FX and usa and tnt and tbs hd channels

[rossinfl]

not sure about usa,tnt and tbs but i watched a few movies on the FX
hd channel and at the start it says this movie has been formatted to
fit your screen. wtf jeez i can understand if they do that for the regular
fx channel but why have a hd channel if youre not gonna show the movie
in its original aspect ratio since its a hd channel and people watching it have
hd tv's. insane

anybody know about this? i watch movies on hbo and showtime hd
channels and if it says at the start hd 5.1 then it seems to always be
in its original aspect ratio. so does fx and other movie hd channels and tnt,
tbs, etc. show movies in hd with correct aspect ratio like at movie theaters or not?

thanks for replies to whoever knows for sure

[skottey]

not sure about usa,tnt and tbs but i watched a few movies on the FX
hd channel and at the start it says this movie has been formatted to
fit your screen. wtf jeez i can understand if they do that for the regular
fx channel but why have a hd channel if youre not gonna show the movie
in its original aspect ratio since its a hd channel and people watching it have
hd tv's. insane

anybody know about this? i watch movies on hbo and showtime hd
channels and if it says at the start hd 5.1 then it seems to always be
in its original aspect ratio. so does fx and other movie hd channels and tnt,
tbs, etc. show movies in hd with correct aspect ratio like at movie theaters or not?

thanks for replies to whoever knows for sure

OAR for a theatrical release can be 2.35:1 or wider. So obviously 16x9 HDTVs would still have black bars. The non-home theater buff that doesn't know any better prefers no black bars. Even if it is pan and scan. They don't understand aspect ratio. But for me, I'd rather watch a 16x9 pan and scan than a 4:3 pan and scan. it isn't nearly as bad. If it is a light heartened comedy on Starz, it doesn't bother me at all. Maybe an action movie would get me upset. But 16x9 does a fair job of finding a good mix of most everyday films.

If it is a movie I really love, I buy it on Bluray (or DVD in the old days) and get my 2.35.1 OAR.

The real question here is why on earth are you watching movies on commercial TV? With all the premium channels, Netflix, PPV, DVD, Bluray, etc. There are just too many sources to get these movies that I cannot see myself ever watching a non channel specific original movie on one of these channels. Why watch Saving Private Ryan on TNT when I have the DVD on the shelf? I just don't get it. I have literally seen people who own a movie on DVD or Bluray watch that same movie on TBS or TNT when the movie is sitting on the shelf, uncut, unedited, and commercial free.

I think I yelled at a family member once about this. I saw the TNT bug in the corner, "What are you doing? We have this movie on DVD! Why are you watching it on here?"

Can you tell that is a big pet peeve of mine?

Sure, I clamor for channels like AMC HD on DirecTV but that isn't so I can watch the movies. It is for Breaking Bad and Mad Men. Other channels like TNT and TBS have original series, miniseries, sports, and other original content.

When you say commercial TV theatrical movies I say foolishness......

commercial TV theatrical movies......

..............foolishness

TNT movies.........

...............foolishness

TBS movies............

.............foolish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Roger 9]

It's not just movies. I don't get stations in HD taling an HD show and not showing it in high-def. For example, Star Trek Enterprise was originally shown in HD, repeats are carried that way on HDNet BUT when they appear on SyfyHD the show does not fit screen with black bars on every side. WTF.

I know some SD channels format a show that way so those who want to fit to screen without too much distortion can do it but an HD station not showing an HD show in original format just stumps me. :confused:

[Dan G]

Even HBO and Showtime are guilty at not showing films in their OAR. There have been times when they'll crop a 2:35 or greater film and make it look as if it's 1:85, just so that no black bars appear anywhere on the screen.
Americans are really uneducated when it comes to film aspect ratios.

It should be mandatory that every person watches this video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx2xUyh9QRc

[skottey]

Even HBO and Showtime are guilty at not showing films in their OAR. There have been times when they'll crop a 2:35 or greater film and make it look as if it's 1:85, just so that no black bars appear anywhere on the screen.
Americans are really uneducated when it comes to film aspect ratios.

It should be mandatory that every person watches this video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx2xUyh9QRc

You are right that HBO and Showtime are guilty of this, but this is because most of the uneducated idiots you speak of prefer the screen to be filled over having black bars. OAR tot hem means nothing. So the movie channels fill the screen to appease the majority. You and I and others on here know the value of OAR. All I am saying is a cropped movie that fits 16x9 is more viewable than a movie cropped to 4:3. Sure, I prefer OAR but I'll take 16x9 pan and scan over 4:3 any day.

[rossinfl]

ive seen movies on hd and showtime hd channels where they had black bars b/c movie was 2.35/1 ratio. i was just asking about fx hd channel. its an hd channel. i understand the non hd fx channel showing a movie and stating its been formatted to fix your screen. but why do it on the hd channel when people watching it have hdtv's meaning widescreen tv. most movies are released in theaters at 1.85/1 ratio it seems so when they play on hd channnels it should be showing the same movie.

these companies are idiots if they think all the people out there buying hdtv's want
to watch a movie being show in hd but not in original aspect ratio. was spiderman 3 movie 1.85/1 or 2.35/1 ratio? i want to watch them on hd channels b/c the picture is way better than dvd. i dont have blu ray player b/c i have an older hdtv w/no hdmi h/up.

the pacific miniseries looks great on hbo hd channel. dexter looks great on showtime hd channel. fx hd channel had wild hogs which im pretty sure was 1.85/1 ratio but on their hd channel the beginning again said formatted to fit your screen. i notice alot of other hd channels dont say that at start of movie. so does that mean they are showing the movie how it was originally shown in the theaters? i remember watching the great movie into the wild on hbo hd channel and i know it was 2.35/1 ratio b/c they had black bars but looked awesome.

movie companies seem to make most movies in 1.85/1 ratio. theres only some that are 2.35/1 it seems and those are usually action/adventure movies. correct?

i know ifc hd channel shows movies they correct way and they advertise it that way also. i just wish they all did if its on their hd channels. i get alot of movies no charge at the library but i usually store them on my pc and wait till theyre shown on hbo and showtime hd channels for the huge picture difference.

[Dan G]

i know ifc hd channel shows movies they correct way and they advertise it that way also. i just wish they all did if its on their hd channels. i get alot of movies no charge at the library but i usually store them on my pc and wait till theyre shown on hbo and showtime hd channels for the huge picture difference.

IFC HD is horrible. Many times they air full screen movies and just blow up the image to fill the screen.
What you have to do is watch the regular IFC channel, if you see black bars then you'll know you're getting the OAR on the HD channel.
Whenever I record a movie on IFC I always record both SD and HD channels simultaneously. If the SD feed is fullscreen, then I delete both immediately.

[kurros]

IFC HD is horrible. Many times they air full screen movies and just blow up the image to fill the screen.
What you have to do is watch the regular IFC channel, if you see black bars then you'll know you're getting the OAR on the HD channel.
Whenever I record a movie on IFC I always record both SD and HD channels simultaneously. If the SD feed is fullscreen, then I delete both immediately.

They also have a lot of letterboxed SD movies that get stretched wider, too.

Horrible waste of bandwidth.

I want HDNet Movies back. :(

[SomeRandomIdiot]

HDNET is never coming back as long as Cuban is involved, but whatever.

Believe it or not, the Networks have rights to the content (movies or tv shows) in SD. The Studios were smart in specifying this. If you want rights to an HD airing, they charge you more.

Thus, many channels have not paid for HD versions of the show in an attempt to save money.

Don't shoot the messenger.

[rossinfl]

why the hell do they have hd channels then if not gonna broadcast it in hd and in widescreen since the hd tv's are widescreen? again this is something serge would handle real quick.

[rossinfl]

how can alot of these movies look like hd quality if you say they arent really hd b/c that
channel didnt pay for the hd version of the movie? i watch movies on tnt, tbs, fx hd channels and you switch to the sd versions and you notice right away the hd difference in picture quality.

[SomeRandomIdiot]

how can alot of these movies look like hd quality if you say they arent really hd b/c that
channel didnt pay for the hd version of the movie? i watch movies on tnt, tbs, fx hd channels and you switch to the sd versions and you notice right away the hd difference in picture quality.

Who said ALL the movies (Or TV Shows) WERE NOT in HD on these channels?

As to why - the rights were purchased for many of the titles YEARS ago - before the Channel even had a HD Counterpart. In that case, they had purchased the rights to that title for x number of showings over x number of years.

In many cases, there was not even a HD Digital Transfer of the title - so the cost would have been even greater - and no reason for the Network to pay extra at that point as they did not have a HD Channel (and may not have known exactly when they were going to have a HD Channel).

The rights were for a standard 4:3 480 transfer (which the studios had available) of a title.

As the Channels negotiated for the rights years ago and paid accordingly, they see no reason to go back and pay a second time for a HD version of something they already paid for (Sound familar - WB DVD/Blu Ray trade in?) - and from a business standpoint, it makes perfect sense.

In fact, you will notice that HBO has had the Abyss for YEARS - of course in SD. The HBO Guide claims that this month it will be in HD (even though it wasn't several months ago). Clearly, they have had the rights to this movie since long before the HD Channel was ever launched and never updated it (until maybe this month) for the HD Version. I guess we'll find out on May 11th. HBO is clearly just trying to get their money's worth out of something they have the rights for without spending more until they absolutely have to.

Another interesting tidbit, at one time (and perhaps still) TBS/TNT had 2 versions of Twister running. One which was in true HD and another which was upconverted SD which ran about 30 minutes less due to more cutting. They used whichever they needed - for the time they needed to fill. It was just on TBS earlier this morning and I would have checked prior to posting to see which version it was - but it was already over by the time I started typing this reply. Clearly, they had editted a shorter version for Broadcast in SD and did not want to spend the money to have someone edit the HD Version down to the shorter time version. If they will not invest in that when they have the rights to a title - why do you think they would pay EXTRA for a HD Version if they had already paid for something?

[skottey]

movie companies seem to make most movies in 1.85/1 ratio. theres only some that are 2.35/1 it seems and those are usually action/adventure movies. correct?



No, most movies are 2.35:1 or higher these days. There were always wider but have gotten wider since 16x9 became the norm.

[bdraw]

The only movie channel I watch is HDNet Movies, the rest are almost always cropped or badly normalized. A $15 a month Netflix subscription is a much better deal, then you can watch Blu-rays.

[Roger 9]

SRI, Star Trek Enterprise was originally broadcast in HD, is shown on HDNet in HD but letterboxed on SyFy. It's not like SyFy doesn't have the capability to show it in HD, they have had a HD counterpart for a long time, so why the letterbox? Sure I can fit to screen but the clarity is lost when doing it.

That is just one example. There are many other shows in syndication originally shown in high-def but re-broadcast with black bars all around the show. I don't get it.

[SomeRandomIdiot]

SRI, Star Trek Enterprise was originally broadcast in HD, is shown on HDNet in HD but letterboxed on SyFy. It's not like SyFy doesn't have the capability to show it in HD, they have had a HD counterpart for a long time, so why the letterbox? Sure I can fit to screen but the clarity is lost when doing it.

That is just one example. There are many other shows in syndication originally shown in high-def but re-broadcast with black bars all around the show. I don't get it.

I really do not understand why you are having so much trouble understanding this.

NBC Universal made a deal at some point in time for Star Trek Enterprise. Lets say they offered Star Trek Enterprise in 2006 for $20 Million in SD and $30 Million in HD for 5 years (clearly, made up figures and terms).

NBC Universal had no concrete timetables for when SciFi (now SyFy) would go HD, so they took the $20 Million package - why pay for something you do not even need?

So NBC/Universal goes back in 2009 and decided it wanted the HD Version now instead of the SD Version, Paramount tells them it will cost you $40 Million now (again, a made up figure and terms) - and NBC Universal decides it wasnt worth the extra money - (1) especially as they are cutting cost to make their balance sheet look better to a potential buyer (ie Comcast) (2) The Ad Recession of 2009 (3) SyFy network HD not making a difference in Viewing of the Channel as per Nielsen (4) HDNET already had it in HD so those who were so inclined to only watch HD could see it there.

So, NBC Universal got exactly what they paid for and didn't want to spend additional money to pay more for the thing they had already purchased.

Makes total sense.

You wouldn't buy Blu Rays in 2006 instead of DVDs @ 2x the price as there was no way to play them.

NBC made the same business decision.

Today, you cannot just trade your DVDs in for Blu-Rays @ no cost.

[rossinfl]

skottey
Senior Member
1080p Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 579



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Quote:
Originally Posted by rossinfl
movie companies seem to make most movies in 1.85/1 ratio. theres only some that are 2.35/1 it seems and those are usually action/adventure movies. correct?


No, most movies are 2.35:1 or higher these days. There were always wider but have gotten wider since 16x9 became the norm.

[rossinfl]

what movies arey ou talking about that have come out with ratio higher than 2.35/1? only one i know of was long time ago forgot name of it but it was 2.4/1. when you go to movies nowadays most of the time the screen is set to 1.85/1. you can tell when they play a movie in 2.35/1 b/c the screen will be really really wide.

[Roger 9]

SRI, I see it more clearly now, especially with NBCU. I didn't realize that an HD production can be sold into syndication in both high-def and SD/letterbox. I thought it was the buying of re-broadcast rights regardless of ratio.

Thanks for the info.

[SomeRandomIdiot]

SRI, I see it more clearly now, especially with NBCU. I didn't realize that an HD production can be sold into syndication in both high-def and SD/letterbox. I thought it was the buying of re-broadcast rights regardless of ratio.

Thanks for the info.

Yes, think of ABC "Ten Commandments" which JUST was shown several weeks ago (day before Easter) in HD for the first time.

Clearly, ABC purchased the rights some time ago through 2009. They must have renewed rights for 2010-???? and paid for the HD Rights @ that point. Again, they did not show it in HD for years - as they already had a deal in place for the 640x480 print and did not want to spend additional money for something they already had a contract for at a certain price.

[pilotbob]

i want to watch them on hd channels b/c the picture is way better than dvd. i dont have blu ray player b/c i have an older hdtv w/no hdmi h/up.


I have a pretty "old" Samsung too. But it does have a DVI input. Does yours not?

BOb

[SomeRandomIdiot]

Just to follow up on a previous post, as expected (even though guides said differently), The Abyss on HD is STILL in SD. Clearly HBO still has the rights for x number of airings to the title from years ago - and Cameron wants more money for the HD Version, so HBO continues to air what they have the rights to.

[skottey]

Just to follow up on a previous post, as expected (even though guides said differently), The Abyss on HD is STILL in SD. Clearly HBO still has the rights for x number of airings to the title from years ago - and Cameron wants more money for the HD Version, so HBO continues to air what they have the rights to.

And your point is? Every entity wants "more Money" for the HD version.

Bluray costs more than standard DVD.

HD PPV costs more than SD PPV.

Rights holders demand more from providers of content for the HD version. More popular movies even older than The Abyss don't have a problem getting the nod for HBO to go ahead and pay extra for the rights. Exactly you and five other people care about seeing The Abyss yet again, and in 2010. I don't blame HBO for not paying Cameron more for this "filler" movie and I don't blame Cameron for asking for more money, like every other entity is doing. He'd be dumb to give it away when he doesn't have to.

[rossinfl]

well at least in the future everything should be in hd so hopefully we wont have this problem for much longer.

[skottey]

well at least in the future everything should be in hd so hopefully we wont have this problem for much longer.

Well... seems we still have a long way to go. Half the Lightning games are SD only in the sports realm and I think some low budget programming on cable channels is still filming in SD. Anything worth a crap is being filmed or transferred to HD (except for hockey).

[SomeRandomIdiot]

And your point is? Every entity wants "more Money" for the HD version.

Bluray costs more than standard DVD.

HD PPV costs more than SD PPV.

Rights holders demand more from providers of content for the HD version. More popular movies even older than The Abyss don't have a problem getting the nod for HBO to go ahead and pay extra for the rights. Exactly you and five other people care about seeing The Abyss yet again, and in 2010. I don't blame HBO for not paying Cameron more for this "filler" movie and I don't blame Cameron for asking for more money, like every other entity is doing. He'd be dumb to give it away when he doesn't have to.


Interesting - I'm not the poster with the tude refusing to watch anything that's not HD or that has a commercial.


I saw the TNT bug in the corner, "What are you doing? We have this movie on DVD! Why are you watching it on here?"

Can you tell that is a big pet peeve of mine?

Sure, I clamor for channels like AMC HD on DirecTV but that isn't so I can watch the movies. It is for Breaking Bad and Mad Men. Other channels like TNT and TBS have original series, miniseries, sports, and other original content.

When you say commercial TV theatrical movies I say foolishness......

commercial TV theatrical movies......

..............foolishness

TNT movies.........

...............foolishness

TBS movies............

.............foolish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You seem to be the one that gets upset instead of simply changing the channel - and worse yet - when others have no issues with it - you seem to want it your way or the highway. Interesting.

I was just answering a question for the OP.

As the old saying goes - you don't want the truth - don't ask the question.

[skottey]

Interesting - I'm not the poster with the tude refusing to watch anything that's not HD or that has a commercial.




You seem to be the one that gets upset instead of simply changing the channel - and worse yet - when others have no issues with it - you seem to want it your way or the highway. Interesting.

I was just answering a question for the OP.

As the old saying goes - you don't want the truth - don't ask the question.

What does what I said here have to do with me being anti-commercial channel movie viewing? Nothing at all!

[SomeRandomIdiot]

What does what I said here have to do with me being anti-commercial channel movie viewing? Nothing at all!


really?

The real question here is why on earth are you watching movies on commercial TV? With all the premium channels, Netflix, PPV, DVD, Bluray, etc. There are just too many sources to get these movies that I cannot see myself ever watching a non channel specific original movie on one of these channels.

I think I yelled at a family member once about this. I saw the TNT bug in the corner, "What are you doing? We have this movie on DVD! Why are you watching it on here?"

Can you tell that is a big pet peeve of mine?

When you say commercial TV theatrical movies I say foolishness......

commercial TV theatrical movies......

..............foolishness
TNT movies.........

...............foolishness

TBS movies............

.............foolish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


:rolleyes:

[skottey]

really?




:rolleyes:

Randomfool- I was referring to my earlier postings to which had nothing to do with the topic you introduced. I honestly don't have the time to spell out everything for you. You could try ignoring my posts and maybe I'll do the same towards you. No offense, but much of what you say comes with great skepticism. I am sure I am not alone in feeling this way. When I make a statement of "fact" anybody with the slightest bit of search engine knowledge can easily go verify my information. Your information often clashes with the opinions and comments of very knowledgeable insiders from other sites, as well as trade representatives that certainly know what they are talking about. So either you are full of it or so deep inside the know that you couldn't possibly reveal your sources. I've made my mind up on you and others are free to do the same.

[Roger 9]

Well... seems we still have a long way to go. Half the Lightning games are SD only in the sports realm and I think some low budget programming on cable channels is still filming in SD. Anything worth a crap is being filmed or transferred to HD (except for hockey).
When Sun Sports releases their TV sked for 2010-11 you can bet ALL games will be in HD (except any on OTA who may or may not have an HD signal). Sun has a 24x7 HD channel and all Rays games can now be seen in high-def - EXCEPT DISH NETWORK.

Because of Dish's limited HD capabilities they pick and choose what games to show on RSNs and the Rays get caught up in the SD crap. That was one of my biggest complaints with them knowing Sun Sports had a 24x7 signal. If there was a lot of HD programming on a specific day or night chances were you would get an SD signal in a particular market.

But back to my original point, Sun Sports and FS Florida are expected to have ALL live pro games in HD.

[skottey]

But back to my original point, Sun Sports and FS Florida are expected to have ALL live pro games in HD.

I will believe it when I see it. All Lightning games in HD that air on SUN HD.

[SomeRandomIdiot]

Randomfool- I was referring to my earlier postings to which had nothing to do with the topic you introduced. I honestly don't have the time to spell out everything for you. You could try ignoring my posts and maybe I'll do the same towards you. No offense, but much of what you say comes with great skepticism. I am sure I am not alone in feeling this way. When I make a statement of "fact" anybody with the slightest bit of search engine knowledge can easily go verify my information. Your information often clashes with the opinions and comments of very knowledgeable insiders from other sites, as well as trade representatives that certainly know what they are talking about. So either you are full of it or so deep inside the know that you couldn't possibly reveal your sources. I've made my mind up on you and others are free to do the same.

I certainly hope you do a better job reading and remembering google than you do with what you posted in the same thread.

BTW, if you REALLY knew how to use Google, I suspect you could verify almost everything I post. You've just admitted you do not know how to do it.

[rossinfl]

just waiting for the new summer tnt shows. they all look pretty good esp the one with earl hickey i mean jason lee. too bad mnie got cancelled, it was funnier than sh*t. my boys on tbs is good. im not sure when that comes back or if it comes back?

i hope the lawyer show on tnt comes back. name on tip of my tongue. oh well