Last week a portion of KABC-TV’s local newscast was broadcast in high-definition by the market’s first HD-capable news helicopter from Helinet Aviation services.
While KABC’s helicopter is the first in Los Angeles, it is the second HD helicopter in the nation. Helinet leased the first HD helicopter about a year ago to KUSA-TV, Gannett’s NBC affiliate in Denver.
J.T. Alpaugh, chief technology officer for Helinet, said viewers could almost read the lips of the reporter from the helicopter’s HD feed. For KABC, the HD helicopter was the station’s first big step on its way to transitioning its local newscasts to HD.
