MSNBC took the wraps off its new HD look Monday morning after testing them Sunday. The new look includes a clean looked similar to those seen at European networks.
Earlier this year, MSNBC updated its graphics to a red, yellow and blue theme but stuck with the same look and feel of angled polygons.
More images and commentary after the jump.
But that look is gone and replaced with a simplified, clean and modern design.
One of the most significant changes is relocating to the live bug, MSNBC logo and time to the top of the screen, a departure from what other cable news channels are doing. It does, however, mimic the black bar and MSNBC logo that has been seen during documentary programming on the channel.
Another big change is that the old MSNBC logo seems to be gone and replaced with the one being used on the MSNBC.com Web site since its redesign. We’ve complained often in this blog about the mismatched logos being on-air and online, so hopefully this marks the end of that.
MSNBC has opted to use the extra screen real estate for adding information such as weather forecasts and show promos, similar to the approach of CNBC HD. Update: However, programming will go full 16:9 during evening programming and also appeared to be full width during at least some of Morning Joe.
While some may lament the lack of additional picture real estate, I personally like this approach and would like to see it used more often, especially at the local level. After all, does showing a little more video on each side really add much to the broadcast (especially when so much taped footage still has to be framed with HD wings).
That said, some viewers will no doubt dislike the added clutter. However, MSNBC has done a good job of balancing the added graphical boxes and other elements with a clean, simple look for an overall design that isn’t overwhelming.
I’m glad to see the angled polygons gone. While they did add a unique touch to the graphics, they were often seemed awkward to work with from a design standpoint. It also seemed like it would be challenging to ensure lower thirds fit within the unconventional shape.
The new lower thirds are now divided into two “columns”, allowing for a large label to the left and additional related or un-related information to the right, another nice touch that makes good use of screen space.
The ticker remains with the new look, but switched to a white background with black text. An arrow-shaped label can switch between blue for normal headlines and red for breaking news.
Love the new look. Much better than the gold/red/blue wedges. Wish I could get the HD channel. Any ideas when DirecTV will start carrying?
I agree that the new changes are a nice revamping of the channel, and definitely looks great on an HD television, however I agree with “Anon” that the top box looks pretty lousy on the SD channel, and really distracts the viewer. I’d prefer if they removed it so that faces were properly framed up rather than appearing small in the center of the screen. Also, the new ticket is so badly contrasted with the white background and gray small lettering that it’s really difficult to read on a normal tv, and I’m a young adult with good eyesight…. Please go back to the White on Black ticker MSNBC!!!
It doesn’t matter how they look. It’s how bias they are. All of 85-90% of media is controlled by Liberals. The deceptive journalism they spew across the screen has misguided their viewers into voting for the biggest mistake in the history of this nation. Our President. What better way to destroy this country is to falsely convince the American citizens to vote for the person most likely to break up the foundation of this country and to shred the document that protects us from the take over of the GOVERMENT so we don’t end up like the people of Iran fighting for their freedom against an out of control government. Soon it’ll be us if News networks that deseives the public into believing that the President is the MESIAH. He can do no wrong. He put our country and our troops in danger. He is everything against AMERICA. What better way to destroy our CONSTITUTION is to elect a far left liberal facist Professor of Constitutional Law that can find a weakness in the phrasing or the wording of the Constitution to ruin the greatest country in the world.Liberal News networks on the Obama train is sleeping, following and worshoping the government’s deceptive propaganda and passing it to you. Don’t be like sheep and be told not to listen to the views of the opposition. It’s unConstitutional from keeping you away from the truth. Conservatives want you to look at both sides so you make the choice of which side makes more logical common sence. It is a free nation that all the world wants to be part of. Other countries see what direction we are going and it is socialism. They write by TWITTER, E-Mail, phone calls, letters to the United States Goverment and TV networks telling us and warning us not to go into socialism or we’ll fall under the consequences. They see it, Why can’t some of the other Americans see it? Because there are some issues that liberally controlled networks will keep important information from you so you can fall under the government’s rule. People that fear the government is tyranny, Government fearing people is liberty. FOX NEWS is a Fair and Balanced news network that proves that America is listening. Don’t believe me? Just take a look at all the networks ratings. FOX NEWS NETWORK has a higher viewer rating than MSNBC, CNN, & ABC combined. I watch both sides to keep a wider perspective of what lies the government is telling the Liberal controlled networks what to say and what not to report. But True Americans prefer FOX NEWS. They report, you deside. How fair is that? It’s not the new look that would get to the minds of sheep to follow the President off the cliff. Get information from every source you can and compare the rederic from the truth based on logical common sence. Who cares what MSNBC looks like. Are they Fair and Balanced? Do they allow you to deside after what they report? The empty content in their debates have no merit. MSNBC is a liberal facist network and should not be trusted. As a conservative I will not tell you to not watch MSNBC, but I’m asking you to use your God given sence of logic and common sence to deside for yourself. After you realize the truth and your eyes are opened you’ll know just how corrupt the liberal media is as well as the far left liberal facist government. God Bless AMERICANS
It doesn’t matter how they look. It’s how bias they are. All of 85-90% of media is controlled by Liberals. The deceptive journalism they spew across the screen has misguided their viewers into voting for the biggest mistake in the history of this nation. Our President. What better way to destroy this country is to falsely convince the American citizens to vote for the person most likely to break up the foundation of this country and to shred the document that protects us from the take over of the GOVERMENT so we don’t end up like the people of Iran fighting for their freedom against an out of control government. Soon it’ll be us if News networks that deseives the public into believing that the President is the MESIAH. He can do no wrong. He put our country and our troops in danger. He is everything against AMERICA. What better way to destroy our CONSTITUTION is to elect a far left liberal facist Professor of Constitutional Law that can find a weakness in the phrasing or the wording of the Constitution to ruin the greatest country in the world.Liberal News networks on the Obama train is sleeping, following and worshoping the government’s deceptive propaganda and passing it to you. Don’t be like sheep and be told not to listen to the views of the opposition. It’s unConstitutional from keeping you away from the truth. Conservatives want you to look at both sides so you make the choice of which side makes more logical common sence. It is a free nation that all the world wants to be part of. Other countries see what direction we are going and it is socialism. They write by TWITTER, E-Mail, phone calls, letters to the United States Goverment and TV networks telling us and warning us not to go into socialism or we’ll fall under the consequences. They see it, Why can’t some of the other Americans see it? Because there are some issues that liberally controlled networks will keep important information from you so you can fall under the government’s rule. People that fear the government is tyranny, Government fearing people is liberty. FOX NEWS is a Fair and Balanced news network that proves that America is listening. Don’t believe me? Just take a look at all the networks ratings. FOX NEWS NETWORK has a higher viewer rating than MSNBC, CNN, & ABC combined. I watch both sides to keep a wider perspective of what lies the government is telling the Liberal controlled networks what to say and what not to report. But True Americans prefer FOX NEWS. They report, you deside. How fair is that? It’s not the new look that would get to the minds of sheep to follow the President off the cliff. Get information from every source you can and compare the rederic from the truth based on logical common sence. Who cares what MSNBC looks like. Are they Fair and Balanced? Do they allow you to deside after what they report? The empty content in their debates have no merit. MSNBC is a liberal facist network and should not be trusted. As a conservative I will not tell you to not watch MSNBC, but I’m asking you to use your God given sence of logic and common sence to deside for yourself. After you realize the truth and your eyes are opened you’ll know just how corrupt the liberal media is as well as the far left liberal facist government. God Bless AMERICANS
I love the MSNBC’s new graphics. You are correct, the new look is clean, simple, and there is less clutter. The text is also easier to read and the color schemes are easier on the eyes, in general. I approve!
These HD screenshots look great, but the overall look (especially the top bar) looks lousy on a regular TV. Do they realize that not everyone has a widescreen TV, and that, in fact, most people don’t? Or is MSNBC that out of touch with the average viewer?
[...] about whether Primetime would include the vertical graphical boxes or not. Well Newscast Studio has updated its earlier report to note that Primetime will lose the extra clutter and adds a screengrab of Morning Joe that also [...]
Completely disagree with you on the graphics boxes. I have yet to see an implementation outside of the business news arena that made any sense. I find the graphical clutter too off putting. Remember Bloomberg TV and Headline News a few years ago? Massive graphical clutter and both networks eventually dialed it way back.
It’s also a personal pet peeve of mine. I find that the networks use these graphical elements, particularly the much hated crawl, as a crutch, to cram in news that they otherwise would have to, but don’t want to, talk about on the air. But the side boxes don’t usually give anything more than the video equivalent of a sound bite…just enough information to whet the appetite, not enough detail to tell the story properly.
You don’t see these boxes on the big three nightly newscasts, which in my book is a big counterargument to the notion that they’re a benefit to the viewer. The most viewers tune into the nightly newscasts and yet the nightly newscasts have chosen not to use these graphics boxes. And I don’t think it’s because they never considered the idea.