Prime Time Quality?

[summerfun]

I have to say that I am blown away at the great quality I see on the HD football games, Leno, PBS and some of the HBO movies. But most of the PRIME TIME programs that claim to be in HD are not nearly as impressive.

What gives? Are they tricking us by using SD cameras and upconverting or using some other deception to claim to be HD? Yes they are in 16:9, but the quality is not as good as other programing.

Anybody know why?

[Tom Snyder]

It's the difference between HD Video and Film to HD transfers. HBO, Showtime and HDNet Movies are the same way... Still much better than DVD quality, but not as "seems like I'm right there" as HD Video.

[summerfun]

I understand that movies start out as film first, but are you saying that the weekly prime time TV shows are shot in FILM first and then transferred to HD?

I guess that surprises me. Why go to the trouble of film first if the end result is a lower quality product. Do you think the networks will ever upgrade to HD video for their shows?

Are the Discovery HD programs in film first? They look super!

Some, but not all, of the movies I have seen on HBO HD that obviously started out on film, look fantastic. Much better than the prime time TV shows that you say are being converted from film.

There must be different qualities of conversion or different qualities of film.

Still very dissapointed in most prime time HD.

[MikeRoz]

CSI Miami shot 4 episodes in 24p High Definition this season.
One just aired this past Monday (1-19-04). The plan is to shoot all next season in 24p.

Also, the problem is not film transferred to HD, the problem is HOW the film is transferred. Many, and I do mean many, 35mm transfers to HD are not great because a lot of attention needs to be paid in the telecine process. Color correction and grain amount are easily detected in a HD transfer.

If you want to see a great HD transfer, try to catch "Castaway" on HBO (if they ever show it again). Great care was taken in this transfer and it shows.
Also, I must say Mark Cuban's guys at HDNet Movies did a great job with Shawshank Redemption (they tranferred it with the telecine at HDNet).

By the way, if you want to see a REAL BAD transfer, watch "Minority Report". Spielberg is very "anti-HD" (he feels it is not the tool for making movies). I guess this attitude spills over into his HD transfers as well.

[hgoodman]

I'd have to say I've been very impressed so far with the Monday Night Movies on ABC since MNF has ended. Both "Castaway", "Enemy of the State" and now "Armageddon" tonight have boasted very nice-looking hi-def transfers from film. I'm looking forward to Gladiator next week, that ought to be a great looking transfer as well, seeing how great the DVD looked with the gorgeous "treated" blue and gold color schemes used by Scott in the filming.

So far, I believe "Titanic" has been the only recent theatrical movie on TV I've caught lately that had a standard-def. transfer in 4:3. Unfortunate, but it didn't really surprise me, as they haven't even issued an anamorphic DVD of Titanic, which is just nearly shocking to me. I would have thought a full HD Telecine anamorphic transfer of the master print would have been done YEARS ago.

I'm really looking forward to seeing some of the new LCOS tv's in a year or so that will have the full 1920-line progressive displays, to see if my current Hi-Def TV (RCA 50" DLP) is wringing the maximum quality from 35MM transfers, or whether there's still room for more.

Judging by how hi-def originated video tends to look even better than film transfers, I have a sneaking hunch I may be seeing the maximum out of film as it stands right now. Still, 35MM film converted to hi-definition on a good telecine is just luscious. Warm, rich film grain is so awesome.

[kjnorman]

Originally posted by hgoodman
So far, I believe "Titanic" has been the only recent theatrical movie on TV I've caught lately that had a standard-def. transfer in 4:3. Unfortunate, but it didn't really surprise me, as they haven't even issued an anamorphic DVD of Titanic, which is just nearly shocking to me. I would have thought a full HD Telecine anamorphic transfer of the master print would have been done YEARS ago.

A full HD transfer has been done, and was shown on HBO many years ago.  By all accounts it looked fantastic.  As to why there is not an anamorphic version on DVD, it all has to do with the fact that when the disk first came out, widescreen TVs did not really exist in the states, and the early generation DVD players, apparently according to THX were not very good as converting anamorphic images to regular 4:3 TVs.  Hence the decision to do just a letterbox version as they claimed that this produced a better picture on a regular TV.

Now as a European (who has owned widescreen TVs since 1995) that just sucked, as I would love an anamorphic version.

Now I will speculate that as HD DVD is only about 18 months away, that they are waiting for that technology to come to market with its new security protocols, and that they will the issue the HD version then.

For me, I still watch Titanic on good old 12in laserdisc with DTS sound