News 12 Long Island converts to high-def

Yes, there is something different about the look of News 12 Long Island: The news channel Saturday completed its conversion to high-definition, which involved a complete overhaul of the studio and channel logo. "This takes our service to the next level," said Pat Dolan, News 12 news director, in a statement.

In some ways, the change shouldn't be too dramatic for viewers, and in some ways high-def means marked differences. All of New York's over-the-air stations have converted from analog to digital, which incorporates high-definition, as part of a Federal Communications Commission mandate. But sharper and larger screen image -- the result of higher screen resolution -- has also meant that stations have needed to expand studio space.

The News 12 studios in Woodbury have been expanded and redesigned to accommodate the new technology and new look, a spokeswoman said Saturday.

Those include "multiple stand-up areas" for anchors, and additional in-studio monitors. All of the channel's studio and field cameras were also converted to high-def, the spokeswoman said.

News 12 is owned by Cablevision, which also owns Newsday.