CNBC HD to use extra screen space
Cory Bergman September 17th, 2007
Now this is smart. When CNBC goes HD this fall, it will continue to broadcast the anchors in 4×3, but it will shift them to the left to allow for extra graphics and web content on the right. “What we did was take a very nontraditional approach to HD,” says Steve Fastook, CNBC vice president of technical and commercial operations. “It would be relatively easy for me to replace all the cameras, make the studios all hi-def and be all happy. But it doesn’t give viewers anything different than what’s on CNBC [in the traditional world].” Beyond the extra financial graphics, the extra screen space will also feature CNBC.com’s live video feed — viewers can listen in by selecting the SAP feature on their TVs.
Update: TVNewser has a screen grab of how it will look
9 Comments Add your own
1. j$ | September 17th, 2007 at 8:37 am
how long until we start seeing ads on the side?
2. Michael Gay | September 17th, 2007 at 9:11 am
This really is creative thinking. I read somewhere a post in which a person asked why they would want CNBC-HD. In addition to this added content, don’t forget the Olympics are coming up and many events will be carried on CNBC as well. My guess is that’s why there is a push to get this launched soon.
3. Greg | September 17th, 2007 at 10:30 am
reminds me of an old SNL skit where MSNBC had the screen covered with graphics and no place to see the anchors.
4. Anonymous | September 17th, 2007 at 11:28 am
CNBC + HD = Bloomberg?
(BTW, Cory, frequently when I post comments, the Name/Email/URL fields are filled with the previous commenter’s information, in this case Greg’s. I don’t know why.)
5. Mike Escutia | September 17th, 2007 at 11:31 am
This is actually a neat idea. Too bad I don’t have an HD TV.
6. Mike Escutia | September 17th, 2007 at 11:46 am
And, naturally, the first comment for the article proves that not everyone gets it. (Click on my name for link.)
7. John | September 17th, 2007 at 6:20 pm
I think it is a terrible idea. ABC News did a similar format for the last national election. Fine if you have a 16×9 set, but what about the majority of people still viewing on a 4×3 set? One side will cut off part of the anchor’s face and you will see part of the data on the other.
8. discreet_chaos | September 17th, 2007 at 10:32 pm
It’s kind of interesting that CNBC-HD will debut on Murdoch’s DirecTV.
9. Mike Escutia | September 18th, 2007 at 8:34 am
John: “Fine if you have a 16×9 set, but what about the majority of people still viewing on a 4×3 set? One side will cut off part of the anchor’s face and you will see part of the data on the other.”
My understanding is that CNBC HD+ is a separate feed from the standard-definition CNBC. So you shouldn’t see anything like that — unless, of course, you somehow happen to have a 4×3 HD TV.
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