# WGAL (Lancaster, PA) News to go "Widescreen" today



## n3ntj (Dec 18, 2006)

Many of us have known this was coming very soon, but WGAL officially announced it yesterday. Widescreen news starts at 5pm today. As of Friday, WGAL's newcasts actually was a 16:9 image but had only a 4:3 live picture. The side bars were filled with a WGAL logo. They never actually say "HD" in their commercials, so I don't know if it will be SD 16:9 or HD 16:9.

If it is indeed SD 16:9, do they use HD cameras/equipment and then downconvert it to 480?


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## n3ntj (Dec 18, 2006)

OK, it's official. It was 16:9 SD widescreen. I actually talked to someone at WGAL yesterday and they told me that the widescreen newscast is the "next step towards an HD newscast". Some of the studio shots did look good, 'near HD', and some of the shots (mostly remote shots and the Traffax girl) were definitely not HD. I would call it 16:9 widescreen SD.

I don't know if WGAL has a specific date set for HD newscasts. As few people probably noticed, all of the ads that WGAL have shown only say "widescreen".. they never said HD. Most people assume these are the same thing, but as we know on dbstalk.com, it is not always the same thing.


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## BenJF3 (Sep 12, 2008)

WSTM in Syracuse, NY just did this - they are calling it "Enhanced Widescreen" which has alot of people criticizing it because the promos and on air people are talking about it leading many to think it's HD. I don't have an issue with the term "Enhanced Widesceen", but many on local forums are saying they are misleading their viewers because a competing station (WSYR) is getting ready to launch HD local coverage and newscasts. What is your take?

http://www.cnycentral.com/entertainment/content.aspx?id=553048

http://www.cnycentral.com/news/story.aspx?id=553817


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## n3ntj (Dec 18, 2006)

WGAL never said HD in their ads, but I think 90% of the people out there think it's HD. Most people have no idea. WGAL has not come out and said it is not HD, other than when I talked to my contact there.


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## n3ntj (Dec 18, 2006)

On a similar note, WPMT Fox 43 is slated to debut their HD local newcasts (real HD, not just SD widescreen like WGAL) some time in January.

Our market is the largest in the USA (#39) without at least one local station providing an HD local newscast.


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