Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Caution: Fun times ahead...


To coin a song I've coined before,


"There's a whole lotta things that I've never done; I ain't never had too much fun!"


- Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen


Today, News 14 Carolina throws the weather switch to 16:9 format from our present 4:3 view. What looks like simply different ratios/numbers is a major, major task fraught with potential 'uh-oh's. The full-time meteorologists have been working hard for weeks to create new graphics to fit the new framing, and that has been a back-breaking task with myriad hoops to jump through.

In that respect, I've had it easy as I've not been here for any of that.
This morning we're running our standard material, but after cutting mid-day tapes early, the surgery begins. All weather machines will be brought down and have new hardware added, and all-new shows will need to be generated from scratch as the old imagery will be sent away to never-never land.

Lest I forget this is being coordinated for all of our WSI machines for the Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh and Wilmington markets simultaneously.


I'm already tired just thinking about it...


In a perfect world there will be no problems; if we use the old 'persistence' ideology of what we've experienced heretofore with these machines, we're in for too much fun. Way too much. Yes, that was sarcasm.


Too, this means we have to create all new forecast shows, and believe you me we use a boatload of graphics since we do so many forecasts. As we say in the weather world, it's always wise to prepare for the worst and hope for the best!


And now for today's random thought:

Emus can't walk backwards




2 comments:

Bill C. said...

Will your arms have to be longer to point at places at the far right or left of the screen?

Bob Child said...

"Return of the Neanderthals!" OMG, Bill, it's been a real headache making the switch and getting up to speed. Because so many still have older sets and view in 4:3, we have to stay in this smaller 'box' to do everything...viewers with 16:9 widescreens will wonder why we never stand on the sides of the screen! It's a bit wacky to say the least - but thankfully I will not have to become a knuckle-dragger...

bob