It's A Wonderful Life on NBC - STILL in SD

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by dirwuf, Dec 3, 2016.

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  1. mmars982

    mmars982 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pittsburgh, PA
    After only seeing bits and pieces of this movie growing up (when it was on TV constantly), I saw the movie all the way through for the first time a little over 20 years ago in a theater (in the Jimmy Stewart museum no less). Not a big screen, and certainly not the best resolution, but sitting in the dark with no interruptions at all. Since then, I try to only watch it straight through with no interruptions when I put in the DVD each year. (Doesn't always work out.)

    It's playing this year in a larger art cinema in my area and I'm planning on seeing it there for the theater experience again.

    Can't imagine watching it with commercial interruptions, although I am guilty of having on in the background while decorating the tree once when it happened to be on.
     
    chacha and Benno123 like this.
  2. The Hud

    The Hud Breath of the Kingdom, Tears of the Wild

    I have become an HD snob. I rarely watch anything in SD.
     
    Vidiot likes this.
  3. captainsolo

    captainsolo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Murfreesboro, TN
    A Few Words About - A few words about...™ It's a Wonderful Life -- in Blu-ray »

    Paramount did the first major studio transfer for their 2006 DVD. The HD bump for Blu-ray revealed and highlighted the grain removal and lack of fine detail. It just really peeves me that such a perennial classic gets what is essentially a slightly better version of the DVD with the same lossy audio instead of a full restoration like even some really cult titles get nowadays. And the fact that a colorized version is still to this day promoted and even available is criminal.

    I love the film with a passion, so I have many editions of it. The Criterion has a nice audio commentary but is analog sound only (still sounds pretty good though!) , the later Republic Laserdiscs have the audio encoded as PCM, and to see the film as it would appear on the big screen the older transfers (or Republic DVD) would come closest since they are derived from the same dupe used to make all current prints. The black levels and detail are better in the Paramount transfer, yes, but I was never a fan of all the tradeoffs.
     
  4. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Isn't there a DVD /BD with both color /b&w version ?
     
  5. PaulKTF

    PaulKTF Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    Yes.
     
  6. dirwuf

    dirwuf Misplaced Chicagoan Thread Starter

    Location:
    Fairfield, CT
    Can you elaborate with some screen shot comparisons?
     
  7. PaulKTF

    PaulKTF Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    I really wish they'd do a new restoration of the elements and do a limited engagement theatrical release around Christmastime. That would be really cool.
     
    Benno123 likes this.
  8. OnTheRoad

    OnTheRoad Not of this world

    I used to like watching it on TBS when they showed the colorized SD version ! :goodie:



    :hide:

    ``It`s a Wonderful Life`` eventually was sold to Republic Pictures and passed to Turner in the RKO acquisition, but he never owned it and, contrary to the general perception, he was not the one who ``colorized`` it, though he has put nearly all of his own black and white classics through the process.

    Yay for Ted ! ;)
     
  9. PaulKTF

    PaulKTF Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    I'll take even a colorized It's A Wonderful Life over most modern movies. :)
     
    SixtiesGuy likes this.
  10. OnTheRoad

    OnTheRoad Not of this world

    I preferred the old style of watching in color ! :D

    [​IMG]

    Didn't have color TV till '68,

    [​IMG]

    Yeah boy....it was a Wonderful Life !! :)
     
  11. jedidarrick

    jedidarrick New Member

    Location:
    Reno, Nevada
    And THAT'S why I try to avoid watching films on TV when I can.
     
  12. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    I suspect Paramount/Viacom wanted X dollars more for a copy of the HD master, and NBC said, "screw it -- we already paid for the SD, let's just air that. Nobody will notice because it's an old movie." Never underestimate the lack of care or taste from American network executives. (There is also no love lost between Paramount/Viacom and NBC/Comcast.)

    Two words: Cheap. Bastids.
     
    Simon A likes this.
  13. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    I get upset these days when I see standard-def commercials. There is absolutely no excuse for it.

    The only shows that make sense in standard def are shows actually shot in standard-def videotape: All in the Family, Maude, Family Ties, Family Matters, Cosby, Golden Girls, and all those other 1970s/1980s videotape sitcoms. Those are doomed to be 4x3 standard-def forever and ever. Film shows can be rescanned in HD and will look a lot better in HD, but there's a compromise if you blow them up 25% (as with Seinfeld) and reframe them in 16x9.
     
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  14. chacha

    chacha Forum Resident In Memoriam

    Location:
    mill valley CA USA
    Just so I'm clear, which is the best looking version?
     
  15. The Hud

    The Hud Breath of the Kingdom, Tears of the Wild

    Me too. I like to joke that I won't buy any product when the commercial isn't in HD.
     
  16. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    I'm aghast that anybody who's in a business would only spend the money to make a standard-def commercial in 2016.
     
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  17. dougotte

    dougotte Petty, Annoying Dilettante

    Location:
    Washington, DC
    Sometimes the station appears to show an HD commercial erroneously in SD. I've seen a commercial shown in HD, then a few minutes later on the same channel, it's shown again in SD!
     
  18. Dude111

    Dude111 An Awesome Dude

    Location:
    US
    Maybe they wanna give that movie the respect it deserves by showing it in its original SD format? (They cant show it in analog so thats the best they can do)

    I dunno just thinking........
     
  19. profholt82

    profholt82 Resident Blowhard

    Location:
    West Michigan
    It's going to be on USA tonight at 8. The tv guide on my Dish info screen says it's in HD. Don't know for sure until you see it though.
     
    MikaelaArsenault and mmars982 like this.
  20. PaulKTF

    PaulKTF Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    Wow, that reminds me of the 1980's when USA Network showed some great Christmas specials and movies. :)
     
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  21. mmars982

    mmars982 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Watching it now. Thanks for posting this. Had no idea it would be on. I'm no expert, but it look like HD to me. When I switch to the SD channel I think I see the difference.
     
    profholt82 likes this.
  22. profholt82

    profholt82 Resident Blowhard

    Location:
    West Michigan
    Cool beans. Thanks for the confirmation. I'm not watching it tonight, I just noticed it was on and wanted to point it out to you guys.
     
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  23. Maybe it's because they are running a public domain print? Also bexause they need to fill the time and don't think anyone is watching. I wasn't.
     
  24. PaulKTF

    PaulKTF Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    I very much doubt they're running an old public domain print of the film. I hope nobody's run one of those since the 1980's (at least I hope!).
     
  25. sixtiesstereo

    sixtiesstereo Senior Member

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    I also watched it last night, and I agree it looked like 4:3 HD. Crystal clear...the best quality
    I recall ever seeing it. A pleasure to see it in this quality. Good for USA Network........
     
    cuddlytoy and mmars982 like this.
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