Video Asylum

Posted by petew (A) on February 22, 2002 at 10:21:13

In Reply to: All HD will be in 16:9..... posted by Owen Meany on February 21, 2002 at 06:09:48:

there are currently 6 (or more) channels of HD airwave broadcasts in the Philadelphia area that you can easily receive with a simple "bowtie" antenna (UHF antenna). NBC (10.1), ABC (6.1), and CBS (3.1) broadcast "over-the-air" free HD signals in a 4:3 ratio most of the time, and some prime-time shows are broadcast in true 1080i HDTV 16:9 format, more are being added but it's difficult to find out when and where--the print media that lists programing schedules is very careful not to advertise who and what is HDTV, and it's not possible to find it on the station websites either. With the exception of Public Television, which is alrealy in full compliance with Federal regulations and 100% digital, the tv industry has reniged on it's promise to go all-digital so far. Follow the money.

The Olympics (on 10.1) are simply beyond belief in 1080i. The only problem is that NBC thinks the Olympics are skating and nothing else. All they show is 24 hours of girls dancing on ice and hockey games shot with a very long lens. Apparently they can't be bothered to find out where the other events are. You have to go over to one of the cable/satellite stations to find out that there are such things as cross-country skiing, speed skating (very exciting!) jumping (sick), and two-man luge (very sick). I watch these in full-screen 16:9 by virtue of a scaler.

The local public television is broadcasting two channels in full-screen 16:9 format: one is "digital" but usually in 4:3 format (12.1), and the other is full-screen 16:9 1080i HDTV 24 hours a day (12.3). I watch the WHYY channel 12.3 1080i signal all day long--I just leave it on as if I owned a huge impressionist oil painting. In the large, 16:9 format it's like having a Star Treck viewscreen on the living room wall. It's hard to describe, and very hard to tear your eyes from the 16.9 million color spectrum and unbelievable Dolby digital surround.

You can also get the public television station from Allentown with your bowtie, and I think there's a Fox broadcast in digital (I have no interest in Rupert Murdock's propaganda).

The HDTV receiver menu indicates that the digital broadcast is "HD" even though the network display are usually 4:3. I don't think this is a bandwidth issue--but rather suspect that it's to accomidate people like you would would be pissed if they had to watch all their free television with black bands on the top and bottom of a tiny, albeit perfect, picture.

Seriously, the live feeds in 1080i are so good you won't even care about content.

Unbelievable! And, no monthly cable or satellite charges!