Not a mock thread ... Is it time to drop the 4:3 safe zones

NZ keep things within 14:9 so if you've got your TV set to 4:3 then tough sh*t!

News graphics like the one below look terrible in 16:9, fine in 4:3 but its not 4:3 I think they need to be made within 14:9.
http://www.tvnewsroom.co.uk/nz/specials/n9n/graphics/fullscreen-e.jpg http://www.tvnewsroom.co.uk/nz/specials/n9n/graphics/split-e.jpg

I think everything should be made now within 14:9 safe. Graphically speaking.

....sorry, the world doesn't have to wait for your kitchen portable or car headrest screen to catch up - IT SHOULD BE DONE NOW!

Stabby - I've never heard such a selfish argument in my life. I'm surprised you're not insisting on a 405-line B&W signal because you have an old set in your Grandad's loft!

Oh SHUT UP!

I can confirm that I own four 4:3 televisions ranging from 18" to 31" and also a Portable 5" 4:3 television. I don't intend to buy a new television anytime soon (let alone switch to HD) so I expect to see all the graphics I pay for with the television licence. So in fact YOUR the selfish one.

What a ridiculous response. The fact of the matter is, you can still BUY 4:3 TVs (yes you can), you can still buy TVs without Freeview, for gods sake a lot of places still don't even HAVE Freeview. I live in Jersey and we won't be getting Digital TV (without having to get Sky) until 2013, so analogue is going to be around for a long time yet! Don't think that just because you have Sky or Freeview on EVERY TV in your house that everyone else can afford to do that, or that it's even possible.

It's a good job you don't have the final say in matters like this, because you clearly don't realise peoples TV viewing habits, the budget they're willing to spend on TV or the lack of digital TV in some areas.

If you're that bothered about graphics being 14:9 safe, just watch HD channels, they are all 16:9 safe on there, they go right to the edge.

Couldn't agree more, and Sky is the worst offender. At least most Freeview boxes have a 14:9 option. It's such a shame that a 14:9 option wasn't made an agreed standard when digital TV began.

As for whether broadcasters should just go ahead and ignore the 4:3 safe area, I can't see it happening in the near future. Look at the fuss caused by News 24 moving its clock outside the safe area.

The phone numbers on Melodifestivalen are 4:3 safe aren't they?

ISTR that the first 16:9 MFsemi-final had non-4:3 safe phone numbers, but the following week they were 4:3 safe and remained so.

The song straps before each performance aren't 4:3 safe, but the two phone numbers that are supered at the bottom of the screen (the cheap one that just votes and the expensive one that donates to Radiohjalpen as well as voting) are still kept 4:3 safe aren't they?

Sweden, of course, has no analogue TV any more - so they don't have to worry about that...

Whilst there are still 4:3 sets and whilst the default output of almost all digital receivers is 4:3 centre-cut, graphics are likely to remain 4:3 safe.

This is particularly important for adverts and news bulletins.

Cropping the small print on an advert (say the APR of a credit card) or cropping the "NOT" in "NOT GUILTY" - so it says "GUILTY" - are all quite important things to try to avoid.

Examples from Melodifestivalen of 4:3 graphics cropping.

http://premium1.uploadit.org/ChrisCornwall3/IND/melodifestivalen001.jpg

http://premium1.uploadit.org/ChrisCornwall3/IND/melodifestivalen002.jpg

http://premium1.uploadit.org/ChrisCornwall3/IND/melodifestivalen003.jpg

http://premium1.uploadit.org/ChrisCornwall3/IND/melodifestivalen004.jpg

http://premium1.uploadit.org/ChrisCornwall3/IND/melodifestivalen005.jpg

http://premium1.uploadit.org/ChrisCornwall3/IND/melodifestivalen101.jpg

http://premium1.uploadit.org/ChrisCornwall3/IND/melodifestivalen102.jpg

http://premium1.uploadit.org/ChrisCornwall3/IND/melodifestivalen103.jpg

http://premium1.uploadit.org/ChrisCornwall3/IND/melodifestivalen104.jpg

http://premium1.uploadit.org/ChrisCornwall3/IND/melodifestivalen105.jpg

> Whilst there are still 4:3 sets and whilst the default output of almost all digital receivers is 4:3 centre-cut, graphics are likely to remain 4:3 safe.

So essentially then we're stuck with this ugly kludge for at least the next 20 years.

Sorry state of affairs isn't it?

I've seen some HD mocks where the graphics are very close to the edge, and I'm not sure I like it. I actually prefer graphics to be in safe areas, it just looks better.

> I've seen some HD mocks where the graphics are very close to the edge, and I'm not sure I like it. I actually prefer graphics to be in safe areas, it just looks better.

That's just because it's what you are used to. I do know what you mean, but I think we'd all get over that within the first half-hour if exposed to proper graphics on a regular basis.

Here's one to think about -- by the same token, there will be some widescreen viewers out there who watch 4:3 programmes in 16:9 zoom mode, cuttting off the top and bottom of the screen. Even more people -- myself included -- tend to watch in 14:9 zoom as a decent compromise without having to distort the picture.

If it's good enough for the 4:3 viewers, surely all 4:3 programming should be made 16:9 safe?

Is much being made in 4:3 now?


The occasional sports event from abroad, but can't think of anything else now that's being made in 4:3 - ITV News was probably the last major thing to catch up.