Food Network HD warped image? Yes.

They use a non-linear stretching technique on their HD feed stretching any 4:3 content. It's referred to as stretch-o-vision. They do it on the commercials as well.

It is a non-linear stretch on their non-HD material that you are seeing. It is coming from the network that way.

This is Food Networks way of acting like it knows something about HD. Just like TNT, both are idiots.

The sad thing is, Food Network used to run a separate HD feed that was close to reference quality.

No - it's the Food Network's way of acting like the viewers don't know anything about HD.

Good point, and the unfortunate thing about it is that they're probably correct, and more to the point, very much on-target.

To be fair - if you check the program guide - the show in question wont actually be listed as HD (at least my guide tends to be accurate on Time Warner) - unlike TNT/TBS which will list everything as HD. (HGTV is in the same boat as Food Network - as they are both owned by the same company)

On FiOS anything on an HD channel is listed as an HD program.

Do you mean to say that Rachel Ray's arms don't really look like Popeye's? Or Giada D's head is really not that huge?

Why are you looking at Giada's head?

Yeah, what's with that?

I choose not to answer that question on the grounds that it might incriminate me.

It's rude not to stare at the eyes .

to be fair though Food Networks newer shows are in HD and some of them look great, Barefoot Contessa, Tyler Florence shows looks outstanding and even the newer Everyday Italian looks really good. Even that nut Sandra Lee's show looks great. Yes my wife is a HUGE Food Network fan and I'm not allowed to watch Everyday Italian. LOL

But when they show reruns of their older shows it's either stretched or panaromic.
My Comcast will list it as HD or not.

Because too many HD viewers are clueless and complain about black letterbox bars on content that is wider than 16:9 and complain about pillar bars on content that is 4:3.

By stretching 4:3 content to 16:9, they make sure a viewer's screen is always "full."

Sad, but true.

Giada at Home and Everyday Italian look great in HD. EI has been in HD since 2005. Paula's show has been HD as well. FN has been producing shows in HD for a few years now and it's nice. Our provider must be rateshaping them since the macroblocking is noticeable.

That question has been asked here many many times. The short answer is we don't know, and it appears Food Network doesn't care. Even if they got rid of the non-linear stretch then some people can unstretch the picture.

You will learn that all Food Network topics turn into conversations about Giada's and/or Sandra's boobs. There is really nothing that can be done about it, it's almost a rule.

It's not a problem, I was just saying. For newer viewers to see this and wonder shows you just how bad it really is.

It always does, because of Giada, her chest, her big head, and their big heads.

I know this is an older thread, but I wanted to post about an annoyance with Food HD and this seemed to be the thread to do it: the series 'Ace of Cakes' is produced either in 16x9 SD or in HD (I really don't know which), but I'm guessing 16x9 SD.

On the standard-def Food Network feed, the show is broadcast letterboxed in the 4x3 window. On Food HD, they take the letterboxed 4x3 image, and then stretch it. This produces the result of leaving letterbox bars at the top of a 16x9 HD set, as well as the Stretch-O-Vision distortion from taking a 4x3 source and expanding it horizontally.

If they had even a fraction of a clue, they would simply show the 16x9 source -- it would have to be upconverted from SD, but it would be 1-to-1 (no stretching), and no extra letterbox bars would be left over. Unfortunately, it is clear that the Food Network isn't interested in doing anything more than the bare minimum.

That's the problem though.

Watch the home/real estate shows on HGTV when they pan almost full circle in every room of the house and try to keep your lunch down.

That's why I'm shocked Food/HGTV use this method of stretching. It seems like all of their shows are shot the same. The food shows use the back and forth panning as the host cooks. The decorating/fix it shows pan around the rooms. That looks horrible in stretchovision.

Glad I'm not the only one who feels nauseated by this!

Or the old SD episodes of shows like Unwrapped where they show a closeup of cans or bottles moving down a processing line at high speed.

Amen it is a beautiful thing to have to look at and sometimes I watch her cook