The HD news transition
Oct 1, 2007 12:00 PM
The Sony XDCAM, which records to optical disc, stands up to the inclement conditions of shooting the Iditarod dog sled race in Alaska.
“From the standpoint of disruption, obviously HD would not have been a good idea in the year 2000,” Ott says, “but we've evolved quickly so that by the year 2007, HD editing now is even supported on Mac and PC laptops by multiple NLE manufacturers.”
There's ample evidence elsewhere that the industry is making accommodations for HD. For instance, satellite resources now exist to handle the anticipated growth in demand for HD news backhaul.
“There is still a demand out there for field operations to migrate from standard def to high def,” observes Ron Rosenthal, Intelsat regional VP North America, broadcast solutions. “As the various news organizations have upgraded their studios to HD, they are still currently providing at least 90 percent of their packages and their live shots in SD. However, this represents an increase in demand, right now, for HD news feeds. We're uniquely positioned to provide our customers with managed solutions anywhere in the globe for HD content.”
Rosenthal points to this summer's Live Earth concert as evidence of Intelsat's HD capacity and ability. While not TV news, the event required significant satellite and teleport capabilities.
“In one single day, Intelsat provided content from seven different continents all in HD for the purpose of global retransmission,” he says. “So not only did we handle the contribution of the event, but also the global distribution of the event as well.”
As stations, groups and networks grapple with the minutia of these and other issues involved in presenting HD news, it's easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. All of the changes and accommodations HD demands are serving a greater purpose: better connecting news viewers with their world and depicting the people, places and events that make up the news in a more true-to-life fashion.
As Bob Hesskamp, VP technical operations for CNN Worldwide's news division, says, “HD gives us the ability to bring our viewers closer to the story. It comes alive, much like when you watch a sporting event in HD; the game is more real to you. I think the news is more real to you when you see it in HD. It's beautiful. The disturbing news may be more disturbing, and the beautiful, inspiring news is going to be more beautiful and more inspiring.”
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