Late night HD launch, part Deux.

[Spring Rubber]

At least this won't be nearly as bad as the YWT launch. I still don't know how late I'm going to go tonight, but I'm going to try to at least see through the second hour of the show...

[Mike M]

Yes, please record clips of First Outlook HD if you can.

[Spring Rubber]

I think I'm down to my last disc or two, so I had to give up on recording this morning's last WV in SD in order to save up for FO. Clips will come tomorrow. (obviously)

[Spring Rubber]

I feel so lonely...

[Spring Rubber]

Jeff and Jen are doing all three hours together today, and with the theme of desk rotation, the desk is rotated the only way they haven't done it yet: with the A&B desk behind it.

[Spring Rubber]

Update: It looks like they've gone back to the original theme music for FO and (at least for now) scratched the theme they launched last week. Also, they made it sound like every day will be a three-hour full controlled show; I wonder if that's indeed the case.

Also, it's another "new ad Monday." This time they launched a human interest ad about Dr. Steve Lyons. I guess they want people to "connect" with him.

Finally, my "hurricane-loving HD-fest" prediction is holding true so far. During the final ten minutes of the first hour of FO, Bertha was upgraded to a hurricane, and it's now the "Top Story" and has led off the top of the hour and the segment at :10 past so far. We'll probably hear more about it soon. In fact, they just did a teaser for it going to break using the "intense" production music that led off most editions of SD Evening Edition from August 2007-May 2008. You can tell the producers and directors are getting hyped up. How much you want to bet this weekend we'll have Jim Cantore live from Bermuda in HD during Weekend View and Evening Edition? Then again, do they have a way to transmit HD video from Bermuda? They might not.

[lfmusiclover]

Finally, my "hurricane-loving HD-fest" prediction is holding true so far. During the final ten minutes of the first hour of FO, Bertha was upgraded to a hurricane, and it's now the "Top Story" and has led off the top of the hour and the segment at :10 past so far. We'll probably hear more about it soon. In fact, they just did a teaser for it going to break using the "intense" production music that led off most editions of SD Evening Edition from August 2007-May 2008. You can tell the producers and directors are getting hyped up. How much you want to bet this weekend we'll have Jim Cantore live from Bermuda in HD during Weekend View and Evening Edition? Then again, do they have a way to transmit HD video from Bermuda? They might not.

Yeah it shouldn't be long now before we see them going into their first HD Storm Alert Mode. 

[tpirfan28]

Then again, do they have a way to transmit HD video from Bermuda? They might not.

They'll put him in black and white...ANYTHING to get a feed of Cantore at the eye of the storm.

[Mike M]

Jeff and Jen are doing all three hours together today, and with the theme of desk rotation, the desk is rotated the only way they haven't done it yet: with the A&B desk behind it.

That's odd, I would think a show like FO would broadcast in front of the video wall or the LCD screen (where EEWC broadcast). IMO, that map backdrop more fits with the daytime shows (Day Planner and Weather Center).

[Spring Rubber]

I have a feeling that the LCD screen where EEWC broadcasts might be the "low-level" show setup. I wouldn't be surprised if that's where DP, WC, WO, and WN broadcast. Also, as they do during EEWC, this setup gives them the ability to turn off a bunch of lights off to the left side of the set. Notice how during EEWC, they'll often use a two-person camera shot at the projector wall that shows all of the wall lighting turned off on the left side wall; it's like an abrupt cut from lightness to darkness.

[WeatherWitness]

I have a feeling that the LCD screen where EEWC broadcasts might be the "low-level" show setup. I wouldn't be surprised if that's where DP, WC, WO, and WN broadcast. Also, as they do during EEWC, this setup gives them the ability to turn off a bunch of lights off to the left side of the set. Notice how during EEWC, they'll often use a two-person camera shot at the projector wall that shows all of the wall lighting turned off on the left side wall; it's like an abrupt cut from lightness to darkness.

First Outlook isn't a "low-level" show setup? I figure many people wouldn't watch it that early in the morning, but what do I know.

[Spring Rubber]

It used to be at an even higher level, but it seems to have gone down a little bit since they cut back to just two anchors. It's still at a much higher level than DP, WC, WO, WN, WWC, and PMEW.

[Spring Rubber]

It looks like the First Outlook identity crisis continues this morning; they're back to using the techno opening theme that premiered last week. I wonder if it's the same producer that's constantly switching theme selection or if there's a different producer that's using this theme.

They're also doing a pretty stupid feature for the Weekly Planner temperatures this morning; they're using a lower third that describes the main temperature story for each day that displays. The only problem is that, like some of the lower thirds they tried during the last era, this lower third completely blocks southern Texas and Florida.

[Spring Rubber]

They're still doing the thing with the lower thirds during YWT, perhaps we should try to nip this in the bud through the Assistance Request form before this gets any worse. I should add that it's blocking the southern half of Texas but not Florida as I mistakenly said earlier.

[wxmancanada]

In responce to mobile spots, all of TWC mobile spots after 2007 were in HD, just down converted. Both TWC mobiles are HD. Now, when TWC does coverage in remote places they usualy use local media mobiles which 9 times out of 10 are HD.

One exception is when it's done via satellite broadband, thats done with an HD camera, but again, severly downgraded via the SD downconversion and the obvilious Broadband connection.