ABC Programming 4 by 3 What gives? (1 Viewer)

[James FT]

I watched the Practice last night on Bell Expressvu. I was disappointed that the show was in a 4 by 3 aspect ratio.What happened to 16 by 9 picture?
I feel somewhat cheated. NYPD and their movies would be in 16 by 9.on previous broadcasts.
Was the 4 by 3 broadcast standard or was this something that Expressvu and local Boston station were doing last night.
Tonight they are attempting to broadcast NFL it is 4 by 3 also but the picture is frozen as I write this, so obviously there is some technical problem.
It was interesting to note on Sunday that the educating of Max on CBS was 16 by 9 via the Boston CBS station WBZ then It was rebroadcast using the Seattle KOMO Washington station at 11pm and it was in 4 by 3.
Is there some sort of technical problem with the 16 by 9 does it use too much bandwidth ?
It would be nice to get the big picture.

 

[Andy L]

I saw on another forum that there was some sort of a communication breakdown between ABC and their affiliates regarding HD and the start of the season. Many people were reporting the same problem as you with the Practice. Apparently some stations got it fixed before the show ended while others did not. Look for the future episodes to be in 16:9 HD.

 

[Mike I]

I had to call my local affiliate and they immediatly flipped the switch ...The Practice look great...
------------------

 

[Chip_Slattery]

James,
After contacting WCVB (Boston's ABC affiliate) I was informed that they "had a part fail" which prevented them from passing on the HD feed of "The Practice". They indicated that they hoped to have it fixed before the next scheduled HD broadcast. We'll see...
Anyone who watched MNF last night OTA on WCVB-DT probably also noticed a problem with the picture quality. Very noticable scan lines, as if every other line of the interlaced signal was black. Not sure if this is related to the "failed part" mentioned or if they are having other issues. We'll see tonight...
Chip

 

[James FT]

Thanks for the update chip. MNF came on the dish at 9pm the picture froze with horizontal black lines through it. Bell Expressvu switched to the CBS for the balance of the evening.
Having watched Tuesday line up on ABC Dharma and Greg,Spin City and Philly I can say I am not impressed with ABC quality. Their movies in HD are far superior For the record all Tuesday night programs were in 16:9on the Boston Station.
CBS is better with the HD quality

 

[Chip_Slattery]

Apparently WCVB-DT (Boston ABC affiliate) did not work out their problems prior to tonight. All of tonight's programs were stretched NTSC, not HD.
From what I have read in other threads the quality of ABC's HD is on par with some of the lesser CBS programs. The movies they have shown in HD as well as NYPD Blue have been decent, not great. Of course, this may have something to do with the E*6000 receiver upconverting their 720p to 1080i which makes the picture a little soft anyway.
I'm not gonna' bash ABC for their efforts, but I really wish WCVB would get their act together.
Chip
[Edited last by Chip_Slattery on September 25, 2001 at 09:59 PM]

 

[James FT]

You confirmed my suspicion lets home they get with the 2lst century some time soon.