prime not widescreen after all

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richgamer

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#20898 9-Apr-2008 14:05

is everyone sure primetv is widescreen? here is a screenshot of prime on my 14inch tv:

http://img204.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0042ff7.jpg
(have a look at the black spaces at the top,bottom,left,right of the screen. the black spaces dont even touch each end of the screen. i know widescreen shows have black spaces at the top and bottom, but they don't have it on the left and right hand sides.

the same thing happens on my 32inch lcd tv when i watch primetv, and yes i have my tv set to widescreen and other channels do not have this problem, only new zealand shows on prime do.

it seems new zealand produced shows are not in widescreen on prime and non new zealand produced shows are.

prime news at 5.30pm and the crowd goes wild, which are new zealand shows are not in widescreen, only overseas shows are.

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Hawkes Bay
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#122314 9-Apr-2008 14:13

Is this SKY Digital or UHF FTA ?

cyril7

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#122351 9-Apr-2008 16:23

Dont watch a lot of Prime, however all the programs I have seen on it in the last few days have definitly been in 16:9 on Sky Digital.

Mash is currently on an pillarboxed, strongly suggesting its been placed in a 16:9 frame.

Cyril

ZollyMonsta

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#122360 9-Apr-2008 17:09

That looks like the UHF feed to me.. (small bars top and bottom). The channel on Sky digital is being sent as full time 16:9 and 4:3 content is pillarboxed.

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openmedia

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#122370 9-Apr-2008 18:07

My UHF Prime is about 14:9 letter boxes with some 4:3 shows pillarboxes within the frame like TV One etc.

Generally known online as OpenMedia, now working for Red Hat APAC as a Technology Evangelist and Portfolio Architect. Still playing with MythTV and digital media on the side.

cyril7

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#122409 9-Apr-2008 20:43

Well I checked in on the 5:30 news, definitely 16:9, I guess you are watching analog, oh so last centry. Early last centry at that.

Cyril

Disrespective

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#122465 10-Apr-2008 08:30

I have an analogue TV card in the PC, and the signal is definately 16:9 for me. Some shows aren't of course as they aren't filmed in widescreen, but most are all sweet as.

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sbiddle

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#122469 10-Apr-2008 08:49

Disrespective: I have an analogue TV card in the PC, and the signal is definately 16:9 for me. Some shows aren't of course as they aren't filmed in widescreen, but most are all sweet as.

If you're watching an analogue UHF feed then you're not watching a true 16:9 broadcast, merely a 4:3 centre cut version of the 16:9 feed (left and right sides chopped off)

richms

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#122490 10-Apr-2008 11:07

Its not a center cut, its an obnoxious small letterboxing of it so you end up with an inch of black all around a 4:3 program.

I guess they do this to annoy people and to push them into going digital.

Richard rich.ms

richgamer

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#122502 10-Apr-2008 11:54

yes i am watching prime using a uhf aerial. so this means skytv are broadcasting widescreen only on sky digital, and on free to air uhf they are broadcasting in non widescreen.

if tvnz and tv3 can broadcast widescreen free to air then i can't see why skytv can't do this for primetv free to air uhf. maybe they want to annoy people so they will get sky digital for all the televisions in their house.

ZollyMonsta

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#122504 10-Apr-2008 12:12

richms: Its not a center cut, its an obnoxious small letterboxing of it so you end up with an inch of black all around a 4:3 program.

I guess they do this to annoy people and to push them into going digital.

I would say its more making use of the exisiting feed for Digital and using the same chain feeding the channel... there wont be any conspiracy involved. I think TVNZ are doing the same.

Check out my LPFM Radio Station at www.thecheese.co.nz - Now on iHeart Radio, TuneIn and Radio Garden

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richms

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#122506 10-Apr-2008 12:16

richgamer: yes i am watching prime using a uhf aerial. so this means skytv are broadcasting widescreen only on sky digital, and on free to air uhf they are broadcasting in non widescreen.

if tvnz and tv3 can broadcast widescreen free to air then i can't see why skytv can't do this for primetv free to air uhf. maybe they want to annoy people so they will get sky digital for all the televisions in their house.

Because analog can only be sent in one or the other, so if they were to send 16:9, most people would be complaining about black bars on the side and tall skinny people.

tvnz and 3 are not broadcasting widescreen free to air on analog, since they cannot without annoying probarbly about 90% of analog viewers, only on freeview since the box will let people scale the image to suit their display.

Till sky put prime on freeview its pay up for widescreen or put up with the partial centercut they are doing on FTA analog at the moment.

Richard rich.ms

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cyril7

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#122512 10-Apr-2008 12:41

TVNZ and CanWest are sending 13:9 to the analog feeds, so you may see small bars top and bottom. The normal is 14:9 however both TVNZ and CanWest settled on 13:9 as a better compromise. I dont know what Prime is using but it could be normal 4:3 (12:9) so no small bars may be seen.

Regardless, the analog network will only ever get a 4:3 feed or 13/14:9 compromise for 16:9 material. If you want proper widescreen you will need a digitial feed, ie Sky or FreeView(not for Prime though)

Cyril

richms

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#122589 10-Apr-2008 16:41

I just dont see why they need to do this compromise nonsense vs a propper center cut of the widescreen broadcast headed out on the digital service.

Richard rich.ms

cyril7

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#122646 10-Apr-2008 19:28

I noted the 5:30pm news was infact shot in 4:3 and pillarboxed in a 16:9 frame. So end result is they are leaving the Sky digital feed in 16:9 24/7, but as per other broadcasters any 4:3 material is pillarboxed. The only negative is that the news is shot in 4:3. Surely they can do better than that, common its 2008, lets get serious!

Cyril

pjamieson

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#123030 12-Apr-2008 12:13

I didn't think it was a "choice" to not broadcast in 16:9 on Analog, I thought it was because it is not technically possible to do it?

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