[frizzo]

The more and more I watch the local broadcast of HDNet, there's only one thing that bothers me...the lack of truly beautiful motion graphics. I have been doing motion graphics for many years now, and the one's on this network just are not up to par. The picture is gorgeous. The audio may be generic, but it sounds pretty good and is almost always in 5.1. Everything is really good, except the graphics. Especially those "High Definition Television" intersticials that show every couple hours. That Extreme Motion show, those titles and intersticials are really cheesy. It's my opinion that's it's time to update the network graphics to reflect the beauty of the footage shown. Anybody with me?


|..frizzo..|


(btw, Mr. Cuban, if you need someone to help you out with that, feel free to contact me!! )

 

[LewisD]

HDnet on-screen graphics are great...I haven't seen the local feed though...the national feed is top-notch.

 

[kurros]

Depends on what you mean by great. Yeah the titles are sharp but many of them look like they were done in Powerpoint. They certainly aren't up to the standards of other HD networks.

 

[LewisD]

Are we talking about still graphics like scoreboard and title graphics, or full-motion 3d graphics used during intros and promos? I still think it all looks fine...much better than any other HD networks out there...

 

[bhambrad]

The graphics on "hotlines" look really good. The intro to true music needs a lot of work - but katie daryl is hot so who cares? I would like to see the sports take on more of an aggressive look like FOX's nfl graphics - really hip instead of looking like nbc.


Most of all I would like to see a new HDNET website like an HBO or sho.com - a more aggressive look. I am biased because I am a web designer and know whats possible. If I had the vector logos of the hdnets I would design something for fun but haven't been able to find them online anywhere.


But I am not complaining. I am happy with the progress that hdnet and hdnet movies is making. What really makes Cuban cool is that he is a billionaire and takes time to answer emails about hdnet. And oh yeah - next moth Demi is going to be in HD. All this to say I am a Mark Cuban fan and overall his nets look really good.

 

[chrisj1]

Anybody notice that the graphics that show the score is somewhat blurry when college basketball is on and not crystal clear??

 

[Dweezilz]

yes, they are blurry.

 

[frizzo]

Well I am glad to see I am not the only one that feels this way. One comparison to make is just the HDNet logo versus the real clean modern look of the InHD logo. HDNet logo is pretty good, but just doesn't have that cutting edge punch. Now I am not saying everyone should look like VH1 or MTV, but from a designer/advertiser/motion graphic expert's point of view those two channels are what many other channels should be judged against. Crazy graphics and animations are great on VH1 and MTV and although they are not fitting for HDNet, they sit on that cutting edge that HDNet should be working closer to. They should say, "We are displaying bleeding edge television, and our look screams just that". Look is very important, and although it doesn't affect everyone, it affects the majority. Let's hope this thread gains somea attention. If not, it's a cool discussion.


|..frizzo..|


(Mr. Cuban, please look me up if you want some ideas...hahahaha)

 

[Thomas Desmond]

Note that there are really two separate discussions going on here, as the local broadcast version of HDNet is a completely different channel from the one that is on satellite and some cable systems. And, in this case, "completely different" means that the graphics are different, as well. The on-screen graphics for the broadcast version are definitely inferior to what appears on the cable/satellite channel; but frankly I'd be more interested in seeing them upgrade the programming than the graphics.

 

[jake14mw]

I haven't noticed any problems with the graphics, and that's good. I am interested in the programming that I'm seeing and not the graphics.


What is the local broadcast version? I didn't know there was more than one version of HDNet?


You folks that work with graphics will certainly notice any problems. As long as most viewers don't see any problems, that's what matters.


In the meantime you graphics guys have fun discussing this. That must be an interesting line of work to be in. I'm sure it's more interesting than mine!

 

[Thomas Desmond]

> What is the local broadcast version? I didn't know there was more than one version of HDNet?


If you do a search on "HDNet OTA" or "HDNet Lite" you'll probably find some discussion of it.


But briefly, it is a service that HDNet offers up to local stations for their digital channels that runs in several markets (Dallas-Fort Worth, Minneapolis-St Paul, Charlotte, Oklahoma City, and a couple of others). It does not identify itself as "HDNet" but instead using generic "High Definition Television" IDs. It does not include any of the current programming on HDNet, but instead features mostly "demo loop" type programming such as endless reruns of old sporting events or various scenic pictures and travelogues. I'd guess that not more than a couple hours a month of programming is new, with the rest being repeated every couple of weeks.


My suspicion is that this service is basically "holding space" right now, and hopefully will be offering some more interesting programming in the near future as the number of affiliates and potential viewers increases.