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AMC HD Terrible Aspect Ratio

#1
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3/23/08 at 9:37am
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I just noticed Comcast has added AMC HD. I'm not sure what the problem is but the aspect ratio of every film, whether 1.85 or 2.35 is completely stretched and out of proportion. It fills the 16X9 screen...but it is totally unwatchable to view any film. It that AMC's decision to visually butcher every film they show or Comcast's? Anyone have any insight?

Ken

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#2
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3/23/08 at 10:17am
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Re: AMC HD Terrible Aspect Ratio

Sounds like they do what TNT HD does--first they chop films to a 4:3 AR, then stretch to 16:9. It's the worst possible treatment.
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#3
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3/23/08 at 10:19am
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Re: AMC HD Terrible Aspect Ratio

With commercials I can't watch that channel anyway. Not long ago I recorded on HD "The Ghost and the Darkness" from the Universal channel. As soon as I figured out that this presentation had commericials, I ended up deleting the recording. I simply can't watch movies with commercials any longer.





Crawdaddy
G.W. McLintock: Camille, you're on your own.
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#4
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3/23/08 at 10:46am
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Re: AMC HD Terrible Aspect Ratio

I assumed there wouldn't be the OAR but I had hoped that they wouldn't go the TNT stretch route too.
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#5
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3/23/08 at 11:12am
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Re: AMC HD Terrible Aspect Ratio

I refuse to watch movies on Universal due to the commercial breaks. I also refuse to watch movies on TNT-HD (commercials and stretching). And the Sci-Fi channel has the nerve to call itself HD, and then airs TV Shows that were shot in HD cropped to 4x3. Why is Sci-Fi HD named that?
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#6
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3/23/08 at 3:13pm
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Re: AMC HD Terrible Aspect Ratio

I had no idea!!! It is ridiculous that that these stations are stretching pan and scanned 2.35 films to fit 16X9. No wonder RIO BRAVO which was originally 1.85 looked so terrible on AMC HD yesterday. (No I usually don't watch AMC because of the commercials but was curious as to whether the films were being shown in Stunning HD) Now I know the answer
This gives HD a BAD name....It truly looks worse than any SD channel.

Ken

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#7
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3/24/08 at 11:27am
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Re: AMC HD Terrible Aspect Ratio

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Williams
I refuse to watch movies on Universal due to the commercial breaks. I also refuse to watch movies on TNT-HD (commercials and stretching). And the Sci-Fi channel has the nerve to call itself HD, and then airs TV Shows that were shot in HD cropped to 4x3. Why is Sci-Fi HD named that?
I'm not so picky. I just hit the 30 sec fast fow'd button 6 times (takes about 5 seconds) and I'm back to the movie. I do set the line at stretching, however.
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#8
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4/3/08 at 12:36am
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Re: AMC HD Terrible Aspect Ratio

amc, tbs and tnt hd are just about pointless.
practically no real HD programs at all.


these channels are just using space that could be used to ad hd channels that
do have hd shows.
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#9
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4/3/08 at 5:04pm
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Re: AMC HD Terrible Aspect Ratio

Letters from Iwo Jima started out non-OAR but after the first or second commercial it became OAR with black bars top and bottom.
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#10
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4/4/08 at 6:47am
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Re: AMC HD Terrible Aspect Ratio

Quote:
Originally Posted by TonyD
amc, tbs and tnt hd are just about pointless.
practically no real HD programs at all.

these channels are just using space that could be used to ad hd channels that do have hd shows.
TBS and TNT do show sporting events in HD, and occasionally movies on TNT are shown OAR. I have heard that TNT is showing The Office in HD now. I agree about the rest of their programming. I don't know how anyone can watch those stretched shows.

Lawn Ranger Motto: You're only young once, but you can be always be immature.

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#11
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4/4/08 at 7:04pm
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Re: AMC HD Terrible Aspect Ratio

Quote:
Originally Posted by Marty M
I have heard that TNT is showing The Office in HD now. I agree about the rest of their programming. I don't know how anyone can watch those stretched shows.
Ugh, I remember seeing an episode of The Office on TBS HD letterboxed in a 4x3 frame then stretched to 16x9. They had the nerve to put "Available in HD" on screen. ARGGGH! I swear my head was about to explode.

= Derek Miner =
Co-founder, Sunscreen Film Festival

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#12
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4/15/08 at 10:06am
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Re: AMC HD Terrible Aspect Ratio

I stumbled across this pointless, atrocity of a so-called "channel" this morning.

I'm all for more HD channels, however, stretching shows and showing them in HD is ridiculous. Its the equivalent of reading National Geographic through a funhouse mirror.

AMC HD and TBS HD are wastes of space & time and I refuse to watch until they quit stretching shows

I noticed the SCI-FI HD channel airing Twilight Zone at 4x3. It looked good!
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#13
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4/15/08 at 4:21pm
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Re: AMC HD Terrible Aspect Ratio

I agree on ignoring the movies offered on AMC-HD so I plan to only watch their HD series like Mad Men an Breaking Bad.
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#14
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12/11/08 at 10:00am
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Re: AMC HD Terrible Aspect Ratio

AMC-HD showed the movie POSSE last night and it was letterboxed at 2.35. I guess they are getting better.

Roland Lataille
Cinerama web site:
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#15
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12/11/08 at 10:29pm
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Re: AMC HD Terrible Aspect Ratio

My god in heaven, Close Encounters of the Third Kind is on right now and they are stretching the pan and scan version! That would be punishable by life in prison if I were running things.
"You have no idea how far i'm willing to go to acquire your cooperation." - Jack Bauer
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#16
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12/12/08 at 6:46am
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Re: AMC HD Terrible Aspect Ratio

The only time that I've seen AMC not stretch things is when they play Mad Men.
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#17
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12/12/08 at 8:40am
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Re: AMC HD Terrible Aspect Ratio

Quote:
Originally Posted by RolandL
AMC-HD showed the movie POSSE last night and it was letterboxed at 2.35. I guess they are getting better.
AMC is doing a better job when showing more current movies. I have noticed that Patriot Games from the early 90s was shown in its OAR. IMO, the worst on AMC is when they stretch a movie that has a OAR of 4:3. That is a real travesty.

Lawn Ranger Motto: You're only young once, but you can be always be immature.

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#18
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12/12/08 at 2:39pm
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Re: AMC HD Terrible Aspect Ratio

What these programmers are doing is worse than coloring movies, pan'n scan, updating mono to 5.1, anything that changes the original video and audio. The definition of HD is a broadcast in 720P or higher formatted in 16 x 9. There is no requirement for audio so mono is acceptable.

Filling the screen when broadcasting movies 2:00 or wider is unacceptable. Unfortunately there is no governing body to enforce aspect ratio. Consequently, the programmers decide for themselves and the consumer is left with watching a movie cropped and stretched out of proportion.

The only way this matter will ever be resolved is if Cable, Satellite and Telephone are forced to sell a la cart. Then programs like AMC will disappear over lack of subscribers.
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#19
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12/12/08 at 9:48pm
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Re: AMC HD Terrible Aspect Ratio

I found this forum because I had many of the same complaints I have read here from others. As I thought about it more, a possible explanation came to mind.

Now, I am no expert on programming and licensing, but I suspect that channels like AMC have purchased rights and built up a catalog of programs over the years. They tend to re-air the same stuff over and over. Maybe they own some outright, and have limited rights to others to rebroadcast a certain number of times or for certain periods of time.

Now, if there is any validity to this point, then they may be sitting on a big pile of licenses to SD versions. They probably hate the idea of paying again for the HD version of programs for which they already paid a fair price. That could explain why only the newer stuff is HD.

By the way -- AMC showed Star Trek Nemesis earlier today, in 16x9, and in what seemed to be DVD/480P quality. I do not know if that was the OAR, but at least it was not that 4x3 stretched nonsense. I did not check to see if they letterboxed it on their SD channel.

Oh, and regarding the free ride these channels get as part of programming bundles -- cable companies can tell if no one is watching a channel. The real problem are the idiots who couldn't care less that images are disproportional, and wouldn't know SD from 480P from true HD.

In my experience, it seems that most people prefer a stretched 4x3 than to have black space on the sides of their screen.

One last thought... I really like the way TLC handles their HD broadcast of their original 4x3 programming. Even if the source is 4x3, the quality seems to be full HD. Plus, they use a nice compromise of a partial zoom, where they keep a little black space on the side of the image and crop a little off of the top and bottom.

Kirk out
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