I mean it is pathetic, All they would literally need is instead of increase the amount of pixels......At least upscale it. I find it sad that Some of my favorite shows liek South Park,Family Guy, and The Simpsons are in 4:3 SD.

Speaking personally, I don't see the need in spending money on them. A cartoon is a cartoon, no matter how clear it is.

Futurama is going to be in HD when it comes back this year. Though Comedy Central probably won't broadcast it as HD unless they start up their HD channel. I mean the movies are going to be released in HD on Blu-ray or HD-DVD so when they are cut up and aired on Comedy Central they could be aired in HD if they wanted to.

I think there are some South Park episodes in HD on the Live Marketplace for the Xbox 360, too.

They had the "World of Warcraft" episode as a free HD download on the XBox360.

PBS shows some cartoons in widecreen. Not sure if it SD or HD, never watched long enough to notice.

Because they have to draw a 16:9 wide picture instead of 4:3. More work for the artist.

... and ink is expensive. ;)

I seem to recall that DirecTV announced that Cartoon Network HD would be coming later this month...

No one is interested in it?

At least make them widescreen..... I hate having bars and stretching it looks dreadful.

At least make them widescreen..... I hate having bars and stretching it looks dreadful.
hmmm... i feel like cartoons are the only shows I can watch stretched. everything else looks ridiculous.

and about Futurama... the new DVD is 16x9. I wonder if they framed the cartoon for 4x3 center cut or if Comedy Central will just letterbox the new eps.

I read a report that most of Cartoon Network's shows will be in HD right about when CN HD launches -- they've been making 4x3-safe HD for years in many cases...

There was a show on NBC a year or two ago called Father of the Pride (or something like that). It was HD animated. But it was pretty bad and was canned in short order. John Goodman did one of the voices.

South Park has been HD since Season 7, I think. These episodes are available for HD download over Xbox Live.

I watched the WoW episode of South Park in HD. I can't say that it was really all that impressive as I recall. I mean, it looked better, yes, but not extremely so. And cell shaded cartoons like Family Guy wouldn't really benefit a whole lot from HD anyways cause there isn't really enough detail and I think it would add more to the production costs.

CBS had an animated HD show called Creature Comforts last season. It was done like Chicken Run and Wallace & Grommit. I thought it was very good. The humor was pretty sophisticated and the HD quality was amazing.

Since I liked it, they prompty cancelled it.

Anything they can do to bring us a true progressive picture on Fox animation would be great. The jitter from crappy inverse telecine on the Fox HD feed for Family Guy and American Dad is terrible. The Simpsons suffers a lot less, but still has its moments.

CBS had an animated HD show called Creature Comforts last season. It was done like Chicken Run and Wallace & Grommit. I thought it was very good. The humor was pretty sophisticated and the HD quality was amazing.

Since I liked it, they prompty cancelled it.

Yea it was very good but only intended to be a six week summer replacement not a full series. Though I think it was one of the most brilliant shows to hit American airwaves in a long time.

Yea it was very good but only intended to be a six week summer replacement not a full series. Though I think it was one of the most brilliant shows to hit American airwaves in a long time.

Even if it was only a 6-episode run, they never made it past the 2nd episode (or was it the 3rd). They just stopped it and I don't think they ever aired the remaining episodes.

If they gave it a chance, it might have been a contender ... although it probably didn't appeal to the majority of American viewers. A little too sophisticated, I guess.

ft

Even if it was only a 6-episode run, they never made it past the 2nd episode (or was it the 3rd). They just stopped it and I don't think they ever aired the remaining episodes.

If they gave it a chance, it might have been a contender ... although it probably didn't appeal to the majority of American viewers. A little too sophisticated, I guess.

"Creature Comforts" was produced by Aardman Animation of the UK ("Wallace and Gromit", "Chicken Run") and was claymation, not animation.

Obviously, Aardman has mastered HD quality claymation (which really is easier to do than animation). Series 2 (13 episodes) is already out on ITV in the UK.

And for the fans of the series, the American version (all 6 episodes) will be out on DVD October 9th.

I mean it is pathetic, All they would literally need is instead of increase the amount of pixels......At least upscale it. I find it sad that Some of my favorite shows liek South Park,Family Guy, and The Simpsons are in 4:3 SD.
South Park would be hard to tell between SD and HD, but the Simpsons, King of the Hill and Family Guy would definitely benefit. The HD cartoons on PBS look incredible although clearly computer generated.
Speaking personally, I don't see the need in spending money on them. A cartoon is a cartoon, no matter how clear it is.
What you said doesn't really make much sense.

Rudy

I hope they kill animated forever.

were the old looney tunes cartoons filmed? I bet if WB did an hd transfer and put out a collection on hd-dvd, it'd be a hit.

(ok, maybe not; I just want them to do it.)

Generally speaking, cartoons benefit the least from HD. Anything that is hand-drawn looks pretty slick in full-resolution SD, so aside from making things 16x9 not a whole lot of immediate gain to go HD.

Now the Pixar type computer generated stuff is a different matter. If those were generated at a higher (or as high) as HD resolution originally, then those will probably pop more in HD than SD... but that is because of how they were rendered.

Most of the stuff you see on Cartoon Network just isn't going to look that much better than if you buy DVDs at full SD resolution and a good bitrate.

I asked myself this very same thing the other day. I personally would love to see the Simpsons, for example, in widescreen HD. They definitely should do animation in HD. With computers being used for most of the process now anyway, the animation would be crisp and clear enough to look good in HD and warrant the higher resolution and widescreen picture.

Generally speaking, cartoons benefit the least from HD. Anything that is hand-drawn looks pretty slick in full-resolution SD, so aside from making things 16x9 not a whole lot of immediate gain to go HD.

I'm not so sure about that. Earlier this year, while watching an episode of "The Simpsons," a trailer for "The Simpsons Movie" came on -- in HD. I'm here to tell you, I fell out of my chair. That may -- may -- have been the best HD picture I've ever seen. The detail was astonishing. Based on that alone, I decided to forget about seeing the movie in a theater -- I'll just wait for the Blu-ray disc.

Yeah, I'd love to see The Simpsons in HD. The HD trailer for the movie looked fantastic.

There was one King of the Hill episode in 4:3 HD.


February 15, 2007

'Simpsons,' 'Hill' HD Upgrade on Hold

Producers and Network in Dispute Over Aspect Ratio

By James Hibberd

Despite a recent HD airing of "King of the Hill" that excited fans, Fox has no immediate plans to upgrade the production of its Sunday night animated comedies due to an aspect ratio dispute with producers.

On Jan. 28, Fox aired an episode of "Hill" in HD, but the show was still formatted in the traditional 4:3 aspect ratio of the standard-definition regular series. The airing caused a debate among fans online, who argued about whether the episode was really in HD or not—and, if so, whether "The Simpsons" and "Family Guy" would be the next HD converts.

The next week, Feb. 4, Fox pulled the comedies off the schedule to avoid competition with the Super Bowl. Last Sunday, the comedy lineup returned with new episodes -- but all were in standard definition, causing further confusion.

Though a Fox spokesman had no comment regarding the mysterious airing, sources confirmed that "King" was indeed in high definition. The rest of the current-season episodes are scheduled to air in standard definition, however, with no firm plans to convert the popular animated block to HD.

Producers and the network agree that the shows should—and will—eventually be upgraded to the format once the aspect ratio issue is settled.

Producers are fond of 4:3, which allows them to retain their current background and direction compositions. One source said that of all the various TV genres that have upgraded to HD—news, sports, dramas, reality—switching to a 16:9 frame is most "creatively disruptive" to animation.

The network favors the wider 16:9 that's traditionally associated with HDTV and fills the screen of an HD set. Fox is concerned that continuing in 4:3 will impact DVD and syndication sales as HDTVs become the norm, akin to trying to sell black-and-white programs after the advent of color TV.

Either way, fans will have to wait a while for any new HD episodes. The animated series have a production cycle up to 42 weeks long.

Fox has a long history negotiating aspect ratio issues. The studio introduced the first popular widescreen cinema format, called CinemaScope, in 1953 to help its theatrical films compete with television.

http://www.tvweek.com/news/2007/02/simpsons_hill_hd_upgrade_on_ho.php

NBC had a show (primetime) a few years back, "Father of the Pride." It was Dreamworks animation I think, and while it looked great, the show was horrible. I mean really bad.

I decided to forget about seeing the movie in a theater -- I'll just wait for the Blu-ray disc.

It would have looked great if you saw it in commercial DLP, which is HD cinema. I did and the PQ was great (Too bad the movie wasn't).

I'm not so sure about that. Earlier this year, while watching an episode of "The Simpsons," a trailer for "The Simpsons Movie" came on -- in HD. I'm here to tell you, I fell out of my chair.

I didn't mean it wouldn't look good or better in HD... just that the oomph over SD animation (for hand-drawn animation) isn't the same as it is for real-life or the Pixar type of detail.

Shows like the Simpsons, just moving to widescreen and staying in SD would probably impress folks enough... but it seems it is the 16x9 (creating a bunch of extra work for the animators) that is more of the stumbling block than the higher definition.

If you’re talking about cartoons you are right in not expecting cartoons in HD.

If you’re talking about animation no you are wrong in not expecting animation in HD.

And if you don’t know the difference between a cartoon and animation you have your answer to this post as to what is the cause in delay.

I thought about this while watching the simpsons last sunday and realized that the PQ is actually REALLY good, and very close to what I would envision as HD (via OTA). I'm sure if they transitioned to 16x9 true HD then it would look outstanding, but I feel that the PQ for these shows right now is still excellent.

I thought about this while watching the simpsons last sunday and realized that the PQ is actually REALLY good, and very close to what I would envision as HD (via OTA).
You really appreciate how good they look on Fox if you also watch the syndicated reruns. They look like they were recorded on old VHS tapes.

If you’re talking about cartoons you are right in not expecting cartoons in HD.

If you’re talking about animation no you are wrong in not expecting animation in HD.

And if you don’t know the difference between a cartoon and animation you have your answer to this post as to what is the cause in delay.Care to explain the difference? Becuase in reality, those two words used to be synonymous. Animation refers to any process by which something is brought to life. In terms of media, animation most commonly refers to any process by which still images are played in succession, resulting in the illusion of continuous motion.

I find it a little ironic that you're lecturing someone on the difference between a "cartoon" and "animation" and you don't quite understand it yourself.

If you're talking about computer rendered animation, that's a whole different thing from the generic term "animation." Computer animation, such as the brilliant work Pixar does, is clearly a match made in heaven with HD. Hand drawn animation, such as "cartoons" like the Simpsons (which are now processed on computer), will obviously benefit less from HD than Pixar would, but still it would be nicer to watch.

The Simpsons, Looney Toons - those can both be called "animated" and "cartoons". Either definition works and fits. They are not, however, computer rendered animation like Pixar.

At least in my mind, a cartoon is a special case of animation... because animation includes: cartoons (hand-drawn or computer animated), claymation, and other forms of animated-non-real-people.

(...) and other forms of animated-non-real-people.Like Robot Chicken...

PBS shows some cartoons in widecreen. Not sure if it SD or HD, never watched long enough to notice.

PBS had about 2-3 hours worth of kid related animated and cartoon programming in the mornings. It was HD and very clear. My 3 year old twins did not seem to care if it was in HD or SD but I could notice.

I'm not so sure about that. Earlier this year, while watching an episode of "The Simpsons," a trailer for "The Simpsons Movie" came on -- in HD. I'm here to tell you, I fell out of my chair. That may -- may -- have been the best HD picture I've ever seen. The detail was astonishing. Based on that alone, I decided to forget about seeing the movie in a theater -- I'll just wait for the Blu-ray disc.

Yes, but The Simpsons Movie and The Simpsons TV show are not animated in the same way or at least with the same level of quality. The Simpsons Movie was so impressive that I've grown distasteful of the comparatively sloppy/simplistic animation on the TV show. An HD switch isn't going to bump the production values that high (if at all beyond a simple switch from 4:3 to 16:9).

Yeah, I'd love to see The Simpsons in HD. The HD trailer for the movie looked fantastic.

There was one King of the Hill episode in 4:3 HD.


February 15, 2007

'Simpsons,' 'Hill' HD Upgrade on Hold

Producers and Network in Dispute Over Aspect Ratio

By James Hibberd

Despite a recent HD airing of "King of the Hill" that excited fans, Fox has no immediate plans to upgrade the production of its Sunday night animated comedies due to an aspect ratio dispute with producers.

On Jan. 28, Fox aired an episode of "Hill" in HD, but the show was still formatted in the traditional 4:3 aspect ratio of the standard-definition regular series. The airing caused a debate among fans online, who argued about whether the episode was really in HD or not—and, if so, whether "The Simpsons" and "Family Guy" would be the next HD converts.

The next week, Feb. 4, Fox pulled the comedies off the schedule to avoid competition with the Super Bowl. Last Sunday, the comedy lineup returned with new episodes -- but all were in standard definition, causing further confusion.

Though a Fox spokesman had no comment regarding the mysterious airing, sources confirmed that "King" was indeed in high definition. The rest of the current-season episodes are scheduled to air in standard definition, however, with no firm plans to convert the popular animated block to HD.

Producers and the network agree that the shows should—and will—eventually be upgraded to the format once the aspect ratio issue is settled.

Producers are fond of 4:3, which allows them to retain their current background and direction compositions. One source said that of all the various TV genres that have upgraded to HD—news, sports, dramas, reality—switching to a 16:9 frame is most "creatively disruptive" to animation.

The network favors the wider 16:9 that's traditionally associated with HDTV and fills the screen of an HD set. Fox is concerned that continuing in 4:3 will impact DVD and syndication sales as HDTVs become the norm, akin to trying to sell black-and-white programs after the advent of color TV.

Either way, fans will have to wait a while for any new HD episodes. The animated series have a production cycle up to 42 weeks long.

Fox has a long history negotiating aspect ratio issues. The studio introduced the first popular widescreen cinema format, called CinemaScope, in 1953 to help its theatrical films compete with television.

http://www.tvweek.com/news/2007/02/simpsons_hill_hd_upgrade_on_ho.php
I believe King of the Hill continues to deliver in HD, but Fox refuses to air the 4x3 HD versions. Supposedly kind of a political thing as their flagship Simpsons shouldn't look worse than the step-sibling King of the Hill. Sad.

Also, we'll probably never see the HD King of the Hills on DVD anytime soon as Fox refuses to release any more seasons past Season 6. (They're airing Season 12 now.) I guess they just don't sell like the Simpsons either. Very sad.

"Creature Comforts" was produced by Aardman Animation of the UK ("Wallace and Gromit", "Chicken Run") and was claymation, not animation.

Obviously, Aardman has mastered HD quality claymation (which really is easier to do than animation). Series 2 (13 episodes) is already out on ITV in the UK.

And for the fans of the series, the American version (all 6 episodes) will be out on DVD October 9th.
The US Creature Comforts series DVD (akna "Creature Comforts America") is actually 7 episodes: the 3 that CBS burned off over the summer and the 4 "lost" episodes. Plus another disc of over 15 min of deleted scenes and something called LAVs (Live Action Videos) -a split-screen of the production crew acting out the original audio as a blueprint for the animators, against the finished animation. Good stuff.

The series was mastered in HD and looks amazing. Anyone know if Sony is releasing it on Blu-Ray?

Those that are saying that HD cartoons aren't as big a jump with HD as live action obviously haven't seen enough material. Nothing shows off HD better than sharp lines.

were the old looney tunes cartoons filmed? I bet if WB did an hd transfer and put out a collection on hd-dvd, it'd be a hit.

(ok, maybe not; I just want them to do it.)The ones I used to watch were definitely filmed. In fact, many pre-date videotape and some are older than most TV stations. I'm not sure what aspect ratio they used before they became a TV institution, but at the very least they might be able to bump up the resolution by re-capturing them with HD equipment, even if they don't fill 16:9.