It is true that TNT is stretching some titles to fit 16:9 and infering that this is in fact HD. You'll note that they actually never claim it is but leave it to you to assume that just because it's coming down from an "HD" channel, thT particular title is in fact HD. The problem is that the bulk, not all, but the bulk of the content that TNT shows is of a vintage that would require a retransfer of the original video to a resolution that would be consisdered HD. The recent Rocky series run is a good example. The "prints" that TNT has licenced (in effect, rents) are SD for regular broadcast. TNT is not going to pay the freight (at about $10 per minute) to have these titles retransfered in HD so that the studio can turn around and offer the license at a premium price to the next guy who licenses the title. So, TNT make do with "stretching" their existing licensed title to fit. Sorry if this is TMI but you'll find more of this going on as the desire to tout the fact that yourr channel xmits in HD excedes the amount of content available in the format. Hope that helps.Mark20 said:
I agree with you - I am not at all a fan of the stretch-o-vision method! However, because they are called TNT-HD, people expect that the programming fit their entire 16:9 screen (and some get very angry if it doesn't, claiming "this is NOT HD" and such). Well, in fact it is NOT HD, but they stretch it to fill the 16:9 mode screen and alienate (somewhat anyway) those that would prefer to just see their non-HD 4:3 programs in a 4:3 box instead. A decision made on their part.mtnagel said:
.
Great post... Not TMI by any means!manny1 said:
Have you ever wondered why commercial breaks fill the entire 16:9 area? Because TNT-HD is up converting 480p and (in many cases) stretching. I'm sure its a matter of opinion, but I prefer what they are doing instead of showing 90% of their content with black bars on the right and left side of the screen.JLucPicard said:I agree with you - I am not at all a fan of the stretch-o-vision method! However, because they are called TNT-HD, people expect that the programming fit their entire 16:9 screen (and some get very angry if it doesn't, claiming "this is NOT HD" and such). Well, in fact it is NOT HD, but they stretch it to fill the 16:9 mode screen and alienate (somewhat anyway) those that would prefer to just see their non-HD 4:3 programs in a 4:3 box instead. A decision made on their part.
Also, recording the SD version will take up less drive space
It will be interesting to see when D*s satellite capacity allows them "up to 150 national HD channels" how many of those channels will be using this same method of stretching SD content on their HD feeds or using the pillar box method.
Thanks. In a previous lifetime, I worked product development for the launch of the VOOM service. This was when they had their own bird. We would pay the frieght for the HD title transfers as most of the theatrical content was already licensed by Rainbow for the AMC channels. About one in ten titles would show up as the DVD masters. Anamorphic 16:9 yes, but HD no. We would have to send them back. It wasn't that the studios were trying to pull a fast one, but even they had trouble understanding the difference! We had some fun screening the things and trying to decide if it was just a bad HD dub or SD.Radio Enginerd said:
All stretching any broadcast from 4:3 to 16:9 does is make those with a widescreen TV feel they're getting their $$$ worth. I prefer to watch a broadcast as it was filmed, without some third party making a decision to stretch it for me. If a viewer likes to see the whole screen full of an image, the view can do that on their own TV. There isn't one widescreen TV on the market that I'm aware of that doesn't give you the option. When TNT does this there is no "unstretch" option for me.Jeremy W said:
