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TV1, Arena, Ovation changes

Today TV1 and Arena go widescreen while Ovation becomes available to Foxtel viewers again for an extra fee.

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A few changes on your Pay TV screen from today, June 1st.

TV1 and Arena have both gone widescreen. Some shows on TV1 including Seinfeld will now be seen in widescreen.

TV1 also introduces new-look promos made by zspace with five different mini-brands (Generic, Comedy, Crime, Afternoons and Groovy Movie), while retaining the ‘modern retro’ vibe to the channel.

Also today the Ovation Channel returns to the Foxtel /Austar platform on Ch 134 but as an add-on channel, requiring separate subscription of $9.95 per month. The monthly fee for Austar subscribers is $6.

Ovation was replaced by new Arts channel STVDIO as part of Foxtel / Austar packages in April.

Ovation’s website hosts a slew of pages of comments from subscribers unhappy about the move.

26 Responses

  1. @Josh – I! News is not on Arena but on the E! channel. Although I was wondering why ET and The Insider, both made in HD now (along with Ellen) are still being aired on Arena in 4:3?

    I tried contacting Arena TV but got no answer yet.

    On a bright side nice to see shows like Gilmore Girls, Ugly Betty, Monk and others on TV1 and Arena now in 16:9 for the season that were made in that format.

  2. can someone explain to me how a show like E! News on Arena is filmed in HD (as shown by the logo) yet is 4:3?? I thought if a show was filmed in HD then it was also 16:9
    and @ Ararat – totally agree! I mentioned on the Hallmark Switch to Universal Channel thread about which channels would look amazing in HD and how Foxtel/Austar just makes FTA channels seem pitiful. Like the thread on how many factual crime shows are being shown on WIN/9 and PRIME/7 just pretty much shows how people are willing to pay the money to see shows that are actually entertaining and not something so repetitive and boring
    (all of this is my opinion so please dont take offense anyone)

  3. @Ararat – ER was shot for 16:9 and all the DVDs have always been released in that format dating back to the first season, same goes for SG1.

    As for the Seinfeld debate there will always be people that love the original format and if you want that go buy the DVDs.

    FYI did you know “I Dream of Jeannie” and “Charlie Angels” are also now in 16:9, they must be spending millions on converting them!

  4. Seinfeld is better in 4:3.
    The widescreen cropping is tacky. You don’t get the full image.

    For example, the episode where Elaine has to buy Mr Pitt some socks, the visual gag when he tries on the socks is pretty much completely lost because his feet are bottom of frame.

    Damn these people and their yearning for fake widescreen.

  5. Great! Now if they’d only get rid of the ads within programs, I would actually watch them (TV1 & Arena).
    Already paying $126 a month, won’t pay more, though I do miss Ovation.

  6. I’m afraid it’s the FTA channels that are now caught behind.

    Yes, some of Foxtel’s SD channels are of slightly lower quality than FTA SD (though almost all are now widescreen), but, Foxtel’s HD channels blow FTA away. It’s not even close. All they need is a couple more channels to go HD, and it’ll become a non-issue, for example, sci-fi, history (though it now looks great since the widescreen switch), bbc knowledge, and maybe arena and 111hits.

    And there’s no prospect of FTA catching up either, as the government has no plans to switch to DVB-T2 or even just H.264.

  7. Seinfeld had it’s aspect altered and was remastered when TBS in the USA started airing it in syndication…

    I love the look of it, but do agree that my DVD’s now look a little old in the original 4:3

  11. I have a feeling that like “W” Channel with “The View” they might eventually get the widescreen version for Ellen on Arena.

    As I am still confused by if there is a widescreen version of TMZ because the website shows those exact segments in widescreen

  12. Hoo-#$%@-ray!! I could not stand watching any current shows on TV1 knowing they’d been cropped & stretched (Law & Orders, NCIS, Office etc) … about time they got around to doing this.

    As people have said before, Foxtel need to stop coming up with ‘ideas’ and to just bring their service upto a standard that represents television in the 2000’s – a bit sad so many people pay for a service that is p**s-poor in quality when compared to free-to-air TV.

    Good about Seinfeld too – although I dont really care how it was filmed, when channel 9 first got the rights to it from Ten, they showed episodes in widescreen, but they cropped the 4×3 version to fit (cut off the top & bottom) … hopefully TV1 wont be doing this!

  13. I don’t watch Seinfeld so I can’t comment on specifics about that show, but I have done my own (very close) comparison of ER episodes (which was also shot on film rather than video), and the 16:9 version definitely has more footage on the sides rather than cropping the top and bottom.

    The 4:3 version was the one that was cropped.

    I see this in a lot of shows shot on film (definitely allowed for better futureproofing than shows shot on video). It lets them remaster old shows in proper HD, not just the upscaling you get with most shows.

    I looked at that link, and According to That Guy, it really looks like the widescreen version has more cropped than the 4:3 version does (though both are cropped), but for the most part, that isn’t the case.

  15. My question re. Seinfeld is if the show was actually shot in 16×9, why are the DVD releases in 4×3? I’ve all the DVD box sets and it indicates they have been remastered to preserve the show’s original aspect ratio of 4×3. Granted I purchased the Seinfeld DVD’s when they were originally released, so a subsequent release may in fact be available in a reframed 16×9 version.

  18. You’re both wrong, Seinfeld was shot on film which allows for extra unseen footage either side of the 4:3 square, this allowed Sony to rescan the original film copy, add a bit to the sides and crop a bit from the top or bottom (depending on the scene) to get the 16:9 format and since it was on film they could scan it at 1080 HD quality for HD and future BluRay use, just like they do with new movies and shows shot on film today.

    @Ararat – many fans don’t like they did this but I prefer the 16:9 when watching it on my LCD, looks way better than 2 black bars down the sides.

    @ryaneco – yes it was broadcasted in 4:3 as that was the format of the 90’s but it was originally put on DVD in 4:3. I’m waiting for the BluRay 16:9 1080 HD copy!

  19. @ryaneco Seinfeld was shot on 35mm and not in 16:9. For the HD 16:9 version some of the top and bottom are cropped with some of the left and right safe area included. Comparison of the 4:3 and 16:9 versions. forum.dvdtalk.com/9252286-post32.html

  20. @Mikey Seinfeld was actually shot in 16×9 but because of the era it aired in it was only ever broadcast in 4×3 so what you see on Go and what you will see on TV1 is how it was meant to be seen. It was one of the few shows of its time; Like ER which was also shot in 16×9

  21. TCM is the one that really needs 16×9 conversion and also a better quality transmission than the one we get beamed from Asia which is appalling. The U.S. TCM channel is 200% better: they broadcast all movies in their correct ratio, have informed introductions for the majority of the movies & wonderful extras as fillers.
    And they don’t do 3x8hr blocks to fill their 24hrs. TCM needs a major revamp here!

  22. So has Seinfeld been remastered into 16×9 format as it was shot in 4:3? or is it just being stretched to fit our widescreen tvs?
    I have pondered this question many times whilst viewing it on GO! which has been screening it in 16×9 since they kicked off.
    Any info muchly appreciated

  23. Yeah, and not just Discovery, but ALL the Discovery Network channels. It’s annoying that so much of their content is widescreen and we have to see it with both a letterbox and pillar bars.

    Hallmark is next with the 16:9 switching, slated for July 1. It’s good that ESPN, History, Comedy, TV1 and Arena have all switched this year, and I hope that the likes of the Discovery Channels follow soon.

    If you check here, it seems that discovery and MTV are due to convert ‘sometime in 2010’.
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Foxtel_channels

    @Craig, why would anyone want to see it in 4:3? ppl actually Want part of their picture cut off?

  24. Its good to see they have finally upgraded to widescreen.
    What I have noticed more on Foxtel since I cant have IQ anymore, is the dreadful commercials, and its the same commercials for tv shows all the time. Comedy is the worst with the ads for South Park, Scrubs, Earl to name a few.
    I have actually become one of those people who now have to mute the commercials since I cant fast forward.

  25. Yeah don’t think I’d be paying extra for Ovation…

    David I notice Ellen is not in widescreen on Arena, any reason for this as todays re-run at 11am is one from January.

    So the Seinfeld marathon will be in widescreen, surely this will annoy those who wanted to see it in 4:3 after watching it on GO! in 16:9, guess they’ll just have to go get the DVDs.

    Now if only MTV and Discovery would go 16:9…

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