Movies on HBO/Cinemax/Show/TMC etc...when will they go WS?
 

I'm getting tired of having these movie channels that show 97% of their movies in FS despite all their original programming being WS. With the huge growth of HD tvs, how long before they scrap it all together? every great once in a while i'll catch a movie in WS...but mostly I dvr it and delete 10 seconds in when i see it's been pan and scanned.

I'm mad as hell and i'm not gonna take it anymore!!

Yeah, it's pretty stupid. I like IFC and Sundance because I think all of their programming is WS. Showtime seems to do it at least 50% of the time. But HBO rarely shows movies WS. I don't have HD, but I'd rather see the whole movie then just 60% or whatever it is.

Most of the movies on HBO HD are widescreen. I don't know about the others.

most on hbo and cinemax in hd aren't in oar and are cropped to fit the 1:78 frame.

Yeah, if the question is "when will HBO/Cinemax show movies WS?" then the answer is right now... on the HD channels. If the question is "when will HBO/Cinemax show all movies in OAR?" the answer is probably never.

I think Showtime/TMC is better in showing OAR on it's HD channels. Of course, the true treasure trove for HD movie lovers is HDNet Movies, which is OAR all the time, and lots of classic films.

:up:

Showtimes usually pretty good. And HDNet movies is always great. That's the one HD movie channel I check consistently to see what's coming on. I've caught some really great classic flicks on there and they've looked stunning.

Well, that's not entirely true since they do it sometimes but I think it should be all the time; especially on their HD channels.

HDNet deserves its own living thread -- excellent channel for HD OAR airings! Impressive film arsenal as well!

Hence why I wrote "when will HBO/Cinemax show all movies in OAR?" They end up showing films in OAR sometimes just by virtue of some films having the same aspect ratio as what HBO broadcasts in (4:3 SD or 16:9 HD).

I was surprised to see that Starz HD showed Rounders (couple weeks ago) in full screen instead of wide screen, as it SHOULD be.

Hmmm - I recorded and watched Rounders in HD of Starz HD a few weeks ago - it was OAR and everything.

I don't really have a problem with that as long as the OAR is 1.85:1. The difference between that and 1.77:1 is like the difference between Academy and 4:3 TV- not great enough to affect the composition.

I wouldn't say most. I've been watching a ton of movies off my DVR lately and seen plenty of 2.35:1.

Cinemax may be different, but 9 times out of 10 when I record a 2.35 movie from HBO, it's MAR'd to 1.78.

I have to agree that more often then not HBO does crop the films to fit 1.78. They do though get in the OAR here and there (most notably Star Wars 1-6). Cinemax is a little better then HBO, but if you want most of your movies in OAR then Showtime and Starz are going to be your choices. Those two channels do a great job of showing movies in OAR. Showtime (last I heard) even has a listing for which movies are in OAR and which are not......

I think I've sent emails to Showtime (or Cinemax) congratulating them for showing a movie in OAR.

I'm just waiting for all the channels to be HD. I want more than one or two HBO HD channels.