[mythtv-users] Are some HD OTA programs broadcast in 4:3 aspect

[Brian Wood]

On Monday 25 January 2010 08:01:42 am Tom Dexter wrote:
> On Sun, Jan 24, 2010 at 9:29 PM, Greg Oliver <oliver.greg at gmail.com> wrote:
> > On Sun, Jan 24, 2010 at 8:27 PM, R. G. Newbury <newbury at mandamus.org> 
wrote:
> >> On 01/24/2010 09:00 PM, Brent Bolin wrote:
> >>> These are OTA HD programs in the Chicago viewing area.
> >
> > The majority of daytime TV in Dallas area is still recorded SD and
> > framed into HD resolution and broadcast..  All depends on the show
> > here..
> >
> > -Greg
> 
> In the New York area a growing majority of shows are going HD.
> However I've never seen one of the network stations actually switch to
> SD resolution for any show.  They've always upconverted to SD to 1080i
> or 720p (depending on the station) and added black letterboxes on the
> sides.
> 
> I never understood why they apparently are/were so adverse to
> switching resolutions.  It was/is annoying to me for two reasons: 1)
> Having SD shows take just as much disk as HD, 2) Forcing me to have
> their black letterboxes when I have my TV set to add gray ones when
> the aspect is 4:3 (I have an RPCRT).
> 
> <ot_rant>What really annoys me is the growing trend toward aspect
> ratio blindness everywhere I turn.  It's bad enough that everyone I
> know who buys a widescreen TV watches 4:3 shows skewed to 16:9 (oh the
> horror) and bars/restaurants all do the same, but even when people do
> get it right, the producers of, for example, TV news programs can't.
> Now that news is mostly 19:6 they seem to be endlessly skewing news
> footage to 16:9 instead of adding letter boxes to the side.  I've even
> seen then do the opposite...cruncking a 16:9 clock to 4:3 and adding
> the letter boxes(???).  How the hell does someone who can't detect an
> incorrect aspect ration (where for example Obama has magically put on
> 40 pounds) get a job producing TV news content??...just something
> that's increasingly annoying the crap out of me.  I'm dumb founded at
> how few of my friends can tell when video is skewed...it's like
> finding out everyone you know can't see color or something.</ot_rant>


I guess most consumers just want to "get their money's worth" out of their 
large screens.

It's often said that TV adds 30 pounds, I guess it's still true today, for 
different reasons.

I agree it's annoying. Most of the DGA directors are aware of the problems, 
but most often the directors don't control the engineering side of things, and 
DGA-quality directors are rarely found in news shows outside the largest 
markets.

It was a long time before stations stopped "forgetting" to switch between 
color and B+W (the FCC mandated killing the color subcarrier on B+W 
programming). 

I'd guess the problem won't be resolved until the advertisers start refusing 
to pay for incorrect aspect on both the ads themselves and the programs the ad 
runs in. This is what it took to finally solve the color problems.

It wasn't until quite recently that stations guaranteed color to advertisers, 
until they have to guarantee the correct aspect the problem will persist.

If you want to complain to someone I'd suggest the sponsors, the stations 
don't care as long as they continue to get paid.