Jump to content

Why is this done?


Recommended Posts

  • Premium Member

Wow, a CRT TV; didn't know any were still active.

 

I'm guessing: 4:3 video, put into an HD (16:9) format, pillared, for wide HD broadcast, then letter-boxed regionally for SD broadcast instead. It's a shame what is happening these days with some shows and especially movies. So much stretching to fit HD TV's, or pillar boxing, or this, just because a few people are still using the old stuff. Hopefully we will see the end of this someday very soon. 16:9 TV's are the majority now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow, a CRT TV; didn't know any were still active.

 

It seems they're alive and kicking. Perhaps you can't get them in western markets, but sales seem to have been booming in other parts of the world at least one year ago.

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2010-08-30/news/27632296_1_crt-tvs-lg-electronics-cathode-ray-tube

 

They also last quite a long time. I know at least one person in the industry who still uses their old CRT television.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You now know two, if you interpret 'industry' widely enough.

We retired my gran's CRT a couple of years ago, but only because we were given a widescreen set (CRT, as it happens). A little magenta, but it was still going strong after just short of 30 years.

Still an all-CRT household for TV.

Back on-topic, good for them. It's spectacularly annoying to see an Academy film cropped to widescreen. Frankly, Scarlett, I do give a damn.

Edited by Mark Dunn
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

What surprises me more than the continuation of direct-view CRT displays in people's homes is the number of American sports bars that still have CRT projection.

 

CRT projection can provide excellent performance if it's adequately specified and given a bit of care and attention. Since it was so expensive when it was in current use, the irony is that it usually looks better these days, since you can now buy what were really upscale CRT projectors for very little money.

 

But the ones that have been hanging around in bars since the early 90s, which have done tens of thousands of hours, and whose tubes have decayed to the point of providing nothing but a faintly pinkish-yellow glow...

 

P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nothing worse than going into a sports bar and having to endure your favorite sports on a crappy old CRT projector that is so badly calibrated that every image has rainbows along the edges.

 

Au contraire! Far worse is that there's no alternative to sports there. No news, no Jeopardy or Wheel..., not even the Travel Channel!

 

Back in the glory days of the Soviet Union, Cspan would carry the Moscow Evening News. First item in the sports section was

Chess!!! When are we going to see that in a ******* American sports bar?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Au contraire! Far worse is that there's no alternative to sports there. No news, no Jeopardy or Wheel..., not even the Travel Channel!

 

Back in the glory days of the Soviet Union, Cspan would carry the Moscow Evening News. First item in the sports section was

Chess!!! When are we going to see that in a ******* American sports bar?

 

Can see that really taking off Stateside, most folks can barely follow baseball.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I took this picture of a boxing match on tv Friday night. Why would this be broadcast like this?

 

HD broadcasts are shown in 16:9 format. When shown on a 4:3 TV you will get black bars top and bottom.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

I can't make out if that's a 4:3 or a 16:9 TV in the OP.

 

 

It's an old 4:3 and the boxing match was both letterboxed and pillared, making it a smaller 4:3 within a larger 4:3 which felt strange to watch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...