I don't have cable and haven't really watched TV in years, but I do enjoy watching some TV shows on DVD. I notice that the DVDs for some shows (like Babylon 5, Monk, The Dead Zone) are in anamorphic widescreen format. I was wondering how these were originally shown on TV. Were they just letterboxed on the screen, or were they cropped to create a "fullscreen" image? Just curious. Back when I was watching TV, I don't remember ever seeing a normal TV show broadcast in widescreen, but maybe that's changing.

They're aired anamorphically in HDTV, and for those that don't have HDTV they just cut off the sides of the image.

Letterboxing and HDTV are two distinct issues.

I don't have HDTV, and yet see many shows (especially on cable) that are broadcast letterbox, including The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Queer As Folk and am aware that NBC broadcasts ER in letterbox.

Exactly. Also a big reason why consumer acceptance of OAR material and display devices is so tough to sell.

I know that, but I didn't know this:



...since I don't live in the US. Here in Sweden some channels air the letterbox versions of the shows, and others airs the pan&scan versions, which sucks.

Gosh, you're right. You haven't watched TV in years. They've been broadcasting many shows in a widescreen format in the last few years.

The original TNT run of B5 was shown in 4:3, but was shot in 16:9. And then the SciFi Channel syndicated run was shown in 16:9. The DVDs are in 16:9.

The first two seasons of Andromeda were shown in 4:3, but latter seasons were shown in 16:9. However, they were always shot in 16:9. All the DVDs are in 16:9.

Stargate was shown in 4:3 originally on Showtime and Fox, but when it went to Sci-Fi Channel for Season 6, it was shown in 16:9. Again, it was always shot in 16:9. The DVDs have always been in 16:9.

24 is also shown in 16:9 if you have the FOX-HD channel, however it's only shown in 4:3 if you don't.

Basically, in the last few years, a lot of TV shows have gone to the 16:9 format. It only makes sense since the future of TV is going to be 16:9 HD.

Sometimes, but not always.

Angel didn't air in HDTV until its fifth season, but the series was shot widescreen since its first season, was released in widescreen on DVD starting with its second season, and aired letterboxed starting with its third season.

Also, while many shows center-crop for the 4x3 version, some tilt-and-scan. That was Paramount's preferred approach for a time, I believe.

Adam, I really don't think the first season of Angel was not shot in widescreen. I think it wasn't until season two that it began being shot for widescreen. That is what I have ready anyway, and also Fox has always done a great job of presenting its TV shows in the aspect ratio it was intended.

Season 1 was definitely shot in widescreen. I have the R2 Buffy season 4 set (in widescreen), and there's an episode or two with recaps from Angel season 1 episodes, with the clips shown in widescreen. Not to mention that the opening credits of the later seasons of Angel include widescreen shots from season 1.

Whether it was shot with widescreen as the intended aspect ratio is another matter. But then, all Adam said is that it was shot in widescreen, which it most certainly was.

While an interesting ancidote, I don't think that those facts, flashbacks to Season 1 in widescreen, wouldn't necessarily conclude that the first season was actually shot in widescreen.

It's the same footage, wider and with more picture info on the sides.

A number of series are shot using the wider 16:9 frame, but are not composed for widescreen. The OAR is 4:3, even though there is excess picture available on the sides, much like an open-matte film transfer.

Josh is correct. Pretty much every television series shot on film is done in widescreen anymore. The widescreen version may never be seen, and you can't make any blanket assumptions as to which aspect ratio is more correct than another, but shooting wide is standard practice and has been for a while.

Aside from giving production companies the benefit of being widescreen-ready when the time comes, the ways most series shoot wide require less film than shooting 1.37:1, which keeps costs lower.

It's too bad Deep Space Nine/Voyager weren't shot in 16:9

are the majority of sitcoms (friends, frasier, 8 simple rules ect) shot in widescreen also?

IMDB lists it

Both Frasier and 8 Simple Rules... were broadcast in HDTV for at least part of their runs. I don't think Friends was done in widescreen, or at least it wasn't ever shown in HD to my knowledge.

This schedule should give you an idea what to expect as far as widescreen programming goes on the major networks. It's possible some series will be shot in widescreen but not aired in HDTV, but given HD's increasing presence, I'd think those would be the exception rather than the rule.

I don't remember "Kung Fu" being broadcast letterboxed, yet on DVD it's in anamorphic widescreen. What gives?

(Sorry, just making trouble...)

you know what pisses me off all the cable shows are full screen and i have a 55 inch widescreen it shows so crappy =\

They're not proof, but they're certainly pretty strong evidence. As Josh said, these are clips of the same shots, but with extra information on the left and right.

Are you suggesting that they carefully planned to film some shots in widescreen because they knew they would be used (a) in Buffy recaps (even though Buffy was never intended to be broadcast in widescreen anyway), or (b) in the opening credits, which would be broadcast in widescreen in later seasons (a fact they couldn't have known so far in advance)?

To me, that stretches credibility far more than the assumption that all of Angel season 1, like Buffy season 4, was filmed in widescreen.