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Simpsons Season 20 (New HD Intro)

post #1 of 36
2/14/09 at 3:30pm
Thread Starter 
After nearly 20 years, The Simpsons have changed their intro with full episodes now broadcast in Widescreen HD.



YouTube - The Simpsons - NEW Main Title
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post #2 of 36
2/14/09 at 3:36pm

Re: Simpsons Season 20 (New HD Intro)

Nice to see they are keeping elements from the old opening sequence. I think that the couch chasing goes on a little too long, though.
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post #3 of 36
2/14/09 at 3:42pm

Re: Simpsons Season 20 (New HD Intro)

If I remember correctly, they were using the wider theatrical film animation cels and plates (or whatever, not familiar with all the terminology) to create the show for years, so it's probably not a big deal for them to create the show for a 16:9 frame.

Damn TV wasn't mounted right!
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post #4 of 36
2/15/09 at 5:04am

Re: Simpsons Season 20 (New HD Intro)

Love that new intro even though Burns and Smithers were replaced by Lenny and Carl. And did my eyes decieve me or did Maggie's price change? I wonder if the switch to widescreen means we'll start getting the season sets on blu-ray. Hope so.
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post #5 of 36
2/15/09 at 11:39am

Re: Simpsons Season 20 (New HD Intro)

Hmmm. I have mixed feelings about it. It's technically well made but it just feels "off" and a bit antiseptic.
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post #6 of 36
2/15/09 at 2:34pm

Re: Simpsons Season 20 (New HD Intro)

Well, I suppose with all that happened over the years, and update to the intro was due.

Quote:
I think that the couch chasing goes on a little too long, though.

Yeah, in the last few years many of the couch gags go on for very long. They seem to be producing shorter episode running times I guess.
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post #7 of 36
2/15/09 at 3:59pm

Re: Simpsons Season 20 (New HD Intro)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Karl Pozorski
Love that new intro even though Burns and Smithers were replaced by Lenny and Carl. And did my eyes decieve me or did Maggie's price change?

I don't know what the original sequence price was, but this one is pretty easy to see now. Before scanning Maggie, the total was $243.26 and afterwards it was $486.52.
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post #8 of 36
2/15/09 at 4:02pm

Re: Simpsons Season 20 (New HD Intro)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nicholas Martin
I don't know what the original sequence price was,
$847.63
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post #9 of 36
2/15/09 at 4:08pm

Re: Simpsons Season 20 (New HD Intro)

I like it. Nice to see they've moved to widescreen. I'm betting however that it will be shortend down latter on.
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post #10 of 36
2/15/09 at 4:41pm

Re: Simpsons Season 20 (New HD Intro)

Quote:
Originally Posted by TravisR
$847.63


I just downloaded the flv file of this sequence and paused it to read what it said.


I hope you had to look that up, or paused the original sequence, because to just know that offhand....yikes!

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post #11 of 36
2/15/09 at 7:13pm

Re: Simpsons Season 20 (New HD Intro)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nicholas Martin
I hope you had to look that up, or paused the original sequence, because to just know that offhand....yikes!
As sick as it is, I did know it off hand. I'm a walking encyclopedia of about the first decade of The Simpsons but I think that's always stuck with me because I got into an argument with someone who was trying to tell me that it actually said "NRA4EVER" (like the joke in The 138th Episode Spectacular says) and I ended up freeze framing it and showing him the $847.63 and he still wouldn't believe me. That debate ranks as one of the dumber ones that I've ever gotten into.
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post #12 of 36
2/15/09 at 8:17pm

Re: Simpsons Season 20 (New HD Intro)

The $847.63 also unlocked an Easter egg on the Season 3 3rd Disk. It gives you access to audio outtakes from that season.
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post #13 of 36
2/16/09 at 7:43am

Re: Simpsons Season 20 (New HD Intro)

Quote:
Originally Posted by WillG
Yeah, in the last few years many of the couch gags go on for very long. They seem to be producing shorter episode running times I guess.

Good. The new episodes are just torturous. The shorter they are, the better.
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post #14 of 36
2/16/09 at 3:11pm

Re: Simpsons Season 20 (New HD Intro)

Quote:
Originally Posted by TravisR
As sick as it is, I did know it off hand. I'm a walking encyclopedia of about the first decade of The Simpsons but I think that's always stuck with me because I got into an argument with someone who was trying to tell me that it actually said "NRA4EVER" (like the joke in The 138th Episode Spectacular says) and I ended up freeze framing it and showing him the $847.63 and he still wouldn't believe me.

I didn't remember the actual numbers shown there, but knew the NRA gag was never part of it (though I'm sure like your friend a LOT of people started believing it was really there after that episode) because they were clearly numbers.

There must be 100 or more episodes of the show I've never seen because I gave it up around 2000 or so entirely, because once I started seeing promos of upcoming episodes that had Marge becoming a weightlifter with huge arms and other ridiculous things, I was done.

1992 to around 1997 are when I loved it, especially 92, 93 and 94.
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post #15 of 36
2/16/09 at 5:00pm

Re: Simpsons Season 20 (New HD Intro)

The HD version of this episode was really a treat. It was just so colourfull.

Are they going to be in HD from now on?
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post #16 of 36
2/16/09 at 5:41pm

Re: Simpsons Season 20 (New HD Intro)

Yup.
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post #17 of 36
2/16/09 at 6:46pm

Re: Simpsons Season 20 (New HD Intro)

What sucks is that Fox (at least in my area) doesn't letterbox the show for non-HD broadcast so, if you're unfortunate enough to be watching on a 4:3 TV, as I was last night, the picture is completely ruined by extreme cropping.
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post #18 of 36
2/16/09 at 6:56pm

Re: Simpsons Season 20 (New HD Intro)

Quote:
Originally Posted by SD_Brian
What sucks is that Fox (at least in my area) doesn't letterbox the show for non-HD broadcast so, if you're unfortunate enough to be watching on a 4:3 TV, as I was last night, the picture is completely ruined by extreme cropping.

That is dependent on the local affiliate, because some Fox channels (and Global here in Canada) did letterbox the episode for standard definition broadcast.
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post #19 of 36
2/16/09 at 7:22pm

Re: Simpsons Season 20 (New HD Intro)

What sucks is that Fox (at least in my area) doesn't letterbox the show for non-HD broadcast so, if you're unfortunate enough to be watching on a 4:3 TV, as I was last night, the picture is completely ruined by extreme cropping.


Yeah, it was pretty noticable. I remember at least a couple of times where Lisa was talking, but she was almost completely out of the frame.
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post #20 of 36
2/17/09 at 5:17am

Re: Simpsons Season 20 (New HD Intro)

Why is this show still on the air? I stopped watching around 2000 as well, but every once in a while I will watch an episode out of curiousity. I have not laughed once in about five years. The movie,on the other hand, was really good. They should cancel the show, and stick to theatrical features.
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post #21 of 36
2/17/09 at 6:36am

Re: Simpsons Season 20 (New HD Intro)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shad R
Why is this show still on the air?
Because good or bad, people still watch it.
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post #22 of 36
2/17/09 at 8:55am

Re: Simpsons Season 20 (New HD Intro)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shad R
Why is this show still on the air? I stopped watching around 2000 as well, but every once in a while I will watch an episode out of curiousity. I have not laughed once in about five years. The movie,on the other hand, was really good. They should cancel the show, and stick to theatrical features.


Because apart from American Idol, these are the only two shows in the Fox line-up that actually have a steady audience. The rest aren't even a blip on the ratings board. Plus, what was said above, the worldwide numbers for the Simpsons are huge. Like the 138th episode said, it will continue so long as the show remains profitable.
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post #23 of 36
2/17/09 at 9:46am

Re: Simpsons Season 20 (New HD Intro)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anthony Hom
Because apart from American Idol, these are the only two shows in the Fox line-up that actually have a steady audience.
At least House, Lie To Me, Fringe, Bones and 24 are all currently doing better than The Simpsons. That's not to say that The Simpsons isn't still a winner for Fox but it's certainly not their only show either.
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post #24 of 36
2/17/09 at 10:13am

Re: Simpsons Season 20 (New HD Intro)

"I want to live in the sauce!"
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post #25 of 36
2/17/09 at 10:26am

Re: Simpsons Season 20 (New HD Intro)

And the Simpsons' TV is now widescreen too? I liked that little touch, at the 1:50 point, where the credits show on their TV.

However, I watched the new HD intro on my SD Tivo in the bedroom. I'll have to watch it again while Tivo HD still has it.
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post #26 of 36
2/17/09 at 10:52am

Re: Simpsons Season 20 (New HD Intro)

I watched it on 4x3 as well. The first two segments were cropped pretty heavily. But, when they came back from the final break, it was ltbxed.

I don't know if someone in the control room finally noticed or what.

And KING OF THE HILL was ltbxed as well.
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post #27 of 36
2/18/09 at 5:44am

Re: Simpsons Season 20 (New HD Intro)

I liked the new opening segment. After 20 years, it was a good call to update it. And it's not like they haven't tinkered with it before - heck, they change the ending virtually every week.

I'd be fine with the show staying on the air another 20 years. (Although I still want to see an episode that reflects real time - you know, Bart wakes up one day and is 30 years old and wants to know what the hell happened to his teens and 20s.)
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post #28 of 36
3/2/09 at 5:15pm

Re: Simpsons Season 20 (New HD Intro)

The new couch gag for How The Test Was Won was another long one, but a nice homage to classic sitcoms over the years. I must say the story for the show was not very original. Weren't the bullies and Bart hidden away before?
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post #29 of 36
3/2/09 at 5:44pm

Re: Simpsons Season 20 (New HD Intro)

Yeah, it's happened at least once in the past. I didn't catch the full thing because NASCAR delayed it and so I only got about 15 minutes of this because I set King of the Hill to record (of course I didn't get any of that...)

I know I'm probably the only dinosaur at HTF who doesn't have an HDTV yet, but I'm sick of how the networks refuse to air these shows letterboxed. NBC used to be good about this but lately The Office, 30 Rock, SNL, etc. are full frame and cropped. Last night on The Simpsons I couldn't read the first word(s) of the chalkboard gag because it was cut off.
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post #30 of 36
3/2/09 at 6:45pm

Re: Simpsons Season 20 (New HD Intro)

Quote:
Originally Posted by AnthonyC
I know I'm probably the only dinosaur at HTF who doesn't have an HDTV yet, but I'm sick of how the networks refuse to air these shows letterboxed. NBC used to be good about this but lately The Office, 30 Rock, SNL, etc. are full frame and cropped. Last night on The Simpsons I couldn't read the first word(s) of the chalkboard gag because it was cut off.

This isn't the networks. I assume you're probably watching on cable. This is a byproduct of the digital transition and how your provider is carrying the feed. Since the analog feed is going away, cable providers have begun to take the digital feed provided to them and also use it as their standard channel. For this most just crop the sides and send it out that way. Most shows on CBS and ABC are shot for the safe 4:3 area so you don't notice it. But like you said NBC's shows were all shown letterbox because they are shot to use the 16:9 frame. Now that the cable providers are cropping the sides, it's very noticeable. Not sure about other FOX shows but, I noticed the simpsons and king of the hill both appeared to be composed for widescreen now. When i saw the shots of Hank and the gang in the alley, they covered the whole screen. I was thinking at the time "i bet this looks awful on the SD channel." I assume most of hank and boomhauer were cut off.
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