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Poll: What's the worst mistake HD channels make?

by Richard Lawler posted Aug 9th 2009 at 12:00PM


We've discussed it again and again, the ills done by so-called HD channels against perfectly good content, whether it's passing off SD as high definition with Fox Widescreen, vomit-inducing stretching on TNT & TBS or the inexcusable cropping, zooming and pan & scanning of movies broadcast on AMC and HBO. But which one is the worst? Let your voice be heard, and if we forgot anything drop us a line in the comments.

What's the worst mistake HD channels make?

Gulliver's Travels Blu-ray shows the wrong way to bring animation to HD

by Richard Lawler posted Apr 7th 2009 at 12:04PM


Disney's approach to handling its animated classics has been a careful one, even down to the inclusion of Disney View to keep older features like Pinocchio in their proper aspect ratio and keep viewers from stretching. In creating a Blu-ray version of the 1939 movie Gulliver's Travels, E1 Entertainment has chosen.... a different way, cropping and zooming to make a widescreen picture where none existed before. Check the picture above for evidence of the transfer's issues, while ToonZone has links to a few other reviews pointing out not only the problems (jerky movement, poor sound) created in this rerelease, but also E1's claims that it has been "restored" with lost images and safe areas, while the truly interested can check the AVS Forum thread for even more terrifying revelations of misleading 5-star Amazon reviews and false claims of ignorance or poor setup by those complaining about the quality.

Read - "Gulliver's Travels" Blu-ray, or How Not to Do Animation Squash and Stretch
Read - Gulliver's Travels 1.33:1 only please!

TNT's Leverage is the latest stretch-o-vision victim

by Richard Lawler posted Jan 15th 2009 at 4:21PM


Anyone watching Tuesday's episode of Leverage (The Wedding Job) probably quickly noticed that instead of the crisp 720p image we've become accustomed to, it was being delivered in TNT's disorienting stretch format, taking a 4x3 picture and adjusting whatever it thought we weren't looking at to fill the gaps. Why TNT still uses this at all in 2009 is beyond us, but we got in contact with Executive Producer (and blogger) John Rogers to find out what happened. We still don't know the details, but he let us know via email that it was a simple case of someone transmitting the wrong version, so we should be able to look forward to properly formatted TV for the rest of its run (let it be known: if someone screws up The Closer, there will be consequences & repercussions.)

Read - AVS Forum
Read - Kung Fu Monkey

Hotels feverishly upgrading rooms with HDTVs, casually forgetting HD programming

by Darren Murph posted Sep 15th 2008 at 11:15PM


Surely you've noticed this by now if you happen to end up in hotels often -- there's an HDTV there on your wall, thought nary a single HD channel appears when you flip it on. It's an unfortunate trend that's sweeping the lodging industry, as more and more chains cave to the pressures of having sexy, thin TVs all while disregarding the need for HD programming. Of course, most are playing the cost card as the reason why they have yet to offer up any HD channels on those wasted HDTVs, although not all hope is lost. At Hilton, you can expect each and every room to have a flat-panel TV and HDTV service by June of 2009, and LodgeNet, which began offering high-definition service in 2005, expects to keep up the good work in the future (though no definitive numbers were given). Please, travel venues -- don't force us to watch stretch-o-vision while away from home.

[Thanks, Ben]

TBS's quasi HD network to launch September 1st

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Jun 27th 2007 at 11:11AM

TBS LogoEver since Turner (also a Time Warner company, like us) got in the HD game we've had a love-hate relationship with them; not only do they stretch all their SD content, but they make things worse by claiming it's HD in the guide data. If you were hoping they would stop doing this, think again, cause it's getting worse, now that they're adding a second channel. Sure TBS HD will have some good quality HD when it launches in September like original programming and MLB playoffs, but they are sure to have plenty of stretched content as well, and they brag about it to Multichannel news by saying shows like Friends will be presented in HD. Sure, anything is possible, but considering Friends wasn't produced in HD, they'd have to go back to the source and convert the entire series to HD from film -- like Sony did with Seinfeld -- to make it happen.

All three Lord of the Rings films airing in HD on TNT

by Richard Lawler posted Dec 7th 2006 at 1:03PM

Our friends at TV Squad let us know that TNT will be airing all three Lord of the Rings movies December 15th. This will be the network television debut of the third film in the series, The Return of the King. Unfortunately what we're not sure about is whether the HD channel will be airing original aspect ratio 1080i beauty or stretched widescreen upconverts. As the films have yet to make their debut on HD DVD or Blu-ray we're keeping our fingers crossed but given TNT's history with stretching content we can't assume anything. The films will also be available for HDTVs via VOD, but that's no assurance as when the Star Wars trilogy aired on Cinemax it was OAR, but cropped on video on-demand, so they may be different. We appeal to our readers, does anyone know if the previous Lord of the Rings films shown on TNT were native or upconverted, and if there's any way to tell which these will be? Our plans for next Friday are riding on it (like we have plans).

[Via TV Squad]

Would you rather have your sports in stretch-o-vision or letterboxed?

by Richard Lawler posted Apr 7th 2006 at 1:41PM

Going back through the files, we noticed that Canada's The Score announced last week they were launching the nation's first HD sports channel that is widescreen 24/7. They're achieving this by stretching any 4x3 SD content to fit a widescreen frame, much like TNT does, no word if its the exact same technology.

They will be unveiling native HD content (no stretch-o) during the NBA playoffs, but till then, do you prefer the way ESPN (and presumably TSN also?) does SD. or do you want full frame upconversion, no matter what the distortion?




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