Election '08 coming home in HD like never before

Sure, not every station's pulled out the Star Wars / Iron Man-style holograms for the 2008 election, but they're all trying to put shiny new HD studios to full use and get as many eyeballs as possible until things are decided. NBC & ABC immediately jumped out front at 7 p.m. with data pouring in on the widescreen edges of their HD feeds, with CNN waiting until states were decided to begin updating their lists. ABC's chosen to lean on its touchscreen display and forgo side graphics altogether, while despite Fox's claim as "America's Election HQ", with totally bare shoulders and boring sets, we're pointing our flatscreens elsewhere. PBS, despite airing the clearest, most high quality video available of three old guys at a table, has no slick touchscreens or HD graphics packages to speak of. Think about that as you check out the rest of the screens after the break, and during the next donation drive. Big Bird deserves better.

Election 2008 screengrabs:

[Str1ker @ Nov 4th 2008 9:40PM]

Does anyone care?

[HOOPER @ Nov 4th 2008 9:41PM]

Yes, it's the presidential election.

[thef1re @ Nov 4th 2008 9:58PM]

does anyone care? I suppose that's why American got Bush for a second term.

[thedesolate1 @ Nov 4th 2008 10:00PM]

Strike 1!!!

[steven @ Nov 4th 2008 11:10PM]

OBAMA WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dave Chappelle @ Nov 4th 2008 11:46PM]

holy shit how can you not care, LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THE SCREEN OLD GUY (not from US sorry dont know his name) IS STANDING NEXT TOO!!!

[Josh R @ Nov 4th 2008 11:57PM]

OP has a point. Presidential elections are vitally important, but does anyone actually care about the difference between NBC's and CNN's information displays?

OBAMA WON GEEZ

[Kizorblade @ Nov 5th 2008 4:03AM]

My whole school did. We actually skipped a few classes just for the results. And we live in Bali, which is like... the other side of the globe for the Americans out there.

[KAIKAI @ Nov 4th 2008 9:41PM]

that is the most amount of pics ive seen in a engadget "report"

[Purple Haze @ Nov 5th 2008 11:55AM]

Looks like a giant black dildo sticking up in the second and third picture.

I know it's a chair, but... Hmm, I probably need to cut down on my porn hours. :(

[Gabe @ Nov 4th 2008 9:42PM]

That hologram was amazing. But, like I've been telling my maintaining pcs students, it's a small step until those holograms turn into terminators and dominate us all. god save america.

[Mikey @ Nov 5th 2008 12:28PM]

CNN's hologram was cool and all, but is it really the best use of the technology to beam in Will.I.Am? I don't care what Will.I.Am has to say, and I voted for the guy he was supporting.

[Gabe @ Nov 4th 2008 9:46PM]

@Gabe

How dare you have my name?

Oh and hell yeah that hologram was the shit.



And as for the HD channels...it's really a waste of HD.

[markyb @ Nov 4th 2008 10:57PM]

For the comment you made about "Waste of HD", THEY ARE NEWS CHANNELS.

[Socioguy @ Nov 4th 2008 9:46PM]

My vote goes to NBC for their good use of screen space and the uber-sexy web 2.0 bottom bar.

[Wayne @ Nov 4th 2008 10:59PM]

These pics make me realize just how much real estate is being cropped by my TV. I'm missing parts of both sides of the NBC graphics with the poll closing times.

Is this a TV calibration issue or a provider issue?

[Daza @ Nov 4th 2008 11:36PM]

If you have an older TV set in a 4:3 ratio (a more 'square' picture) then you will be missing out on video, unless you scale it to 16:9 and get black bars at the top and bottom.

[Robert @ Nov 5th 2008 12:46AM]

No Dazza,

Yeah, its happening to my HD set (HD source) also...

[Logboy @ Nov 5th 2008 3:31AM]

Agree NBC was the winner. CNN was too gadget-y (I can't believe I just typed that) "who cares about your fancy screen, show us the blue!" NBC seemed more concise, was calling races earlier and accurately. (I was watching two TV's) and seemed more about the people than about parsing the numbers like some DBA's wet dream.

[Ekauq @ Nov 5th 2008 7:07AM]

@Wayne

probably a bit late for this but....another problem, if you have an HD set with missing video is if you have a zoom of some type on so the sides get cropped off

[linuxamp @ Nov 4th 2008 9:47PM]

Ohio is solid red in that picture. FAIL

[linuxamp @ Nov 4th 2008 9:48PM]

Oh wait. It says 2004.

[Ben @ Nov 4th 2008 10:08PM]

lol FAIL on your end

though PBS may be the best high def video of 3 old guys sitting at a table, its even better that its 3 old UNBIASED guys at a table

[thedesolate1 @ Nov 4th 2008 11:37PM]

WIN!!!! For the future generations and the forefathers of this great country where ALL MEN are created EQUAL. Where a president will uphold the constitution and our rights instead of undermining it. Where the internets should be neutral and equally accessible like Al Gore intended it to be. =P I mean Vincent Cerf. Bam's the Man!

[grull27 @ Nov 4th 2008 9:49PM]

I'm afraid that Obama is going to be the next president of the U.S.A. There went the coal industry and small businesses. Here comes a friend of Jeremiah Wright, Bill Ayers, Khalidi, Rezko, and more. Here comes socialism and the most liberal agenda ever. Here come a totally democratic congress that will allow Obama to do whatever he wants to. I can't explain my worries anymore than that. Here comes a rough 4 years.

[dbonelee @ Nov 4th 2008 9:53PM]

And what were the last 8 years?

[grull27 @ Nov 4th 2008 9:55PM]

They've been decent. We've been safe for the last 8 years but with somebody with such a naive foreign policy, don't expect to be very safe in the next 4 years.

[dbonelee @ Nov 4th 2008 9:59PM]

9/11 did happen 7 years ago under Bush right. And the person responsible for that has not been caught yet. But that is all the political banter I am willing to give to engadget tonight...off to the huffingtonpost.

[grull27 @ Nov 4th 2008 10:02PM]

That was caused by Bill Clinton's 8 years.

[Darren Tilley @ Nov 4th 2008 10:04PM]

grull27: You have got to be kidding me. Have you been wearing a set of blinders for the last 8 years. Even the most die-hard conservatives agree that the country has went to crap.

http://www.thoughttheater.com/WearingBlinders.jpg

[thedesolate1 @ Nov 4th 2008 10:05PM]

OR....

Here comes a friend of the Bush administration......

'nuff said

[grull27 @ Nov 4th 2008 10:07PM]

There is no reason for me to argue. Good night.

[Zephyr @ Nov 4th 2008 10:11PM]

So... Your point is.... Being a friend of drug addict doesn't mean you're a drug addict, does it?

[cas @ Nov 4th 2008 10:55PM]

Safe? Safe from what? me kicking your ass. The last 8 years were shit, and our economy has never been better. Nothing but lies, where the hell are those bombs that sadam was hiding? as a matter of fact what did Iraq do to us? can you answer that question? no you can't and you probably won't either unless you do the palin tactic and start blabing away not making any sense. Take your head out of your ass and open your eyes. FYI NBC has the best HD coverage overall, Tom, and Brian are the best in the business.

[melvz @ Nov 5th 2008 11:47AM]

WAHAHAAAHAHAHAA!!!!!! MCCAIN IS SYNONYMOUS TO LOSER!!!!

[Mikey @ Nov 5th 2008 12:36PM]

@ grull27, way to show you're a political hack who will just do as your told. I guess I would be bitter also if the majority of Americans told me my views were outdated. You even have McCain's logo as your avatar, for God's sake. That is pathetic that you actually associate your identity with McCain.

Get over it. Obama's alleged associations with Ayers et al. were just political gamesmanship (and ham-handed gamesmanship at that), and had nothing to do with the ISSUES. I don't think I'm alone in saying that Still President Bush has been one of the worst, if not the worst, president we have ever had. He nearly ran our economy into the ground, and he got us into a war (Iraq) that he argued was for our safety, but (1) had nothing to do with our safety to begin with (Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11 and was no threat to us) and (2) has made us less safe by creating more animosity in the middle east, thus creating more terrorists.

Way to give the new President-Elect a chance. Oh wait, he's a "socialist elite" so he isn't worthy of your support. Douche.

[Mobius_1 @ Nov 4th 2008 9:49PM]

I predict Mickey Mouse, with the help of voting machines ;)

[deyanimay @ Nov 4th 2008 9:58PM]

Or just the voting machine, check out the onion.

[Chris @ Nov 4th 2008 9:50PM]

hahaha, fox should just give up. I can't imagine what they're talking about right now- "McCain is winning!" hahaha

[armand @ Nov 4th 2008 10:01PM]

damn thats beautiful!!

[Zephyr @ Nov 4th 2008 10:09PM]

Is it just me or most of Engadget's "election posts" show pictures of Republicans leading?

[Richard Lawler @ Nov 4th 2008 10:10PM]

I think it's about even, but I just snapped whatever was on screen.

[Peter @ Nov 4th 2008 10:13PM]

engadget did show a few pic of obama winning on like i dont know.. the first three?
plus, obama has like 200+ votes and mccain barely has 100 as of right now.
so dont worry, i think obama will win :)

[eli.stuy @ Nov 4th 2008 10:19PM]

Fox had a touch screen too! they also had feeds. -you should check it out before you make statements like that

[Zephyr @ Nov 4th 2008 10:29PM]

I don't have streams to US channels. I live in Australia.

[therpham @ Nov 4th 2008 10:20PM]

I only get CBS on the antenna at my place (the local NBC and Fox haven't put up their strong towers yet), but their HD signal is glorious. I am digging the crispy graphics and the useful sidebars.

[Andrew @ Nov 4th 2008 10:22PM]

For once, DirecTV came in handy.
They used their "Live Mix" UI, the one they use for their NFL Coverage, for the election, allowing me to watch ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and BBC America (Which has now changed to Comedy Central?) at once, and change audio by highlighting the respective channel i want to hear. It's pretty slick.
Here's a screengrab: http://www.andrewperon.com/IMG00100.JPG

Feel free to use it, Engadget.

[Valicore @ Nov 4th 2008 11:52PM]

Oh my God, babbling bobble head overload.

[Deusexx @ Nov 4th 2008 10:41PM]

I'l miss you Georgie Boy!!

whatever, we have enough lovely bush-videos on youtube to laugh for the next four years.

cheers everybody!

[Andrew Rivlin @ Nov 4th 2008 10:57PM]

Except my NBC feed is bleeding off the edges of my Koru, plasma