WTIU will move to high-definition

Thanks to almost $600,000 in grants from the provost's office and the College of Arts and Sciences, staff at WTIU and telecommunications students will enjoy the ability to broadcast in high-definition. \nWith partial funding from the IU Provost's Fund, the University's public television station is currently in the process of purchasing a high-definition field package. Expected to cost about $133,350, it will include a high-definition camera as well as disc space storage and a new editing system designed for high-definition footage, said Phil Meyer, WTIU station manager. \nThe provost fund will pay for half the cost of the high-definition field package with WTIU paying the rest. The College of Arts and Sciences has also awarded $500,000 to the Department of Telecommunications to help pay for high-definition video production equipment for its studio, he said. \nLarry MacIntyre, director of media relations for IU, said the University is providing the funding to WTIU to make certain that the appropriate technology is available. \n"As Bloomington's chief academic officer, it is (interim) Provost (Michael) McRobbie's responsibility to ensure that all our academic programs are technologically up-to-date," MacIntyre said. \nThe whole process of switching to high-definition is in response to a congressional mandate that requires all television broadcasters to be fully converted to high-definition by Feb. 27, 2009. \n"This is a necessary step, but it is also one that will allow us to have better quality picture and sound," Meyer said. "It will allow us to do a better job." \nWTIU has been airing Public Broadcasting Service shows in high-definition on its station since March 2003. However, with the new camera, WTIU will be able to shoot local coverage as well as produce local documentaries in high-definition, Meyer said. \nThere is no set date as to when the station will actually purchase the equipment and begin shooting, but they are in the process of negotiation with different sellers, he said. WTIU hopes to begin using the new equipment in early 2007. The first project WTIU will shoot with the new camera has yet to be decided. \nMeyer said there will be some training involved to help crew members using the camera adjust to the changes that come with shooting in high-definition. Crew members shooting with the camera will have to get used to a different aspect ratio because the proportion of the screen in high-definition is more horizontal than a typical analog camera, he said. The new package will also require some training in incorporating graphics and working with the new editing system. \n"It's a conversion that will take place over the next three to four years," Meyer said. \nMacIntyre said the University recognizes the need to aid WTIU in making the transition. \n"The University really has no choice but to find financial resources to make that conversion," MacIntyre said. "The Provost's Fund is one of those sources." \nBut the upgrade to high definition is more than just a step to meet the congressional mandate; it is also a way of ensuring that IU students have the technology they need to excel, MacIntyre said.\n"We all want WTIU and radio television to be state of the art so our students can be confident that they are getting the best educational experience possible," MacIntyre said.