bieng used


Suspect by "facial filters" you mean a combination of "Skin Detail" (which is a function in most modern cameras that allows artifical detail enhancement on the background of an image, but no enhancement, or detail removal aka negative detail enhancement, to be applied to areas of flesh tone) and extremely soft lighting (which ensures no shadows that might show imperfections) and even on-camera filtering.

Skin Detail and Soft Lighting are widespread in TV studios these days - the use of on-camera filters a bit less so.

That said - US news shows have a VERY different lighting look to those in most other countries. Far softer and less punchy - and often ridiculously flattering to the talent.

Whatever "facial filters" they are using on Charlie Gibson are driving me crazy. His clothing is in perfect focus, but his face looks like SD at times. I understand why this is done, but it sure is annoying as hell.

Yeah, the opening shot prior to Friday's debate was flat out awful. It looked out of focus it was so "undetailed." I prefer ABC news but if every shot of Charlie is going to make my eyes hurt I'm going over to CBS and Katie.

Whatever "facial filters" they are using on Charlie Gibson are driving me crazy. His clothing is in perfect focus, but his face looks like SD at times. I understand why this is done, but it sure is annoying as hell.

Sounds like they are using Skin Detail to apply negative detail to flesh tones -which effectively makes flesh-coloured (the video op selects which colour range) video much softer than the rest. This can mean that eyes, hair and clothes are sharp - but flesh-coloured stuff is as soft as you like. (Of course if you dislike the talent you can use this in reverse...)

I haven't noticed it on Gibson, but that Skin Detail stuff makes Katie Couric look like an alien. They think this is an improvement?

Depressing the skin detail makes lipstick, eyes, hair, and fabric seem ultra high resolution.

They are using simply SD Cameras with Widescreen mode... fake HD..:(

They are using simply SD Cameras with Widescreen mode... fake HD..:(

Okay I've seen this said one too many times. The show is most certainly shot in HD. The cameras were HD for quite some time before the first HD broadcast (at least a year and a half). The only change was a control room. If it is not looking up to your standards, that is fine. But, please get off this SD cameras with widescreen mode kick.

Interestingly, two widescreen monitors to Gibson's far right, have "stretched" ABC graphics displayed on them. Not fake stretch, either.

The soft filtering has been reduced and or removed from the World News cameras this week and the video looks 100% better. The filtering made the video look a very soft SD.
http://thumbnails30.imagebam.com/14074/b386ed140737246.jpg (http://www.imagebam.com/image/b386ed140737246)

I'll be interested in the PQ of GMA Weekend which uses the same studio.
It should improve if the soft filtering is off.

I'm pretty sure Ms. Sawyer did not get the memo about this. WNT and GMA have been the softest and most "talent flattering" shows on the air in "HD" for a long time.

Main camera on Diane still looks terrible

while the field stuff is still mostly shot in DVCAM codec standard definition 16x9 out of NYC they may start doing more in HD as ABC Network just got in about 10 Sony F800 XDCAM HD cameras.
the September 11 programming taped field pieces will still be in SD.

see this other thread for more info:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=20577203#post20577203