[JTAnderson]

I watched K Street on HBO-HD Sunday night and it was both letterboxed and windowboxed. Doesn't HBO realize that I payed good money for this HDTV and I want the screen filled!*


*Note: The above statement is an attempt at irony. I know the subject of OAR on HBO has been beaten to death, but this really ticked me off.

 

[Azanon]

Your HDTV widescreen ratio is 1.78:1, which is usually expanded (with slight overscan) to 1.85:1 out of the factory so that most widescreen movies will fill up the screen. However, approximately 30% (total guess from personal experience) of movies are filmed in 2.35:1 ratio, which is even narrower having a more panoramic effect. Naturally, this will not fill up your screen and leave black bars on the top and bottom. (one that comes to mind was "The Patriot" - which i think was awesome on the 2.35:1 cause you could see the whole battlefield).


On the bright side of things, you have much less wasted space than someone with a 4:3 tv that watches a 2.35:1 movie.

 

[HDTVChallenged]

Quote:

Originally posted by JTAnderson I watched K Street on HBO-HD Sunday night and it was both letterboxed and windowboxed. Doesn't HBO realize that I payed good money for this HDTV and I want the screen filled!* *Note: The above statement is an attempt at irony. I know the subject of OAR on HBO has been beaten to death, but this really ticked me off.

What do you expect? It looked like they used SD camcorders to shoot it. (Well at least the first 2 minutes that I watched )


HDC

 

[Crash_Corrigan]

A number of HBO's original series are not HD (like Sex and the City) and are upconverted for HBO HD. Thus, black bars top and bottom and left and right.


Most HD movies on HBO HD are panned and scanned to fit the 16:9 format. A few of their older HD tranfers are in OAR.


Personally, I'll take black bars over having the material stretched or zoomed or panned & scanned. But, that's just my opinion.

 

[HDTVChallenged]

Quote:

Originally posted by Crash_Corrigan A number of HBO's original series are not HD (like Sex and the City) and are upconverted for HBO HD. Thus, black bars top and bottom and left and right.

Crash,

Normally, those of us with 16:9 sets only get black bars on the left and right (pillarboxed) in these cases. Letterboxed SD (like K-Street) material is usually zoomed to fill the screen on HBO-HD.


HDC

 

[Azanon]

I didn't know that (HBO pan/scanned 2.35:1 material). Hmm... more the reason to not get it.

 

[alpha21]

Quote:

Originally posted by Azanon I didn't know that (HBO pan/scanned 2.35:1 material). Hmm... more the reason to not get it.

not sure that they do...

I use DVI, so my stretch options are standard and HD expand - i just always leave it on standard

I also have my sat box on 16x9


If the program/movie is not in HD - there are black bars on the sides (also pan/scans, because is in 4:3)


If the program/movie IS in HD - fits screen perfectly (unless in 2.35:1, then has bars top and bottom, is not stretched and does not pan/scan)

 

[Crash_Corrigan]

HBOs newer HD transfers typically pan & scan movies with aspect ratios wider than 16:9 to fit widescreen TVs. I didn't mean that any of HBO's HD movies were panned and scanned to 4:3. Only a limited number of older movies are shown on HBO in OAR.


I didn't see K Street. The original poster described the show being in a windowbox. That occurs on some upconverted SD. I think some local stations do that more often that HBO HD or Showtime HD.

 

[alpha21]

Quote:

Originally posted by Crash_Corrigan [B I didn't see K Street. The original poster described the show being in a windowbox. That occurs on some upconverted SD. I think some local stations do that more often that HBO HD or Showtime HD. [/b]

I see that on commercials, that have letterboxing, so that plus the side bars = windowboxing

 

[JTAnderson]

Hmmm. I guess I may have misused the term "windowbox". I've used it to mean black/gray bars on the sides, but apparently the correct term for that is "pillarbox". Windowbox is black/gray bars on all four sides? (Which does accurately describe K Street.)


In any case, since subtlety seems to be lost on many of you, my complaint is that HBO-HD does not show (new transfer) 2.35:1 films in letterbox format because "our customers like to have their screens filled". Yet, they do show 4:3 material pillarboxed. And, they take this to the point of absurdity by showing SD 16:9 material, such as K Street, with black bars on all four sides.

 

[HDTVChallenged]

Quote:

Originally posted by JTAnderson Hmmm. I guess I may have misused the term "windowbox". I've used it to mean black/gray bars on the sides, but apparently the correct term for that is "pillarbox". Windowbox is black/gray bars on all four sides? (Which does accurately describe K Street.) In any case, since subtlety seems to be lost on many of you, my complaint is that HBO-HD does not show (new transfer) 2.35:1 films in letterbox format because "our customers like to have their screens filled". Yet, they do show 4:3 material pillarboxed. And, they take this to the point of absurdity by showing SD 16:9 material, such as K Street, with black bars on all four sides.

Your subtlety (and sarcasm) were not missed


HDC

 

[da_burl]

He's right, we left K St. on after being thoroughly impressed by Carnavale, and it was windowboxed. I do remember thinking WTF?? Watched about 10 minutes, then back to HD football. Wasn't too impressed, guess I thought it would be a more West Wing type drama show, not a political "reality show"!