Will digital distribution ever figure out proper SD presentation?

[Brad]

Besides the rampant overcompression, I've seen blend deinterlacing, terrible interpolation, desynchronized blended chroma... Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, paid YouTube channels, even DVD releases (Mill Creek Entertainment).

It's embarrassing. Will they ever care to do it right?

[yoda313]

Actually what bugs me more is tv broadcasts that use that mirroring effect on any and all 4:3 video.

It bugs the hell out of me to have that mirrored frosted stuff on the edges. What the hell is so wrong with black borders????

It's not just news broadcasts but it seems like any documentary or even sports stuff that shows pre-2000's videos.

Will they ever care to do it right?

Once they get your money they don't care - I'm talking about the subscription stuff mostly. Your paying for EVERYTHING not just specifically archival 4:3 material.

But yeah it does seem if it isn't a big enough title they don't care.

I know I've seen knight rider on some reruns on some channel where it was totally washed out and all purple hued for some reason. Really garbled.

I don't have the dvds so I don't know how the professional edition looks to compare it too.

One thing to think about positively is oldies like Star Trek TOS and TNG getting hd upgrades. For some material they will care enough to do it right.

[TreeTops]

It's not 4:3 video it's cell phone video taken in portrait mode. It bugs me also. The broadcasters just don't know how to handle that aspect ratio so they put that stupid fuzzy image on both sides of the cell phone video.

[vhelp]

well, in my tv experienc where i mostly watch the disney channel, i don't understand the discussion to full-screen new shows instead of at least letterboxing them. even made for tv disney movies are full-screen. so, last year they showed a 1hr good luck charlie x-mas episode in letterbox, all the rest of this series is in full-screen. they did the same for jessie's 1hr x-mas episode this past 2013, while all the other shows are in full-screen. and many others like that over the years. now, they have a new show, 'i didn't do it' which will probably fail anyway. and that is in full-screen. i don't get it.