My ignorance on HD broadcasts. Please help

[mark40511]

OK

I'm sort of intermediate or lower so please forgive my ignorance. My local ABC affiliate WTVQ broadcasts in HD. I realize not all programming is produced in HD EVEN though it's an HD channel so everything's not in HD all of the time. Here are my questions:

I noticed that ABC's General Hospital is broadcasting in HD, yet my local HD affiliate has it in SD. I'm pretty sure 3 pm is a "network" feed for that show, even though I don't watch it; just something I noticed. Does the local affiliate have to literally "flip a switch"? Do they forget sometimes? How does that work? Do they decided whether to use the network feed or not? I just wonder why one day "Oprah" is in HD and the next day it's in SD. Also, when watching local news, it's broadcast in HD, but when there is something going on locally, requiring the local affiliate to run a "crawl" across the screen, the broadcast goes to SD; this happens only on my local ABC WTVQ affiliate. If the other affiliates run a "crawl", it remains an HD broadcast. Also, some of the reruns like "LOST" on the local affiliate, say, late at night, will not be broadcast in HD, even though I know full well this is an HD channel and the show was produced in HD Very confusing to me. If someone is bored, could you please explain..Thanks

 

[boba]

OK

I'm sort of intermediate or lower so please forgive my ignorance. My local ABC affiliate WTVQ broadcasts in HD. I realize not all programming is produced in HD EVEN though it's an HD channel so everything's not in HD all of the time. Here are my questions:

I noticed that ABC's General Hospital is broadcasting in HD, yet my local HD affiliate has it in SD. I'm pretty sure 3 pm is a "network" feed for that show, even though I don't watch it; just something I noticed. Does the local affiliate have to literally "flip a switch"? Do they forget sometimes? How does that work? Do they decided whether to use the network feed or not? I just wonder why one day "Oprah" is in HD and the next day it's in SD. Also, when watching local news, it's broadcast in HD, but when there is something going on locally, requiring the local affiliate to run a "crawl" across the screen, the broadcast goes to SD; this happens only on my local ABC WTVQ affiliate. If the other affiliates run a "crawl", it remains an HD broadcast. Also, some of the reruns like "LOST" on the local affiliate, say, late at night, will not be broadcast in HD, even though I know full well this is an HD channel and the show was produced in HD Very confusing to me. If someone is bored, could you please explain..Thanks

The answers to the questions you are asking can only come from your local ABC affiliate. More than likely it is equipment and budget limitations.

 

[Mr Tony]

Also, when watching local news, it's broadcast in HD, but when there is something going on locally, requiring the local affiliate to run a "crawl" across the screen, the broadcast goes to SD; this happens only on my local ABC WTVQ affiliate. If the other affiliates run a "crawl", it remains an HD broadcast.

that is a station issue. You're lucky...here in Minneapolis[olis most of the stations go SD when there is a weather alert

Also, some of the reruns like "LOST" on the local affiliate, say, late at night, will not be broadcast in HD, even though I know full well this is an HD channel and the show was produced in HD

syndicated feeds (as this would be the case) alot of times are not available in HD.

 

[highdefjeff]

Iceberg,

What do you mean when you say that most of the stations go SD when there is a weather alert?

 

[Jim5506]

Most stations do not have the equipment to overlay weather bugs, or scrolls onto an HD picture, so they drop to SD and show their weather bugs, info scrolls, etc.

Luckily here in Lubbock, with all our potential for severe weather, all our stations have purchased and installed such equipment, so they can not only overlay and scroll through HD but produce their own HD commercials locally.

We don't have anyone doing live news in HD but maybe someday.