Path to HDTV 

Step 3 - Just what is HDTV?

Since I started these articles and as more people are getting on the DVD bandwagon and learning about the whole home theater world, I've gotten a lot of questions on just what some of these terms are and what good HDTV is. Of course, these articles aren't really to give you the complete overall picture but to just pass along my experiences as I've delved into this "brave new world" much as I did with DVD back in 1997.

Much like DVD was back then, HDTV is still in the realm of the early adopter because of price. First generation DVD players averaged a cost of 600$ - 1000$ during the first year and some of them had some issues. Costs started dropping as more people bought players and the next generation of players came out. HDTV is following a similar route, but most expectations are that it will take longer to go down in price and there may be some level of sets that never go down or basically equal the running price. For example, a solid 65" set often runs in the 6999$ area, even before the advent of the HDTV models. The fact that after this short of time that HDTV models are stabilizing somewhat at this price point is a good sign.

But of course, there will always be the upper end models (from companies such as Sony and Faroudja) that will run in 10,000$+ zone. Frankly, that zone isn't for me. The 6,999$ list price for the 65" set is pretty much my ceiling. But the surprising thing that occurred this year is with Toshiba's release of their 40" HDTV ready set was priced at a very affordable and reasonable 2,799$ list price. And places such as Best Buy and Tweeter offer it for 2,499$ and online prices can be as low as 1,991$!

For a lot of home theater enthusiasts such as myself, this was viewed as a breakthrough price, especially for the predominantly DVD viewing crowd who wanted to get into the anamorphic usage. So before we get into what HDTV is and what the advantages are, let's talk briefly about aspect ratios.

Aspect ratios to film enthusiasts are quite important. Each show, be it a TV show, a theatrical movie or a commercial is composed in a certain way. When filming, the director's cameras are set to show the aspect ratio as it will look to the viewer. Some directors prefer filming in one way while others in another. Some directors focus entirely on how a movie will look in the theater and some focus their composition on how it will look on home video. Others try to find a nice middle ground. 

In terms of anime, the majority of shows are produced in the 1.33:1 format, which is the standard NTSC format. NTSC (with the in-joke of it being Never The Same Color) is the U.S. standard as well as being used in Japan. This is what the majority of TV shows and made for TV movies are composed in when the director views everything. It essentially fills the screen and leaves nothing beyond some overscan image around it. 

Over the years and certainly done more in recent memory, anime movies have begun using the 1.85:1 Academy Standard ratio in filming their movies. Using this ratio gives the director a bigger screen to play with without completely compromising the home video market. When the movie is "panned and scanned" or "cropped" for home video, most times very little may be lost, but there is still something lost to it. Purists will call for it to be presented in letterbox format.

The third format used is the 2.35:1 widescreen format. This one presents the widest challenge in bringing a movie to the home video market is it is often hard to pan and scan it properly and upwards of 43% of the image can be lost. Myself, I find movies in the 2.35:1 format to be the most desirable as when viewed theatrically and properly at home, they bring a level of epicness that is often appropriate to the movie at hand. But, that's just my feelings on it. Anime rarely uses the 2.35:1 ratio. I honestly can't think of one that has used it. Check out the images below.

1.33:1 is also called full screen sometimes, as it does indeed fill the entire screen.

1.85:1 is often the standard for drama's and character oriented movies as well as many action/adventure movies.

2.35:1 is used for movies of "epic" proportions to convey a sense of a larger world and in many science fiction movies. 2.35:1 was also used extensively for musicals over the years.

For more detailed information, be sure to check out Widescreen Cinema.

 As you can see, bringing movies to the TV and home video market has been a challenge. Often times the consumer is shorted in terms of what they're seeing and not getting the full picture. What's been surprising over the years in terms of anime is the lack of outcry among many fans when the same happens. Many anime movies were originally framed at 1.66:1 and cropped for domestic release. Thankfully most anime brought over are OVA's and TV series, but the movies that are brought over have generally suffered. 

But, much like DVD, change is in the wind again. HDTV tries to realign the two worlds that separate when TV came into the game back in the 50's. Up until the introduction of the television, most movies were composed in 1.33:1. Threatened by television and wanting to give people a reason to go to the movies still, the Academy introduced the 1.85:1 as the standard and other various formats over the years. Ever since, the compromise has been in place when bringing these movies to TV. Since most people were never really told why the letterbox bars exist or since some people simply can't grasp the concept, the abberation of panned and scanned home video releases has propogated.

HDTV looks to be a turning point. Adopted as the standard for the future, the FCC has mandated that all television stations must be broadcasting by 2006. Most don't expect that to happen fully and many places will get extensions, but HDTV is happening. HDTV is built in the 1.78:1 format, which means that most broadcasts in the coming years will be adopted to this formula. Networks like CBS are currently broadcasting simultaneously in both the current format and the HDTV format. Cable networks are moving into the game (notably HBO delivering an HDTV signal over the air for satellite dishes in 5.1 sound) and the groundwork is continually being laid down.

One of the reasons DVD fans will benefit immensely from HDTV is that many studios are now producing anamorphic widescreen discs. For this example, let's use the recently released movie Tenchi Forever. This movie was composed in the 1.85:1 format. When you play it on your 4:3 (or 1.33:1) TV, you get the letterbox. With a 16:9 capable TV such as an HDTV set, you have the ability to expand this image to fill the screen. Other than the 2.35:1 movies, the letterbox bars will dissolve away and the image will fill the screen and be presented as it was originally seen theatrically. In addition, the process gives back the 33% loss in detail that letterbox movies compromise. Detail becomes much more clear.

With 2.35:1 movies, the movie ends up with the smallest of letterbox bars but otherwise fills the screen to again show it as originally presented. With anime, the greater clarity and resolution adds much to an already stunning picture. With many recent releases of movies in Japan now hitting DVD, we're finding that many have been shot anamorphically and are being transferred to DVD with this encoding. Since widescreen sets are popular in Japan, it's only natural. 

But what does this mean for the U.S. fan? Well, if the companies licensing the movie don't acquire the anamorphic print, we're out of luck as time goes on. In order to present the movies in their best possible light and to make sure they continue to look good over the years, an anamorphic print should be included in each movie license. Of particular interest to me at the moment is the recent acquisition of Spriggan by ADV Films. The release in Japan provided some things that could make a domestic release on the DVD format something that would convert many people. In addition to a great 5.1 Dolby Digital mix, Spriggan (and many other anime) are being released in the DTS 5.1 format. Spriggan was also released in an anamorphic DVD format. So far, ADV's been mum about what they've licensed for release, but the possibilities are wondrous. A dual layered anamorphic release with both the DD and DTS soundtracks in addition to an English track could set the benchmark for theatrical anime on DVD in 2000. And even if you don't have a widescreen set now (as many do not), when you do have one in a few years, the disc won't be outdated or look poor on it. It'll scream quality.

To date, only Pioneer and Manga Entertainment have released in the U.S. any anamorphic widescreen discs. In Japan, it's becoming more frequent and older shows are being remastered in the format as well. The recent re-release of the Macross: Do You Remember Love movie was remastered on DVD as well as several other movies. It's hoped that as more movies are acquired, the anamorphic prints are included. But now is the time to start beating that drum while it's early.

For film enthusiasts and those who want their shows presented in the best possible light and quality, HDTV is definitely the way to go. With prices falling each year and more content becoming available, the path is clear. What remains to be seen is whether companies outside of Pioneer are on the same path as us. It's early yet, but showing a forward looking attitude will definitely only help in the consumers eye. 

For more on letterbox vs. pan and scan, anamorphic and more detailed information about theatrical presentations, check out the links below.

• SMR Home Theater
• The Digital Bits
• Intro to Widescreen
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