Why is high definition news important to me as a news viewer?

KGW’s move to high definition will bring enhanced weather forecasting tools that will provide even more detail to the daily forecast. The HD sky-cam will show you live, detailed pictures of the weather in Portland. On news coverage, the detail available with high definition gives viewers a better understanding of the story. With HD video from Sky8, aerial coverage of breaking news brings you closer to the story than ever before.

What will be different exactly?

The biggest difference will be the quality of the image from our brand new true HD studio and newsroom cameras. These cameras will have a wide screen image more like a movie format with over five times the resolution of our former standard definition (SD) images. All together, nine new HD cameras will be installed.

More: How the transition to HD took place at KGW

Slideshows:

Take a peek at the new HD set

Behind the scenes of HD preparations

Behind the scenes during the fist HD newscast

The images will be very clear on HD monitors. All of our graphics as well as our live weather radar images will also be HD. The images will be stunning compared to SD or analog and almost take on a 3d look.

What will I see different if I have a high definition TV set?

High definition (HD) viewers will notice the most difference. Right now when they view news broadcasts in the Portland market, they are only able to see standard definition (SD) pictures that have been translated or “up-converted” to HD. Because SD images do not have the fine detail in the picture, what viewers see now is a soft, detail-less image. When our new HD images are displayed on an HD set, all of the information that the camera picks up is made available to the viewer.

If I have a digital TV but not an HD set what will be different to me?

Some digital sets are not HD. These sets will display our HD images with the highest resolution that they can produce, which is still often better than just SD. So, even older sets will look much better with true HD.

I hear other stations talk about standard definition widescreen. What is the difference between an HD news verses a standard definition widescreen news?

SD widescreen is created from an image which has a maximum resolution of 720 x 480 pixels or around 350,000 pixels total. KGW will use a true HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels for over 2 million pixels. There is simply a lot more detail and color clarity in a true HD picture. HD conversion requires a complete rebuild of the TV station, from the cameras to the transmitter. At KGW, we are installing over 500 pieces of new equipment and thousands of feet of new wiring to get HDTV to our viewers. Digital widescreen requires almost no financial investment, as it just requires readjusting current equipment from a 4 x 3 aspect ratio to 16 x 9.

What if I just have an old analog TV set?

You will see a slight “letterbox” effect, with a narrow black strip at the top and bottom of your screen. KGW is pioneering a technique that will be less intrusive for the analog viewer. You will get the benefit of more clarity in the weather graphics and forecast because of new features that are being added to the meteorologists’ tools. You just won’t see them in high definition.

Do I need any special equipment?

If you already own a HDTV set, then you probably do not have to do anything. However, you need to make sure it is connected properly to an over-the-air digital tuner, HDTV cable box, or HDTV satellite receiver. Check with your video service provider for details. If you do not yet have an HDTV, now is probably a good time. The prices have come down significantly, and there is lots of great programming to watch in HD on many channels.

When will KGW begin broadcasting its news in HD?

January 21, 2008.

Learn More:

Digital and HD TV - What you need to know