Happy Birthday BBC TWO

Says a lot when TV's Naughtiest Blunders can show 4:3 in a widescreen frame, yet an apparently serious retrospective refuses to bend the rules

In point of fact, no rule-bending would be required. The BBC's own Producer Guidelines specifically state that pillarboxing 4:3 within the 16:9 frame is a perfectly acceptable way of incorporating archive footage into a widescreen programme.

Just a shame many producers don't use it.

Surprised there was no mention of The Day Today, one of the channel's most important comedy shows.

From what I remember, the 30th birthday theme night was better, with lots of individual programmes, one about colour for example.

http://mulder.sneakyhacker.net/BBC2-40-75-StupidARCsmall.jpg

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGG!
(hits head againgst wall)

What the hell is was going through their heads when they did this!

As much as it pains me to agree with Larry Scutta and his evil Londoness - he is right. The programme was nicely done into 14:9 and not into full blown 16:9 croporama. It was carefully done too so as to avoid the kindof damage seen on I Love shows.

If you're celebrating a channel's history and all but 30% of the entire archive was made in 4:3, of course there's a need.

Perhaps some lazy slob in the presentation or editing department who really couldn't care less what the quality of his/her work is.

I blame those souls who will whine about those huge black bars eitherside of their brand new widescreen telly.

Eh?
Did I run over your cat or something?

yes you did with a poorly animated graphic. If you will remember you nearly got me if I had not been saved by a swift intervention from Kay's Midlands Breakfast Information System

Meanwhile over on BBC 2...

So why did that ident appear both zoomed to the point of chopping bits off and stretched in completely the wrong direction then, hey?

right click and save target as

Now, if I can do that, they can. And it would be easier for them, as they don't have to work with VHS nth gen copies from decaying n1500 tapes.