Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi there,
There is an issue with role permissions that is being worked on at the moment.
If you are having trouble with access or permissions on regional forums please post here to get access: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365403/you-do-not-have-permission-for-that#latest

BBC broadcasting scope films in original aspect ratio

  • 06-06-2010 10:24pm
    #1
    esquilax
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 43 ✭


    Was just flicking by BBC2 and I see they're broadcasting a film ("Michael Clayton") in 2.35:1 aspect ratio - this is on both satellite and analogue from NI.

    Have they been doing this for long? Do they always do it now?


Comments

  • #2
    watty
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,417 ✭✭✭✭watty


    Wrong forum. Should be in Broadcasting.

    Where too much damage is done by cropping, a film has ALWAYS been broadcast in OAR (original Aspect Ratio). This was done even on VHS very occasionally and on Analogue 4:3 with letter boxing.

    Actually Widescreen TV is 16:9 and thus is 1.78:1 ratio. Most films are 1.85:1 and thus a very small amount is cropped at sides or a fine black bar top & bottom. But Cinema varies from at least 1.66:1 to 2.7:1 (regular 4:3 is very close to pre 1950's Academy format at 1.33:1).

    So get used to black bars :)

    Cinema "invented" Widescreen to differentiate from TV because of the arrival of Color TV in USA in early 1950s.

    The whole point of TV Widescreen was to have films properly. It's mad how many films they do crop instead of letterboxing even on Widescreen.

    HD was supposed to have more cinema like quality, so it dropped the lower resolution stretched pixels of non-HD Anamorphic WS (720 x 576 or even 544 x 576) to have "square" pixels (1920 x1080i). Unfortunately with constraints of bandwidth the quality has been reduced on Satellite and on Terrestrial they are so short of space they use Anamorphic HD (an oxymoron) of 1440 x 1080i).

    So if you want to see films properly, it will be rare on TV, you need BlueRay player, 1920x1080 TV and 48" to 60" TV depending on room size ( 37" or smaller in a normal living room is a waste of HD, for 70% of people the picture will look as good upscaled DVD or even plain DVD).


  • #3
    Rick_
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,620 ✭✭✭Rick_


    This seems to be the new policy for the BBC. I saw a film on BBC 1 last week that was also in 2.35:1 and a film on BBC 3 the week before also in 2.35:1

    So, we now have BBC 1, BBC 2 and Channel 4 showing films property, with ITV 1 and FIVE lagging behind. I have seen films on RTÉ ONE in 2.35:1 and on TV 3 and TG 4 also in the proper ratio, but not on RTÉ TWO.

    Considering Channel 4 have been doing it for years, and presumably received no complaints, It's a wonder why others aren't. ITV are the worst culprits. Films on ITV 2 or 4 occasionally get the proper ratio but if the same film is on ITV 1 it gets cropped. :confused:


Advertisement