Just got this station a week ago, and a couple of times when I switched to it, I found the show displaying in true HD. But going by the cable guide designation won't necessarily give you good results. I tried to DVR a show last night that was listed as "HD" and when I watched it, the show was letterboxed but stretched.

Anyone know any real HD shows being played on this channel?

I didn't think anyone could top TNT until I got this ridiculous so called HD channel. Pathetic!

Who cares? I just quit watching it. I can't be bothered to sort through all their stretching and lies in order to find the rare actual HD show.

It's just not worth it.

Funny, I did the same thing with TNT when it came out. And A&E.

I guess if you want me to quit watching your network, just stretch it so it looks ridiculous and then lie about how many shows are in HD.

Sounds like they aren't flipping the switch on HD shows. Sister channel A&E HD used to be really bad about that.

Again, and I don't know for sure, but posters on these boards and elsewhere have indicated that even if a show is recorded with HD cameras some post-processing needs to be done before it can be SHOWN in HD on any particular channel.

That would explain, for example, why IRT (recorded with HD cameras) was initially shown letterboxed-stretched on HistoryHD and then (I think it was Sunday) the same episodes shown in HD. It just may be that some networks (e.g. Discovery) have the funds to do the processing on a lot of their programs whereas others (e.g. History/A&E) are less "well-endowed" and can only do a few at a time.

=NLK=

I sent off a comment to their website about HD... If others do the same, maybe they will pay attention.

Date: October 16, 2007 7:47:43 AM PDT
From: thc.viewerrelations@aetn.com
Subject: Re: AE Help Desk
To: [censored]

At 06:06 PM 10/15/2007 -0400, you wrote:
The request below was made from the help desk:
First Name: [censored]
Last Name: [censored]
Request Type: comment
Request: I'm disappointed that History Channel HD is showing HD programs with a screwed up aspect ratio. Instead of being in 16x9, you show HD programs letterboxed. This results in a vertically squashed unappealing picture. Why aren't you using (as *every other* HD channel does) the show screen?

Until you fix this, I'll probably switch to the Discovery and HGC HD channels since they can broadcast their HD content correctly.


Dear Mr. [Censored],

Thank you for your recent comments concerning The History Channel in HD.

We appreciate the fact that you took the time to contact us because your views on our programs provide the most direct and accurate information upon which we can fine tune this new THC venture.

Cordially,
Viewer Relations

Dear Mr. jabbathespud,

Thank you for holding. Your business is important to us. Please stay on the line and the next available representative will help you.

Dear Mr. jabbathespud,

Thank you for holding. Your business is important to us. Please stay on the line and the next available representative will help you.

Dear Mr. jabbathespud,

Thank you for holding. Your business is important to us. Please stay on the line and the next available representative will help you.

Dear Mr. jabbathespud,

Thank you for holding. Your business is important to us. Please stay on the line and the next available representative will help you.

Jabba,

Please take the previous comment in jest. I couldn't resist. I think that until some industry watchdog or marketing group creates criteria for a certfied logo for HD content and HD networks, the content providers will continue to use HD for marketing purposes without actually delivering quality HD content.

I surfed through the Dish HD channels around 6 pm EST last night, after FOODTV, which was HD, I went through TNT, A&E, HIST,TBS, DISC, TLC, the new hockey channel, NFL HD, Big 10, and got NOTHING BUT SD until I hit the Voom channels. "70 channels of HD" is pure and utter BS.

Anyone know any real HD shows being played on this channel?Plenty of them. I've watched a few by now, and, at least in my experience, the guide accurately labels HD. History actually has quite a bit of HD programming, almost as much as NGCHD.

Last two I can remember were Last Stand of the 300 and a show about geological history, and both were good quality for 720p, except for 300's juddery CGI scenes (bad deinterlacing?).

History is 1080i not 720p

History is 1080i not 720p
According to Ken's programming synopsis (which has never been wrong before :D) A&E HD is 720p, but History HD is 1080i...I find that unlikely. What good evidence is there that History HD is 1080i? (Is it the same as the evidence last month that TBS HD was a 720p channel?)

I did see the show about the lost book of Nostradomus in HD on the History channel.

According to Ken's programming synopsis (which has never been wrong before :D) A&E HD is 720p, but History HD is 1080i...I find that unlikely. What good evidence is there that History HD is 1080i? (Is it the same as the evidence last month that TBS HD was a 720p channel?)

Both are 720p for me on Charter.

I thought A&E was also 1080i

Both History and A&E are 720p on DirecTV.

Both channels are 720p and always have been.

According to Ken's programming synopsis (which has never been wrong before :D) A&E HD is 720p, but History HD is 1080i...Time to update that synopsis then.

OMG. Mega-Disasters last night was in TrueHD. Not upscaled and in a 16x9 aspect ratio.

Well, the History HD stretch nonsense got me to join the forum and chime in on the matter. Comcast just added it on 10/30 -- I wrote to the thc.viewerrelations@aetn.com address on the very same day, and got the same reply:

"Thank you for your recent comments concerning The History Channel in HD.

We appreciate the fact that you took the time to contact us because your views on our programs provide the most direct and accurate information upon which we can fine tune this new THC venture.

Cordially,
Viewer Relations"

Here was my original message, for your amusement:

"Dear History Channel,

Yes, I love the History Channel. I watch it more than anything else on television.

Imagine how happy I was to finally get "History Channel HD" on my Comcast service today -- Yippee!!

Imagine my UTTER, DRIPPING DISAPPOINTMENT when it became apparent that absolutely =EVERYTHING= has been stretched to fill the screen! PLEASE STOP THIS ABOMINATION!!

Look. We =know= that it'll take you a while to amass "real" HDTV content. We =know= that a lot of what you have shown is standard definition stuff, and it is PERFECTLY FINE to go ahead and show that on your HD channel.

BUT PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, PLEASE STOP STRETCHING THE ASPECT RATIO!!!!

Does nobody within your organization have the utter simplest clue that stretching the aspect ratio makes absolutely everything look horrible?

Look, your viewers =have= HDTV sets. =WE= can stretch a standard-definition-aspect-ratio show, or crop it, or process it a bunch of different ways, but we =CAN NOT= undo the damage you do if you stretch it when you broadcast it.

PLEASE STOP THIS NOW!!

Just let standard-definitition-aspect-ratio be what it is, and leave it alone. Present true HDTV signal in its proper aspect ratio when you can. BUT PLEASE STOP THIS STRETCHING NOW!!

Or, if you just hate "good ratings," just go ahead and leave this abomination the way it is, and we'll just go watch something else. Trust me, not even =YOU= would put up with this "always stretched, all the time nonsense" that you're broadcasting now.

STOP IT. PLEASE!!!

Thank you!"

Oh, and for the record, my Toshiba 37-inch Regza set can "squish it back," though I've got a couple of 20-inch Toshiba HD sets that don't have that feature.

I'd really encourage everyone to write, write, write them, and maybe someday they'll come to their senses. I'd also recommend mentioning how one of their major competitors, National Geographic HD, manages to simulcast HD and standard-definition content without ruining the SD content's aspect ratio -- perhaps History/A&E should go check some other channels and see how it can be done. Then add a "Sheesh!" to the end. :p

In the meantime, all I can say is "man, this stinks."

I received a reply to, but it indicated that someone actually reads their email:

At 12:33 PM 10/30/2007 -0500, you wrote:

>I'm disappointed that History Channel HD is showing HD programs with a
>improper aspect ratio. Instead of being in 16x9, you show HD programs
>letterboxed. This results in a vertically squashed unappealing picture. Is
>there some technology reason for this? On the program guide that you send
>out to the masses, you indicate certain shows are HD, but when viewed they
>are naseously stretched.
>
>Until you fix this, I'll probably switch to the Discovery and NGC HD
>channels since they can broadcast their HD content correctly.
>
>If this email actually makes it to someone who cares, I would appreciate a
>reply.
>
>
>T Milner



Dear Mr. Milner,

Thank you for your recent comments concerning The History Channel in HD. WE
DO CARE!

We appreciate the fact that you took the time to contact us because your
views on our programs provide the most direct and accurate information upon
which we can fine tune this new THC venture.

Cordially,
Viewer Relations

Time to update that synopsis then.Done, thanks.

According to Ken's programming synopsis (which has never been wrong before :D)You must be kidding.

I read and re-read that at least a few times each week, and find mistakes; spelling, grammar, and factual.

Programming note:
On Saturday, Nov. 10th, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. (et) are two two-hour shows that have (shockingly) been correctly displayed in HD before on History HD, and that I personally found to be absolutely outstanding (both educationally, and with respect to the HD quality).

6:00 p.m. - The Universe: Beyond the Big Bang
8:00 p.m. - How the Earth was Made
I highly recommend both shows.

There was a show on in True HD today. It was called Titanic's Tragic Sister. They did a dive to explore Britannia which sank in 1916. Lots of good underwater HD footage. It's on again at 6pm est this evening.