Taken From TrekToday.com , Enterprise not to be shown in Widescreen in the UK... (1 Viewer)

[DeathStar1]

Even though I'm in the states, this is rather dissapointing, since the widescreen look gives the show a....classier feel that it wouldn't have other wise. Would resemble Voyager in Pan and Scan..

>>According to a report at EnterpriseUK.tv, Enterprise will not be shown in widescreen when it makes its debut in the United Kingdom on Monday. "At the present time, our extensive research and careful monitoring of viewer feedback has indicated that the widescreen viewer is still outnumbered 3:1," a Sky One spokesperson said. >>

 

[PhilipG]

And indeed, 4:3 pan/scam it was. With the stupid Sky One logo permanently in the corner, and way too many advert breaks (I'm too used to DVDs!).
But then, Sky crops everything down to please their idiot viewer majority.

 

[David Lambert]

Boo/hiss!
Was it REALLY "Pan & Scan"...that is, chopped off at the sides and all? Or was it Open Matte?
I would LOVE for some comparison shots between the two presentations.
HERE'S a way to get a zillion rabid Trekkies to jump onto the OAR cause...especially once they know that Leonard "Spock" Nimoy supports it!

 

[PhilipG]

David, I believe it was pan/scam. I tried the 16x9 zoom (to get rid of the logo), and a lot of heads got chopped off.

 

[andrew markworthy]

Yep, it was pan and scan - that and the idiotic title music somewhat marred the occasion.

 

[mark_d]

I never really expected it, but Sky could have used this, along with the new Buffy season (isn't that 16:9 now? I don't watch) to kick off anamorphic programming. These are their crown jewels and I reckon it could have been a good selling point. Hell, the digibox even has a crop option alongside the 16:9 and letterbox options in the setup if you want to avoid black bars. AND I bet their 3:1 research results are based on physical TV ownership, not preference, and take no account of when someone is thinking of upgrading. I've had a 16:9 set for a good few years now, (I'm on my 3rd) but even before that, on my naff old 21" 4:3, I actively searched out OAR.

Me? I'm gonna forgo the Sky showings and catch it on the beeb (making an assumption there) - If I can be bothered, that is. I'm a bit trekked out...

Mark

 

[PhilipG]

Bad news, Mark, Enterprise has gone to Channel 4 after Sky.
Which means adverts, cuts and probably that stupid "T4" logo as well.
DVDs sorely neeeded!

 

[Duncan Harvey]

It was the first time I'd watched Sky One in years, and the number of ads surprised me - ie a 90 minute show taking up 2 hrs of schedule time. Then again, a good third of the ad time consisted of Sky plugging their own shows...

Having seen the first 20 mins of a bootleg US the UK version is definitely pan and scan, although I suspect the show was shot "safely" to prevent 4:3 viewers from losing too much.

My main concern is that C4 will simply be passed the broadcast masters from Sky and that the widescreen versions wont by tx'd in the UK. Still I'd probably wait for DVDs to be honest.

 

[andrew markworthy]

Why couldn't Sky show it in P & S for one broadcast and then do the repeat in widescreen?

Incidentally, regarding the number of adverts - we started watching the programme on our Sky Plus box (akin to Tivo) half an hour after the programme started. By skipping the adverts we caught up with the real time end of the programme. I realise that whining about the number of adverts will get hollow laughter from American members, but in Britain we aren't used to huge numbers of adverts, especially when Sky is a subscription service.

 

[stewart borland]

I cancelled Sky after Voyager, X-Files, Buffy & Roswell ended. 4 episodes of the Simpsons a night was way too much for me!!
What I would say to anyone thinking of getting Sky - if you don't already have one - BUY a video recorder I NEVER watch a show live, the ads drive me mad.
And yes P&S - black mark Sky.

 

[Jeff_Shafer]

Anyone know if it'll be shown Pan and Scam or 16:9 here in Australia? I think Channel 9 has this.

 

[Duncan Harvey]

Andrew - that presupposes that Sky have acquired widescreen masters, or that such masters exist in PAL. It may be that Paramount havent prepared these - depends on what the demand has been.

I know that it would be "logical" to prepare both, but thats no guarantee.

It might be a shrewd move by Paramount to protect their home video market by only issuing the widescreen PAL versions on tape in 2002 followed by a DVD box set sometime towards the end of 2003.

 

[Dharmesh C]

If the BBC and Channel4 can get access to 16x9 masters so can SKY!

At least CH4 show the widescreen versions of the American shows.