MeTV now broadcasting in widescreen

[Mattfire64]

I was just reading about MeTV on Wikipedia when I read something that caught my interest. Last month MeTV switched over to broadcasting in a standard definition widescreen format, mostly to accommodate stations that only operate in 16:9.

What really makes this interesting is that they are now airing a few of their shows in widescreen "re-masters". Wikipedia makes specific mention of Wonder Woman, so I checked the end of my recording of this week's Incredible Hulk to see that, yes indeed, Wonder Woman is definitely airing in a new widescreen format. The only bummer is that my station apparently didn't get the memo about the widescreen switch, and is still carrying the channel in a 4:3 format.

So, what are your opinions on this? Have you noticed any other shows broadcasting in new widescreen versions? I would personally rather have shows in their original aspect ratio instead of having part of the image cut off to give me a "fake" widescreen version...

[chriszme]

Full screen is better to me.

Originally Posted by Mattfire64

I was just reading about MeTV on Wikipedia when I read something that caught my interest. Last month MeTV switched over to broadcasting in a standard definition widescreen format, mostly to accommodate stations that only operate in 16:9.

What really makes this interesting is that they are now airing a few of their shows in widescreen "re-masters". Wikipedia makes specific mention of Wonder Woman, so I checked the end of my recording of this week's Incredible Hulk to see that, yes indeed, Wonder Woman is definitely airing in a new widescreen format. The only bummer is that my station apparently didn't get the memo about the widescreen switch, and is still carrying the channel in a 4:3 format.

So, what are your opinions on this? Have you noticed any other shows broadcasting in new widescreen versions? I would personally rather have shows in their original aspect ratio instead of having part of the image cut off to give me a "fake" widescreen version...

[Sal]

If you're watching Me-TV from Buffalo, NY, the screen would be wide right!!




Sorry, I couldn't resist!

[opus]

Originally Posted by Sal

If you're watching Me-TV from Buffalo, NY, the screen would be wide right!!




Sorry, I couldn't resist!

Somewhere, Scott Norwood cries.

[Mace Dolex]

How can they air old TV shows in widescreen when they were originally filmed for 4.3 ratio format? Unless of course their taking the 4.3 image and zooming it to fit 16.9 therefore cutting the top and bottom of the screen and butchering it even more.

[Coffeecup]

I recently got a new dvr converter box and the first thing I noticed was the oldies stations were wide screen too. I fiddle around and made some HD wide and other not HD. Now the oldie stations are square screen vs rectangle. A while back bumped into Grit station and thought so and so was awful fat until I realized the show was so stretched out. I like old shows in the square format vs the wide screen. We aren't suppose to see Lucy Ricardo wide.

[treky]

Originally Posted by Mattfire64

I was just reading about MeTV on Wikipedia when I read something that caught my interest. Last month MeTV switched over to broadcasting in a standard definition widescreen format, mostly to accommodate stations that only operate in 16:9.

What really makes this interesting is that they are now airing a few of their shows in widescreen "re-masters". Wikipedia makes specific mention of Wonder Woman, so I checked the end of my recording of this week's Incredible Hulk to see that, yes indeed, Wonder Woman is definitely airing in a new widescreen format. The only bummer is that my station apparently didn't get the memo about the widescreen switch, and is still carrying the channel in a 4:3 format.

So, what are your opinions on this? Have you noticed any other shows broadcasting in new widescreen versions? I would personally rather have shows in their original aspect ratio instead of having part of the image cut off to give me a "fake" widescreen version...

my ME TV affiliate has been doing that for, oh, I guess about a year and a half, 2 years maybe?

[dare2be]

Ugh. Butchering is the correct word. Either they are truncating the top and bottom and zooming the video, or they are stretching the 4x3 and making everyone fat. Either way, it is lost/destroyed content.

POP (old TVG network) did this on their airings of Growing Pains on Saturday mornings. Pissed me off.

[mistermike]

Originally Posted by dare2be

Ugh. Butchering is the correct word. Either they are truncating the top and bottom and zooming the video, or they are stretching the 4x3 and making everyone fat. Either way, it is lost/destroyed content

Actually, it could very well be neither. I sadly don't have ME-TV anymore, but from the article about the widescreen change on Wikipedia, it sounds like it's like Heroes & Icons (ME-TV's sister channel, which I do get), in that the ads are widescreen and the station promos are too, but the shows themselves generally are not. I realize there are going to be exceptions like Wonder Woman (just like Charlie's Angels and Fantasy Islands are the exceptions on Cozi), but for the most part it sounds like ME-TV's shows will be left alone.

At least I hope they are. I'm thinking Connecticut will eventually get the channel back, and when it does I hope the channel's more or less the way it used to be.

Mike

[dare2be]

Originally Posted by mistermike

I realize there are going to be exceptions like Wonder Woman (just like Charlie's Angels and Fantasy Islands are the exceptions on Cozi), but for the most part it sounds like ME-TV's shows will be left alone.

Mike

It's only an exception when it's not a show you'd like to record for keepsake. IMO it shouldn't be happening anywhere.

[RetrovisionPrince]

ME-TV still looks the same to me

[dare2be]

I was going to complain to my MyTV/MeTV affiliate about them stretching and zooming their 4x3 shows into a 16x9 widescreen, but today the signal keeps cutting out and pixelating, and it isn't a reception problem on my end, as the satellite-delivered version of the channel is doing the same. Aggravated, to say the least.

[Svenfan1234]

I have only seen some of Svengoolie's movies in wide-screen.

[dare2be]

Love Boat is on now and the picture looks zoomed/stretched, people look fatter, and the black bars on the side are thinner than normal for a 4x3 picture.

Of course the commercials are proper 16x9, no fatties or stretching.

[storrs19]

Originally Posted by dare2be

Ugh. Butchering is the correct word. Either they are truncating the top and bottom and zooming the video, or they are stretching the 4x3 and making everyone fat. Either way, it is lost/destroyed content.

POP (old TVG network) did this on their airings of Growing Pains on Saturday mornings. Pissed me off.

I agree 100%. I noticed this last week while watching Emergency, Mayberry RFD, and Kojak. I hate it. If shows were shot in 4:3 then that's how they should be shown. This is just stupid in my opinion.