Classic shows, less than classic treatment
Posted Wed Aug 16 00:47:20 BST 2000 by Lee Mendham
Am I the only one who gets totally p'd off at the way some channels treat classic programmes?
BBC2 is currently showing The Ascent of Man. Terrific documentary series by Jacob Bronowski - only they've cut 5 minutes per episode. Not that anyone'll be watching at 7:30 on Sunday morning...
Still, ITV's got Minder. Um, but are those black bands I see at the top and bottom of the set? Yup. They're showing it in cropped widescreen. On an analogue set you only see about 70% of the picture and all the grain gets blown up. Oh, yeah, and the Thames logo has been replaced by a Pearson logo.
Then I could go on about UK Horizons' cutting with dinosaurs, or Granada Plus which really ought to be called Granada Minus...and why does G+ have such lousy sound quality lately?
Believe it or not, I hate to sound negative. I love to watch classic TV shows, I just wish that certain broadcasters, unfortunately including the BBC, would treat them with a bit more respect instead of just regarding them as commercial product.
Anyone agree?!
Subject: Re: Classic shows, less than classic treatment
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Posted By londo on Wed Aug 16 03:14:38 BST 2000:
quite agree...
Subject: Re: Classic shows, less than classic treatment
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Posted By Steve Berry on Wed Aug 16 12:37:48 BST 2000:
If you think the way the Beeb treats its archive programmes badly, then you should read the following article about how badly it treats its archive programme music!
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Mark_Ayres/backgrnd.htm
You will weep!
Cheerio
Steve
Subject: Re: Classic shows, less than classic treatment
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Posted By RB on Wed Aug 16 13:00:47 BST 2000:
And on Granada Plus last night, they put the end voiceover over the top of the final dramatic Mike and Suzie scene instead of the titles. A disgrace! (Classic Coronation Street)
Subject: Re: Classic shows, less than classic treatment
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Posted By Lee Mendham on Wed Aug 16 19:29:58 BST 2000:
Yes, Sky One did that on a recent episode of Star Trek: Voyager. I think they miscued the voiceover tapes. Not that we really need voiceovers at all, do we?!?!?!
Subject: Re: Classic shows, less than classic treatment
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Posted By Somebody curious !! on Wed Aug 16 22:03:12 BST 2000:
ITV's got Minder. Um, but are those black bands I see at the top and bottom of the set? Yup. They're showing it in cropped widescreen. On an analogue set you only see about 70% of the picture and all the grain gets blown up. Oh, yeah, and the Thames logo has been replaced by a Pearson logo.
How are they able to alter the technical quality of things like that.
I've read about the good work of the DR Who restoration team, & what they do, but how can they turn an old analogue film recording like Minder, & turn it into what you describe.
I haven't seen the repeats, but I can guess roughly what it looks like.
I can understand the Pearson Thames TV logo at the end, but why turn it into a widescreen programme, when, as far as I know it wasn't originally!
Crazy, They're all crazee!
Subject: Re: Classic shows, less than classic treatment
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Posted By Lee Mendham on Thu Aug 17 19:42:50 BST 2000:
I guess the reason they're doing it just because they can. Like colourizing old films so people who didn't like watching in black and white could see them...
There is a historical precedent for this as well. When CinemaScope first came out there were 'widescreen' releases of films like Fantasia and Gone With the Wind. Same result: you only saw part of the original picture and it was grainier.
I've complained to Carlton and the ITC, for all the good it'll do.
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