JA
james
Do channels have to pay more to broadcast in Widescreen than 4:3? I have been wondering about this because when Sky Sports News shut down (on Freeview) they were in 4:3 yet when Sky 3+1 launched it was in widescreen. I also think that Viva should be in widescreen as all of the newer music videos are letterboxed.
DA
There is a somewhat incomplete guide to configuring your television to watch widescreen broadcasts here too...
http://www.france24.com/en/france24-16x9
http://www.france24.com/en/france24-16x9
IS
No, it's all to do with how much 16:9 content you have to broadcast. Sky Sports News was an oddity remaining a 4:3 channel for so long, presumably because of the on screen graphics - making it 16:9 SD but also 4:3 safe would have been problematic and possibly not worth it. Now it's part of Sky's big HD push and with 4:3 safe rules out the window it's possible.
International news channels have been amongst the last to go widescreen for 2 main reasons - firstly there are distribution issues with sending out a 16:9 channel into what has been a mainly 4:3 world. They are carried by hundreds of cable companies and other TV providers so it's a lot more foolproof to send out the traditional standard format to everyone. Secondly the news channels use a lot of material from news agencies and until fairly recently the main 2 - Reuters and AP were 4:3. Reuters changed about a year ago, AP at the end of last year.
Do channels have to pay more to broadcast in Widescreen than 4:3? I have been wondering about this because when Sky Sports News shut down (on Freeview) they were in 4:3 yet when Sky 3+1 launched it was in widescreen. I also think that Viva should be in widescreen as all of the newer music videos are letterboxed.
No, it's all to do with how much 16:9 content you have to broadcast. Sky Sports News was an oddity remaining a 4:3 channel for so long, presumably because of the on screen graphics - making it 16:9 SD but also 4:3 safe would have been problematic and possibly not worth it. Now it's part of Sky's big HD push and with 4:3 safe rules out the window it's possible.
International news channels have been amongst the last to go widescreen for 2 main reasons - firstly there are distribution issues with sending out a 16:9 channel into what has been a mainly 4:3 world. They are carried by hundreds of cable companies and other TV providers so it's a lot more foolproof to send out the traditional standard format to everyone. Secondly the news channels use a lot of material from news agencies and until fairly recently the main 2 - Reuters and AP were 4:3. Reuters changed about a year ago, AP at the end of last year.
Last edited by Inspector Sands on 9 January 2011 5:39pm
IS
Not the only one - AJE is in 4:3 too (although it's made in 16:9 and appears in that format online), I'm pretty sure there's at least another, maybe CCTV?
The difference with CNN is, I suspect, that there hasn't really been a convention in the US for 16:9 SD.
Makes CNN look even worse as the only international news channel still in 4:3. 
When will they realize this?
When will they realize this?
Not the only one - AJE is in 4:3 too (although it's made in 16:9 and appears in that format online), I'm pretty sure there's at least another, maybe CCTV?
The difference with CNN is, I suspect, that there hasn't really been a convention in the US for 16:9 SD.
RO
rob
Founding member
Good catch Stuart. The new graphics are a big improvement...
http://www.tv-live.org.uk/rob/euro1.jpg
More caps at TV Live
http://www.tv-live.org.uk/rob/euro1.jpg
More caps at TV Live
Last edited by rob on 12 January 2011 8:45am