2.35:1 on RTÉ ONE

Rick_

I take it this is a broadcasting error, as RTÉ ONE are showing a film in proper 2.35:1 this evening or is this a new policy? Well dont to them if it is a new policy.. they haven't done this since 'Alfie' a few years ago.

mike65

Don't moan! Though I bet someone phoned RTE about the wasted space on thier screen!

All filums should be screened in thier original aspect ratio.

Mossy Monk

They showed another movie last night in the correct aspect also.

Rick_

Oh, maybe the have finally copped on. Ony took them a decade.

On analogue it's still shown as standard black bars, not deep letterboxing, so it shouldn't affect/annoy too many people on analogue. TV 3 have also shown a film in 2.35:1 (The Perfect Storm I believe).

watty

They CAN transmit true WS (animorphic) on analogue. All WS TVs and many 4:3 TVs with a 16:9 menu option can cope with this. There is even a standard for automatically switching TV set mode in analogue!

I want Ben Hur in OAR. Though I may need a bigger TV first.

WS TV is 1.78:1 ratio (16:9)
Standard TV is 1.33:1 (4:3).
Only silent movies were 1.33:1, The 1928/1933 to 1950s non-WS Academy Ratio was 1.375:1 so all older films are cropped for TV.

Pre 1946 electronic TV often used 1.25:1 (5:4 ratio). Electronic TV using a CRT display and photo target CRT camera was proposed in 1905. Baird's mechanical TV was a copy of an 1898 system and retrograde. It was doomed. Modern electronic TV was demonstrated by 1930s.


Common WS cinema formats are
1.66
1.85
2.35
2.40

You don't see the fine top and bottom black bar in 1.85:1 mode on many TVs as most "overscan" which is very awkward if you try to use an HD model as PC screen.

Some film content is cropped to to 1.78:1 for DVDs for TV

Ben Hur is 2.76 : 1

Rick_

Pfft, that's nothing.

1927's Napoleon was broadcast at 4.00:1

Sleeping Beauty isn't far behind Ben Hur either, coming in at 2.55:1.

I think if Disney Cinemagic ever get round to showing Sleeping Beauty we might actually get to see it in the full ratio. Haven't Sky Movies shown Ben Hur before in full widescreen? (Or was it TCM?)

watty

TCM, letterbox in a 4:3 transmission!

That gives about 280 pixels vertical resolution. Not sure if TCM was 720, 704 or the beloved of ITV2 only 544 pixel horizontal resolution.

You really do want HD and a 48" or larger screen for Ben Hur. Even on HD TV you get onlyabout 65% screen height, and about 698 lines! That's only 20% more resolution than ordinary SD TV.

Never mind HD for ordinary HDTV (Eastenders, Simpsons, News ) I want it for cinematic film productions, not the budget made for TV ones either.

zilog_jones

http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/15/philips-introduces-ultra-widescreen-cinema-21-9-lcd-tv/

Wide enough fer ya?

There is even a standard for automatically switching TV set mode in analogue!

Yes I remember when EuroNews was on TnaG back in the day it would automatically switch to 4:3 on some widescreen TVs (for the few fortunate to have them back then). Would this have been "PALplus"?

Chorus sure know about transmitting 16:9 anamorphic in analogue PAL - BBC1 and Sky One have been like this in Limerick for over a year now, and none of my 4:3 TVs have 16:9 switching

Mossy Monk

Those televisions are a waste of time. They stretch the picture on 16:9 and 4:3 pictures.

watty

PalPlus is a different system again
It puts hidden info in a 4:3 framed non-animorphic image to allow a WS palplus TV to crop and fill in detail. The "helper info" is in the black bands.

I was talking about simply transmitting full frame animorphic on Analogue. On 4:3 Tvs with no WS mode everything would be tall and skinny.

However since most WS TV users have 4:3 content fat and squashed without the black bars at the sides, would this matter?