Watching ME TV Channel is getting depressing

The intense blonde lady who's always asking, "Have you...or a loved one..." contracted some horrible disease that will now lead to all sorts of riches?

The things I endure to get my "Good Times" fix!

 

I wish they took off Perry mason and Carol Burnett..
They need to show something else.. boring ..
Westerns yes who watches them?

 

Yeah, I've had my fill of Perry mason and Carol Burnett for a while.

 

MeTV averages around three times the number of viewers than its next closest competitor among classic TV diginets, but that's still a minuscule number compared to the big guys. Check the link embedded in this post from Television Obscurities for some comparative Nielsen data from last week:

Are You Watching Diginets? - Television Obscurities »

 

Every weekend my DVR is set to record the early morning Abbott & Costello shows. I love 'em! Oddly enough, they did a Stooges marathon and I recorded them. Since childhood I've loved the Stooges so imagine my surprise when I started watching them and was bored silly! A&C and the Stooges both had roots in Vaudeville and yet they're really different acts. Prior to me starting to watch them again now on METV, if you asked me who I liked more I would've automatically said the Stooges, go figure! Nyuck, nyuck, nyuck

 

Yeah, my wife and I miss being able to watch Twilight Zone before bed.

They need to bring Taxi back too.

 

I tend to run out of steam with watching shows I liked when I was a kid after awhile. Not sure why. Maybe they look dated, aren't very sophisticated by today's standards, and/or aren't as funny because our collective tastes have changed. But I think a few (a very few) stand the test of time.

 

Here they're not stretching it as much as cutting off the bottom and showing it in near widescreen. There is still a bit of pillar boxing going on.

 

In the end, demographics always win. The core audience for the older shows is older (and less attractive to advertisers/agency droids) than the audiences for 80s/90s shows.

 

MeTV Picture Quality FAQ »

 

There was a cable network that aired a series called "Brilliant but Canceled". Unfortunately, I did not watch it much, but it's the type of show I'd like to see more of. But I understand that it's the (formerly) popular shows that pay the bills.

 

Try "Nichols". A unconventional and humorous western starring James Garner as the reluctant hero of the same name. Great supporting cast, as well (especially Stuart Margolin as Garner's bumbling deputy sheriff).

 

Well that surely doesn't make anything clear. They seem to indicate that you will either end up with a pillarboxed 4x3 or a full screen 16x9 image.

That's not what I've been seeing. I see a nearly widescreen image, wider than a pillarboxed 4x3 image, but not stretched. I'm assuming the bottom, or top, is cut to make it fit.

I'm pretty sure this is originating from MeTV and not my local affiliate because some of their commercials and promos are clearly fully widescreen, and I've also seen pillarboxing and matting on the sides of their 4x3 program when it's been scaled as I mentioned above.

I believe the TV or affiliate could create the pillarboxing if not adhering to the right aspect ratio, but not the matting.

 

God, I hate that.

 

The aspect ratio change to 16:9 was made at the behest of advertisers who didn't want their widescreen commercials modified to accommodate a 4:3 format and for those broadcasters who use their MeTV subchannels to air newscasts. Some of the shows like Star Trek:TOS are shown in their original 4:3 format, while other shows like CHiPS and M*A*S*H are matted to 16:9 (lots of lopped-off head tops.) I can see going to a 16:9 format as a concession to advertisers and broadcasters, but they shouldn't mess with the OAR of the shows themselves.

 

Since I got some good deals on Shout Factory releases of Newhart, Mary Hartman
Mary Hartman, Maude and a few other sets found at pawn shops and thrift Stores, those Me, This and Antenna TV channels are not viewed that much.
Although I did watch a few episodes of 227 and What's Happening for old times sake.

 

Might be a good channel to sell my latest invention "GET OFF MY LAWN!" spray. If you're getting to old to shake your fist, and your dentures fall out when you yell, just spray this specially formulated kid-repellant and the neighborhood kids will think twice about taking a short cut on your property. If you order now, get the special extender nozzle.

 

Is the second one free, just pay $17.95 handling?

 

Wish they would rotate some of the Westerns. I'd like a daily dose of Rawhide instead of just Saturday. Couple of weeks ago they had one with the Mexican drover getting dosed with Peyote. And then I get to crank the volume at the end for some Frankie Laine.

 

In mastering, the general rule of thumb is to tilt up in order to preserve the headroom when a 4x3 show is reframed for 16x9. No need to cut anybody's head off in the new version.

 

Me Tv does need a new direction is boring I can't care what there demographs are..
Get somebody new to run Me-tv.

 

This is what I've been seeing as well. Until recently, the programs were stretched to 16:9 unless I toggled my TV's display settings to 4:3, which would render them pillarboxed at the correct AR.

There is no stretching now, but they are definitely not pillarboxed to 1.33 - it looks more like 1.66, as the pillarboxing on each side of the frame is much less obtrusive than 1.33 pillarboxing. I think Vidiot is correct - at least on the shows I watch semi-regularly I haven't noticed any glaringly obvious instances of chopped-off heads, so I'm assuming they are tilting up to crop the bottom of the frame slightly.

 

Yes, and then there are a few shows that they run at full 16x9 and I believe they were mentioned upthread. I saw Chips this afternoon in passing, and it was full screen with no pillarboxing and no apparent stretching.

 

Trio...I miss that channel.