[opendtv] Re: Learning From the Veterans - local news in HD

  • From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2010 17:14:34 -0500

Mark Schubin wrote:

>> Imagine watching HD football with the common sides approach. You
>> get nice closeups of the players, don't you? You don't get the
>> wider view of the stadium, that you'd expect compared with your
>> old analog set.
>
> Again, you are confusing resolution with aspect ratio. Suppose I
> have a 16:9 standard-definition TV and a 4:3 standard-definition
> TV, both 20 inches wide. I can have close-ups or wide shots on
> either. Why would a wide shot on the 16:9 TV be wider than a wide
> shot on the 4:3 TV when both screens are 20 inches wide and have
> the same resolution?

Because they don't have the same resolution in the real world. Your 
hypothetical case is not the case people encounter when they buy their wide 
screen sets. People go from smallish fuzzy 4:3 analog CRTs to much larger 16:9 
LCDs. Restricting the horizontal content to what was okay for the old analog 
set will be seriously suboptimal for the new set.

I fully understand the difference between aspect ratio and resolution. I'm 
saying that WITH the wide aspect ratio ALSO came the higher resolution, in the 
real world. So that separating the two effects always sounds like the whole 
story is not being told. IOW, along with the wide screen also came the 
possibility of cramming more image content in that width, which the common 
sides approach throws out the window.

I take your point of the wide screen hand-held appliances. I've long been of 
the view that the transmissions to these devices need to be tailored for them, 
not be identical to what is intended for large, wide screen HDTVs.

Also, while I agree that wide screen movies shot on 35mm film do not have more 
resolution than the previous 35mm movies had, that would not be the case for 
either 65mm (like Ben Hur, IIRC) nor any of the Cinerama movies, right? Those 
could indeed show wider panoramas with more image detail. Seems to me that 35mm 
anamorphic was used to fill the front wall of theaters more effectively, but 
was not higher resolution (unless they used slower, finer grain film, I 
suppose).

Bert
 
 
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