what HD channels will come next?

[StonesCat]

I know it had alot of care given to it, but The Searchers was on HDNMV today and that print is unbelievable. That movie is over 50 years old.

 

[M Sparks]

Another problem for TCM HD is that most movies prior to the late 50's were shot in an aspect ratio closer to 16:9, so it would probably not be worth it to transfer them.

This statement is incorrect in several ways, and even if it were correct, it makes no sense.

First of all, if "most" films were shot in an aspect ratio close to 16:9, it would make it MORE worth it to transfer to HD, which is natively 16:9

Second, while it's true that it was more common to shoot in 1.33:1 (basically, the same as 4:3 SD TV) in the early days of film, there are widescreen formats that date back to the late 1800s. And by the "late 50's", super widescreen formats such as Cinemascope were already the norm.

Third, anybody who watches TCM regularly could tell you that the vast majority of their programming is letterboxed. For that matter, the vast majority of the films are from the 50s-70s.

Finally, it really doesn't matter what the aspect ratio is, film is film and it's all suited to HD.

TCM is a natural choice for an HD version, but I think they are just trying to take their time to do it right. I'm sure money is an issue.

Oh, and to mntwister who said the library available to them would be small because the studios haven't made many transfers...Turner essentially IS the studio in this case. They own most of the movies they show. It is up to them to do the transfers.

 

[mntwister]

Oh, and to mntwister who said the library available to them would be small because the studios haven't made many transfers...Turner essentially IS the studio in this case. They own most of the movies they show. It is up to them to do the transfers.

Actually, it is Warner Brothers who is doing the MGM high-def transfers, not TCM, although they are doing a few on their own. My sister works at Paramount and while that's not MGM or TCM, I can tell you that it takes alot more than transferring these old films to high def. They need extreme work to make them look good in 1080 resolution. It's not like taking a print and transferring it to dvd, not if they want to get it right and have it look its best. Some negatives need alot of work which can take a year or more per film. Most of the studios only started making high def transfers 4 to 5 years ago, and it takes a long time to restore one film, so my statement is true, there are not thousands of movies available to show in high def yet.

 

[ajax33]

I want to see WGNHD, and the Des Moines, IA Locals in HD, then I can go to the HD only pack and that would be great.

 

[M Sparks]

Actually, it is Warner Brothers who is doing the MGM high-def transfers, not TCM, although they are doing a few on their own. My sister works at Paramount and while that's not MGM or TCM, I can tell you that it takes alot more than transferring these old films to high def. They need extreme work to make them look good in 1080 resolution. It's not like taking a print and transferring it to dvd, not if they want to get it right and have it look its best. Some negatives need alot of work which can take a year or more per film. Most of the studios only started making high def transfers 4 to 5 years ago, and it takes a long time to restore one film, so my statement is true, there are not thousands of movies available to show in high def yet.

Oh, I know it's a lot of work. I'm just saying Turner controls the library, or at least most of what they show. I didn't know that WB was doing the work for them. But if money was no object, Turner could start up their own transfer facility.

It's not the same as a channel like Starz, who is at the mercy of the studios which provide them with programming.

 

[lern4483]

I WANT MY VOOM BACK! Sorry guys, I want get over it or move on!

 

[M Sparks]

I WANT MY VOOM BACK! Sorry guys, I want get over it or move on!

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