new wide screen HD presentation of "The Wire" (?)

My son showed me something on his phone this morning that talked about HBO rebroadcasting all of "The Wire" episodes in "HD".

The article he showed me was somewhat confusing because it talked about how the shows were filmed in 4:3 - but were framed with a possible 16:9 version in mind. That part wasn't confusing, what was confusing was something about how the creator of the series (David Simon) preferred the 4:3 framing that was used previously.

Does that mean Simon prefers the original framing but he has agreed to allow a new presentation despite his preference ?

I thought it said the broadcasts would be starting soon, so I went and tried to see if I could find them on my DirecTV guide. When I did a search, it found the "on demand" episodes, nothing else...

For what it's worth, all of the DirecTV "on demand" episodes were listed as "HD". When I pulled one up, it looked the same as I always remember. Still 4:3... not sure about "HD" - looks good - but could probably use an upgrade.

Even more confusing - the news article my son showed me was talking about a widescreen presentation of The Wire that is available in "widescreen SD" (yes, low def) on Amazon prime.

I have Amazon prime and will check it later today.


My guess is that maybe a Blu Ray set is being prepped for a Christmas release - and that the masters for same will indeed start being used for a week by week HBO re-broadcast of the entire series.

The news article called it a "marathon" - but it doesn't seem to be one of those deals where they show every episode back to back. I can't remember HBO ever doing that. Too many other shows in their portfolio....

 

They are airing on HBO Signature starting 9/4 according to the below link.

http://hbowatch.com/the-wire-being-remastered-rebroadcast-in-hd-by-hbo/

 

The shows were shot in 3-perf 35mm negative, so as long as HBO spent the money to rescan the film in 16x9, you'll be seeing more image area in the HD versions than in the original SD versions. When the show started (around 2002), a lot of things were up in their in broadcasting with HD coming in and SD on its way out. But most major studios and cable channels realized that eventually, everything would be 16x9, so most of them did "protect" the footage for future HD release.

I think you can remaster to 16x9 provided you have good taste, the right equipment, and good people doing the job... plus you gots to spend de money. If the show is stuck in 4-perf 4x3, then they're doomed and it would have to be a blow-up (like Seinfeld or Cheers, both of which were redone in 16x9 for future syndication). Many more recent shows, like That '70s Show, were shot in 3-perf but only aired in 4x3, but later remasters used the full width of the 16x9 frame. The trick there is we had to watch out for any framing issues, like when somebody was shooting off the set or a person or object snuck into an extreme edge of the frame.

 

Odd this is mentioned. I just started The Wire on Amazon Prime, and much to my surprise all of the episodes were in 16:9 widescreen, until...about episode 9 of the 1st season, when all of a sudden it switched back to 4:3. I was wondering what happened, but now the article explains it.

So, you're not going to find it in 16:9 on Amazon Prime anymore. This was about, probably 5 days or so ago when it switched back to 4:3.

P.S - An engaging show, but I've yet to see how it surpasses Breaking Bad (or some others it's been pitted against).

 

I don't think the article covered all the basics. It's very possible the retransfers of the show are in progress, and they're simply not finished yet. This wouldn't be the first time somebody jumped the gun on releasing something before it's not ready.

 

In cases like this (Seinfeld is another example) I say create a 16x9 broadcast version for the unwashed masses and release it on blu-ray in the original 4x3 framing for the purists.

 

They're not airing it on 9/4. That's what the promo said and when they originally planned to, but they've pushed it back and haven't decided on a date yet.

 

Totally agree. I just watched it in the past two months and while I enjoyed it it's not even close to being in Breaking Bad's league.

 

Personally if the show was shot in 3-perf, then a widescreen version would make me MORE likely to upgrade my DVDs to bluray. Seinfeld is a different matter, because they had to tilt and scan to produce a widescreen version, losing part of the image. Don't want that. Do want widescreen versions created by NOT cropping the master down to 4x3.

 

Totally disagree! I liked BB a great deal, but it is pulp fiction rather than realism.

 

For me watching “The Wire” was like the real life, while “Breaking Bad” sometimes seemed to be an exaggerated caricature.

Werner.

 

I'd say we're overdue for The Wire on Blu-ray, I don't care what the aspect ratio is.

 

I went looking for "HBO Signature" last night on my DirecTV guide.

I was pretty sure that DirecTV carries all of the HBO channels - but I didn't see one that called itself "HBO Signature"

I just did a google search - and apparently 503 is the channel.

I'm gonna have to look again and see if that's how it's branded in my guide.

I was wondering if there was an extra HBO hiding somewhere else (not in the low 500 area)

 

I'm happily keeping my DVD set. The show is supposed to look as it does, high definition is totally unnecessary.

I'm very interested in reading how David Simon feels about this.

 

Have you finished watching the entire series yet? The Wire is definitely a slow burn.

 

The Wire is in a league all it's own, and I'm not sure it shares a space with any other show in TV history.

 

I'd give Breaking Bad a solid ten, no make that eleven. Is The Wire in the same class?

 

I agree, and to those making comparisons, the thing that sets The Wire apart is its realism, something that is sorely lacking in TV.

 

What is it a docu-reality type thing?

 

Reality " I got the shotgun...you got the briefcase. "

 

Great clip - Omar telling it like it is, I found The Wire very interesting in that you're not always sure who the really bad guys are, whether they wear a $3,000 suit or a hoodie it becomes a little blurry after a while.

 

Just like real life. People judged by their taste in clothing, music, hair styles, tattoos, and on and on. The older you get, the more you realize we all have our " good " side, and we all have a side we'd rather other people didn't see. Life becomes less black and white, and fills up with more, and more gray.

 

No, I'm about to start the 3rd episode of Season 2. I can see the slow burn aspect, and I can definitely appreciate that, because I enjoyed Season 1. Season 1 took a while to kick in. What I didn't like, though, was that Season 2 felt like a hard reset. I'm not sure how to explain it, but some following seasons tend to ease you in from the previous season, while others press that "hard reset" button, where we're starting all over again, and all of the pieces are now in different places. Perhaps I'm not explaining it well enough.

Anyway, I'm assuming that everyone has their roles in Season 2. I just can't see how Avon, Stringer and the others fall into place yet with the longshoremen.

 

No.

It's still a fictional drama.

What sets it apart is how it addresses the scope of the drug problem - and how it touches different lives and how seemingly different parts of society are intertwined.

To wit, the show is about:

- The failure of the legal system
- Intra-police politics
- The lives of the low level dealers (i.e., children)
- The lives of the mid to high level distributers
- The elusive life of the highest up on the criminal food chain
- The school system that tries to give children opportunities
- The lives of the dockworkers who allow product and raw materials to slip through the cracks
- The politicians who try to find an impossible balance between school funding, police funding, and other priorities - all the while fighting to be elected
- The reporters who try to shine a light into a very dark tunnel - often unaware of what's waiting at the other side
- The politics that exist inside of a big city newspaper
- The technology used to fight the drug problem and how there is a balance between what can be used and what is allowed to be used
- Family life for the police, criminals, lawyers, and schoolteachers


That's a HUGE mouthful - and I think I probably left some things out.

I never felt a similar feeling of euphoria as I did during the last episode when McNulty was given his "going away" salute from his brothers in arms. It was truly a beautiful moment - unlike any I've ever seen on film or television.

As for the wide screen vs 4:3 debate... I think the show is old enough that a new fresh look on it won't kill the essence of the original series. Simon might have a preferred aspect ratio - but I'd like to believe that he's more intent on expanding the reach of his message - by allowing the framing to change for a new presentation.

 

Season 2 is a bit of a downer, but it picks back up again in season 3, stick with it.