[opendtv] Re: Learning From the Veterans - local news in HD

  • From: "John Shutt" <shuttj@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2010 09:28:29 -0400

Precisely the wrong approach, in my opinion, Craig.
You are the one always raging against the machine for their attempts to protect their 'legacy' this or that. Now here you are trying to protect 'legacy' displays with a production format that doesn't even exist!
What we need is to have all content produced in 16:9 (on existing and paid-for production gear,) and have all SD versions letterboxed. This will give 4:3 holdouts (of which I still count myself for our main television) more incentive to purchase true 16:9 sets. If we keep spoon feeding 4:3 displays with imaginary new 1280x960 4:3 production gear, we only reduce the incentive for people to switch over.
Heck, if I offered you big bucks to go out and purchase a brand new 4:3 television from a local retail store, I don't think you could even do it. I know there are none on the Best Buy web site, and only three on the Amazon.com website (which appear to be leftover inventory from liquidators.) Given that, why should the industry as a whole invest in new cameras, production switchers, DVEs, recorders, editors, up/down/cross converters, and more, just to cater to the legacy 4:3 display?
The only resistance to going all letterboxed SD right now are the commercials. Advertisers still want every pixel of their content displayed on every possible display format, hence we still get 4:3 commercials with letterboxed content, shown postage stamped on 16:9 displays. This alone will kill your "common sides" approach to production, as the advertisements will still end up being postage stamped at the insistence of those non-technical types who pay the bills. To them, there isn't anything in their commercial that is 'throw away.'
However, if all SD channels were 100% letterboxed, 16:9 displays tuned to SD 4:3 channels could safely be left in a zoom mode at all times. 

John
----- Original Message ----- From: "Craig Birkmaier" <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
Sorry, but you are incorrect. Common sides allows the PROPER creation of both HD and SD versions with new information entering both frames at the same time from the sides. The SD version actually shows more image content but at significantly lower resolution, and the extra information on the 4:3 display is now the "Throw Away" information, while ALL OF THE INFORMATION in the 16:9 frame is within the "safe area." 




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