CNN Goes HD

The cable network will be the first all-news channel to go high-def, although some of its content will still be in standard definition.

Broadcast & Cable reports that CNN HD officially launched on September 1, and that it'll go live on DirecTV once the carrier fires up its latest satellite (which should happen later this month). For now, DirecTV is the only operator with CNN HD, although B&C predicts that the network will sign with other carriers (both cable and satellite) soon.

Of course, CNN isn't the first network to offer news programming in HD; morning news shows such as "Today" and "Good Morning America" have been in HD for some time now, and many local stations produce their news shows in high-def (and let's not forget all-sports networks like ESPN HD). But CNN's move marks the first time that an all-news, all-the-time network has made the jump to HD.

Now, for you Wolf Blitzer fans, I've got some bad news—your favorite pint-sized anchor won't appear in HD quite yet. While CNN's New York studios (home to "Anderson Cooper 360," "American Morning," and "Lou Dobbs Tonight") have been wired for HD, the network's Atlanta and Washington, D.C. offices (where Wolf and "The Situation Room" hold court) are still stuck in SD land, according to Broadcast & Cable. You should also expect clips from the archives and most reports from the field and to arrive in the old 4:3 standard-def format, although some live reporting could be in HD later this year. Of course, the big questions is...what will Larry King look like in HD? Scary.

Related:
CNN HD Primed for Launch [Broadcast & Cable]