16:9 On Cable Broadcasting?
 

Hey everyone.
I run a television show on the local channels here in Maryland, and everything is shot on the XL2. We shoot in 16:9, edit, and burn a DVD copy which gets sent to Comcast and they broadcast it for us.

BUT.

Somewhere along the line the footage ends up 4:3 on the television. I know it's awkward to see 16:9 TV shows sometimes, but is it something I'm doing? It always makes everyone look stretched out, tall, and skinny. Some people appreciate the "illusioned weight loss" i'm sure, but I want my footage looking awesome in 16:9!!!

Any suggestions? Not sure what to do.

I'll venture a guess that your sending them an anamorphic DVD; if you send them a letterboxed 4:3, your resolution will take a hit but it will be that much closer to "idiot-proof".

So should I start shooting everything in 4:3?

Ehhh yuckyyyy

I think what Benjamin was suggesting was to drop your finished 16:9 video into a 4:3 timeline to letterbox it before exporting the footage for DVD. This way when it is broadcast, it will display properly on a 4:3 television. All broadcast television is 4:3 unless it is HD, that is where letterboxing comes in handy.

If you want it to broadcast full screen, then yes you should shoot in 4:3, but if you would rather shoot 16:9 than drop the footage into a 4:3 timeline to letterbox it, perfectly acceptable.

Comcast do not do 16:9 standard def. All of the PEG and leased access channels on Comcast are SD.

Geren Mortensen
Engineer
Howard County GTV / HCCTV

Or you could transcode it to square pixels adding extra pixels on the horisontal lines. And deliver as a H264/Mp4 format. I don't know if they would accept that tho.

Whatever Dvd player they are using to play your Dvd back is setup for a widescreen TV. The setup menu on their Dvd player can be changed for a regular 4:3 Tv and then it will add the black bars in for you and you'll get that extra resolution. Your Dvd's are fine, their Dvd player just needs adjusted.

If you are going to supply 16:9 material to a 4:3 broadcaster there is one, count it ONE way to deliver: place your 16:9 timeline in a 4:3 timeline, render and deliver letterbox. PERIOD. A broadcaster does not function like a DVD player.