CNN have had HD equipment for a number of years - and have been producing web content in 16:9 for a while.
Last year they launched CNN HD, and some content produced in New York is now originated in HD. Atlanta is still SD.
Most of the US Election stuff has been out of NY and has thus been shot 16:9 SD.
Of course CNN International is still SD - and taking a 4:3 centre-cut rather than letterboxing CNN HD content (presumably because 4:3 content on CNN HD is itself 4:3 pillarboxed and letterboxing this would give you postage stamp)
Anyone watching the CNN election coverage, and other stuff shot in 16:9 HD, will notice two things.
1. Even in 4:3 SD it looks good in picture quality terms.
2. They still aren't that good at framing for 4:3 AND overscan in 4:3. Loads of shots looked cramped, and in some cases graphics in screens were cropped.
CNNHD is only available on some HD platforms - the bulk of US viewers are still watching in 4:3 SD.
I presume you mean NY content is in HD, not SD. Last time I was in the states, it was in HD.
So their election center is the normal NY studio then? Well normally it looks fab so I hope they haven't wrecked it too much.
p.s. CNN do have a thing about framing their coverage really really widely normally. On American Morning it's all isolated little stools or tub-chairs and a great big sweep down with just this HUGE newswall in the background.
Fox Noise* is going to be interesting viewing from now on. They had nailed their colours to the mast regarding the Republican race and really don't want Mccain!
The most prominent (i.e. loudest!) right wing commentators such as Rush Limbargh and Ann Coulter are also anti-Mccain, it'll be very interesting to see what they do too now that it looks like he will be the candidate. Although one pundit on the TV last night did point out that will probably hope that Hillary gets in as it will improve their book sales!
Watching CNN & Fox the other night, I noticed how there seems to be a consious decsion not to use any full-screen graphics, especially on CNN, following in the style of the Situation Room.
Even when a graphic filled the frame, it was from a camera pointing at the big screen. On Fox, rather than use thier normal split screen, when McCain was doign a speech, they zoomed out of one of the screens in the studio while he was talking, to show something on one of the other screens alongside. Looked very strange!
Watching CNN & Fox the other night, I noticed how there seems to be a consious decsion not to use any full-screen graphics, especially on CNN, following in the style of the Situation Room.
Even when a graphic filled the frame, it was from a camera pointing at the big screen. On Fox, rather than use thier normal split screen, when McCain was doign a speech, they zoomed out of one of the screens in the studio while he was talking, to show something on one of the other screens alongside. Looked very strange!
It looks strange on the Situation room where instead of playing a report full screen they zoom in on the wall and show four different boxes of footage with the v/o over that. I don't know whether they have been doing this since Wolf moved into the 'Election Center' for the primary season though.
I think it is just a little bit of fad tbh, makes sense though if you've paid x amount for a great big screen etc I guess, although it would probably work better on a channel like al jaz who have quite clean and simple graphics anyway rather than the slightly too elaborate american examples.