Liquid News is listed as a widescreen programme, but in reality it isn't. The only 16:9 part of the show are studio shots. It appears that all footage that comes in is automatically put into a 14:9 frame - even 16:9 footage.
When there is actual widescreen footage it appears with BLACK BARS on the sides AND above it!
Even graphics they make - not the title sequences - are 14:9.
Sort it out BBC, or don't call it a widescreen programme, if you don't know how to handle 16:9!
RW
RW
I agree, but watching right now, they've actually got a widescreen link to Los Angeles!
(Edited by RW at 8:37 pm on Aug. 3, 2001)
SN
SkyNews
I was going to say that the only time it's 16:9 is LA!
99 per cent of widescreen programmes made by BBC News are actually 14:9.
This is not due to BBC News but rather the other material it uses. All new cameras at widescreen and when the BBC is filming material just for itself it does it in 16:9 but when that material is being used by other broadcaster or it is using material from agencies (Retuters, APTN etc) this is still 4:3, so it is converted into the nearest thing to widescreen 14:9 .. hence you get the black lines. You can see it all the time on News 24. I'm surprised the graphics were not widescreen.
When there is actual widescreen footage it appears with BLACK BARS on the sides AND above it!
Sort it out BBC, or don't call it a widescreen programme, if you don't know how to handle 16:9!
Having Black Bands at the top and bottom is a mistake. It means the material was shot in 16:9, but someone thought it was in 4:3 so they put it through an arc to convert it to 16:9. This added black bands at the sides. They then realised their mistake and re-arced the material which added black bands at the top and bottom.
What they should have done is just go back to the original material.
Part of the problem is caused by OTHER broadcasters not being 16:9.
Many of the film clips and pop videos released for promotional purposes (which Liquid News use quite a lot of) whilst originated in 16:9 are distributed to broadcasters in 16:9 letterbox 4:3. To fill the 16:9 frame these would need to be zoomed in to an unacceptable degree - they would be horribly soft. 14:9 pillarbox conversion back to 16:9 is the only real option.
I think that as more and more broadcasters move to 16:9 it will become easier... (Come on Sky and ITN - when will you be going widescreen???!!!)
CR
The Crowdman
The channel whereits.at has similar problems with widescreen - it broadcasts all programming except ads in 16:9, so when they show clips from films or music videos they appear squashed... and if the clip is in some form of w/sc already then you get the troublesome 'double widescreen' with more black bar than actual footage!
PA
patdublin
Personally I believe the BEEB over using their pillar box effect. Take for example the soap Neighbours. Here in RTÉ land we get the same ep at 5:30 on rté1 in 4:3 format. Turn over to BBC1, voilá, the very same ep less one inch of viewing area. The black bars appear to be superimposed on the screen, as rather then the programme being 'squashed' into the smaller area, the bars simply cut off visible viewing area at the top and bottom!
Personally I believe the BEEB over using their pillar box effect. Take for example the soap Neighbours. Here in RTÉ land we get the same ep at 5:30 on rté1 in 4:3 format. Turn over to BBC1, voilá, the very same ep less one inch of viewing area. The black bars appear to be superimposed on the screen, as rather then the programme being 'squashed' into the smaller area, the bars simply cut off visible viewing area at the top and bottom!
Welcome to the forum Partick but I'm afraid you're totally wrong. The black bars aren't 'superimposed'. Neighbours is in widescreen and as such, is broadcast 14:9 on analogue. It's RTE's problem that they either haven't the capability or the want to broadcast it in any other format than 4:3. If anything, BBC viewers see one inch
more
viewing area!
Cheers, Asa
PA
patdublin
I tend to disagree, from comparing the output on bbc and rté, rté is getting more of action. RTÉ broadcast the soap as they get it from the Australian Network unaltered. Likewise with Eastenders from the BBC, but as Eastenders is produced by the BBC, RTÉ get it in letterbox, thus broadcast it in letterbox (with advertisements!). So clearly RTÉ have the capability of broadcasting in this format. If they're getting the same material as the BBC, why isn't neighbours in letterbox too?
I tend to disagree, from comparing the output on bbc and rté, rté is getting more of action. RTÉ broadcast the soap as they get it from the Australian Network unaltered...If they're getting the same material as the BBC, why isn't neighbours in letterbox too?
Good question. Maybe RTE request it from Channel Ten (Aus) in 4:3 but the programme is produced in Australia in widescreen, proper widescreen. If you think about it, the picture isn't being stretched, its shrinking to produce the black bars at the top and bottom and more of the picture on the left and right. BBC viewers, without a doubt, see more of a Neighbours scene than RTE - honest!
Are you watching the same episodes as we are - Neighbours moved to 16:9 production in Australia relatively recently. It is produced in widescreen - Australia is moving, like the BBC to widescreen production as they have just launched digital terrestrial television.
If the episodes are the same it is very likely that RTE are getting a 4:3 full frame copy from Grundy/Pearson rather than a 14:9 letterbox version.
The BBC could deliver EastEnders in either version - BBC Worldwide convert 16:9 programmes into both formats when they sell them. RTE obviously get a 14:9 copy.
(I think the Planets or Walking with Dinosaurs VHS sold in the shops was full frame 4:3 rather than 14:9)
