I haven't been able to catch any, so why are there no primetime gameshows broadcast in HD?

Too much expense for such a small benefit is my guess.

$money$. The game shows have minimal repeat or future syndication value, so there is little incentive for the production studios to spend the extra money to do them in HD. That would change if the networks decide they want all their primetime shows to be HD, but none of them have made that move.

At least Fox does "Don't Forget The Lyrics" in good SD widescreen. That's still is an improvement over 4:3.

While it's not technically PrimeTime, Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune are broadcast in HD.

Dancing with the Stars is in HD, but it's arguable if you can call it a game show.

ft

Deal or No Deal makes enough money that it should be shown in HD, especially with the smaller payouts (cheap bankers' offers). NBC is making a mint on that show. With all the extra room they can throw up several more promo bugs in the corners.

Deal or No Deal makes enough money that it should be shown in HD, especially with the smaller payouts (cheap bankers' offers). NBC is making a mint on that show. With all the extra room they can throw up several more promo bugs in the corners.
You've answered exactly why it isn't. Why upgrade a show that makes loads of money in SD.

The fact is, few game and reality shows become successes. As a result, it's usually not worth utilizing HD gear that could go toward other productions. Likewise, if a show is an instant hit, why change? There's a lot of legacy SD gear that gets good use in these productions.

Dramas and other scripted shows have syndication and DVD resale value later, so it's worthwhile to future-proof them.

I don't want to see Donald or Drew or Howie in HD but it would be great to see the Deal or no Deal Models in HD. They're gorgeous! <drool>.

You've answered exactly why it isn't. Why upgrade a show that makes loads of money in SD.

The fact is, few game and reality shows become successes. As a result, it's usually not worth utilizing HD gear that could go toward other productions. Likewise, if a show is an instant hit, why change? There's a lot of legacy SD gear that gets good use in these productions.

Dramas and other scripted shows have syndication and DVD resale value later, so it's worthwhile to future-proof them.

Is this one of those things that once SD cameras get old they will be thrown out and now they only sell HD cameras and the networks are slowly replacing all the old SD cameras?

Is this one of those things that once SD cameras get old they will be thrown out and now they only sell HD cameras and the networks are slowly replacing all the old SD cameras?
Not really. At this point, the major companies are replacing old units with HD gear, but SD gear is still very much being sold - it's just most of it is digital formats instead of analog media like Betacam SP. A lot of independant companies still do most of their work in SD, but charge a premium for HD.

The problem is, with these shows, cameras are a drop in the bucket as far as what's needed to produce them. There's a whole control room full of gear just to shoot the show, then edit rooms to edit them for time, correct mistakes, etc. That's a lot of gear - much of which is still working quite reliably and will do so for some time to come. We're talking switchers, tape machines, graphics equipment, video routers and tons of other gear sometimes totalling millions.

Cameras are usually the easiest item to swap out, but a small link in the HD chain for a studio show.

The early episodes of Deal or No Deal were taped in HD capable studios. I don't know if the present facilities are HD capable. Endemol appears not too interested in HD at the moment.