HDTV 'Stretches' My Patience
You may not have noticed it but on March 31st, the HD content you were receiving was reduced, even though no HD channels were dropped.
How so, you ask?
Well, on March 31st, Food Network HD and HGTV HD were dropped as separate standalone HD networks and merged into the standard def versions of the channels. In other words, both Food Network HD and HGTV HD are now nothing more than simulcasts of the standard def versions of those networks. As a result, there is now very little HD content on the channels, especially HGTV HD which was almost totally devoid of any HD content yesterday. The HD has been replaced with stretch-o-vision SD content that looks horrible.
This is clearly a step back in the march to all HD all the time that I think it is safe to say we all want and want now. These networks are now unwatchable and it is a shame as both had some excellent looking HD content. Now all we get is blurry, stretched garbage. Quite frankly, I would just as soon see these channels dropped from my system and replaced with channels that offer real HD. Why waste the bandwidth with pseudo HD channels when they are no better than the standard def counterparts?
Contact your HD provider and complain about this switch. Perhaps if enough of us do, it will make a difference. It seems that this is the trend with new HD channels which offer little in the way of HD. Many of the new HD channels offered on Directv for example offer little in the way of new HD. A&E HD is a misnomer too as there is little actual HD on that channel. While I don’t expect HD channels to be all HD all the time at this juncture, there should be at least 50% HD content on every HD channel. Get with it Food Network and HGTV. Produce all your programming in HD or merge your channels into one that actually shows HD.
For more high-def news and views, please click: TVPredictions.com.
How so, you ask?
Well, on March 31st, Food Network HD and HGTV HD were dropped as separate standalone HD networks and merged into the standard def versions of the channels. In other words, both Food Network HD and HGTV HD are now nothing more than simulcasts of the standard def versions of those networks. As a result, there is now very little HD content on the channels, especially HGTV HD which was almost totally devoid of any HD content yesterday. The HD has been replaced with stretch-o-vision SD content that looks horrible.
This is clearly a step back in the march to all HD all the time that I think it is safe to say we all want and want now. These networks are now unwatchable and it is a shame as both had some excellent looking HD content. Now all we get is blurry, stretched garbage. Quite frankly, I would just as soon see these channels dropped from my system and replaced with channels that offer real HD. Why waste the bandwidth with pseudo HD channels when they are no better than the standard def counterparts?
Contact your HD provider and complain about this switch. Perhaps if enough of us do, it will make a difference. It seems that this is the trend with new HD channels which offer little in the way of HD. Many of the new HD channels offered on Directv for example offer little in the way of new HD. A&E HD is a misnomer too as there is little actual HD on that channel. While I don’t expect HD channels to be all HD all the time at this juncture, there should be at least 50% HD content on every HD channel. Get with it Food Network and HGTV. Produce all your programming in HD or merge your channels into one that actually shows HD.
For more high-def news and views, please click: TVPredictions.com.
posted by webmaster @ 8:14 AM
15 Comments
15 Comments:
I agree whole heartedly! HGTV HD and Food HD were 2 of my go to channels because they always had high def programming on. Now, I won't even waste my time turning to those channels, they are relegated to the likes of A&E HD and TBS HD.
Comcast does this to a lot of there hd channels and they claim they have the best hd picture
Food HD and HGTV HD look to be the same pure HD channels I have been watching for the last year. They are not simulcasts of the SD channels.
I am on FiOS. Maybe the problem is just with your provider.
I am on Comcast in South Florida, and the Food Network HD looks great as always - perhaps "baff" is right and it is your system?
Sorry guys, but as of 3/31, Scripts dropped the separate HD channels for both of these networks. They are now simulcasts of their SD counterparts, just like TNT, TBS, A&E HD. This means that the same programs are seen on the HD and SD channels at the same time. Before 3/31, they channels had completely separate schedules. I am watching on FiOS BTW. The times I checked in yesterday and today, on HGTV HD at least, I saw no HD at all. All of the programs were stretched SD. Stretched SD was never seen on HGTV HD before yesterday. Now it seems to be the norm.
Haven't seen any stretchovison, but the current Food HD (paula's Home Cooking) is clearly HD.
Ahh, they are simulcast for me too, but with a 3 hour delay. For me Food HD is on eastern time and Food is on pacific time.
Joe Whip is correct. I knew this was coming for about a month now and checked out HGTV-HD on DirecTV yesterday to see if they'd use "Stretch-O-Vision" like they do on their commercials and sure enough, everybody was stretched out (seriously, do these people know they're being stretched on TV?).
If DirecTV had the HD tags right, HGTV-HD was showing about 2-3 hours of HD yesterday, and FOOD-HD was showing 3-4 hours.
To top it all off, the reason why Scripps insists they made this change was because the viewers kept complaining that their show wasn't on at the same time as the SD version. While I could go on a rant as to why that even matters on a designing/cooking show (compared to a "Watercooler" type show like Idol, "Lost", etc...), I'd rather ask why they could adjust the HD channel's schedule to synch up the programs. I guess they might run into problems since HGTV-HD and FOOD-HD offered shows from DIY and Fine Living as well (until yesterday that is)... but now they aren't offering them at all, so the delay would have been less than a big deal.
Sorry Scripps, but you screwed up!
~Alan
Just watched Rachel Ray. Definitely stretched. That is just stupid. 2 channels ruined for no reason.
Yep, this was a Scripps decision...not your providers. Don't waste your time bitching to Comcast, DirecTV, etc...bitch to Scripps.
Even my wife (who is not "sold" on the whole "HD thing") is not liking it. She liked having a choice of what to watch: HGTV, or HGTV-HD.
"Just watched Rachel Ray. Definitely stretched. That is just stupid. 2 channels ruined for no reason."
No, she looks that stretched in real life, too.
I have FIOS in the northern Virginia area and these channels have definitely been messed up royally. It is a shame that they went backwards on the HD
"Joe Whip said...
Sorry guys, but as of 3/31, Scripts dropped the separate HD channels for both of these networks. They are now simulcasts of their SD counterparts, just like TNT, TBS, A&E HD. This means that the same programs are seen on the HD and SD channels at the same time."
This is a bit misleading isn't it? The impression given is that TNT, TBS and A&E HD have all dropped their HD programming as well since that's what Sripps did with their channels.
??
Keenan
No it is not. Before 3/31, Food and HGTV HD had different programming than their SD counterparts. In other words, if you tuned them in at the same time, you would see different shows. Now they are simulcasts with the same show on ech. The show on the hD channel may or may not be in HD. This is the same as TNT and A&E, both of which are simulcasts too. Maybe you didn't understand what simulcasts means?
Yes, I misunderstood, or read it differently somehow. I got the impression that the HD content on these channels would disappear once they moved to a single channel distro.
I do understand how a simulcast works. :-)
Keenan
Post a Comment
<< Home