Washington, D.C.
(May 5, 2007) --
Here are Swanni's comments on the
5 Worst Shows in HDTV:
5. Friday Night Lights (NBC)
The high school pigskin program features a cinema verite style with jerky camera movements. The director may think it's right-on, but it makes me reach for Head-On. (Apply directly to the forehead.) And the grainy video, which is supposed to add realism, just looks terrible in HD. This is a real shame; it's an interesting show but the poor video and camera tricks are just too intrusive.
Rosie looks a bit blurry on The View.
4. The View (ABC)
Not much of a view -- and, no, I don't mean the less than attractive visages of the on-air talent. The camera filters, which are obviously installed to protect Rosie and Babs, create such a cloudy view that you think you're sitting in seat 12F in a Boeing 747.
3. NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams
Once again, the show is victimized by excessive camera filtering, apparently to preserve Mr. Williams' image as America's 'handsomest' network anchor. But even worse, the camera rarely comes within a zip code of the chief news reader. The effect is to make the viewer feel detached from the action.
2. Good Morning America (ABC)
More bad camera filtering. Diane Sawyer's close-ups are so blurry that she could be Tom Sawyer.
1. The Today Show (NBC)
Absolutely unwatchable! In studio segments, NBC has installed camera filters and stark lighting that drowns out the details -- and color -- of the faces of the hosts. The effect is to leave their faces looking albino-white, with a bright halo covering their heads from the lower neck to the hairline. Campbell Brown looks more like Campbell Soup. Lester Holt? You would barely know he's African-American. And Meredith Vieira? Her face looks weather-beaten as if she's been living out on the prairie for the last ten years.
The Today Show was on our Top 20 Best Shows in HD when it first premiered in high-def; it was both clear and colorful. But no longer. The producers have dipped into their bag of technical tricks and taken the fun out of the broadcast.
So speaking for HDTV owners, I say to the networks: Please cut this stuff out.
To paraphrase Patrick Henry, give me real high-def or death!
Comment on this article!
5. Friday Night Lights (NBC)
The high school pigskin program features a cinema verite style with jerky camera movements. The director may think it's right-on, but it makes me reach for Head-On. (Apply directly to the forehead.) And the grainy video, which is supposed to add realism, just looks terrible in HD. This is a real shame; it's an interesting show but the poor video and camera tricks are just too intrusive.
Rosie looks a bit blurry on The View.
4. The View (ABC)
Not much of a view -- and, no, I don't mean the less than attractive visages of the on-air talent. The camera filters, which are obviously installed to protect Rosie and Babs, create such a cloudy view that you think you're sitting in seat 12F in a Boeing 747.
3. NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams
Once again, the show is victimized by excessive camera filtering, apparently to preserve Mr. Williams' image as America's 'handsomest' network anchor. But even worse, the camera rarely comes within a zip code of the chief news reader. The effect is to make the viewer feel detached from the action.
2. Good Morning America (ABC)
More bad camera filtering. Diane Sawyer's close-ups are so blurry that she could be Tom Sawyer.
1. The Today Show (NBC)
Absolutely unwatchable! In studio segments, NBC has installed camera filters and stark lighting that drowns out the details -- and color -- of the faces of the hosts. The effect is to leave their faces looking albino-white, with a bright halo covering their heads from the lower neck to the hairline. Campbell Brown looks more like Campbell Soup. Lester Holt? You would barely know he's African-American. And Meredith Vieira? Her face looks weather-beaten as if she's been living out on the prairie for the last ten years.
The Today Show was on our Top 20 Best Shows in HD when it first premiered in high-def; it was both clear and colorful. But no longer. The producers have dipped into their bag of technical tricks and taken the fun out of the broadcast.
So speaking for HDTV owners, I say to the networks: Please cut this stuff out.
To paraphrase Patrick Henry, give me real high-def or death!
Comment on this article!
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© TVPredictions.com
____________________________________________
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Phillip Swann is
president and publisher of TVPredictions.com. He has been quoted in
dozens of publications and broadcast outlets, including CNN, Fox
News, Inside Edition, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The
Chicago Tribune, The Financial Times, The Associated Press and The
Hollywood Reporter. He can be reached at
swann@tvpredictions.com
or at 703-505-3064.
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