Worst HD-era Designs

[C Block 1487]

We already have a much-celebrated thread for the worst opens of all time. Now that it's been more or less a decade, I thought it might be fun to look back at what I think is some of the worst TV design that happened specifically in the HD era. All the swooshes, 3D everywhere, too many dekos/chyrons on the screen at once, rundowns and weather forecasts in the HD wings, obnoxious music and monstrous wooden sets — you name it. Think of all the excess before it came crashing down with the recession, all the M&As, one-size-fits-all group packages, more measured and flat designs, and humbler and more flexible set designs. Note that when I say 'HD-era,' I think it's fair too if you want to share something before a station went HD but if it were still in the timeframe when others were beginning to switch to HD.

 

I'll start with KMGH. They debuted a relatively sharp Hothaus package in 2006 that the other McGraw Hill stations eventually picked up in pieces. Then when KMGH went HD two years later, they kept updating the package in-house and on the cheap. It did not age well:

 

Snow coverage. At one point there are three crawls on the screen!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id=7K6b8P7ux3g

 

 

This KUSA talent bump is great unless if you're prone to seizures. Music is nice though and was one of the last updates to that theme.

 

 

I also thought KTVT's HD look was pretty ostentatious:

 

[atlnews2 557]

first generation Raycom HD graphics

 

[NEOMatrix 1295]

The Gannett Package pre-G3:

It's pretty much almost every cliché that was used when newscasts were transitioning to HD, even though plenty of Gannett stations were already HD prior to this package.

[atlnews2 557]

The Gannett Package pre-G3:

It's pretty much almost every cliché that was used when newscasts were transitioning to HD, even though plenty of Gannett stations were already HD prior to this package.

 

I think this was actually a G3 package

 

I hated this package. It was fine for small/medium markets like Buffalo and Knoxville. But it was terrible in larger markets like Atlanta where you had WXIA, in HD since 2006, still mentioning the "broadcasting in High Definition" like it was something special in 2012

 

[ChesapeakeTV 310]

I also thought KTVT's HD look was pretty ostentatious:

 

 

I'll disagree on this point - I always liked this look. Relatively clean and simple, but still with a "wow" flair to make you appreciate that shiny new widescreen you bought.

 

The Gannett Package pre-G3:

It's pretty much almost every cliché that was used when newscasts were transitioning to HD, even though plenty of Gannett stations were already HD prior to this package.

 

I hated, hated, hated this package. Ewwwww. A total trainwreck in vision and sound..."broken fax machine" doesn't even begin to describe it.

[rkolsen 1675]

[quote name='atlnews2']still mentioning the "broadcasting in High Definition" like it was something special in 2012[/QUOTE] Definitely a pet peeve. I completely understand that it's worth mentioning for the first HD graphics package but eight years after the fact? I find it interesting how big of an emphasis was put on HD in @Charles original post. I mean a V/O and a bug/logo are fine but having it spelled out or starting out with giant HD is ridiculous.

[atlnews2 557]

I'll disagree on this point - I always liked this look. Relatively clean and simple, but still with a "wow" flair to make you appreciate that shiny new widescreen you bought.

 

.

 

 

I agree with you. I liked KTVT's first HD package. KWES still uses it

 

[C Block 1487]

I think this was actually a G3 package

 

I hated this package. It was fine for small/medium markets like Buffalo and Knoxville. But it was terrible in larger markets like Atlanta where you had WXIA, in HD since 2006, still mentioning the "broadcasting in High Definition" like it was something special in 2012

 

Ah yes, how could I forget the first Gannett look? For KUSA, it naturally wasn't much of a change from the assorted and constantly-morphing graphics they had before (lots of navy and red, lots of 3D.) The only thing that was off was the yellow used in that look early on and the music. It did look very bad for a lot of the other stations though. As for the HD stuff, KUSA was the third station in the country to go HD in 2004, and the other Denver stations didn't go HD until 2008 or 2009, so they really pumped the "first in HD" for a long time.

[Jess 1110]

WPVI. Oh God, WPVI.

 

 

The epitome of "We have Viz, let's use it inappropriately!" Their previous look wasn't that great either but this one... hoo boy.

[WCAUTVNBC10 408]

WPVI. Oh God, WPVI.

 

 

The epitome of "We have Viz, let's use it inappropriately!" Their previous look wasn't that great either but this one... hoo boy.

 

Their 2009 refresh of their beautiful Giant Octopus package to accommodate their Viz engine was simply the worst. They recreated all of the insert elements in house and it was awful. They looked like they were done by a 3rd grader with all the toolkit lens flares and wooshes; and lets not even get into the animations.

[IndyNewsOpens 83]

Am I the only one who thinks KTVT's HD package posted here looks a little like the first HD-era MG graphics? MG probably ripped off KTVT, anyway.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id=oS7JROJa8BI

[Ntropolis 593]

Whatever WTKR was trying to do here. Mechanical, cartoony Viz gfx, supers that didn't match the rest of the package, and an "HD" logo chillin' in the corner.

 

[ToriElectra 291]

I'll disagree on this point - I always liked this look. Relatively clean and simple, but still with a "wow" flair to make you appreciate that shiny new widescreen you bought.

 

 

 

I hated, hated, hated this package. Ewwwww. A total trainwreck in vision and sound..."broken fax machine" doesn't even begin to describe it.

I actually like the full theme from that era- as a news theme, it's... adequate. But as techno music to jam out to, it's good. I have it on my phone.

[Jess 1110]

I actually like the full theme from that era- as a news theme, it's... adequate. But as techno music to jam out to, it's good. I have it on my phone.

Agreed. It's surprisingly not that bad as a piece of music, and there are a few cuts that are actually really good. But it didn't really work for many of the stations in that group - I still think KARE didn't use it because the theme's "You Will All Die A Horrible Violent Death" vibe clashed with the call letters - This Is Home is a much better piece of music for that purpose.

 

Those GRAPHICS, though... they were s***.

 

Here's one I didn't really care for:

 

 

I don't know why, but I never cared for Look A or Look C as much as I liked Novocom or Arthouse's most recent stuff. Didn't help that WCAU didn't get HD chyron equipment until the graphics were just about to be replaced.

[tw-804 190]

first generation Raycom HD graphics

 

 

I'm glad WWBT didn't get these (can't picture 'em with their old set) AND the old red-white-and-blue graphics.

[ChesapeakeTV 310]

Here's one I didn't really care for:

 

[sNIP]

 

I don't know why, but I never cared for Look A or Look C as much as I liked Novocom or Arthouse's most recent stuff. Didn't help that WCAU didn't get HD chyron equipment until the graphics were just about to be replaced.

 

I liked Look C myself, but their execution was pretty meh. Not just the SD chyrons, either...the music was repetitive and/or edited badly (6:13, 8:18, and the close in the video for instance...why must you commit such atrocities to the NBC Collection, WCAU...why?), and their old logo really clashed with the package's colors (though to be fair, I never liked their old logo anyway...I have an irrational hatred of logos that spell out "NBC" or "CBS" when the peacock or eye will do just as well).

 

One other thing...that NBCPhiladelphia.com tag at 5:43. Those fonts.

 

What even.

[TennTV1983 742]

WSMV in Nashville circa 2007. This was during a time in which the station went the cheap route in updating its look months after WTVF went HD. While the set was okay (with the exception of that giant projection screen hovering over the anchor desk), the VizRT graphics were atrocious. And don't get me started on the music.

 

 

The graphics were made with HD in mind although it would be a full year before they made the switchover.

 

 

While there were some updates made to the studio and graphics in 2011, all of it would be scrapped that summer in favor of a new set, graphics and music.

[rkolsen 1675]

I liked Look C myself, but their execution was pretty meh. Not just the SD chyrons, either...the music was repetitive and/or edited badly (6:13, 8:18, and the close in the video for instance...why must you commit such atrocities to the NBC Collection, WCAU...why?), and their old logo really clashed with the package's colors (though to be fair, I never liked their old logo anyway...I have an irrational hatred of logos that spell out "NBC" or "CBS" when the peacock or eye will do just as well).

 

One other thing...that NBCPhiladelphia.com tag at 5:43. Those fonts.

 

What even.

 

The demo reel that Artworks put out of Look C looked pretty good I thought. But was it implemented in SD group wide or just at WCAU?

 

[MEDIA=vimeo]59762795[/MEDIA]

 

I'm surprised no one mentioned WJZ .

[Viper550 268]

The Citadel standardization was also pretty meh. For every good idea, about three were poorly executed due to cheapness (those L3s! those stock swooshes from the Start Here imaging!).

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9ipp2nkjsk

 

Feel glad that the cookie-cutter Nexstar packages (plus the new graphics the remaining Citadel stations have) are actually somewhat more polished.

[WCAUTVNBC10 408]

The demo reel that Artworks put out of Look C looked pretty good I thought. But was it implemented in SD group wide or just at WCAU?

 

[MEDIA=vimeo]59762795[/MEDIA]

 

I'm surprised no one mentioned WJZ .

 

Look C itself was launched in HD groupwide with the exception, I believe, of KNSD. The thing is a lot of them didn't upgrade their CG equipment when they went HD so the result was not-very-sharp insert graphics.

[Guest]

 

I'm surprised no one mentioned WJZ .

 

I'm surprised (and thankful) no one has mentioned a certain graphics package I worked on about ten or so years ago. It was easily one of the ugliest of the HD-era and also very short lived.

[Weeters 1805]

I still think the Renderon Journal Broadcast Group package is one of the worst designs (and certainly the worst package Renderon has produced)

 

www.renderon.com/#/journal-broadast-group-package/

 

The as-designed lower thirds and fullscreens are bad, and a combo of the conversion to Viz and Journal's in-house tweaks made them worse.

[ToriElectra 291]

I'm surprised (and thankful) no one has mentioned a certain graphics package I worked on about ten or so years ago. It was easily one of the ugliest of the HD-era and also very short lived.

You worked on a package? Which one?

[Viper550 268]

Another obligatory mention?

 

[mike91 66]

The final Jefferson Pilot err Lincoln Financial graphics circa 2008 were pretty atrocious