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Why has RTE never gone widescreen?

  • 09-10-2003 4:16pm
    #1
    Go Figure!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 235 ✭✭


    Does anybody know why RTE has never embraced widescreen programming on RTE 1 and Network 2 apart from on a handful of indepedently produced programmes? It is very irritating for the increasing number of people in this country who own widescreen TV's.


Comments

  • #2
    Mossy Monk
    Closed Accounts Posts: 28,128 ✭✭✭✭Mossy Monk


    Originally posted by Go Figure!
    Does anybody know why RTE has never embraced widescreen programming on RTE 1 and Network 2 apart from on a handful of indepedently produced programmes?

    RTÉ have never been widescreen. the best they do is letterbox and it is annoying but they are cash strapped and the machinery needed isn't exactly cheap


  • #3
    Gadgie
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,079 ✭✭✭Gadgie


    Because they'd rather spend money on machines that put logos on screen.


  • #4
    mike65
    Closed Accounts Posts: 88,972 ✭✭✭✭mike65


    About 6-7 years ago RTE went Crazy Widescreen Apesh1te
    except it was'nt really anything of the sort just a few sporting events shown 16-9 which meant everything was very small and annoying they showed some films widecreen but the movies in question were largely small scale and did'nt benefit from 16-9 ratio. Then they realised it was a waste of time so they stopped.

    Mike.


  • #5
    John R
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,107 ✭✭✭John R


    They show some US dramas in letterbox such as ER and The West Wing.


  • #6
    Go Figure!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 235 ✭✭Go Figure!


    Yes Mike 65 I remember that, it was around the time of the Atlanta Olympics. As usual RTE jumped the gun and the reason why the broadcasts were very small and annoying was because widescreen televisions had yet to become widely available and people couldn't correct the screen. However the fact that all of the British terrestrial channels successfully introduced widescreen programming a couple of years later when the televisions were more widely available proved it wasn't a waste of time and they should now try it again. It would at least be a first step in upgrading to digital technology.

    P.S John R yes E.R, The West Wing, Home and Away, Eastenders and independent programming are shown in various forms of widescreen but these programme's already come in these formats when RTE gets access to them and they have not been formatted by RTE.


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  • #7
    SRB
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 820 ✭✭✭SRB


    RTE may well have played about with the PAL Plus system a few years back (Don't know I was out of the country) That would have looked like letterbox on 4:3 tele.


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