Archive for the 'dtv' Category

7News in HD Imminent

Published
by
admin
on 11/17/2008
in HD Transition, Local Media, dtv and hdtv
. 23 Comments

Yes, people! Finally, 7News will end stretchovision madness and launch real HD.

Here’s what I learned:

- rehearsals were happening Friday evening
- the plex will/receive(d) subtle changes, nothing major
- anchor desk has grown a bit. The 7 logo at the front was replaced
- the blue duratran between the floors is going back to
how it was before, small. Or at least smaller than it is now.
- flat screens will be added to it?
- monitor wall may or may not change. WHDH replaced theirs
with almost a dozen large flat screen tvs

Graphics
- “very ESPN-sportscenter ish”
- “LOTS of swooshes and flying 7s”
- “everything looks like its flying out of the screen”
- the new opens are much shorter
- color scheme is blue, black, red with chrome

Music
no info but I’m working on it. My guess, something original
by Chris Crane, naturally

Field photogs will be shooting in 16×9 SD which will be upconverted
to HD. NO stretchovision and as few sidebars as possible.

Don’t expect any more major changes after this. Even with holding nearly 20% of the local tv ad market WSVN is still pinched by the bad economy.
They like every other station are having budget problems and allegedly won’t be filling open positions.

Doesn’t appear like they’ll acquire the WTVJ building at this point in time. Of course you never know but at the moment it doesn’t appear likely (maybe it never was?)

Sunbeam is still in litigation with the company that wants to build condos right next the studios.

7News HD will swooshhhh in with a bang sometimes during the first or second week of December.

And now you know. Thanks to the tipster for the info.

Orlando’s DTV Test in Pictures

Published
by
admin
on 6/26/2008
in Media Headlines and dtv
. 2 Comments

Wayne who lives in the area sent a few shots from the DTV test most of Orlando’s stations performed in sync on Wednesday evening at 7:59pm. All stations except FOX affiliated WOFL and another smaller station turned their analog channels off for about 10 seconds in a bid to inform viewers about the impending TV doom transition to digital in February of 2009.

WKMG Chief Engineer explaining DTV transition:

WESH Chief Engineer explains dtv:

WKMG tells those watching the digital channel via antenna they passed the test

WSVN’s HD Control Room

Published
by
admin
on 5/13/2008
in HD Transition, Local Media, dtv and hdtv
. 1 Comment

Yesterday during the 4pm news Reed Cowan popped up from the recently renovated for HD control room.

As part of the transition to digital and WSVN’s move to broadcast news in HD they swapped the tiny CRT monitors with broadcast-grade LCD monitors.

Sorry about the camera photo my DVR is being Comcastic again.

11 Central Florida Stations to Perform Joint DTV Test

Published
by
admin
on 5/8/2008
in Media Headlines and dtv
. 0 Comments

All Central Florida stations, with the exception of Fox-owned WOFL and WRBW, are joining together to perform a DTV test.

On June 25 at 7:59pm the participating TV stations will turn off their analog signals for one minute. During this time the screen will be black, without sound, for a few seconds followed by an on-screen graphic telling viewers how to get more information about the digital transition.

The stations will begin promoting the test after the May sweeps end May 24 and repeat it in September and December.

/hat tip Wayne/

A WSVN HD Update

Published
by
admin
on 5/6/2008
in HD Transition, Local Media, dtv and hdtv
. 13 Comments

I have a minor update on WSVN’s HD transition.

No exact date still but most likely before or after the Olympics, which begin August 8.

One of the last things delaying them is the lack of HD graphics. WSVN’s graphic department is too busy with everything else. Several creative directors leaving hasn’t helped things either

I’m told WHDH and WSVN’s graphics package will be almost identical though.

Speaking of WHDH, Boston TV blog The Scoop says WHDH will be HD by July 15th. They’re putting up a green screen behind the anchor desk after sweeps with a pre-recorded loop of the newsplex while work is being done to the studio. Mainly removing the TV wall and replacing it with a giant projection screen!

More Details on WPLG’s Move and DTV Transition

Published
by
admin
on 5/1/2008
in HD Transition, Local Media, Site News and Comments, dtv and hdtv
. 9 Comments

A TVnewsday article today details WPLG’s DTV transition plans (reg. required) and move to a new studio.

The interesting bits are that Channel 10 bought Ikegami SD/HD cameras and those are going to be one of the few things that will be moved to the new studios. But it looks like there will be no Local10 News in HD until the move and live reports will be in SD for some time due to the costs associated with upgrading live news trucks.

WPLG and WSVN will have their digital transmitters on the same tower, a new one, both stations will be putting up soon.

WPLG GM Dave Boylan expects the new building to be done by December of this year. Equipment will be installed during the first three months of 2009 and the first staff will be in the new building sometime in April 2009. All staff will work from the new location by June 30, 2009.

/img Reese Associates/

Study: Your DTV Reception May Suck. A lot

Published
by
admin
on 4/13/2008
in dtv
. 4 Comments

Market research firm Centris checked DTV over-the-air reception of stations in Las Vegas, Philadelphia and St. Louis. They measured coverage in a 60-75 mile radius from TV towers with 5 mile increments.

The results were not promising Beyond 35 miles from the towers continuous coverage was hit and miss with an outdoor antenna. On top of that Centris says their research shows more than 75% of households that watch TV over-the-air use indoor set-top antennas.

For the study Centris used data from AtennaWeb which only takes into account outdoor atennas.

As alarmist as this study makes things to be, it may not be so relevant to Miami/Ft. Lauderdale market because the viewing area for the stations is about 30 mile radius from the antenna farm. WTVJ’s tower though according to Google Earth is 57.3 miles from the north Broward county line.

OTA viewers of Palm Beach based stations who live in Martin county could experience spotty DTV coverage, if this study is to be believed, except with WPBF whose transmitter is near Palm City. Which of course means Boca Raton, 54.2 miles south of the WPBF tower according to Google Earth, OTA viewers might have to tune south, something many are already doing anyway.

/hat tip Wayne/