[opendtv] Re: Finally anamorphically compressed 480i

  • From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2011 18:45:08 -0600

John Shutt wrote:

> One option we were looking at for our station was to broadcast a second
> HD program stream as a 480p60 16:9 stream, but finding a 1080i30 to
> 480p60 downconverter was fruitless. The next best thing was to
> downconvert to an anamorphic 480i30 16:9 stream, which is what you may
> be experiencing. The entire broadcast chain would be handled in HD
> (1080i30) right up to the emission encoder, where it would be converted
> to 480i30 16:9 (incorrectly but commonly called 'anamorphic.')

From a non-broadcaster's point of view, i.e. mine, I would think that you guys 
could standardize everything SD to 16:9 anamorphic (not sure why that isn't 
correct) when transmitting. That way, receivers could always be set the same. 
Whether 1080i, 720p, or 480i, always stretch to fill the width of the 16:9 
display.

If the material is truly 4:3, then you handle that the same as you do in the HD 
subchannel. Pillarbox.

If the STBs used by legacy TV sets work as I think they do, the STBs know to 
fill the frame of 4:3 TVs with the pillarboxed content, eliminating the 
pillars. And they also know to either pan and scan or letterbox the wide screen 
content.

I don't see why such standardization wouldn't help keep the broadcast chain 
sane too. Besides, didn't I recently read that more than 50 percent of TVs in 
use now are widescreen? What reason is there to be transmitting any of the 
newer content as 4:3? Why would even new ads be produced in 4:3? Makes no sense 
to me.

Bert
 
 
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