Although there was no mention of it on the CBS Web site or Dave Letterman’s own site prior to going HD, the Late Show finally went into 1080i mode Monday night (Aug. 29), following in the HD footsteps of chief late-night competitor Jay Leno more than six years later.
HDTV did not escape Letterman’s acerbic wit, however. In addition to declaring HDTV “a waste of technology,” the comedian also alluded to the dearth of viewers watching HDTV.
“We did some research, some focus groups, and it turns out that about one American in 500,000, we’re told, has this HDTV,” Letterman joked on his inaugural HD show. “So for you couple of folks out there watching tonight [in HD], watch this…”
As a demonstration of enhanced HD quality, Letterman proceeded to show a video of bacon frying in a pan, suggesting if viewers had older non-HD versions of the same thing, they could watch the difference and compare notes. The late-night host also showed a group of stagehands “standing around on the clock” smoking and hanging around, albeit in 1080i.
The Late Show’s Ed Sullivan Theater in Manhattan was equipped for HD broadcasts in the past couple of weeks while CBS was airing summer repeats.
