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HDTV Programming History

8971 Views 128 Replies 61 Participants Last post by Lee L, Feb 8, 2008

iJeff

Discussion Starter · Jan 17, 2008

Can those who have had HDTV for more than five years chime in on what it used to look like "back in the day"? In other words, what did the network HDTV schedule look like back in 1998-2002? I know that Leno was one of the first shows to go HD, but what about prime time programming?

1 - 20 of 129 Posts

foxeng

· #2 · Jan 17, 2008

Pretty much what it does now. Scripted programs in HD (CBS lead the way with the most and NBC had the least and FOX was doing 480p widescreen until 2004 when the splicer system FOX uses went on line for HD), reality not and big sporting events. Not most sporting events because they didn't have the HD production trucks yet. For football season you had 1 or 2 games a week in HD on CBS and FOX did 480p widescreen. When FOX started doing HD in 2004, they started out with 6 games a week in HD and CBS only had 2 games a week (which increased to 3 for a season or two) and continued that practice until this season. Many of the HD sporting events prior to 2004 actually had both SD and HD trucks because they couldn't do downconvering well then. The biggest faux paux of the era and was probably the major reason converting got a WHOLE better in a hurry was the ABC broadcast Super Bowl of 2003. They used an SD truck and an HD truck but the announcers were calling the game using the SD feed and the HD pictures rarely matched what the announcers were saying. ABC got smacked pretty hard in the press on that one.

Of course we are still not completely out of the woods yet and it will be a few more years until we are. The networks are pretty much set now and it is moving towards getting the locals up and running in HD for local programming and getting syndicators to start providing their programming in HD to the local stations, which has begun.

That is it in a nut shell.

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steverobertson

· #3 · Jan 17, 2008

I remember seeing maybe 1 show a week in HD if I was lucky it is amazing how far it has come. It was kind of cool having limited shows in HD as it really made you appreciate it but now as much as I still love it I guess the fact that it is not new anymore has taken a little of the shine off of it.

petergaryr

· #4 · Jan 17, 2008

It is true that there were HD broadcasts, but it required either a satellite or cable connection. OTA was pretty scarce.

Here in Jacksonville, for example, we had only 1 affiliate (NBC) that would broadcast the 2 HD shows available: Crossing Jordan and the Tonight Show.

Unfortunately, not everyone who worked in master control understood the concept of "throwing the switch", so most of the time the HD wouldn't kick into until late...or not at all. Thank goodness that never happens now.

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Ken H

· #5 · Jan 17, 2008

From a post I made here in June of 2001, which covers everything in HD at the time.

Quote:
FOX offers some 480p 16:9 programing (Ally McBeal, X-Files, etc.). FOX is publicly on record against HDTV, but will be offering more 480p 16:9 programing as time goes on. Some FOX stations upconvert to 720p, and split the difference in aspect ratio with a 14:9 image, most AVS members are not too fond of this for a variety of reasons.

PBS offers quite a bit of upconverted 1080i 16:9 programing and 1080i HDTV programing. Some PBS stations upconvert 4:3 programing when not showing 1080i, others run the PBS HDTV 2 hour demo loop.

ABC offers movies & series (NYPD Blue, soon to add The Practice & a few others) in 720p HDTV. Most ABC stations upconvert 4:3 programing.

NBC has The Tonight Show in 1080i HDTV, but that's about it. Most NBC stations upconvert 4:3 programing.

CBS is the big source for HDTV, as they offer almost all of their primetime entertainment programing in 1080i. And they have a significant amount of sports, like The Masters, NFL Football, The US Tennis Open, NCAA Final Four and more in HDTV. Most CBS DTV stations upconvert 4:3 programing.

HBO-HD delivers the most native HDTV from DirecTV, Dish Network and big dish satellite. About 60% of their movies are native 1080i, the rest is upconverted 4:3.

Showtime HD is like PBS, in that they have a lot of upconverted 1080i widescreen programing. This includes movies & original series. They also have a few native HDTV movies and mostly upconverted 4:3 movies. Showtime HD is only available from Dish Network or big dish satellite.

Ken H

· #6 · Jan 17, 2008

From August 2001:

Quote:
STATIONS BROADCASTING HDTV:

(CBS) - broadcasting 1080i

Most of the CBS prime-time schedule is broadcast in HDTV each night. The Young and the Restless daytime soap as well as special events, movies and sporting events are also broadcast in HDTV. Thus far this year CBS has broadcast all the AFC play-off games, Sony Open, Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four and the Masters in HDTV. CBS will have 12 SEC College football games in HD this fall and US Open Tennis on Sept. 7,8,9. CBS-HD is also currently being offered on Dish Network, but it's not available in all areas, see the many recent topics for more details.

(ABC) - broadcasting 720p

ABC broadcasts several movies a month (Wonderful World of Disney and ABC’s Saturday/Sunday night Big Picture) and 'NYPD Blue' in HDTV & 5.1 DD. It is rumored that ABC will follow CBS lead and broadcast a majority of its prime-time shows in HDTV for the 2001-2002 season. NYPD Blue, Philly, Alias, Thieves and The Practice have been confirmed for next season.

(PBS) - broadcasting 1080i

PBS transmits 4 - 5 new shows/documentaries a month in HDTV, plus several SDTV widescreen shows/documentaries. They also show HDTV Demonstrations regularly through out the day.

(NBC) - broadcasting 1080i

NBC carries 'The Tonight Show' in HDTV each evening. Dallas Maverick playoff games have also been televised in HD this year, thanks to Mark Cuban (see HDNet, below). ER may have a shot of being in HDTV next season since ER is presented in widescreen this season. NBC has already confirmed that they will add several more hours of HDTV this fall.

(HBO) – broadcasting 1080i

About 75% of the movies on HBO are HDTV. The rest are upconverted to HDTV (480i to 1080i) Most of HBO produced movies are shown in HDTV. The Sopranos is broadcast in HDTV. The Bruce Springsteen Concert was also televised in HDTV and 5.1 DD. HBO-HD is available from Dish, DirecTV, BUD and a few select cable systems.

(ShowTime) – broadcasting 1080i

ShowTime is currently only available on C-Band, Dish Network and some Cable systems. I would say that about 55% of the movies on ShowTime are broadcast in HDTV. The rest are upconverted to HDTV-like picture.

(MSG-HD) – broadcasting 1080i

Madison Square Gardens sports station shows the Knick, Rangers and Yankees home games in HDTV. But it is currently an exclusive to Cablevision in NY.

(Fox Sports – HD) – broadcasting 1080i

Fox sports broadcast New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, New Jersey Nets, and New York Mets home games in HDTV. But it is currently an exclusive to Cablevision in NY.

The rumor is that Cablevision has said after they upgrade their local system so all of their subs can get these channels, they will make them available to the DBS providers.

(ASCN) - broadcasting 1080i

Paul Allen and the Portland Trail Blazers have all ready started a new HDTV Sports Channel. Action Sports Cable Network is available on select cable systems in the Pacific Northwest, they are asking Dish/DirecTV subs to call & ask for ASCN.

and the others....

(HDNet) - soon to be broadcasting 1080i

Mark Cuban founder of http://www.broadcast.com and owner of the Dallas Mavericks is also planing an HDTV Sports Network. (Appears that this will likely be an DirecTV exclusive) http://www.hd.net

Recent info from Mr. Cuban says this will begin by October 1st.

(Discovery)

The Discovery channel was previously expected to have its HDTV channel up and running about 2 years ago but it now appears that they will only be shooting some things in HD and keeping it to themselves (i.e. Future-Proofing). Some of the content has shown up on DirecTV's demo ch 199.

(Fox) - broadcasting 480p

Fox does not broadcast true HDTV (720p or 1080i), but many Fox shows are in widescreen 480p. Starting this Fall Fox will tape some of it's shows in 720p but they will only be aired in 480p.

DrLar

· #7 · Jan 17, 2008

Quote:
Originally Posted by petergaryr /forum/post/12843018

Unfortunately, not everyone who worked in master control understood the concept of "throwing the switch", so most of the time the HD wouldn't kick into until late...or not at all. Thank goodness that never happens now.

This IS happening now, at least in El Paso, Tx, they forgot to turn on the switch for Prison Break and Termininator TSCC just last Monday.

I didn't see American Idol but some say it was SD until late they turn on the switch.

CycloneGT

· #8 · Jan 17, 2008

I started in back in 2002. I remember how excited everyone was when some special program was on in HD. My first big HD memory was the 2003 Grammys. I still don't think anything has looked that good since.

petergaryr

· #9 · Jan 17, 2008

Quote:
Originally Posted by DrLar /forum/post/12843572

This IS happening now, at least in El Paso, Tx, they forgot to turn on the switch for Prison Break and Termininator TSCC just last Monday.

I didn't see American Idol but some say it was SD until late they turn on the switch.

....yup, and thus the wink

I still find it amazing at this stage that it is still happening.

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NetworkTV

· #10 · Jan 17, 2008

I remember my first look at HD. It was "Amazing Grace and Chuck" on HBO. I remember the scene where the US and Russian leaders meet at the mountain cabin was stunning at the time.

Of course, now I edit the stuff every day, so I'm a bit jaded. Now, I'm more disappointed when something is SD rather than "wowed" when something is HD.

Aliens

· #11 · Jan 17, 2008

There was very little when I purchased my first set, so my initial viewing pretty much consisted of watching WRAL's features on E* - the moving of the lighthouse and various other ones. Seeing the weaving of fabrics on the clothes and the facial detail was stunning.

lobosrul

· #12 · Jan 17, 2008

A) Wow, I didnt realize anything as old as NYPD Blue was ever in HDTV. X-files in 480p widescreen? That wouldve been cool.

B) Judging by the massive problems when i first when Hi def in 2005 (forgetting to flip the switch, losing HD for the WHOLE NIGHT due to local graphics like a freeze warning in 1 county in the state), there would've been no HDTV whatsoever in Albuquerque in 2001. Maybe PBS I guess. I dont think Leno was even in HDTV until late 2006 here. In fact I dont think I even knew HDTV existed until 2003.

We still have plenty of problems here. KOB-NBC refuses, for some reason to show Conan O'brien in HD. None of the local affiliates have the ability to put graphics onto the HDTV signal, so again weather warning or breaking news and its back to SDTV.

gwsat

· #13 · Jan 17, 2008

Quote:
Originally Posted by lobosrul /forum/post/12844764

Judging by the massive problems when i first when Hi def in 2005 (forgetting to flip the switch, losing HD for the WHOLE NIGHT due to local graphics like a freeze warning in 1 county in the state), there would've been no HDTV whatsoever in Albuquerque in 2001.

That was still happening here in OKC as recently as last night. The local NBC affiliate has still not done what they need to do in order to superimpose a weather map in the corner of an HD feed. Consequently, they showed the new episode of Law & Order, which NBC aired last night, in SD in order to accommodate their weather map. Pitiful!

SeattleAl

· #14 · Jan 17, 2008

Quote:
Originally Posted by CycloneGT /forum/post/12843698

I started in back in 2002. I remember how excited everyone was when some special program was on in HD. My first big HD memory was the 2003 Grammys. I still don't think anything has looked that good since.

I went to an HD demo back in the mid-80's down at my local PBS station and was really amazed. Later in the 90's, I went to the Sony building in Tokyo, where they used to demo their HDTVs with HD programming from NHK. Again, that was amazing stuff.

Today, we get jaded by the HD we get on our current equipment and broadcasts. My memory is probably faulty, but was the old HD proposed by NHK better than the HD we actually got?

Probably the best material in 1080p is most comparable to those old demos, but the garden variety 1080i or 720p broadcast is probably not as good, once the conversions by the cable box, and the bandwidth limiting due to subchannels are done.

I wish they would come out with HDMs of the old "Over Washington", etc. series. There are probably newbies who have never seen those broadcasts in HD, even though they use to air them all the time in the old days.

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DeathOpie

· #15 · Jan 17, 2008

After getting my first HD set, I had to sign up with Dish Network so I could get CBS-HD for sports. They also had HBO-HD, but that was it. Soon after they got Discovery HD. The Insectia shows on Discovery were spectacular, but there's only so many shows on bugs you can watch.

CKNA

· #16 · Jan 17, 2008

Quote:
Originally Posted by SeattleAl /forum/post/12845371

I went to an HD demo back in the mid-80's down at my local PBS station and was really amazed. Later in the 90's, I went to the Sony building in Tokyo, where they used to demo their HDTVs with HD programming from NHK. Again, that was amazing stuff.

Today, we get jaded by the HD we get on our current equipment and broadcasts. My memory is probably faulty, but was the old HD proposed by NHK better than the HD we actually got?

Probably the best material in 1080p is most comparable to those old demos, but the garden variety 1080i or 720p broadcast is probably not as good, once the conversions by the cable box, and the bandwidth limiting due to subchannels are done.

I wish they would come out with HDMs of the old "Over Washington", etc. series. There are probably newbies who have never seen those broadcasts in HD, even though they use to air them all the time in the old days.

Yes, your memory is faulty as NHK HD system was all analog and used analog compression called Muse. It looked nothing like HD nowadays.You were wowed because compared to crappy analog SD back than it was huge difference. If you want to see how NHK analog HD looks today, try to catch on VOOM's RAVE channel Genesis concert from 1987, you will be very dissapointed. Today's upconverted SD looks almost as good as that NHK HD from 1987.

dm145

· #17 · Jan 17, 2008

FOX offers some 480p 16:9 programing (Ally McBeal, X-Files, etc.). FOX is publicly on record against HDTV, but will be offering more 480p 16:9 programing as time goes on. Some FOX stations upconvert to 720p, and split the difference in aspect ratio with a 14:9 image, most AVS members are not too fond of this for a variety of reasons.

Nothings changed for FOX. They are still against HD!

Zellster

· #18 · Jan 17, 2008

I hosted a Superbowl 35 SB party in January 2001 where the Ravens won.

I used a projector, a desktop PC with a Hauppauge HD card and a UHF OTA antenna on a camera tripod to display the feed.

I remember getting such a crappy pregame signal that I had a 36" Sony 4:3 in the other room on standby.

Once the introductions started they must have boosted the signal because I got a good signal for the whole game.

It was my first HD experience with more than myself.

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scowl

· #19 · Jan 17, 2008

One of the trivial things most of us have forgotten was that every football game in HD had at least one SD camera that hurt our eyes when they switched to it. It was always a wireless sideline camera and we usually saw it during field goals.

Other trivia. Many affiliates weren't able to air local commercials on their digital stations so we never got to find out about all that inventory that local businesses were liquidating at crazy prices. Instead we either saw PSAs or cute netowrk "screensavers". Fox had the spinning FoxBox. NBC had the reassembing peacock.

cliffg

· #20 · Jan 17, 2008

A few comments of the last six years of HD (my first HD came from a DTC-100 DirecTV sat receiver, out to a CRT projector) ...

Each HD program or movie in the first few years was pretty cool, with a few being spectacular (PBS or a well-broadcast HBO HD movie).

Now I expect almost everything in HD - even the few SD broadcasts we (family) currently watch will soon be on HD channels (over Comcast) - e.g. Meerkat Manor and Orangutan Island (Animal Planet), Battlestar Galactica (Sci-Fi). Over the last year Monk and a few Nat Geo Channel shows we watch are now shot on HD and shown on Comcast HD channels.

But one aspect remains the same - the production values still make a big difference. I've noticed that many (most?) shows do not have the budget or schedule to make spectacular looking and sounding HD content. Which is fine by me - the color, resolution, and sound is still so much better than in previous decades that I would never want to go back. My point is that the technical differences between HD and SD is only part of the equation - well-produced / broadcast SD can look pretty darned good, and not-so-well-produced / broadcast HD can look pretty weak.

Cliff

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