[opendtv] Re: (No Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2004 10:30:37 -0400

At 7:17 PM -0400 10/24/04, Manfredi, Albert E wrote:
>Craig Birkmaier wrote:
>
>>  You STILL don't get it. 16:9 is a DISPLAY aspect
>>  ratio. It may well dominate in the future.
>
>Which is exactly what the Grand Alliance was talking
>about, Craig. When they proposed 16:9 and square
>pixels, guess what, they were talking about the
>display. Now do you get it?

NO BERT, I don't get your twisted logic.

The Grand Alliance and ATSC have absolutely NO control over display 
aspect ratios. Table three lists the constraints on source aspect 
ratio that are permissible in the ATSC standard.  And the FCC chose 
to remove Table 3 from the standard.

CE manufacturers are the ones who have control over display aspect 
ratio. There are NO restrictions on what they can offer in terms of 
display aspect ratio, size or resolution. Look at the FCC order 
mandating ATSC receivers in new TV receivers - you will NOT find ANY 
restrictions on display aspect ratio.

That being said, there was (and still is) a subset of both 
broadcasters and video equipment and display manufacturers who pushed 
VERY HARD for 16:9. Some of these vidiots are still working through 
the ITU to specify that ONLY 1080 lines can be considered to be HDTV 
and thus used as an international standard for program distribution.

This is NOTHING MORE that an attempt to control the evolution of a 
huge market through control of supply, with the creative use of 
lawyers and lot's of money to get the politicians to create the 
perception that you need to buy a new TV.

It has nothing to do with recognized science. It has nothing to do 
with the reality that the marketplace can deal with these issues 
without the need for CONSTRAINTS that favor specific products and 
manufacturers.

>  > Hollywood is not using 16:9 Bert, except for some
>>  shows they produce for TV.
>
>Since you insist on repeating this comment, the
>most common ratio used by Hollywood is 1.85:1,
>which for all intents and purposes is the same as
>16:9. The overscan in TVs easily covers up the
>difference. So there is no mismatch issue with
>Hollywood's most common ratio.

Actually this is NOT completely true. 1.85:1 may still dominate ALL 
releases, but it does not dominate economically, since most of the 
blockbusters use wider aspect ratios.  And now that TV is going 
wider, Hollywood is going even wider to differentiate itself.

>
>The 2.35:1 is accommodated as I explained above:
>either with distortion or with black bars. With
>a 16:9 display aspect ratio, the distortion or
>annoying black bars are going to be less that they
>would be over a legacy 4:3 display.

Duh...

2.35:1 is but one of several hundred film formats shot by Hollywood. 
There appears to be growing use of 2:1, and other aspect ratios that 
are not as wide as 2.35:1.

>
>>  4:3 sets are still outselling widescreen models
>>  by a huge factor. Yes this will change.
>
>Finally. Thank you. It will change because new
>display technologies don't involve a *cost*
>premium for wide aspect ratio, and because the
>source content will be predominately wide. And
>TV and movie content is *primarily* going to
>be viewed full screen, even if *occasionally*
>people might view it in a window.

Sorry, but widescreen DOES, and will continue to come with a cost 
premium. Go to the stores and look around Bert. Most of the CHEAP HD 
capable sets have 4:3 not 16:9 screens. LCD and plasma displays are 
going wide, but it is still cheaper to make a 4:3 lightbulb than a 
16:9 lightbulb.

>My comment was that the Grand Alliance proposal
>is being adopted de facto, and I see that
>finally you have come to the same conclusion.

I see absolutely no evidence of this. Please let me know when 16:9 
become the dominant (i.e. 51% of the market) aspect ratio for ALL TV 
displays and receivers sold.

Regards
Craig
 
 
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