Ocean's 13 was 2.35:1 but it seemed the PQ was pretty bad. Most likely that's Comcast's fault since they've started putting 3 channels per QAM on the DC system. :mad:

It was absolutely beautiful off the C-Band Digicipher II feed on the showing I watched.

Ocean's 13 was 2.35:1 but it seemed the PQ was pretty bad. Most likely that's Comcast's fault since they've started putting 3 channels per QAM on the DC system. :mad:

yup...once my current promotion is over, I'm dropping all premium channels since they look worse than DVD quality...whats the point?

YOU KILL ME was shown in 2:35 on HBO. The movie stars Ben Kingsley and Tea Leoni.

The Punisher on FX. I only have FX SDTV but it's being shown in the "double letterbox" format, the way 2.35:1 looks on a 4:3 TV.

According to IMDB it is 2.35:1

The PQ was REALLY good IMO

Last night HBO was showing the Michael Douglas movie, Black Rain in 2:35 to 1 ratio. This is movie is almost 20 years old, so I was surprised HBO would even bother to show such an old movie in its OAR.

http://thumbnails10.imagebam.com/1493/c4d69414928209.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/c4d69414928209/)

General's Daughter on Sho2

I didn't watch, because I've watched them all and have season DVDs... but I noticed Boston Legal started showing up in HD syndication this weekend. It's an ABC show, and was picked up for syndication by a non-HD local this weekend in HD.

Have any of these channels explained there reasoning ??

Such as Cinemax putting Patton and Gladiator in non-OAR 16x9, while putting Ferris Bueller' Day Off in OAR letterboxed 2.35:1 ??

Usually teen movies are shot originally in 1.85:1 and are usually not the subject of cinema aficianados' attention, while Patton and Gladiator are just the sort of movies that had wide sweeping vistas that suffer from having their outside ends cut off.

I can't find any consistent principle - do they flip a coin ?? :eek:

Have any of these channels explained there reasoning ??

Such as Cinemax putting Patton and Gladiator in non-OAR 16x9, while putting Ferris Bueller' Day Off in OAR letterboxed 2.35:1 ??

Its not usually their choice. Most of the time they are at the mercy of both the studios and distributors.

Just for the record, Gladiator was shown open matte so a lot of people think it was a better version.

Guess the movie

http://thumbnails11.imagebam.com/1500/f30faf14999960.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/f30faf14999960/)

on HBOComedy

http://thumbnails7.imagebam.com/1500/8eb44b14999973.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/8eb44b14999973/)

On ActionMax

On HBO Comedy: Walter Matthau as Albert Einstein in I.Q. (1994).

On Action MAX: Virginia Madsen as Princess Irulan in Dune (1984).

Just for the record, Gladiator was shown open matte so a lot of people think it was a better version.

Thanks for the reply.

1 - How do you find out what was done to achieve the aspect ratio used (in this case, open matte) ?

2 - They give endless information before the showing (ratings, "cut for time", "edited for content", DD5.1, etc.), why not give the aspect ratio information ("shown in original aspect ratio" or "shown open matter" etc.) ?

1 - How do you find out what was done to achieve the aspect ratio used (in this case, open matte) ?Some films are shot in a 4:3 format with a window for the intended theatrical presentation AR in the camera's view finder, to help the camera operator frame the scene as specified by the director. This is in anticipation of "fullscreen" DVD releases, etc. There is more picture recorded for each frame above and below what you see in the theater. For discs and television presentation, they just leave more of the picture in.

Say that it was shown in 2.35:1 AR in the theater; if shown OAR on your screen, there'd be black bars above and below the frame. If they actually shot it in another AR, they can essentially remove those black bars--nothing is lost, just more of the frame that was shot gets revealed. It's more than the director intended that you see, but that's not something that will bother most viewers (definitely not the way that showing a 16x9-shaped portion of the wider AR does).

You can see a Wikipedia article on open matte here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_matte).

Thanks for the reply.

1 - How do you find out what was done to achieve the aspect ratio used (in this case, open matte) ?

2 - They give endless information before the showing (ratings, "cut for time", "edited for content", DD5.1, etc.), why not give the aspect ratio information ("shown in original aspect ratio" or "shown open matter" etc.) ?

Under IMDb.com go to "Technical Specs" and if you see the term "Super35" there is a good chance that if you see a different aspect ratio 2.35:1-to-1.78:1 then it was open matte. Sometimes they do not list the actual specs or they give the wrong details but that is rare.

For Gladiator (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0172495/technical) you will see this:

Cinematographic process
Super 35

That's helpful, thanks. But I'd still like to see a more specific indication in the information provided before the film - especially from Premium channels that charge a subscription fee in order to view the film in a more deluxe showing than a commercial network showing.

Hunt for Red October on AMCHD tonight in its OAR of 2:35

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/4034/austinyx1.th.png (http://img522.imageshack.us/my.php?image=austinyx1.png)http://img522.imageshack.us/images/thpix.gif (http://g.imageshack.us/thpix.php)

The Elephant Man was in beautiful OAR on Cinemax-HD last night. Not sure when/if it'll be shown again.

Se7en on Stars right now.

Heads up...looks like Once Upon a Time in the West will finally be back on CinemaxHD this Friday (6/13) at 3:40am. If you like this movie don't miss it; it looked fantastic.

FWIW, this appears to have shown up again for 12/1 at 3:35 AM on Cinemax HD.

Basic Instinct was in OAR yesterday on UHD. Sadly I missed the first hour, but I'm looking forward to getting the whole thing and comparing it to the Bluray - from what I did end up recording the PQ was actually among the best I've seen on that network.

Basic Instinct was in OAR yesterday on UHD. Sadly I missed the first hour, but I'm looking forward to getting the whole thing and comparing it to the Bluray - from what I did end up recording the PQ was actually among the best I've seen on that network.Most of the movies on UHD are OAR these days. Unfortunately with their large bug, annoying commercials and forced faux 5.0DD for 2.0 soundtracks (which is pretty much all movies they show) I just don't waste my time with them anymore.:(

Most of the movies on UHD are OAR these days. Unfortunately with their large bug, annoying commercials and forced faux 5.0DD for 2.0 soundtracks (which is pretty much all movies they show) I just don't waste my time with them anymore.:(

Actually, far too many movies on UHD are not.

Casino is a good example; it's 2.35:1 on HDNet Movies but 16:9 on UHD…

FWIW, this appears to have shown up again for 12/1 at 3:35 AM on Cinemax HD.
I finally got to watching this from the previous time it was shown, and the picture quality was spectacular! Do yourself a favor and check it out if you can!!!

Basic Instinct was in OAR yesterday on UHD. Sadly I missed the first hour, but I'm looking forward to getting the whole thing and comparing it to the Bluray - from what I did end up recording the PQ was actually among the best I've seen on that network.

I caught a decent portion of this showing, and what surprised me was how aggressively the surrounds were used, particularly for the soundtrack. Good stuff. The PQ was impressive as well. It definitely enhanced certain, err, parts of the movie. :eek:

Basic Instinct was in OAR yesterday on UHD. Sadly I missed the first hour, but I'm looking forward to getting the whole thing and comparing it to the Bluray - from what I did end up recording the PQ was actually among the best I've seen on that network.


I saw it on UHD a couple of weeks ago. I was very impressed by the PQ. And also the fact it was uncut and uncensored was better. Of course I'm not referring to one famous scene.

Basic Instinct was in OAR yesterday on UHD. Sadly I missed the first hour, but I'm looking forward to getting the whole thing and comparing it to the Bluray - from what I did end up recording the PQ was actually among the best I've seen on that network.

One of the best sound tracks of all time.

I finally got to watching this from the previous time it was shown, and the picture quality was spectacular! Do yourself a favor and check it out if you can!!!

Just watched the first thirty or so minutes of this (OUATITW) off the DVR -- you were right, it looked very, very good. Some of the closeups (and lord knows there are plenty of them!) look absolutely amazing. Razor sharp.

Cinemax must like airing "classics" very early in the morning; I noticed An Affair to Remember with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr is on later this month around 3 AM. I set the DVR for that one, as well. Just to get a data point and check if it is OAR. Plus the wife will probably enjoy watching that one.

Casino is a good example; it's 2.35:1 on HDNet Movies but 16:9 on UHD…

Speaking of which, it was AMCHD last night, it looked pathetic in stretchovision.

... An Affair to Remember with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr is on later this month around 3 AM. I set the DVR for that one, as well. Just to get a data point and check if it is OAR.

AATR was only OAR for the credits and the first couple of minutes; as soon as the movie cut to the first scene "on the deck" of the boat, it went to 1.78:1. I went ahead and deleted it -- I need the space on the DVR. I need more than 160 GB of storage! :cool:

THE Incredibles was shown in OAR on NBC Thanksgiving evening . - EVEN on the SD channel.

I finally got to watching this from the previous time it was shown, and the picture quality was spectacular! Do yourself a favor and check it out if you can!!!

I, too, just got around to watching my recording of OIATITW, and it is indeed a spectacular transfer. I am soooooooo glad I got the 12/01 airing-- this might be one of the best HD OAR airings I've captured in my 10 years of archiving.

K-Pax was OAR last night on Universal HD .

Just got around to watching David Lynch's The Elephant Man (1980) that I grabbed a few months back on Cinemax-HD and it was in beautiful B&W OAR widescreen. With the exception of one short scene that was clearly mangled (obviously in need of some restoration) it was mostly a really clean transfer.

If it comes up again, do yourselves a favor and check it out. Great movie!

Guess the movie :

http://thumbnails5.imagebam.com/2312/c7bfd323113937.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/c7bfd323113937/) http://thumbnails.imagebam.com/2312/557eef23113944.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/557eef23113944/) http://thumbnails2.imagebam.com/2312/b0640623113958.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/b0640623113958/)

HBO Family 1/8 12:30AM. Remember watching this in grade school. AR 1.37:1

I, too, just got around to watching my recording of OIATITW, and it is indeed a spectacular transfer. I am soooooooo glad I got the 12/01 airing-- this might be one of the best HD OAR airings I've captured in my 10 years of archiving.

There are actually some audio glitches that aren't present on my Collector's Edition DVD, but the video is absolutely outstanding.

Guess the movie :

http://thumbnails5.imagebam.com/2312/c7bfd323113937.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/c7bfd323113937/) http://thumbnails.imagebam.com/2312/557eef23113944.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/557eef23113944/) http://thumbnails2.imagebam.com/2312/b0640623113958.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/b0640623113958/)

HBO Family 1/8 12:30AM. Remember watching this in grade school. AR 1.37:1Hans Christrian Andersen. (If you look up "Danny Kaye" in IMDb it gives it away--one of the frames in your post is the thumbnail for a link to the film on Hulu).

I saw that Event Horizon was coming on late Friday night, and wanted to check it out again in HD. (I believe it was on Cinemax HD.) I was pleasantly surprised by two things: 1) It was OAR; 2) It was waaaay better than I remembered. I think that I was young and foolish when it first came out in 1997; I remember being very disappointed at the time -- but now, with expectations sufficiently lowered, it was very enjoyable. :rolleyes: If you are in the mood for a big-budget "B" movie that mixes sci-fi and horror, then this will be right up your alley. It has Sam Neil and a pre-Matrix Larry Fishburne. Kind of a cross between Alien and Hellraiser.

Did I mention it was OAR 2.35:1? :cool:

I think Captivity that Showtime broascasted was OAR.

Clear and Present Danger AMCHD 1/23/08. 2.35:1

Miami Vice USAHD 1/24/09 2.35:1

Miami Vice USAHD 1/24/09 2.35:1

Looked and sounded great too...

First Blood on AMCHD 1/25/09
2.35:1

Rocky 3 was on before, and I assume it was in its OAR of 1.78:1, but its hard to tell since an HDTV is already 1.78:1, so I don't know if it was zoomed and cropped or not, but it looked good.

Rocky 3 was on before, and I assume it was in its OAR of 1.78:1, but its hard to tell since an HDTV is already 1.78:1, so I don't know if it was zoomed and cropped or not, but it looked good.According to the technical specs for the film at IMDb.com (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084602/technical), its OAR is 1.85:1. It should have had small bars at the top and bottom on your widescreen television.

According to the technical specs for the film at IMDb.com (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084602/technical), its OAR is 1.85:1. It should have had small bars at the top and bottom on your widescreen television.

My bad, I looked at the wrong info.
But I could swear when I watch a 1.85:1 DVD I do not see bars on top and bottom. I have to pop one in and take a closer look.
But I don't think I saw bars on Rocky 3.

My bad, I looked at the wrong info.
But I could swear when I watch a 1.85:1 DVD I do not see bars on top and bottom. I have to pop one in and take a closer look.
But I don't think I saw bars on Rocky 3.They're small, but they're there. On a 46" 16x9 TV, it'd be less than a half inch on the top and on the bottom (seems like it'd be a bit more, but that's what the math says).

If Rocky III didn't have letterboxing, then it was zoomed, loosing about .75" to either side on that 46" screen. There are many more horrible crimes than zooming a 1.85:1 film to 1.78:1 (though it doesn't buy you much)--I'd forgive them :).

"Glengarry Glen Ross" on HDNET --- 2.35:1

Thanks, but you can safely assume that everything on HDNet is OAR.

HBO is showing Dead Presidents in 2.35:1 OAR this month.
5 years later, Dead Presidents is not OAR on Cinemax. :(

I flipped over to Disney HD earlier in the week and they were showing The Incredibles OAR.

On Disney!

At least kids in the future will grow up to appreciate that's how a movie should look.

5 years later, Dead Presidents is not OAR on Cinemax. :(

I just used HBO's "Contact Us" form to let them know how I feel about:
- Their disrespect for the proper aspect ratio of films,
- Their unwillingness to compete directly with other premium movie services that prefer OAR,
- The fact that they are alienating subscribers and forcing them to turn to Blu-Ray rentals/purchases to see movies properly, and
- Their lack of recognition of the acceptance of OAR films by consumers (and in the case of people on this thread, the embrace of OAR films).

Of course, my feedback probably went into the void. If it didn't, at the very least it will go way over the heads of the goons in charge of movie programming at HBO.

As for an OAR sighting, 'The Great Race' on HDNet Movies earlier this evening was quite dandy, although that's cheating a bit since HDNM is typically OAR. :)

It better be in OAR on Disney HD. It was OAR on NBC HDTV in 2007 and 2008.

Incredibles was OAR on the SD channel as well!

In Harm's Way was OAR on Cinemax HD.

http://thumbnails7.imagebam.com/1500/8eb44b14999973.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/8eb44b14999973/)

On ActionMax
On Action MAX: Virginia Madsen as Princess Irulan in Dune (1984).
After that opening scene, Dune was not OAR on MAX.

Black Sheep (2006) was OAR on Cinemax HD.

Ocean's Eleven (1960) in glorious, wonderful OAR on Cinemax HD.

Thank you Warner Brothers for refusing to provide HBO a version pan & scanned to 16:9!

The Rat Pack in HD… the most precious recording on my DVR.

3:10 to Yuma on Showtime-HD was OAR, last night?
IMDB states it's 2.35 : 1

3:10 to Yuma on Showtime-HD was OAR, last night?
IMDB states it's 2.35 : 1

It's the general rule that stuff on SHO-HD will be OAR.

It's the general rule that stuff on SHO-HD will be OAR.

Then again, when SHO HD shows 1991's Father of the Bride they air it in pan & scan 4:3; Encore HD shows it in 16:9.

Then again, when SHO HD shows 1991's Father of the Bride they air it in pan & scan 4:3; Encore HD shows it in 16:9.

Yep, there are definitely some films that SHO has not gotten HD transfers of. At least they do a reasonable job of noting which films are in HD in the onscreen programming guide.

Yep, there are definitely some films that SHO has not gotten HD transfers of. At least they do a reasonable job of noting which films are in HD in the onscreen programming guide.

What's great about SHOWTIMEis that, even if they get a cropped HD version, they will try to get the film in the OAR. For example, CASINO ROYALE originally appeared there in 16X9, but some weeks later, the 2.35 broadcasts began appearing. And HOUSE OF USHER (terrible movie) was showing for weeks in 1:33:1, but later began appearing in 2.35:1. I'm glad that at least one premium networkgoes the extra mile to ensure that movies are seen as they were meant to be seen. I just wish they had more movies on their schedule!

I'm glad that at least one premium networkgoes the extra mile to ensure that movies are seen as they were meant to be seen.
Does SHOWTIME still show their logo and pop-up promos during the movie?

Does SHOWTIME still show their logo and pop-up promos during the movie?

The logo is pretty faint and unobtrusive. Don't know about the pop-ups, as I usually view their movies via OnDemand HD. No logo or pop-ups with the OnDemand option.

Star Trek Generations was OAR on HBO HD.

Well I can't understand this logic. AMCHD is showing Airport marathon's tonight.
Airport 75 was in OAR of 2.35:1
Airport 77 was not. Zoomed in version of 2.35:1
I missed Airport(1970) earlier, and they are showing Airport 79 late tonight, so I wonder what those were like.

Update: I caught Airport 79 this morning. According to IMDB, the OAR is 1.85:1, but it looks like a zoomed in version of the OAR.

Last night the Incredibles was OAR on ABC FAMILY HD.

What a shame AMCHD is showing "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World" tonite not in OAR.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off on HBO Signature (makes sense as it was also OAR on Cinemax during an earlier run.)

What a shame AMCHD is showing "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World" tonite not in OAR.
That was unwatchable, wasn't it. I was so hopeful especially since the movie shown right before that, Hellfighters, was shown in OAR.

Up In Smoke is OAR on Cinemax HD.

The Doors is OAR on Cinemax HD.

"All The Pretty Horses" was in OAR on one of the Cinemax multiplex HD channels....

Hot Rod on Showtime…

Unfortunately, The Robe was NOT OAR on Cinemax HD this morning, despite its historical significance as the first movie released in CinemaScope. Fortunately, the 2.55:1 version became available on Blu-ray last month.

The other night AMCHD showed King Kong (1976) in OAR.

Wierd because a week or two earlier they showed it cropped and zoomed. They seem to be inconsistent when they show movies.

Rob Zombie's Halloween started out 4x3 (first watch so don't know if this was intentional) but then went OAR I presume on Showtime last night...

Runaway Bride several times over the weekend on various Showtime channels.

Note -- we don't usually make a point of posting movies on Showtime that are OAR because their general policy is to always show movies in OAR (so we'd be listing most everything on the channel). Same goes for HDNet Movies.

Note -- we don't usually make a point of posting movies on Showtime that are OAR because their general policy is to always show movies in OAR (so we'd be listing most everything on the channel). Same goes for HDNet Movies.

Yes, but they also do silly things like show Father of the Bride in 4:3 when other channels (namely Encore HD) have it in full 16:9 HD.

Yes, but they also do silly things like show Father of the Bride in 4:3 when other channels (namely Encore HD) have it in full 16:9 HD.

This is true -- they do have some small subset of their films which they have never gotten HD transfers for and continue to show 4:3 versions of....but that's not what this thread is about. If a movie is HD on SHO-HD (or any of its HD multiplexes) is is generally OAR.

This is true -- they do have some small subset of their films which they have never gotten HD transfers for and continue to show 4:3 versions of....but that's not what this thread is about. If a movie is HD on SHO-HD (or any of its HD multiplexes) it is generally OAR.

Fair enough.

I guess the OAR police have spoken... ;)

This is true -- they do have some small subset of their films which they have never gotten HD transfers for and continue to show 4:3 versions of....but that's not what this thread is about. If a movie is HD on SHO-HD (or any of its HD multiplexes) is is generally OAR.

And I must add, that while it stinks that they haven't gotten updates of all of their transfers, SHO-HD does a very good job marking which movies are HD and which ones aren't in the program guide (at least the one I get on my DVR).

AMC HD is showing "Clear and Present Danger" in its OAR, and its almost Blu-ray quality, it looks the best I've ever seen it!

Octopussy on ION HD tonight in 2:35 OAR. Watching OTA on WPXN-DT NY 31.1
I usually don't watch ION, but since they went HD recently they showed a few movies so far in OAR.

AMC HD is showing "Clear and Present Danger" in its OAR, and its almost Blu-ray quality, it looks the best I've ever seen it!

Yeah I saw that too. Looked good.

AMC HD is showing "Clear and Present Danger" in its OAR, and its almost Blu-ray quality, it looks the best I've ever seen it!

Does AMC-HD edit movies for time/content? Does it have commercial breaks?

Scott wrote:
> SHO-HD does a very good job marking which movies are HD and which ones aren't in the program guide (at least the one I get on my DVR). <

That's true. Most of the time they do flag them properly. [Unlike TNT and TBS who flat-out lie and flag everything as HD. :( ] They even previously flagged them as HD or upconvert in their website listings (very helpful), but got tired of me pointing out when they had it wrong, so instead of fixing it they dropped that info completely.

But even with SHO you have to be a bit careful. They flagged "The Deep" as non-HD recently, and I went ahead and TiVo-ed it anyway. Glad I did because it was HD at 2.35AR, and it was only scheduled to air once.

- Tim

"The Mask" was on ION HD last night in its 1:85 OAR. Watching OTA on WPXN-DT NY 31.1. I have to say the PQ looked good.
My subscriber Cablevision has not added ION HD yet, they only have the SD channel.

Does AMC-HD edit movies for time/content? Does it have commercial breaks?

The answer is yes to both. It's why I never bother watching a movie on that channel.

Dario Argento's conclusion of his Three Sisters trilogy appears in the original 2.35 OAR on Cinemax. I think is the first OAR airing of any recent film on HBO/MAX since "Oceans 13".

The answer is yes to both. It's why I never bother watching a movie on that channel.
Speaking of which, AMC HD is showing "Joe Kidd" with Clint Eastwood tonite in 2:35 OAR.

Joel wrote:
> I think (this) is the first OAR airing of any recent film on HBO/MAX since "Oceans 13". <

That is correct. Here's most of the OAR 2.35 airings on HBO/MAX for the last year.
may16- MAX YOU KILL ME '07 1:33 @235
may18- MAX POPEYE '80 1:53 @235
jun04- MAX FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF '86 1:43 @235
jun10- MAX ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST '69 2:45 @235

jun16- HBO OCEAN'S THIRTEEN '07 2:02 @235

jul08- MAX I.Q '94 1:36 @235
jul13- MAX TOP GUN '86 1:49 @235
jul29- MAX ODD COUPLE, The '68 1:45 @235
aug16- MAX STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN '82 1:53 @235, =regrab
sep02- MAX PAINT YOUR WAGON '69 2:36 @235
sep02- MAX STAR TREK: GENERATIONS '94 1:57 @235
sep04- MAX EVENT HORIZON '97 1:35 @235
sep04- MAX DROP ZONE '94 1:41 @235
sep25- HBO I.Q. '94 1:35 @235, hv.max=dup
oct24- MAX ELEPHANT MAN, The '80 2:03 @235, b&w

jan13- MAX LADY SINGS THE BLUES '72 2:23 @235
feb26- MAX HUSTLER, The '61 2:14 @235, b&w
apr06- MAX DOORS, The '91 2:20 @235
may17- MAX MOTHER OF TEARS '07 1:40 @235

Omitted are films I already had recorded in OAR (potentially from HDNet Movies or Showtime) when they aired during that interval.

- Tim

Last night AMC HD showed "Midway" in 2:35 OAR.

Sadly, most of these are older transfers without 5.1 audio. If they ever show newer transfers of these films, they'll be sure to crop them.

Joel wrote:
> I think (this) is the first OAR airing of any recent film on HBO/MAX since "Oceans 13". <

That is correct. Here's most of the OAR 2.35 airings on HBO/MAX for the last year.
may16- MAX YOU KILL ME '07 1:33 @235
may18- MAX POPEYE '80 1:53 @235
jun04- MAX FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF '86 1:43 @235
jun10- MAX ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST '69 2:45 @235

jun16- HBO OCEAN'S THIRTEEN '07 2:02 @235

jul08- MAX I.Q '94 1:36 @235
jul13- MAX TOP GUN '86 1:49 @235
jul29- MAX ODD COUPLE, The '68 1:45 @235
aug16- MAX STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN '82 1:53 @235, =regrab
sep02- MAX PAINT YOUR WAGON '69 2:36 @235
sep02- MAX STAR TREK: GENERATIONS '94 1:57 @235
sep04- MAX EVENT HORIZON '97 1:35 @235
sep04- MAX DROP ZONE '94 1:41 @235
sep25- HBO I.Q. '94 1:35 @235, hv.max=dup
oct24- MAX ELEPHANT MAN, The '80 2:03 @235, b&w

jan13- MAX LADY SINGS THE BLUES '72 2:23 @235
feb26- MAX HUSTLER, The '61 2:14 @235, b&w
apr06- MAX DOORS, The '91 2:20 @235
may17- MAX MOTHER OF TEARS '07 1:40 @235

Omitted are films I already had recorded in OAR (potentially from HDNet Movies or Showtime) when they aired during that interval.

- Tim

post deleted!

I know this is a thread for sightings of uncropped OAR movies, but the sightings of these type of broadcasts on stuff thats aspect doesn't just happen to coincide with the size of the 16:9 TV screen are getting fewer and further in between. This means most movies on most movie channels are cropped because they are wider than 16:9. I am getting to where I just cannot stand it and I will not enjoy a perfectly good movie on a broadcast because it is not being shown in the proper aspect ratio. I wish they would stop cropping and zooming and just start showing everything OAR. Thank goodness for this website where people want to see OAR.

I know this is a thread for sightings of uncropped OAR movies, but the sightings of these type of broadcasts on stuff thats aspect doesn't just happen to coincide with the size of the 16:9 TV screen are getting fewer and further in between. This means most movies on most movie channels are cropped because they are wider than 16:9. I am getting to where I just cannot stand it and I will not enjoy a perfectly good movie on a broadcast because it is not being shown in the proper aspect ratio. I wish they would stop cropping and zooming and just start showing everything OAR. Thank goodness for this website where people want to see OAR.

I got a better one. Last night on ION HD they showed "Just Cause" in letterbox inside a 4:3 screen. This means that it had bars on all 4 sides. It was like I was watching a 27" TV inside my 42" screen. I hate when they do that.

I got a better one. Last night on ION HD they showed "Just Cause" in letterbox inside a 4:3 screen. This means that it had bars on all 4 sides. It was like I was watching a 27" TV inside my 42" screen. I hate when they do that.

If "Just Cause" was OAR inside that 4:3 screen and your display has a zoom function you could get OAR to look like it is being broadcast 16:9. I do not know about the picture quality though.

"The Haunted Mansion" with Eddie Murphy in OAR on ABC's Saturday Night Movie. Kind of surprised, usually ABC shows there movies cropped and zoomed.

Legally Blonde currently in 2.35 on FOX. (Taken from WNYW-DT via Cablevision.)

http://i42.tinypic.com/2lbgqhs_th.jpg (http://i42.tinypic.com/2lbgqhs.jpg)

Legally Blonde currently in 2.35 on FOX. (Taken from WNYW-DT via Cablevision.)

http://i42.tinypic.com/2lbgqhs_th.jpg (http://i42.tinypic.com/2lbgqhs.jpg)
I noticed this as well and was quite surprised. I have also noticed that AMC is getting better at showing OAR movies.

I'm quite surprised to see MTV is showing Terminator 2 OAR right now. Letterboxed all the way to 2.35:1 on the SD channel. I don't have MTV-HD so I can't verify if it's HD or not. It's the usual tv version though thoroughly hacked up for content.

I'm quite surprised to see MTV is showing Terminator 2 OAR right now. Letterboxed all the way to 2.35:1 on the SD channel. I don't have MTV-HD so I can't verify if it's HD or not. It's the usual tv version though thoroughly hacked up for content.

What a joke. On MTVHD, they are showing it letterboxed inside a 4:3 screen, so it has bars on the sides and top and bottom. Making my 42" screen look like 25".

On a sidenote, they showed Rambo and Rambo2 in OAR on AMCHD tonite.

What a joke. On MTVHD, they are showing it letterboxed inside a 4:3 screen, so it has bars on the sides and top and bottom. Making my 42" screen look like 25".

On a sidenote, they showed Rambo and Rambo2 in OAR on AMCHD tonite.

UGH!! I HATE 2.35:1 presentations on SDTV channels. It takes an already small screen and makes it smaller. Even a big HDTV looks tiny.

It's even more shameful that they would do that on a HDTV channel.

Turner Movie Classics showing "Rocky" tonite, but it appears is a bit underscanned because I see small bars on the sides with my TV format set to the "just scan" mode. However if I set my format to 16:9, it zooms in slightly and the bars are gone.

"Kramer vs Kramer" was on TCMHD last night in OAR. I've never seen this movie before, it was pretty good.

UGH!! I HATE 2.35:1 presentations on SDTV channels. It takes an already small screen and makes it smaller. Even a big HDTV looks tiny.

People without HD deserve to see the whole picture too.

TCM must really be on your hate list.

"The Departed" on FXHD in OAR tonite.

love this thread..

Comcast just reinstated HBO On Demand in HD. To try it out we watched Days of Thunder, and we were gratified to see it was in OAR (2.25 or so).

Joel wrote:
> I think (this) is the first OAR airing of any recent film on HBO/MAX since "Oceans 13". <

That is correct. Here's most of the OAR 2.35 airings on HBO/MAX for the last year.
may16- MAX YOU KILL ME '07 1:33 @235
may18- MAX POPEYE '80 1:53 @235
jun04- MAX FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF '86 1:43 @235
jun10- MAX ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST '69 2:45 @235

jun16- HBO OCEAN'S THIRTEEN '07 2:02 @235

jul08- MAX I.Q '94 1:36 @235
jul13- MAX TOP GUN '86 1:49 @235
jul29- MAX ODD COUPLE, The '68 1:45 @235
aug16- MAX STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN '82 1:53 @235, =regrab
sep02- MAX PAINT YOUR WAGON '69 2:36 @235
sep02- MAX STAR TREK: GENERATIONS '94 1:57 @235
sep04- MAX EVENT HORIZON '97 1:35 @235
sep04- MAX DROP ZONE '94 1:41 @235
sep25- HBO I.Q. '94 1:35 @235, hv.max=dup
oct24- MAX ELEPHANT MAN, The '80 2:03 @235, b&w

jan13- MAX LADY SINGS THE BLUES '72 2:23 @235
feb26- MAX HUSTLER, The '61 2:14 @235, b&w
apr06- MAX DOORS, The '91 2:20 @235
may17- MAX MOTHER OF TEARS '07 1:40 @235

Omitted are films I already had recorded in OAR (potentially from HDNet Movies or Showtime) when they aired during that interval.

- Tim
Once upon a time in West upscale ?

Once Upon a Time in the West was real HD.

Also, the OP missed Cinemax showing Ocean's Eleven (the original from 1960) in 2.35:1 on MAX.

HDNET showed once upon a in time west but it was upconvert.

kevinsert commented:
> Once upon a time in West upscale ? <

I'm not sure if you're asking or telling (or even what language you're trying to speak), but as Bill indicated, it was in true HD on Cinemax.

> HDNET showed once upon a in time west but it was UPSCALE.. <

I think you probably meant HDNet Movies, not HDNet, but in either case, neither of those channels air any upconverted material. What made you think it was upscaled?

kucharsk wrote:
> Also, the OP missed Cinemax showing Ocean's Eleven (the original from 1960) in 2.35:1 on MAX. <

I'm not sure if you're referring to my list, but if so, there's lots of stuff I "missed". I only reported on a narrow time-window, and left out films (like the original Ocean's Eleven) that had aired earlier and I had already recorded in OAR. In this case, by the time it aired on MAX, I already had it from HDNet Movies, at least a year earlier.

- Tim

my native language Turkish and im fully certain that C'era una volta il West was UPCONVERT!!!and it was HDNET MOVIES !!!
what made you think they never airs upconverted content ?

Can somone post some screenshot from Cinemax HD transfer ? or anyone still have it ?

Once Upon a Time in the West was indeed an upconvert on HDNet...

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/2825/onceuponatimeinthewest1.th.png (http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/2825/onceuponatimeinthewest1.png)http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/3397/onceuponatimeinthewest2.th.png (http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/3397/onceuponatimeinthewest2.png)http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/7037/onceuponatimeinthewest3.th.png (http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/7037/onceuponatimeinthewest3.png)http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/2370/onceuponatimeinthewest4.th.png (http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/2370/onceuponatimeinthewest4.png)
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/5773/onceuponatimeinthewest5.th.png (http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/5773/onceuponatimeinthewest5.png)http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/5372/onceuponatimeinthewest6.th.png (http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/5372/onceuponatimeinthewest6.png)http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/8080/onceuponatimeinthewest7.th.png (http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/8080/onceuponatimeinthewest7.png)http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/8878/onceuponatimeinthewest8.th.png (http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/8878/onceuponatimeinthewest8.png)

my native language Turkish and im fully certain that C'era una volta il West was UPCONVERT

And what exactly is it that makes you certain it was an upconvert??

Both you and .exe are incorrect.

Are you Blind ?

And what exactly is it that makes you certain it was an upconvert??

Both you and .exe are incorrect.

My blind grandmother called... she says its an upconvert. ;)

Sorry, actual HD on MAX and HDNet Movies.

Certainly the version they've been showing at least since January has been true HD.

Pfft..you guys dont have any idea about what is HD ? Do you

.exe is right

I compared hdnet and DVD. Basically no improvement except epic over sharpening

DVD on left, HDnet on right.

http://thumbnails15.imagebam.com/4377/be89fc43767892.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/be89fc43767892/) http://thumbnails.imagebam.com/4377/ff11f343767908.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/ff11f343767908/)

kevinsert wrote:
> my native language Turkish... <

Ah, well then, your English is vastly better than my Turkish. Your initial posts were confusing to me, but I'll cut you some slack. :)

> and im fully certain that C'era una volta il West was UPCONVERT!!!and it was HDNET MOVIES !!! <

Thanks for the correction to HDNet Movies, and not HDNet.

> what made you think they never airs upconverted content ? <

Public statements made by Mark Cuban, the owner of the HDNets.

Eric, thanks for posting the pix. I'll try and find a minute to pull up both the MAX and HDNMV recordings, and see what I've got here. As Bill indicated, my recording off HDNMV was from this year (April'09), and since I already had it from MAX, the main reason I recorded it again from HDNMV was because they labeled it with a runtime of 2:59, indicating it was the long, restored version. As it turned out, that was incorrect :(, and it was the same 2:45 version I had from MAX.

I would be surprised if HDNMV had previously aired an upconvert, but I'll believe Eric if he's sure that's where his came from. Surprised partly because I've recorded everything they've aired since Sep18/2004. Though if they did air an upconvert of this film, I would have already purged it (probably with a red-flagged note in my logs, which I have none). They do get their transfers from outside companies, and I suppose it is possible that a handful of upconverts may have snuck through, though I've been told they screen for that. But they've made plenty of other mistakes over the years (most frequently being clueless about actual runtimes).

spongyfungy wrote:
> DVD on left, HDnet on right. <

Ah, that's opposite to the way the files are named on the host site, FYI. But it doesn't help when you post images you've done scaling on yourself. Aside from a bit of mosquito-noise, those two are virtually identical, which makes one wonder.

I'll get back here in a bit, when I have something more to contribute.

- Tim

Thanks Tim :)

Pfft..you guys dont have any idea about what is HD ? Do you

No sense in arguing any further. I've seen this type of discussion before. Best of luck to you in learning about HD. You have a ways to go.

HDNet Movies is showing Reservoir Dogs in extremely sharp, uncropped HD. I mean truly sharp, not phony edge-enhanced "sharpness." One of the best-looking movies D* has ever delivered to my Kuro plasma. And it was released in 1992!

.exe is right

I compared hdnet and DVD. Basically no improvement except epic over sharpening

DVD on left, HDnet on right.

http://thumbnails15.imagebam.com/4377/be89fc43767892.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/be89fc43767892/) http://thumbnails.imagebam.com/4377/ff11f343767908.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/ff11f343767908/)

How do you received HDNet Movies?

There's a pretty clear difference for me via E*.

How do you received HDNet Movies?

There's a pretty clear difference for me via E*.

I receive it via QAM Cable uncompressed. dishnetwork IIRC is transcoded 1440x1080 h.264

How are you coming to conclusion that there is a clear difference? Do you have samples or a screenshot?

We just got Showtime and TMC in HD. Seems they show most films OAR.

Tin Cup is 2.35:1 on Golf Channel right now!

We just got Showtime and TMC in HD. Seems they show most films OAR.No they aren't. Most upscales are, most HD movies are cropped (if they were truly OAR most of us would jump to them immediately).

Tin Cup is 2.35:1 on Golf Channel right now!

yeah that was unexpected

http://thumbnails2.imagebam.com/4443/a7925b44421735.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/a7925b44421735/)
http://thumbnails2.imagebam.com/4443/bca30a44422052.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/bca30a44422052/)

yeah that was unexpected

http://thumbnails2.imagebam.com/4443/a7925b44421735.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/a7925b44421735/)
http://thumbnails2.imagebam.com/4443/bca30a44422052.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/bca30a44422052/)
Surprising. I tuned into them for this movie a while back and it was not OAR at all (in fact I don't even think it was HD). Hopefully it will get a BD release soon.

No they aren't. Most upscales are, most HD movies are cropped (if they were truly OAR most of us would jump to them immediately).

With Showtime that is partly true. They show their movies OAR but some are upconverts yes but that does not necessarily mean most of the open matte are HD. I don't have the hard facts or the numbers to back me up but on showtime's website they used to indicate whether the movies were either an upconvert or true HD.

No they aren't. Most upscales are, most HD movies are cropped (if they were truly OAR most of us would jump to them immediately).

This is most definitely not the case. SHOWTIME nearly always shows movies in OAR. And even when they are given a cropped movie, they will go to the effort to get the correct one. (An example is CASINO ROYALE, in which they were originally provided with a 16X9 version. While they had to broadcast it, they went back to the studio for the 2.35 version and started showing that. Another example is CRASH. Except for HDNet, no channel does more to show films in OAR. It's a shame that HBO and STARZ don't do the same.

My apologies for the long delay. Today was the first chance I've had to set up an ImageBAM account and upload these examples.

I grabbed a fresh copy from HDNet Movies myself to make sure the OP didn't have some source-related problem (compressed or molested signal distribution chain). He later indicated a clean, pass-thru cable feed, which is what I have, and the two captures look very similar. I didn't spend a lot of time trying to find exactly the same frame as the OP, but did try and match my 2 caps, though there is a small vertical offset.

http://thumbnails12.imagebam.com/4484/b2ac7444836481.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/b2ac7444836481/) http://thumbnails12.imagebam.com/4484/e1cf9944836525.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/e1cf9944836525/)

HDNet Movies on the left (from this April), CineMAX on the right (from last June). The difference is pretty dramatic, and rather disappointing for HDNet Movies, which also had some significant edge enhancement applied (easily visible and objectionable in scenes with a high-contrast hat brim outlined against the sky, e.g.).

- Tim

P.S. Another telltale is to look at the scanlines at the top and bottom of the image. There's obvious evidence there indicating that scalar processing was employed on the HDNet film. (If the overall softness and complete lack of detail wasn't enough to clue you in.) And EE is frequently applied after upconversion, to try and get some of the lost sharpness back.

DaveFi commented on ShowtimeHD:
> ...most HD movies are cropped. <

I'm not sure why you say this, Dave? That hasn't been my experience (though I have major beefs with them for completely different reasons). I've observed the same thing as Joel, and when problems did arise I've seen them correct it after my report at least twice in the last 5 years.

- Tim

DaveFi commented on ShowtimeHD:
> ...most HD movies are cropped. <

I'm not sure why you say this, Dave? That hasn't been my experience (though I have major beefs with them for completely different reasons). I've observed the same thing as Joel, and when problems did arise I've seen them correct it after my report at least twice in the last 5 years.

- TimI gave a caveat of "almost". I've had them too in the past, and contacted them, when having problems. In the beginning they were quite responsive- after a while they stopped caring. There were complaints about them, too many, especially about how their bug appeared, running commercials for forthcoming shows during the credits etc, etc. You will find long threads about them in the forum here, and it's not just their "OAR" policy that drove people away from them.

> You will find long threads about them in the forum here, and it's not just their "OAR" policy that drove people away from them. <

Oh, absolutely! No question about that. I was a frequent complainer in those threads myself, and griped repeatedly to Showtime, and eventually terminated my service. Then re-joined, and terminated again when they started up.

At the moment, they're not doing that crap, but as soon as they have a new series to promote (maybe when U.S. of Tara restarts, if it's going to) it'll be saturation advertising again, and total disregard for their viewers, or a quality product. That's why they have $5/month subscription offers running.

But it was their OAR policy I was referring to, and while some of their true HD films are cropped, my experience had been that most were OAR or open matte. I didn't tag every film I ever recorded off SHO in the last few years, but a quick grep shows over 120 OAR films aired in 2.35 and true HD. Considering how many re-runs they show, and how few actual new films, I'd say that's not too bad. Certainly a far better record than HBO/MAX. Plus, they actually air 1.85 films at that AR, and not at 1.78 like HDNet Movies does on most, in spite of claiming to always be OAR.

-Tim

Hey! Ion's showing Patriot Games in OAR and the picture looks pretty good. Looks like they're tightening up their engineering compared to a couple months ago. I have to say, I'm pleasantly surprised by their movie lineup. Good to see some worthwhile older stuff in HD for free.

ABC, meanwhile, is showing King Kong cropped. Boo.

Even though I can't understand it...Telemundo HD is showing Mission Impossible OAR. It looks and sounds fantastic. This is compared to TNT who showed it cropped 3 hours earlier. Kudos to Telemundo! :) Where is the English on the SAP? Haha.

1408 in OAR on TNT HD.

Even though I can't understand it...Telemundo HD is showing Mission Impossible OAR. It looks and sounds fantastic. This is compared to TNT who showed it cropped 3 hours earlier. Kudos to Telemundo! :) Where is the English on the SAP? Haha.

You can do CC1 and Digital 2 so at least you can have English sub titles

Matrix Reloaded OAR on ION-TV (shocking). They are one of the last OTA broadcasters to show OTA on a regular basis. Unfortunately they do not broadcast 5.1DD (just 2.0). I sent them an email on this issue- let's see if they get back to me.

I'd just be happy to get ION in HD at all. A number of their presentations appear to be OAR. In fact, I sent them an email a few weeks back concerning this. The reply mentioned something about looking into it and getting back with me.

Very pleased with Showtime.
They aired Transporter 3 in OAR this past weekend.
+1 for Showtime :p

Edit: I know they like to preserve OTR. Just glad to see it.

Medicine Man (with Sean Connery and Lorraine Bracco) is being shown on HBO this month. Any chance it's OAR? It's never been released anamorphically on DVD. Just hoping. Anyone catch it?

AMC seems to be doing less of the stretching of P & S formatted movies on their HD channel. I have noticed most movies are being shown in the widescreen format on the HD channel, but sadly not necessarily in the OAR of those movies. As far as seeing a movie in OAR on HBO, the chances are very slim this will happen. I believe the last time I saw an OAR movie on HBO is when they were showing the Star Wars movies.

It is very sad indeed that they think people will be upset with seeing a little bit of black bars on their HD TVs. This is the full-blown era of digital TV it is time people learn to accept the black bars on the movies with a ratio different from the 1.78 or 1.85 ratio that produces no bars. (End of rant)

I believe the last time I saw an OAR movie on HBO is when they were showing the Star Wars movies.

It is very sad indeed that they think people will be upset with seeing a little bit of black bars on their HD TVs. This is the full-blown era of digital TV it is time people learn to accept the black bars on the movies with a ratio different from the 1.78 or 1.85 ratio that produces no bars. (End of rant)


I agree...the correct OAR hasn't stopped people from buying DVDs and Blu-Rays. The HBO policy is reprehensible. Peoplew can always zoom in to eliminate black bars anyway. Unfortunately, we can't "zoom out" to view the film properly. However, if the director steps in and insists, the films are shown properly. Two that have appeared in OAR since STAR WARS are OCEANS 13 and MOTHER OF TEARS. Thank heaven for SHOWTIME...QUANTUM OF SOLACE in glorious 2.35:1!!!

AMC just showed Top Gun in 2.35:1, and is also now showing Mission Impossible in its correct aspect ratio of 2.35:1, looks pretty good

HBO aired The Hunt For Red October yesterday in OAR.

HBO aired The Hunt For Red October yesterday in OAR.

That's because it's one of their old, old transfers, just like the way they show Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger in OAR as well.

(HBO once gave a d--n about their viewers, before becoming convinced people "didn't like black bars.")

Mission Impossible now on HBO in OAR.

Titanic in OAR commercial free on USA HD.

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is OAR on TCM right now (wish I had set a timer)

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is OAR on TCM right now (wish I had set a timer)

It's rare when something isn't OAR on TCM.

It's rare when something isn't OAR on TCM.


Yep. What a shame they don't show films in HD.

It's rare when something isn't OAR on TCM. This post showed otherwise... http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=16184983&postcount=1067

This post showed otherwise... http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=16184983&postcount=1067

That's AMC, not TCM.

That's AMC, not TCM.doh... I rarely watch either... :)

Mission: Impossible airing in OAR on HBO Signature.

Airs on HBO HD 12/28 at 6am.

The Untouchables in 2:35.1 on IONtv @ 720p; at least I think it's OAR..

IRON MAN on FX. What makes this so surprising is that on the EPIX channel (partially owned by Paramount which released IRON MAN) the film is only shown cropped...and that's a PAY channel! Kudos to FX for doing it right (except for commercials, of course).

Epix has been getting better with OAR! I would gave them a B- or C+ on OAR.

Epix has been getting better with OAR! I would gave them a B- or C+ on OAR.

Pretty much the only movies that aren't OAR are the four or five biggies that they launched with(Iron Man, Indy, B Button). Virtually all the other new ones and catalog titles are. I thought the same thing though when I saw Indy 4 on USA and Iron Man on FX in OAR.

Pretty much the only movies that aren't OAR are the four or five biggies that they launched with(Iron Man, Indy, B Button). Virtually all the other new ones and catalog titles are. I thought the same thing though when I saw Indy 4 on USA and Iron Man on FX in OAR.The only movies EPIX shows OAR are catalog titles (that were formerly part of the MGM-HD library) and Lionsgate titles.

The only movies EPIX shows OAR are catalog titles (that were formerly part of the MGM-HD library) and Lionsgate titles.

Yep. They made an exception for STAR TREK but that was it. It's shameful that a channel that charges people 10 bucks a month crops movies but free channels display them properly.

The only movies EPIX shows OAR are catalog titles (that were formerly part of the MGM-HD library) and Lionsgate titles.

Your "only" is well over half of their lineup. I can't even remember the last time there was a Paramount new release, esp one in widescreen aspect, anyway. Most new releases are Lionsgate. Alot of the Paramount catalog is OAR. I can live with a few bad apples when their library is probably second only to HBO/Max, and it got thrown into Dish's platinum package for no higher rate.

A Bug's Life was in OAR 2.35:1 on ABC Family back on January 9th.

Your "only" is well over half of their lineup. I can't even remember the last time there was a Paramount new release, esp one in widescreen aspect, anyway.


G.I. JOE, CARRIERS, and SHUTTER ISLAND are a few. All should be widescreen but...

Days of Thunder in OAR on Spike HD and Letterboxed OAR on Spike SD.

Yep. They made an exception for STAR TREK but that was it. It's shameful that a channel that charges people 10 bucks a month crops movies but free channels display them properly.
Hmm...I've only had this channel for 2 weeks but the stuff I'm seeing on there appears to be OAR. Kick Ass was definitely OAR.

Titanic in OAR on ABC family. Even the SD channel is full scope letterboxed.

I think The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King is OAR on TCM SD right now.

AMC HD showing Terminator 2: Judgement Day in original 2.20:1 on the HD channel, not sure about the SD feed.

Timecop was in OAR on G4-HD yesterday. I forgot to check the SD channel.

The only movies EPIX shows OAR are catalog titles (that were formerly part of the MGM-HD library) and Lionsgate titles.

It looks like this may be changing because I watched "Kick Ass" at the beginning of the month and it was OAR.

Edit: Just realized that "Kick Ass" was distributed by lionsgate in the US. Oh well, it's still a valid OAR sighting.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in OAR on USA HD. Surprising.

Killers is OAR on Epix HD,but it is a Lionsgate title.
The big test for Epix will be next Sunday with IronMan 2.

Killers is OAR on Epix HD,but it is a Lionsgate title.
The big test for Epix will be next Sunday with IronMan 2.IM1 was cropped, I suspect no difference for IM2. All new movies on Epix are cropped with exception of Lionsgate titles.

Trek was OAR.
Fame is OAR EVEN on the SD feed. :)

IM1 was cropped, I suspect no difference for IM2. All new movies on Epix are cropped with exception of Lionsgate titles.
The more accurate way to put it would be that all the new movies besides the Paramount ones are OAR. The Lionsgate, MGM, and the little indies they show are correct. I actually e-mailed them about the Paramounts and got a personal response back, where they acknowledged they've got a lot more feedback than they anticipated about it, and are looking at some options. We'll see if it ever pans out.

I predict OAR for IM2.

Saw it on the On Demand title so I checked . 16:9 :( but they did admit it was reformatted from the original 2.35:1.
I now get Epix FREE as part of the triple play.

HDTV Notes
'Labyrinth,' 'The Dark Crystal' to Be Relaunched in HD
By Lacey Rose, The Hollywood Reporter's 'Live Feed' Blog - April 21st, 2011

On Memorial Day, Mark Cuban’s HDNet will air a double-feature of Jim Henson films, The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth.

The films, which will air for their first time in HD, will run for one night only on Monday, May 30 beginning at 8 p.m. It will mark the first time that the pairing has hit the small screen in more than 10 years.

“We have initiated a company-wide effort to relaunch these titles across both targeted and broad distribution platforms including all forms of television, digital, publishing and consumer products, making these much-loved titles easily available to the loyal fans who continue to support them,” said Lisa Henson, CEO of The Jim Henson Company.

The move comes as Crystal, a fantasy flick directed by Henson and Frank Oz, is coming up on its 30th anniversary in 2012; Labyrinth, a Henson-directed, George Lucas production, is celebrating its 25th this year.

"As one the last independent networks, HDNet tries to find content that embodies that independent spirit. No movies are more unique and independent in mind and spirit than Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth,” Cuban told The Hollywood Reporter.

Earlier this week, Cuban put his art house movie theater group Landmark Theatres and independent film distributor Magnolia Pictures on the auction block to explore a possible sale.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/labyrinth-dark-crystal-be-relaunched-180692

HDTV Notes
'Labyrinth,' 'The Dark Crystal' to Be Relaunched in HD
By Lacey Rose, The Hollywood Reporter's 'Live Feed' Blog - April 21st, 2011

Earlier this week, Cuban put his art house movie theater group Landmark Theatres and independent film distributor Magnolia Pictures on the auction block to explore a possible sale.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/labyrinth-dark-crystal-be-relaunched-180692

Good news and bad news. I certainly hope he doesn't sell the theaters and studio. It's one of the elements that sets HDNet Movies apart!

Manhattan (1975) in OAR on HBO Signature.

Is there a thread like this, but for open matte movies?

I hate the disgusting cropping to 2.35:1 that OAR snobs insist upon. They're as bad as those DVD creepers with their full screen cropping.

ENCORE recently had the extended versions of LORD OF THE RINGS in 2.35 OAR. And Starz has RETURN OF THE KING in OAR.

I don't watch Fox Movie Channel ever, but tonight I flipped over to catch X-Men and saw something I have never seen before. The antithesis of OAR.

The channel is not HD so the live area is obviously 4:3 with black sidebars, but within that 4:3 area is a 16:9 area (which I've seen before) and within that area they are showing the movie in 4:3!

WTF? It's like watching a postage stamp.

Epix has aired the Star Trek movies in OAR!

HBO and EVEN showtime have cropped versions.

I don't watch Fox Movie Channel ever, but tonight I flipped over to catch X-Men and saw something I have never seen before. The antithesis of OAR.

The channel is not HD so the live area is obviously 4:3 with black sidebars, but within that 4:3 area is a 16:9 area (which I've seen before) and within that area they are showing the movie in 4:3!

WTF? It's like watching a postage stamp.

Fox Movie Channel, like all News Corporation networks, has a HD feed and this HD feed is then downconverted and letterboxed SD broadcast.

Only TWC and Bright House carry the HD feed of FMC.