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The future of TV broadcasting formats

Wide-screen, HD, 3D, 4K, but what's the next big broadcaster/manufacturer format push? (December 2020)

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MA
Markymark
I know some people are of the opinion that we should have skipped widescreen SD, and waited for widescreen HD. But for me, the widescreen aspect ratio just looks so much better for most kinds of programmes, that it would have been disappointing to have a whole extra decade's worth of programmes still in 4:3.


I agree, I was consuming widescreen in that early-adaptor manner in the mid 90s, with a PAL+ Sony 32inch CRT widescreen, serial number 100006, watching everything (and there wasn't much !) that C4 transmitted in the format. There was so much static electricity from the EHT components, I had to repaint the walls of 'TV Corner' every 18 months.
Flat panel displays were not a moment too soon !
VM
VMPhil
I know some people are of the opinion that we should have skipped widescreen SD, and waited for widescreen HD. But for me, the widescreen aspect ratio just looks so much better for most kinds of programmes, that it would have been disappointing to have a whole extra decade's worth of programmes still in 4:3.


I agree, I was consuming widescreen in that early-adaptor manner in the mid 90s, with a PAL+ Sony 32inch CRT widescreen, serial number 100006, watching everything (and there wasn't much !) that C4 transmitted in the format. There was so much static electricity from the EHT components, I had to repaint the walls of 'TV Corner' every 18 months.
Flat panel displays were not a moment too soon !

What, you mean it discoloured your walls?! Call me ignorant but how exactly did it do that?
MA
Markymark
I know some people are of the opinion that we should have skipped widescreen SD, and waited for widescreen HD. But for me, the widescreen aspect ratio just looks so much better for most kinds of programmes, that it would have been disappointing to have a whole extra decade's worth of programmes still in 4:3.


I agree, I was consuming widescreen in that early-adaptor manner in the mid 90s, with a PAL+ Sony 32inch CRT widescreen, serial number 100006, watching everything (and there wasn't much !) that C4 transmitted in the format. There was so much static electricity from the EHT components, I had to repaint the walls of 'TV Corner' every 18 months.
Flat panel displays were not a moment too soon !

What, you mean it discoloured your walls?! Call me ignorant but how exactly did it do that?


It attacted dust, so a large black mark formed there. Same effect but more pronounced as the mark left around hanging pictures, and furniture
VM
VMPhil
I see, sort of like the black marks that surround old fluorescent light fittings.
DV
DVB Cornwall
I am looking forward to developments in Virtual Creation and the libraries that are being compiled for domestic up-conversion of SD, HD and 4K content to HD, 4K and 8K for display. The prospects for this intrigue me and the extension of these libraries to historic material could lead to some sensational restoration of quite ropey vintage content. The cost of the equipment is now well within budget for this to be done commercialliy in quantity.

Maybe not immediately but I can see this market being huge in the future especially when 4:3 - 16:9 extensions become viable, i.e. adding created intelligent imagery into the frame where the 4:3 image ends.

We'll see.
MA
Markymark
I see, sort of like the black marks that surround old fluorescent light fittings.


Yep, wherever there's an electostatic effect. In fact it's taken advantage of in other worlds by applying the effect to paint particles to obtain a quality coating

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrostatic_coating

24 days later

RI
Richard
The first French B&W system, introduced in 1948, could be termed HD today, as it was approximately 736i.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analog_high-definition_television_system

“High Definition” originally would have covered 405 lines which would be termed 376i today.

I don’t see a massive difference between 4K and HD, though 4K is usually better. The difference between 1080p and 576i is of course much more noticeable, but part of that is due to how 576i material is viewed today. 576i looks much better on a CRT TV. A few years ago I had a Freeview HD box connected to a JVC 24” CRT widescreen tv via SCART. The picture quality on SD content was noticeably better than on an LG flatscreen TV of the same size. Even for HD material I didn’t notice a massive difference even though it was being downconverted.

Now, 4:3 material is often cropped to 16:9, and although image processing often helps, it is now effectively 432i
TE
Technologist
It says on the plaque on AP that 405 line was the worlds first High Definition service ..

All viewing tests by EBU etc show very little perceived improvement looking at UHD1 over HD
The key thing to be aware if is that a HD lens /sensor but definition has zero output
at HD resolution 1080 lines .....
whilst a UHD lens sensor is has a MTF of 68% at 1080line and nothing at 2160 .
So UHD acquired HD is a lot sharper than HD acquired .’
But with most high end acquisition has greater static resolution than UHD1
So it does have say 40% MTF at 2160 lines

The lack of wow factor is why UHD drives better pixels HDR WCG may be HFR
And as better sound b[makes the picture better perceptively NGA as well
DE
deejay
I assume the plaque at Alexandra Palace is referring to the 405line service as being high definition as opposed to the Baird system, which was run on alternate weeks in the early days. The Baird system was only 30 lines resolution.
TE
Technologist
I assume the plaque at Alexandra Palace is referring to the 405line service as being high definition as opposed to the Baird system, which was run on alternate weeks in the early days. The Baird system was only 30 lines resolution.

Yes and 405 was greater than the 240 lines first offered by the EMI System.
The Baird system is better defined as 30 strips ...the "lines" Were vertical rather than horizontal as we have in the 240/405/819/
525(480) /625(576)/1125 (1080) etc systems
UK
UKnews
I assume the plaque at Alexandra Palace is referring to the 405line service as being high definition as opposed to the Baird system, which was run on alternate weeks in the early days. The Baird system was only 30 lines resolution.

The first Baird system was, the one in competition with the EMI system was 240 lines.

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