[jpellech]

Does anyone know if The Shield will be in HD on FXHD this year for the final season? I have heard it is filmed in widescreen originally as there is a widescreen dvd version available for the past couple seasons.

 

[Michael D'Angelo]

I was hoping so but it does not look like it. At least it is not showing in HD on DIRECTV guides.

 

[Steady Teddy]

It's not showing up as being in HD on my HR20 either. That would really suck.

 

[jpellech]

Yeah, I guess we'll have to wait until it premieres, but I am not expecting HD. Hopefully I'll be surprised.

 

[Steady Teddy]

I can't find any info on the FX web site. I sent an email to the network and asked them. If I get a reply soon enough I will post it.

 

[generalpatton78]

I read somewhere that the the producer of the show won't go HD because he likes the grainy 4X3 film they use and he doesn't want a super clear PQ. It might be the only show I don't mind not being in HD.

 

[Grentz]

Interesting, so the "SD Effect" so to speak.

 

[joshjr]

No matter to me. Its the last season and I would watch it no matter what it was in.

 

[techrep]

As far as I know it was still being shot in 16. I guess that we will see on the 2nd.

 

[Jaspear]

What difference does it make what it is shot in? All the DVDs are widescreen. That said, I would prefer 4x3 SD over 16x9 SD. With 4x3 I don't have to zoom the picture, reducing resolution even more.

 

[Grentz]

What difference does it make what it is shot in? All the DVDs are widescreen. That said, I would prefer 4x3 SD over 16x9 SD. With 4x3 I don't have to zoom the picture, reducing resolution even more.

Why do you have to zoom the picture with 16:9 SD? On a HD station it could potentially be broadcast in full 16:9 and just be in SD quality.

All DVDs are not 16:9 either, hence why many have two versions..one normal, one widescreen.

 

[techrep]

Why do you have to zoom the picture with 16:9 SD? On a HD station it could potentially be broadcast in full 16:9 and just be in SD quality.

All DVDs are not 16:9 either, hence why many have two versions..one normal, one widescreen.

I don't know Gentz but, maybe he means that The Shields DVD's are all widescreen. I am not sure if they are or not.

 

[Grentz]

Ahh, that might be the case.

Many people I talk to and hear about mistake aspect ratio and resolution (HD vs. SD) being one in the same, which is not true at all.

 

[techrep]

Ahh, that might be the case.

Many people I talk to and hear about mistake aspect ratio and resolution (HD vs. SD) being one in the same, which is not true at all.

I see that also.

Some of the aspect ratios, which we are calling 16X9, are actually something else. You know, the widescreen stuff with the bars at the top and the bottom.

 

[Grentz]

Some of the aspect ratios, which we are calling 16X9, are actually something else. You know, the widescreen stuff with the bars at the top and the bottom.

Gotta love 1.85:1, 2:39:1, and all their friends :lol:

16:9 is truly a compromise to try and get a standard, luckily it works out quite well in most cases

 

[techrep]

Gotta love 1.85:1, 2:39:1, and all their friends :lol:

16:9 is truly a compromise to try and get a standard, luckily it works out quite well in most cases

I remember one called anamorphic, whatever that is.

 

[Grentz]

anamorphic is actually the way to store a 16:9 picture in a 4:3 format.

Was used a lot in the early days of widescreen TVs...the source would be compressed in to fit on a 4:3 film, and then you would have your TV "stretch" the picture back out to 16:9

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anamorphic_widescreen

and how they can do it, it actually can be captured with a special lens:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anamorphic

Its amazing how watered down and simple video formats are to the consumers (how few choices there are I mean). There are tons and tons of standards and techniques in the video industry.

 

[Jaspear]

Why do you have to zoom the picture with 16:9 SD? On a HD station it could potentially be broadcast in full 16:9 and just be in SD quality.

All DVDs are not 16:9 either, hence why many have two versions..one normal, one widescreen.

I just finished watching the Damages marathon that aired recently on FX-HD. They were all 4x3 letterboxed. The only way to to get rid of the vertical and horizontal black bars (left, right, top and bottom) was to zoom the picture. They could as you say "potentially" air a show in full 16x9 (either HD or SD), but in this case they didn't.

As for the DVDs, the early seasons of The Shield were originally released as 1.33:1, just as they aired on FX. They were all re-released a few months ago in anamorphic widescreen 1.78:1.

 

[Grentz]

O I see, you guys were meaning you dont want it in widescreen on a SD feed (so that you would have black bars on all sides).

Is what I was meaning is that since the show wants to keep the SD "look" they could broadcast it on the HD channel version but in 16:9 SD (so it would fill the whole screen, but be SD quality)

 

[Old Tv Watcher]

O I see, you guys were meaning you dont want it in widescreen on a SD feed (so that you would have black bars on all sides).

Is what I was meaning is that since the show wants to keep the SD "look" they could broadcast it on the HD channel version but in 16:9 SD (so it would fill the whole screen, but be SD quality)

Why don't they show it in Black & Whiite while they're at it?