June 4, 2007

From Nature to News: HD’s Learning Curve

Sports often dominates discussions about HD programming, but the nonfiction genre is also playing a major role. As viewer numbers increase, news and documentary programmers are willing to absorb HD’s higher costs in return for a long-term payoff.

By Denise Martin

In his characteristic way, Dan Rather turns to a colorful, off-the-cuff analogy to describe his new surroundings in the world of HD production.

"The jungle is dark, but full of diamonds," Rather says, quoting Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. "That’s the way I view shooting in HDTV."

Since joining Mark Cuban’s HDNet to anchor the hour-long Dan Rather Reports six months ago, the 76-year-old newsman has purchased two high-definition TV sets for his home. "I wouldn’t underestimate its importance," he says.

"I’m intrigued by the challenge of wedding spectacularly better images to higher-quality reporting and storytelling," Rather continues. "It may be one of the biggest challenges I’ve had."

"In HD, it’s not unusual for me to learn more about my subject when I’m in the editing room," says Dan Rather, anchor of HDNet's Dan Rather Reports.

The same can be said of a host of other news, nonfiction programming and documentary channels, all of which are taking care to augment their fare with better resolution.

Cuban’s HDNet launched in 2001 and was the first national TV network to broadcast in 1080i high definition. It has since been joined on the news and nonfiction front by 24-hour services Discovery HD Theater and National Geographic Channel HD. CNN follows suit Sept. 1 when it premieres its HD feed on DirecTV. MoJo, formerly INHD, has improved its nonfiction programming recently.

Providing stunningly lifelike images, HDTV has become enticing to such channels as consumers have become more aware of the technology and HDTV set prices continue to decline. Households with HDTV services surpassed 27.7 million U.S. homes last year.

Clint Stinchcomb, EVP and general manager for HD at Discovery Communications, says 20% of the audience for the 11-part hit series Planet Earth came from viewers who watched it on Discovery HD Theater, which accounts for only a fraction of all Discovery watchers.

"That’s pretty telling," he says.

Cuban says news coverage was a priority from day one for HDNet; the channel launched its HDNet World Report five years ago. "HD creates a new palette that allows the news to be presented far differently than it has been in the past," he notes. "From resolution to 16x9 to 5.1 audio, HD allows the pictures to tell the story and the reporter to complement it, rather than (vice versa)."

In addition, HDNet is documenting events in a format that is "evergreen," Cuban adds.

Adult and juvenile forest elephants as seen in National Geographic Channel's Gabon: The Last Eden.

Josh Derby, director of production technology for Discovery Networks, believes Discovery is far along on the HD production learning curve. Long-running series Mythbusters recently underwent an HD upgrade with few obstacles.

"The problems we’d been running into with HD cameras is that they tend to be heavier and less flexible in how they move around, and there is a lot of moving around in the show between [hosts] Adam [Savage] and Jaime [Hyneman]," Derby explains.

So the network switched to Sony’s XDCAM HD, a lighter-weight, more portable, disc-based camcorder. "That one piece of technology, which wasn’t available until recently, is what allowed us to take that show hi-def." He clarifies his previous statement: That and the advent of the "disposable" camera.

"Now that there are decent $1,000 consumer models, we can afford to blow up a few in the name of the show," he muses.

Discovery’s Deadliest Catch, a series that takes viewers aboard the dangerous boats of Alaskan crab fisherman, is another show that uses pro-sumer and consumer format HDV cameras to shoot.

"Using a shoulder-mount camera on a show like this is a safety hazard," he says. "You don’t want to shoot everything with a HDV, but they’re a nice option to have. For a show like Dirty Jobs, we shoot with a large primary camera, and then we send [host] Mike Rowe into the sewer vat with the handheld."

Discovery is also testing new high-speed HD cameras, the sort that will let producers show a bullet striking a gelatin mold at 1,000 frames per second — the kind of thing the guys on Mythbusters are prone to do, Derby says.

Though production has become more or less streamlined for Discovery, which launched its hi-def network in 2002, the cost is still significantly higher than standard def. "Between the tape stock and postproduction work, it can add at least 20% more to the budget of a production," Stinchcomb says.

But long-term payoff is the goal, and Stinchcomb says that Discovery HD Theater will double the number of shows it offers by 2008.

CNN Starting HD Service, Fox News May Follow

Meanwhile, things are just beginning to rev up for the major cable news networks. Fox News Channel has yet to announce an HD service, though one is expected, and CNN is keeping the contents of its linear HD service under wraps as it approaches its fall launch.

Bob Hesskamp, VP of CNN broadcasting engineering and systems technology, says the company has known it would get into high definition for years, though.

"When we bought the Time Warner Center in New York, we began replacing equipment right from the start," Hesskamp says. "We launched our broadband network CNN Pipeline in high definition to get our feet wet, from the news gathering to production. We have a full HD control room to produce Pipeline, which has been a really great, useful learning experience."

The control room of CNN.com’s live video news service has been outfitted with HD gear since 2005.

For CNN, the key challenge has been integrating HD production into the CNN news operation. "We’re not just one channel. We’ve got international channels, broadband and other businesses," Hesskamp says. "Because of the size of our operation and the breadth of it around the world, this will definitely be an ongoing process."

CNN executives say they’ve also been able to tap into the expertise of sister channel TNT, which already offers an HD service. Perhaps benefiting from HDNet’s experience, CNN said in April it would use Sony’s XDCAM HD units to conduct some high-definition reports from the field as well as in its studios.

Hesskamp says CNN HD will only offer content already found on the flagship.

HD Makes Rather Think More About the Picture

Rather, who is already knee-deep in HD production, says his preparation has become more exhaustive as a result of the different setup. "I really think much more about the picture, where we’re going to shoot. It’s like making an old Hollywood movie where they used to think out every single shot."

The process has intensified, according to Rather. "It’s more time consuming between scouting for locations and preparation," he says. But the results speak for themselves.

Rather says he’s surprised himself when watching interviews he’s conducted. "In HD, it’s not unusual for me to learn more about my subject when I’m in the editing room. The quality of the picture is so superb that it really is much more telling about the subject."

Rather completed a piece on the decline of the coral reefs using HD footage and 50-year-old shots of the reefs. "The picture told the story better than any narration could." That’s why in the editing room, Rather is prone to let shots "breathe" and play out without narration. "Before, I would have been reluctant to let pictures play for as long."

Data Validates the HD Push

It wasn’t long ago that HD pioneers like Cuban and ESPN were considered big-time gamblers. Recent breakthroughs, however, are evidence that their bets will pay off as viewer numbers indicate there is an audience hungry for hi-def.

"High definition is what made Planet Earth possible," Derby says. "That show was shot with the most cutting-edge technology because it was built on revealing the world to people as they’ve never seen it before."

Meanwhile, National Geographic Channel’s Galapagos, a three-hour event exploring the diverse ecosystem of the islands off the coast of Ecuador, scored a 1 rating, according to Nielsen Media Research data. The network in January celebrated its fifth anniversary as well as the launch of its HD service — a 24-hour high-definition simulcast of the flagship network.

Such a launch was the result of executive foresight: NGC has been requiring its producers to shoot in HD since early 2005. "It’s the promise of the brand. National Geographic is all about its images," says John Fletcher, NGC VP of production services and network operations.

Because of that mandate, only minor adjustments have been necessary in the production process. "We’ve expanded our production windows a bit to give our producers more time to work," Fletcher says. "But it’s not that much more time because everyone we work with now is pretty experienced."

Discovery HD Theater is not yet rated by Nielsen, but set-top box data from TNS Media Research in a major market enabled Discovery to estimate some 600,000 HD homes watched hit series Planet Earth during each of its premiere episodes.

For networks like Discovery HD Theater and National Geographic HD, postproduction facilities have been overhauled and updated with the latest in HD equipment from editing tools to sound mixers, which convert stereo to Dolby 5.1 surround.

And rather than convert its standard-def footage to hi-def, NGC actually shoots all its footage in HD and then downgrades to standard for simulcasting. The reverse transition has presented an unexpected bonus, according to Fletcher.

"We were surprised to find that our standard mix now looks crisper and sharper because we now start with a higher quality source," he says.

In fact, brands like Discovery and National Geographic say by virtue of their subject matter — science and natural history, primarily — the networks have an advantage over general entertainment channels that shoot in HD.

"With a normal series, like a sitcom or a talk show, for instance, you have to pay extra attention to ragged sets, makeup and other details that you can get away with when you’re not shooting in high definition," Fletcher says. "Our animals don’t need makeup."

Cuban adds: "Every other network makes programs in HD, but protects for standard def. We make great programs that are designed specifically for the features of HDTV. We do great programs for HD rather than just being in HD."