A high-definition simulcast of CN is coming [Archive]

Adam Tyner

01-10-2007, 10:04 AM

A Turner spokesperson confirmed at the Television Critics Association's semi-annual press tour that a high-definition simulcast of the Cartoon Network will launch in September.

Carriage for the channel has not been announced, although DirecTV mentioned the channel at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas while discussing the high-definition programming they were anticipating offering in the second half of the year.

Sources:

http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=11336

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6406035.html?display=Breaking+News

http://features.engadget.com/2007/01/08/live-coverage-from-directv-press-conference/

Taylor Karras

01-10-2007, 10:25 AM

Finally, I'll be able to watch Cartoon Network and [adult swim] in HD.

Matt Hazuda

01-10-2007, 12:10 PM

I wonder if it'll be true HD or they'll just be upscaling their shows to 720p or 1080i.

I know WB Animation at least produces their shows in widescreen, so a lot of material will finally see light of day though, which should make many people happy, but I'd expect plenty of barn doors unless CN Studios suddenly gains interest in the "kid-unfriendly" widescreen format.

Adam Tyner

01-10-2007, 12:38 PM

I wonder if it'll be true HD or they'll just be upscaling their shows to 720p or 1080i.A combination of the two, I'm sure, like TNT-HD. Turner seems to prefer 1080i over 720p. I'm just hoping they don't stretch the 4x3 material.

Mr. Manager

01-10-2007, 02:49 PM

This is quite fantastic news. I'm really looking forward to it, because, now, we'll be able to see The Boondocks in its original aspect ratio. JLU would've been perfect for it, but oh well. Anyway, I doubt any shows will convert, but it looks like all future shows, such as the ones being announced in the upcoming upfront, will be produced in high definition.

I do hope they don't stretch the fullscreen programs, though, and just air the HD programs in HD, like ESPN.

Adam Tyner

01-10-2007, 03:03 PM

...and maybe they'll whip out classic restored animation just to show off the channel's resolution. At least some of the Looney Tunes shorts have been remastered in high-def; the Adventures of Robin Hood HD DVD includes several of them, and they look unbelievable.

Mugen

01-10-2007, 03:17 PM

jarjar23

01-10-2007, 04:17 PM

Do cartoons actually look better in HD? :confused:

Carlos

01-10-2007, 04:38 PM

Do cartoons actually look better in HD? :confused:

Everything looks better in HD.

Matt Hazuda

01-10-2007, 04:43 PM

Everything looks better in HD.Even your mom! :D

Carlos

01-10-2007, 04:50 PM

Even your mom! :D

oh burn

Taylor Karras

01-10-2007, 04:54 PM

So does 24 which will be airing a 2-hour premiere on Sunday January 14.

Sorry, Just had to let you know.

Sketch

01-10-2007, 05:08 PM

Good news for Boondocks at least since it has an HD version I believe. Hey... maybe some day we'll get to see One Piece HD or CN will get the new version of DBZ.

EscaflownePilot

01-10-2007, 06:05 PM

Good news for Boondocks at least since it has an HD version I believe. Hey... maybe some day we'll get to see One Piece HD...Don't bet on it. Knowing Toei, even if One Piece gets another distributor who puts the show back on CN, Toei would likely do something stupid like send only the SD fullscreen masters to the distributor. I mean, they couldn't even be bothered to release One Piece in widescreen on DVD in Japan until just recently.

Sketch

01-10-2007, 06:40 PM

True and I wasn't counting on at all until they at least get to the episodes that were HD on DVD.

PeppeRaskell1

01-10-2007, 10:15 PM

Too bad Samurai Jack isn't on CN any more (except on Toonami Jetstream!)

That show was BORN to be seen in HD.

I wish I could say the same for MOST of the CN shows...

KuwabaraTheMan

01-10-2007, 10:17 PM

Too bad Samurai Jack isn't on CN any more (except on Toonami Jetstream!)

That show was BORN to be seen in HD.

I wish I could say the same for MOST of the CN shows...

...But Jack wasn't made in HD, so it wouldn't make that big of a difference even if it was on the network.

The Wolverine

01-11-2007, 12:27 AM

Everything looks better in HD.

Not really.

HD is a scam.

Duke

01-11-2007, 02:46 AM

Do cartoons actually look better in HD? :confused:
Fry: "But I'm watching TV in High-Definition! It has better resolution than reality!"

Kaoru

01-11-2007, 02:54 AM

That's such a redundant thing... at least they should make sure their shows don't suck before they go on tweaking the technical aspects.

RayChuang

01-11-2007, 10:51 AM

Hopefully, with the CN high-definition feed they'll show all those old Tom & Jerry cartoons done in the Cinemascope format in the original aspect ratio. :)

Mr. Manager

01-11-2007, 04:21 PM

Hopefully, with the CN high-definition feed they'll show all those old Tom & Jerry cartoons done in the Cinemascope format in the original aspect ratio. :)I sure hope so. I get annoyed when they show the title cards in the Cinemascope format, and then air the short itself in pan and scan.

veemonjosh

01-11-2007, 05:27 PM

I hope this also means we'll also finally get to see the Widescreen version of Teen Titans.

Hmm, I wonder if Xiaolin Showdown was made in Widescreen....

Mugen

01-11-2007, 05:34 PM

That's such a redundant thing... at least they should make sure their shows don't suck before they go on tweaking the technical aspects.

Quality of shows has nothing to do with making an HD simulcast of your network.

RayChuang

01-11-2007, 11:04 PM

I sure hope so. I get annoyed when they show the title cards in the Cinemascope format, and then air the short itself in pan and scan.

Interestingly enough, I've actually seen those Tom & Jerry widescreen cartoons on Turner Classic Movies (TCM) every now and then in their original aspect ratio.

SirLemming

01-12-2007, 12:18 AM

Clearly a lot of you have never seen HD programming. Regular digital cable/satellite TV is broadcast at a low resolution; it'd take up a fairly small portion of your computer monitor. It looks good on most average-sized TVs, but on a bigger TV or when you're sitting up close you notice the imperfections, and even more so if you watch it on a projector or something. HDTV, on the other hand, is at a much higher resolution (more like something that would fill your computer monitor) and looks at least as good as DVD quality. And of course it also broadcasts in widescreen. But don't worry; I've never seen any HD channel that stretches its 4:3 broadcasts. They usually put sidebars on it.

Trust me, this is a very good thing. Especially for cartoons, which benefit a lot from sharp image quality (live-actions shows tend to hide the image imperfections better).

Dai_Maxwell

01-12-2007, 04:53 PM

SirLemming

01-12-2007, 07:18 PM

This may work for the later works that were done in widescreen, but so much of the past 20 years were done in standard 4x3. It would seem that you're either going to see the bars on the sides or the image will be stretched to fit.

99% chance it will be bars, not stretched. I've never seen any network stretch it. Even local syndicated stuff (like on CWHD or FOXHD) gets the bars.

BTW, even for non-HD shows, an HD broadcast may show improvement as long as they don't literally broadcast the same signal on both channels. If they broadcast an old show over the HD channel, depending on how they do it, it could look more like the quality you'd get on the DVD. As I'm sure you're all aware, DVD generally looks better than TV -- even digital TV that looks like it's as good as it can get. (But not HDTV.)

Dai_Maxwell

01-12-2007, 08:40 PM

I got an HDTV cable box last year for my non-HDTV set. I use the s-video input and the picture looks much better on HDTV stations than not. However, if I make the mistake of choosing the HDTV station to watch The Simpsons on, I have bars all around the image, so I lose about 25% of my screen size.

Draft

01-12-2007, 09:34 PM

Just to ask, is Disney Channel or Nick announce a similar broadcast yet?

Now only if we can get Boomerang HD for Cable Providers ala UniversalHD..

Adam Tyner

01-13-2007, 05:56 PM

However, if I make the mistake of choosing the HDTV station to watch The Simpsons on, I have bars all around the image, so I lose about 25% of my screen size.I vastly prefer watching The Simpsons on Fox-HD even though the show itself isn't in high-definition. Much sharper, the colors are more stable, no analog noise from my lousy provider...it looks great. (The syndicated version looks awful, of course.)

Are you saying you think The Simpsons should be cropped or stretched?

99% chance it will be bars, not stretched.TNT-HD stretches standard definition material. Same corporate family as Cartoon Network, unfortunately, so that mentality may carry over.

Dai_Maxwell

01-13-2007, 07:38 PM

I vastly prefer watching The Simpsons on Fox-HD even though the show itself isn't in high-definition. Much sharper, the colors are more stable, no analog noise from my lousy provider...it looks great. (The syndicated version looks awful, of course.)

Are you saying you think The Simpsons should be cropped or stretched?

No. I'm saying that if CN starts to broadcast shows that aren't available in widescreen format, on a standard set, there will be bars all aroudn the image, unless they do what you say. While I agree that the picture does look better, when it comes to animation, I think I would prefer to keep the larger size. All other shows, though, I gladly put up with bars on top/bottom.

TNT-HD stretches standard definition material. Same corporate family as Cartoon Network, unfortunately, so that mentality may carry over.

Yeah, and The X-Files just doesn't look quite right.

Funkatron

01-13-2007, 11:49 PM

EscaflownePilot

01-14-2007, 12:02 PM

I've got a question about when stations stretch the broadcast. When SD content is broadcast on an HD station at the original aspect ratio with bars, does that mean that the show is actually being broadcast as a 16:9 frame with bars on the side, or is it being broadcast as a 4:3 frame where it's then up to the HD set to either render the bars on the side or stretch the image?

I suggest you upgrade to either Component Video (red/green/blue cables) or DVI/HDMI. You'll notice the difference
I don't think any non-HDTVs have HDMI inputs, do they?

Taylor Karras

01-14-2007, 12:29 PM

I've got a question about when stations stretch the broadcast. When SD content is broadcast on an HD station at the original aspect ratio with bars, does that mean that the show is actually being broadcast as a 16:9 frame with bars on the side, or is it being broadcast as a 4:3 frame where it's then up to the HD set to either render the bars on the side or stretch the image?

I don't think any non-HDTVs have HDMI inputs, do they?

No, Sorry.

Adam Tyner

01-14-2007, 01:32 PM

I've got a question about when stations stretch the broadcast. When SD content is broadcast on an HD station at the original aspect ratio with bars, does that mean that the show is actually being broadcast as a 16:9 frame with bars on the side, or is it being broadcast as a 4:3 frame where it's then up to the HD set to either render the bars on the side or stretch the image?All high-definition material is natively in a 16x9 frame. Letterboxing/pillarboxing/windowboxing may be used within that frame to arrive at another aspect ratio, but the frame itself is always 16x9. Any letterboxing is fixed within the image.

Dai_Maxwell

01-14-2007, 11:00 PM

I suggest you upgrade to either Component Video (red/green/blue cables) or DVI/HDMI. You'll notice the difference

While my set does have Component Video inputs, I have not been able to get the box's display to work properly with it.

SirLemming

01-14-2007, 11:30 PM

All high-definition material is natively in a 16x9 frame. Letterboxing/pillarboxing/windowboxing may be used within that frame to arrive at another aspect ratio, but the frame itself is always 16x9. Any letterboxing is fixed within the image.

I vastly prefer watching The Simpsons on Fox-HD even though the show itself isn't in high-definition. Much sharper, the colors are more stable, no analog noise from my lousy provider...it looks great. (The syndicated version looks awful, of course.)

TNT-HD stretches standard definition material. Same corporate family as Cartoon Network, unfortunately, so that mentality may carry over.

Curse you, TNT-HD, for being like the one HD channel I haven't seen.

As for Simpsons, yeah, that would be true. The syndicated ones are just the regular local broadcast being shown on HD, so it looks awful (still comes through in the right ratio, though), but in prime time they do seem to put out a higher quality signal whether it's a true HD show or not. And also for Ninja Turtles.

G1Ravage

01-15-2007, 03:39 AM

Oh WOW....this is awesome news.

I would certainly hope that Time Warner Cable will be carrying this channel.

Taylor Karras

01-16-2007, 01:58 AM

No, DirecTV will be airing these channels to get an advantage over Cable.

Exclusively Of Course.

Adam Tyner

01-16-2007, 11:38 PM

Curse you, TNT-HD, for being like the one HD channel I haven't seen.Unless you're an NBA fan, you're not missing much.

Beefy

01-31-2007, 05:52 PM

I would be happy if CN changes their master feed to digital, it doesn't have to be HD, just digital. Analog should have died in the late '90s.

Since HD is digital, I guess it's a win. I just hope my cable/satellite provider will carry this new HD feed.

Update: Man, I'm out of the loop.
Several Channels Leaving Analog C-Band
12/01/06
Several channels will be leaving analog C-Band by January 1, 2007. NPS is attempting negotiations to offer these channels in a digital format. Be watching for updates and further information. The channels are as follows: Disney East, WE, IFC, Nick, Comedy, Spike, MTV Suite, TNT, TBS, Cartoon Network, and CNN. Additionally, effective 12/30/06, ESPN will also be leaving analog C-Band.
Well, it's after January 1st, and I still have my analog CN feed, so who knows what's going on.

ChibiGoku

02-01-2007, 11:54 AM

Update: Man, I'm out of the loop.

Well, it's after January 1st, and I still have my analog CN feed, so who knows what's going on.

Well, mine's switched over to digital. So not sure if all area's are switching over though...

Taylor Karras

02-01-2007, 03:20 PM

Well Fox 11 in my area recently changed to Digital, No more audible sound.

Carolina Red

02-01-2007, 09:05 PM

I'd think that for shows that don't have HD mastering they have those side bars on the sides of the screen. It'll still have better resolution for a 4x3 show. But if it works then everything will be made for the HD screen.
Everything looks better in HD.
Not Oakland Raiders GM Al Davis.:sad:

Taylor Karras

02-02-2007, 01:25 AM

I'd think that for shows that don't have HD mastering they have those side bars on the sides of the screen. It'll still have better resolution for a 4x3 show. But if it works then everything will be made for the HD screen.

Not Oakland Raiders GM Al Davis.:sad:

Yeah, But they can be resized to fit the screen.

Beefy

02-02-2007, 04:42 PM

Yeah, But they can be resized to fit the screen.It depends on your TV. Some let you set the picture to whatever ratio you want: 4:3, 16:9, 16:10, zoom. Others use the aspect ratio flag of the program being broadcast and don't let you change the picture size/shape.

Adam Tyner

10-15-2007, 08:26 AM

An update that Cartoon Network's high definition channel launched on DirecTV this morning on channel 296.

Blackstar

10-15-2007, 08:33 AM

Cartoon Network in HD sounds like an OK idea, too bad CN's current schedule isn't worth going through that kind of trouble and expense.

Matt Hazuda

10-15-2007, 10:50 AM

Cartoon Network in HD sounds like an OK idea, too bad CN's current schedule isn't worth going through that kind of trouble and expense.THat and CN doesn't produce anything in HD. If only they had some WBA stuff still on the schedule, but alas.

It appears that they're just stretching the picture so it looks really crappy (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=99480).

Taylor Karras

10-15-2007, 11:07 AM

Well it seems that most of Cartoon Networks Movies are Widescreen.

That's it, Only a few shows are widescreen enough for CNHD.

SpaceCowboy

10-15-2007, 03:54 PM

Some of the anime stuff is being broadcast letterboxed on Adult Swim and could indeed be broadcasted anamorphic for the HD feed. To have this happen though, CN may have to renegotiate with the anime distributors for new tapes if the tapes prepared for broadcast were just given to them letterboxed. Series such as Ghost in the Shell are widescreen anamorphic on DVD.

Non-anime Adult Swim shows like The Boondocks could air in widescreen if CN negotiated with Sony for widescreen masters. The series currently airs on AS in pan-n-scan, but the DVD release is widescreen.

CN could also ask Funimation for their "remastered" widescreen version of Dragon Ball Z to air on Toonami. Even though it is just a cropped version of the original 4x3 material, it'd be non-squished content atleast.
Soon to be shown episodes of One Piece were shot originally in widescreen, but I believe Funimation may only have the pan-n-scan versions. The widescreen versions may not be available internationally since the Japanese DVD releases of such episodes are pan-n-scan.

Mugen

10-15-2007, 04:01 PM

Some of the anime stuff is being broadcast letterboxed on Adult Swim and could indeed be broadcasted anamorphic for the HD feed. To have this happen though, CN may have to renegotiate with the anime distributors for new tapes if the tapes prepared for broadcast were just given to them letterboxed.

Non-anime Adult Swim shows like The Boondocks could air in widescreen if CN negotiated with Sony for widescreen masters. The series currently airs on AS in pan-n-scan.

CN could also ask Funimation for their "remastered" widescreen version of Dragon Ball Z to air on Toonami (which is just a cropped version of the original 4x3 version). Soon to be shown episodes of One Piece were shot originally in widescreen, but I believe Funimation may only have the pan-n-scan versions.

Well, one AS original that will be HD is the Venture Bros. This upcoming season will be done in HD.

GaryPotter

10-15-2007, 07:39 PM

An update that Cartoon Network's high definition channel launched on DirecTV this morning on channel 296.

I gotta know, what's it look like? Please tell me it doesn't do that half-assed stretching thing TNT HD does.

Matt Hazuda

10-15-2007, 08:05 PM

I gotta know, what's it look like? Please tell me it doesn't do that half-assed stretching thing TNT HD does.Look 4 posts up for your answer.

GaryPotter

10-15-2007, 10:31 PM

Look 4 posts up for your answer.

Duh, now I feel stupid. Thanks anyway.

Taylor Karras

10-15-2007, 11:43 PM

Wow, I feel that there is no notacable diffrence between the analog and digital, at least what I haven't found.

EroSennin

10-16-2007, 08:14 PM

Well hopefully this means One Piece will get HD treatment later this year.

Polychrome

10-16-2007, 10:29 PM

I wonder if it'll be true HD or they'll just be upscaling their shows to 720p or 1080i.

Well, Foster's is done in Flash (as is Mucha Lucha I think...), so it would simply need to be re-rendered.

I'm pretty sure Ben 10 was originally produced in Widescreen at least during the first season. I noticed quite a few episodes would only seem right when stretched on a widescreen TV. Those eps air "pan 'n scan" nowadays though.

veemonjosh

10-17-2007, 03:28 PM

THat and CN doesn't produce anything in HD. If only they had some WBA stuff still on the schedule, but alas.

IIRC, Xiaolin Showdown and Teen Titans were both produced in widescreen, so I don't know why they're not airing the widescreen prints of those two shows.