Premium VS Voom Poll

[StonesCat]

Not that it's totally a premium channel, but Encore HD looks pretty sweet right now with Seven. I wasn't even sure I was getting it with 250 until it popped on yesterday.

 

[ehren]

The new MPEG 4 premiums do look nice. I watched Cinemax and HBO multiplex channels today and they are decent. STARZ-HD channels look good as well but their logo is unacceptable.

 

[EscapeVelocity]

How is Starz SuperPak HD, do they do a pretty good job with original aspect ratio and the like?

 

[ehren]

pixar movies are OAR

 

[Carl B]

How is Starz SuperPak HD, do they do a pretty good job with original aspect ratio and the like?

The Starz HD channels have excellent PQ.

Fortunately for me they seldom run the super widescreen movies in OAR. I bought a large size, wide screen TV so I like it when the content fills the screen. I'm sick of black bars after 5 years with a wide screen TV. One of the reasons we now buy fewer DVDs and watch less the ones we own is that the black bars are just too annoying. It was interesting or different years ago when first you could put a super wide screen OAR movie on your new wide screen TV, but 5 years later it seems technologically backward. It wouldn't surprise me if we didn't see a trend toward movies done in 1.85:1 and DVDs altered to all be 1.85:1. I think it would help spur a renewed interest in DVD sales.

 

[ehren]

I have watched a ton of premium channels today and I hope they don't ruin the PQ like they are doing with the HD RSN's

 

[8bitbytes]

It was interesting or different years ago when first you could put a super wide screen OAR movie on your new wide screen TV, but 5 years later it seems technologically backward. It wouldn't surprise me if we didn't see a trend toward movies done in 1.85:1 and DVDs altered to all be 1.85:1. I think it would help spur a renewed interest in DVD sales.

The compromised 1.85 standard is what is technologically backward. Cinemascope has been around decades longer than HDTV and movies will not be changing from that any time soon. Animations and light movies may use 1.85 but the big movies are not going to go that route. Tired of the black bars? Install a CIH home theater!

 

[nsps]

The Starz HD channels have excellent PQ.

Fortunately for me they seldom run the super widescreen movies in OAR. I bought a large size, wide screen TV so I like it when the content fills the screen. I'm sick of black bars after 5 years with a wide screen TV. One of the reasons we now buy fewer DVDs and watch less the ones we own is that the black bars are just too annoying. It was interesting or different years ago when first you could put a super wide screen OAR movie on your new wide screen TV, but 5 years later it seems technologically backward. It wouldn't surprise me if we didn't see a trend toward movies done in 1.85:1 and DVDs altered to all be 1.85:1. I think it would help spur a renewed interest in DVD sales.

I wouldn't touch a DVD that didn't present a film in its original aspect ratio. The great thing about HD is that you still get a high-quality image, whereas with letterboxed 4x3 you could loose a lot of detail (although it's still better than losing the integrity of the original composition).

 

[EscapeVelocity]

The Starz HD channels have excellent PQ.

Fortunately for me they seldom run the super widescreen movies in OAR. I bought a large size, wide screen TV so I like it when the content fills the screen. I'm sick of black bars after 5 years with a wide screen TV. One of the reasons we now buy fewer DVDs and watch less the ones we own is that the black bars are just too annoying. It was interesting or different years ago when first you could put a super wide screen OAR movie on your new wide screen TV, but 5 years later it seems technologically backward. It wouldn't surprise me if we didn't see a trend toward movies done in 1.85:1 and DVDs altered to all be 1.85:1. I think it would help spur a renewed interest in DVD sales.

Id prefer OAR any and everytime. If you would like something different then the TV itself should provide you with stretch, zoom, and whatever. Dont force your preferences on others.

 

[ehren]

I think I have watched more movies on the new HD premiums today than I have ever watched on Voom.

 

[EscapeVelocity]

What is so hard about Native Resolution and Original Aspect Ratio?

 

[nathan_h]

When the Voom channels were pulled, I did a quick look at my DVR and realized that almost 80% of what was on there were movies from Voom channels (like the Planet of the Apes series, the Omen trilogy, several Kieslowski and Greenaway movies, and so on). The HBO channels are bitrate starved and cropped, so I easily voted for Voom over the new premiums.

 

[whatchel1]

S/W vs programmer

What is so hard about Native Resolution and Original Aspect Ratio?

Native Resolution is related to the Hardware outputting the original resolution that it was made in. That is something that so far E* hasn't updated the software to provide. OAR has to be provided by the programmer and isn't controlled by E*.

 

[EscapeVelocity]

I understand that, my question is not directed at anyone in particular, but rather everyone in the industry.

 

[whatchel1]

2 things

I understand that, my question is not directed at anyone in particular, but rather everyone in the industry.

There is not all that much stuff that has been converted over to HD. In many cases if it has been converted the provider wants to charge additional fees for it. An example is sydicated programming for TV stations: Jeopardy & Wheel of Fortune are shoot and distributed in HD & SD. The syndication provider charges additional fees that makes them almost twice as expense to show.

 

[DishSubLA]

I already subscribe to the premiums and would love more premiums in HD because the movies look great and the movie content is compelling. Dish, if you are listening, provide all the premiums in HD, please.

 

[Spatch]

The Starz HD channels have excellent PQ.

Fortunately for me they seldom run the super widescreen movies in OAR. I bought a large size, wide screen TV so I like it when the content fills the screen. I'm sick of black bars after 5 years with a wide screen TV. One of the reasons we now buy fewer DVDs and watch less the ones we own is that the black bars are just too annoying. It was interesting or different years ago when first you could put a super wide screen OAR movie on your new wide screen TV, but 5 years later it seems technologically backward. It wouldn't surprise me if we didn't see a trend toward movies done in 1.85:1 and DVDs altered to all be 1.85:1. I think it would help spur a renewed interest in DVD sales.

I would rather OAR. I know from experience though that the average person doesn't understand why the picture doesn't fill the whole screen of their new widescreen TV. I would think that is why the channels who stretch the picture do it. Again, I would rather OAR, but I am sure some research was done and that is why they do it.

 

[jrp]

Glad to have the premiums in HD, but I do miss VOOM.

 

[Hemi 6.1]

New Premiums. I don't want Voom even if we didn't get new premiums. Sorry

 

[Apologist]

Both but not really a fair comparison. Who doesn't want premiums in HD? If I pay $15 for HBO they should all be in hd. It would be great to have both.